I have been busy lately....so I am behind on my blogging....and a few other things like cleaning the house but it doesn't mind waiting for me....or if it does...TOO Bad!
We have finally found summer....or if not summer, the yard has become a sauna complete with a steam bath rising from foliage everywhere. Of course with the increased temps it also has rained....up to five inches in a few days...no matter....life is good and so are the garden goodies.
To keep cool we decided to spend a few hours shopping. Mr. Club Vintage and I set out stopping first at an estate sale that advertised lots of vintage clothes. It was pouring rain as we got out of the car....umbrellas were seen all around....as I went in the door to the house the smell of cigarette smoke assaulted my nose....made ten times worse by the thick humid air. I wanted to turn back around and leave but the Mr. said he wanted to look around. So, I picked up a few washable items....a wicker plant stand to use outside in the garden and a couple of metal buckets that will be turned into containers for my herbs...again outside at least long enough for the smell to dissipate....I hope. I wanted to purchase some sewing patterns but I was afraid that I would never be able to remove the smell so I left them behind.
This talk of the cigarettes reminds me of how much things have changed.....when I was younger I seem to recall that everyone smoked...and they smoked everywhere! They smoked in stores....yes, stores...even while grocery shopping. I remember that clearly because my parents owned a grocery store when I was a kid and my job was to sweep up the butts they crushed on the floor as they filled their baskets with food....yuck!!!!!
They smoked in offices, businesses, planes, their homes and cars...everywhere!
My concern with all this smoking is that if you love vintage items and add them to your wardrobe and home decor the chances are very good, around 100%, that they were part of the smoking landscape....and will have the remnants of their previous life clinging to them even now. You can air them out, wash them numerous times and use all the deodorizing tricks such as cleaning them with white vinegar, baking soda, kitty litter, and even newspapers. But try as you might....the smell will rear its ugly head on occasions such as a humid day, or if you package an item up for shipping off to a new owner.....things that were odorless thanks to your diligent cleaning efforts.....harken back to their previous exposures.
This is not to say that we can't enjoy these treasures from the past....it just reminds us that they did have a previous life....they were not always in a pristine environment....we just have to accept them for what they are....beautiful reminders of our past history....history that includes the fact that smoking was everywhere.
If you want to share your life with vintage things from bygone days then you need to love them even when they show the uglier side of their past....I for one think they are worth it!
