Some fun thrifting on the way to an exam

After hearing several reminders from women who’d just had their mammogram, I recalled that I was overdue for mine and scheduled the appointment for last Tuesday. My doctor’s offices are in Jonesboro, thirty minutes from my home in Newnan, and I psyched myself up for the visit by stopping by the Jonesboro Goodwill, where I’ve often found better treasures than I have at the Goodwill stores closer to me. This time was no exception!

The first thing I spotted was this eight-inch vintage chintz plate marked Shelley. At $1.09, that plate was definitely going home with me. Vintage chintz is probably my favorite china to find, but I rarely find it in antique malls, and it’s even rarer that I find it at thrift stores. I recognized the pattern immediately, and when I got home and looked it up (thank you, Google Lens), I learned it was the Maytime pattern.

Now, it occurred to me a while back that I’ve never purchased a lily of the valley teacup, which is odd for someone whose birthday is in May and who loves the fragrance of those flowers. So when I spotted a stack of three pretty teacups with lily of the valley on them there at the Goodwill, I was intrigued, but I don’t typically buy orphaned teacups. Still, Goodwill stores don’t always pair the cups and saucers, so when I headed down the next row, I spotted a stack of four saucers and four dessert plates, and yippee, they were the mates to those teacups! At $3.09 for the teacups and $5.09 for the eight other pieces, I had to run get a buggy.

Do you remember the potato chip commercial that said, “Ruffles have ridges?” Well, this bowl had some ruffles and ridges that I immediately recognized since it was the Iris and Herringbone Depression glass pattern my mother used to collect. (I’ve often mentioned how my sister used to call it “Irish Hambone,” and I can’t see a piece of this without recalling that). I love ruffled glassware, and this bowl was $3.09, which I thought was another fine bargain. A new apple bowl for fall!

The oddest thing I found? This beautiful gold plate dated 1910. I asked the young man checking me out at Goodwill, “You don’t happen to speak German, do you?” He laughed and said, “No, ma’am,” but he did automatically give me the senior discount of an extra 25 percent off all of my purchases, and even though I’m “only” 59, I’ll gladly take the discount. Turns out, if Google Translate is correct, the plate reads, “In memory of your parents 1910.” (Why doesn't it translate "In memory of MY parents," I wondered. Are you supposed to give it to someone in memory of their parents? Is that translation even correct? If you speak German, please chime in!)

 
But it was actually the back of the plate that I found most intriguing. Am I looking at 113-year-old masking tape? And how can "elders" be addressing "mother and father," do you suppose? Or did the scribe mean that his/her elders gave the plate in honor of this person's parents? I have so many questions! Occasionally, something like this “speaks” to me as a possible storyline for one of my books, and that was certainly the case with this piece.

I also found a few Christmas goodies I’ll share at the holidays, but the glass and china I found last Tuesday gave me something pleasant to think about an hour later when my body was being tortured by the nice lady in Jonesboro who told me not to breathe or move. (As if!) Happily, I got the all-clear and the lovely word “Normal” just two days later. And I say all this not because I’m particularly fond of oversharing but because other women were kind enough to remind me to get my mammogram, so I’d love to think I could help remind one of you to get yours. And if you need a fun incentive, go thrifting on the way there!