my mother’s stash

i love these posts from green bean baby about her mother’s house, chock full of fun collections. i wanted to join in the fun.

my mother is an antique dealer. she has been for as long as i’ve known her. there was a constant flow of objects in and out of the house. i always wondered whose things they were. in our house, we had late 19th century photos of people… and visitors would ask “oh who’s that?” as if it was a relative! i was surprised when i realized that no one else hung pretty pictures of strangers up.

i also grew up being used to furniture appearing and disappearing. i was especially sad one day when an “ice cream parlor set” of a round table and wire chairs had vanished from the kitchen. apparently someone had come to view something else at the house, and decided they would buy that too.

let me point out, she makes very little money from the antiques. it just all goes back into ‘inventory’. she swears she clothed us on her earnings, but i know how much she makes. i try to get her to admit it’s “a hobby” but she refuses. while she could make more money making lattes, she enjoys it very much. it’s a labour of love.

she’s retired now, but before- she worked full time as a nurse, and then she soaked, ironed and mended loads of linens everynight. i was used to seeing her busy all the time. she an i both know we’re alot alike.

these photos are some i took of one of her booths (in memory lane antiques).

she literally said: you can pick anything you want! and i didn’t take anything! i wish i got one of these red and white checked table cloths… but at the time i had just sold or donated many of my worldly possessions and collections, i could not bear to take one more thing.