Thrift Brag!

Confession, when I just want something to do to rest from working, I go find a thrift store.  I always check out the pictures, mostly for frames, but I can't buy any more frames.  I have a frame problem.  Don't look in my craft room closet.  I still look at the art, though.  Yesterday I scored.  I paid a whooping $2.99 for this lovely.

This 8 x 10 oil painting snagged my heart. It had to come home with me.  The frame was trashed.  It even had a tiny bit of termite damage.  I baked the frame in the oven at 225 for a bit just to make sure there wasn't any lingering wildlife then I scrubbed the frame down with rubbing alcohol.  A light coating  of Liquitex Burnt Umber acrylic paint and the wood grain still showed through and the frame looked new again. 

I loved the picture.  This so reminded me of growing up in the west on a ranch.  Most original paintings you find at the thrift are some one's hobby and pretty bad. This is a decent composition and full of my favorite blues and greens.  Is it worth anything?  I don't think so.

It is signed Dick Powell and then has those strange red marks below.  There was Dick Powell who a movie star from the first part of the 1900's.  When I search the Internet I can't find any other Dick Powells doing painting.   I think it's from one of those places where they have Chinese art students crank out thousands of oils and then they sell them in the US at traveling shows located in hotels.  There is a store in Hot Springs, AR near us that sells these, also.  They are original but pretty formulaic.  They're very affordable and they can be good for decoration if you find one you like.  They have bales of canvases in the back and you pick one and they staple it onto a stretcher and pop it into a frame in about a minute.  The canvas, stretchers and frame seem very modern and the red bits in the signage are, I think, the sure give away.  It's hanging in my entry right now.  Happiness.

I Am A Murder

One of my all time favorite movie moments is from "Dan in Real Life".  A widowed father of three girls tosses out the stowaway boyfriend of his barely adolescent and hormonal daughter who then shrieks in pain and agony "you are a murder.... a murder of love."  The quote makes me laugh probably because I've been a hormonal girl and I've raised and lived with a hormonal girls.  I think of this quote now because I feel like a murder today; not of love but of another fellow creature.

Warning, if you can't stand tales of death (or house mice) read no further.

I love all Gods critters, even mice.  I really love fairy tale or literary mice.  The amazing Wanda Gag's "Snippy and Snappy" is about the sweetest mouse brother and sister. (I scored a perfect copy of this when I was in California for $1.50)

 I also adore "Vera the Mouse" by Marjolein Bastin.  I wish I had bought more of these titles and taken better care of them cause Vera is a bit hard to come by now.

However, real mice in my pantry are not allowed.  Outside, live and let live, but inside - can you say Hanta Virus?  I've found mouse sign off and on in the pantry for a couple of weeks and after I scrub everything (thank heavens most of my storage is in jars) and replace the shelf liner I set out a few traps.  I like to use old fashioned spring traps that I bait with some peanut butter.  When said rodent is trapped (whacked) I then toss the whole affair into the trash.  BLHubby gives me a hard time for not emptying and reusing the traps but they cost a whopping 50cents apiece and I would pay ten times that to not empty the trap.  Unfortunately, the mouse plaguing my pantry is wise and crafty.  The mousie would lick the trap completely clean and then leave me a few poopy gifts on the shelf.  I thought the trap must be too tough to trip (though it would snap my fingers unless I was VERY careful placing it) so I bought new traps.  Same results.  I was feeding at least one unwanted rodent!  It was now war. 

 I feel strongly that creatures being. . . dispatched, should be sent into the great unknown quickly and as humanely as possible.  I don't like the idea of using poison (like D-Con).  In doing property management I've seen this go so very wrong (think stinky caucuses in walls and drop ceilings).  I've never used glue traps as they seemed cruel.  The critter isn't dead but permanently stuck.  But I was desperate.  I'd been foiled repeatedly by this mouse eating every kind of bait.  I gave it one last chance, thinking that I left too much room around the trap and I set up the mousetrap in a corner with boxes around it so the rodent couldn't reach the bait without getting on the trap and the trap came up not just clean but polished.  I bought some glue traps and set them out.  The mousy doesn't seem to live in the pantry but visit from time to time.  I checked the traps daily and nothing.  Then this morning there he was - stuck.  It was horrible!  I tried to get the BLHubbs to remove the mouse laden trap when he quit laughing he suggest I should wear work gloves while doing the deed so "it doesn't bite you".  (I will remember this)

No need to harrow your soul with the tale of bagging and tossing (with big gloves) the mouse.  I'm tossing the rest of the glue traps and praying all the field mice haven't mutated into genius spring trap avoiding super mice as here in the country getting a mouse in the house a couple of times a year is inevitable.   Pray for me.