A Vintage Find, Emma's New Coat, and 12 Commandments

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (NCIS) has his rules, and so do I. His rules are numbered; mine are not, but I follow each faithfully. I have mentioned this particular rule in bygone posts, but let me repeat it here. When in the midst of winter the thermometer on my sunporch reads 65 or higher, I must grab a cold drink, a good book, and proceed to go plunk myself in a comfy chair and bask in the warmth and sunshine. Today is such a day! It is January 11th, and it is in the sixties outside!!! It was so warm that after returning from walking Emma earlier, I relaxed in one of my pink, plastic Adirondack chairs. ( I have yet to put them away under the porch. I'm afraid that if I do at this point, the next day we will be buried in a blizzard.  :-) I would still be sitting outside except the wind has really picked up, and I do not want to risk having a tree branch conk me on the head!

Anyway, I stopped at the Eclectic Connection in West Bridgewater recently after my flute lesson. There had been a detour, and let me say it was the longest, most convoluted detour on which I have ever been directed. Good news though as I eventually saw a sign for West Bridgewater, and I made my way to the big red barn which houses many dealers of antique and vintage items. It's an interesting place to visit. I wandered around and didn't see anything to catch my eye. Then, just a few feet from the exit, on a middle shelf, I spotted this small ceramic tree.

I have a tray with a mirrored surface upon which I display all sorts of little trees at Christmas, and so this one came home with me. But wait . . . the layers are stacked. . . four ashtrays and a lighter on top! How cool is that? It only cost ten dollars, but I saw similar ones listed for more online. From what I could ascertain, these cigarette lighter/trees date back to the 70s.
 

I have another vintage lighter and when its mechanism is wound,  it plays "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." No, I won't be starting a cigarette lighter collection as I don't smoke and I already collect way too many things. :-)

 Here was Miss Emma modeling her new winter coat on Thursday when the thermometer was reading 15 degrees with a biting windchill.  Emma does have a good wardrobe, but to be fair, she wears some of the same things that were originally worn by my first mini schnauzer, Katie. Emma needed a new warm coat as the previous one was wearing out in spots. This coat will be for bitter cold days or when we have a snowstorm. Believe it or not, these photos were taken within minutes of each other. The snow was still evident in the shady side of my yard.

The new coat kept her snuggly warm, but with the sleeves, it was like trying to get a snowsuit on a three year old! I think it is funny that dog coats always seem to have a pocket. Is that for their cell phones???  Anyway, Miss Emma will be styling and warm this winter.

One last item that was sent along by a friend.

The 12 Commandments of Growing Old...

#1 - Talk to yourself, because there are times you need expert advice.

#2 - Consider "in style" to be the clothes that still fit.

#3 - You don't need anger management, you just need people to stop pissing you off.

#4 - Your people skills are just fine. It's your tolerance for idiots that needs work.

#5 - The biggest lie you tell yourself is, "I don't need to write that down. I'll remember it."

#6 - These days, "on time" is when you get there.

#7 - Even duct tape can't fix stupid, but it sure does muffle the sound.

#8 - Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller?

#9 - Lately, you've noticed people your age look so much older than you.

#10 - You thought growing old would take a lot longer.

#11 - Aging sure has slowed you down, but it hasn't shut you up.

#12 - You still haven't learned to act your age and hope you never will.

And one more:

So you know you're growing old when "one for the road" means taking a pee before you leave.

Anonymous

Have a fun weekend and keep smiling!