Veni, Vedi, Vino, Pt. II - Five Rivers Pinot

When I went into Arlington Liquors to get some wine, I was kind of enjoying discovering the place for myself. However, when the guy behind the counter asked if I needed help finding anything, I asked if he had any good Pinot (Noir) recommendations. He happily told me he did and recommended this 2007 Five Rivers. The price was right (around $14), so sure, why not? I also grabbed an '05 Echelon for backup.

The Five Rivers web site has this to say about their pinots:

"The nose of this classic Pinot Noir is brimming with rhubarb, violets and cardamom, with hibiscus flowers and a note of vanilla from the easy oak treatment." Haha, it sounds like the Paul Giamatti character from Sideways wrote it. I am more like the Thomas Haden Church character: "It's good."

My first impression of this was "weak." The foam "cork" slid out of the bottle with almost no resistance. The color was pale and watery. I don't know from rhubarb or hibiscus, but it did have a nice nose, although it was also somewhat weak. The best part of this wine, I am happy to say, is the flavor. It has the characteristic Pinot Noir flavor, it just doesn't linger in the mouth or in the glass. This wasn't a bad wine and I won't have a problem finishing the bottle, but there are better bottles out there in the same price range.

Veni, Vedi, Vino, Part I - Solane Santi Valpolicella

On the way home from a hard day of thrifting, I stopped at the "package" store in Arlington (Tennessee, that is) and picked up a few bottles of under-$20 wines. I was amazed by the selection of wines they offered--better than what I would have expected from a store that also offers check-cashing from behind a barred window.

I bought four bottles: three California pinot noir and this 2007 Valpolicella, which was the first one I chose to open. Not only was it Valentine's Day, but even better, H was cooking melanzana.

The real cork was so tight in the bottle it came out with a loud *pop* and refused to go back in. You can see in the pic that it was only purple on the very bottom. I love the complexity of a good Valpolicella, and at first pour this one was bitter with a finish of alcohol and tannins. Not really the layers I was looking for. Maybe part of the problem was that I had just brushed my teeth.

I am diligent about wine. I am not an overly-optimistic person (I consider myself a realist) but I will give wine second, third or more chances to get better. I will swirl, examine, sniff, and taste my way through a glass or two of a less-than-good wine, ever hopeful that it will open up and realize its potential. I am happy to say that this wine did just that. I drowned out my minty-fresh breath with crumbly, earthy Parmigiano Reggiano. I swirled and examined the color and the legs (they were long and thin, and I know that they have somethingorother to do with the alcohol, but other than entertainment value I don't really know what I'm looking at) and managed to be patient enough to let the wine breathe. The fruits began to bloom out, earthiness replaced bitterness, and the tannins held out for a nice finish.

Welcome to the FC. Now go home!

The All You Can Eat seafood buffet at the Oakland (Tennessee, that is) Exxon is something of an early bird special, but really, can you beat the value? I'm not sure if this is a weekly event or sort of a one-time deal, but I was delighted to get this flyer. It gives "Filler'up" a whole new meaning. I dearly love the FC!

In spite of the current economic down-turn and the obvious effects it has had on the local housing market, it is inevitable that urban sprawl will continue as people discover the wide open spaces and beauty that Fayette County has to offer (not to mention the at-least-for-now lower taxes). Heck, that's how we wound up here. Part of me wants to tout the pleasures of living here, and part of me wants to say, "Nah, it's not so great, so stay in Memphis."

Elements of a Perfect Saturday Morning

• Good night's sleep- Check
• In my sewing room - Check
• Pot of coffee - Check
• Vintage movie - Check (Philadelphia Story: "My, she was yar!")
• Kids still asleep - Double check!

Two hours of Heaven!

When Worlds Collide in the FC

We were out on a Sunday drive exploring the FC, and found this gem. Single-wide meets country cottage. It's hard to decide which came first. The cottage appears to be years--decades even--younger than the trailer, but then it also looks to have been cut out in such a way to allow passage for the trailer.

"Honey, you know how you've always wanted to add on to the house?"

La Vita Squisita! Progress in Booth 36

I have been making progress with my booth. More than just the fun hunting-gathering-gleaning from the attic part, I have inventoried researched, priced and tagged.















I painted and faux finished a set of shelves that I picked up from Craigslist. They were so long they barely fit in the Sequoia, but really good for displaying my goodies.






It's been a little slow going because I've been fighting a cold. In the end, the cold won when it developped into bronchitis. My preferred method for being sick is to deny it, ignore it, and it will go away. I don't have time to be sick for Pete's Sake. With four kids, it seems someone always needs to go to a doctor/dentist/orthodontist/therapist, so it doesn't leave much time for me to self-indulge in my own maladies. This morning, however, I admitted defeat, went to the Minor Med, and got some proper medication. One of my "to-do's" for 2009 is to get myself a proper Family Doctor. I really should get on that.


Chr has been a terrific help setting up the booth, carrying, cleaning, sorting, and of course keeping me company on our hunting/gathering outings.












This is what we opened with. It looked so sparse after all that work, but it was pretty and Chr and I were proud of our work.

After a second installment of inventory. Hah, this is going to take a while.

This Sculptured Daisy china is so cheerful and pretty. I kept a piece back for myself. A little goes a long way if that's all you have on the table, but it looks great mixed in with coordinating pieces.

Primo Anniversario Alla Villa Pellegrini

Wednesday was a very special day here at Villa Pellegrini, but I was to bedraggled by a cold to write about it. Yesterday morning as I came downstairs after dragging schoolchildren out of bed, I looked out the rear windows, over the rolling hills and beautiful trees, and thought how fortunate to have such a breathtaking view. Then it occurred to me that it was our 1 year anniversary on that day. H had already left for work so I sent him the text, "Happy Anniversary." I knew he would get it right away--and he did.

It was love at first sight for me when we found this lot. We had absolutely scoured Shelby County and could not find what we were looking for in a lot to build on. Basically: lots of trees, hills, large lot, not expensive. That combination just did not seem to exist. That's when we started edging our way across the county line, getting a little braver and a little further out into the FC.

And then we found Lot 6. It had trees galore, a meadow with a grove of trees in the middle, a creek, and a wide open flat area on which to build a house. Of course we did not put V.P. on the flat space. We moved some dirt around and took out just enough trees to place her so she would be surrounded by trees, overlooking a dropoff out the back that rises up again in the distance in a way that makes you think of being in the mountains. In the front we can look out and see more trees, a pond and our lawn. It's all about the views here!

The first night, H and I were here alone. The second night, the girls joined us. We had to go pick them up from their after-school care, and on the drive there storms began gathering, and we could see tornadoes from the car! We got them picked up and back home again just in time for the electricity to go out.

By pure stroke of luck I had just unpacked candles and matches, and not only did I remember where I had put them, but I was able to find them in the dark. I was also able to put my hands on the crankable weather radio, which required a LOT of cranking. It had been my prediction early on that we would move into the house during an ice storm, so I was slightly off on my forecast.

It didn't take long for the tornadoes to die down and for the novely of crashing around in the dark to wear off, so we did what any local would (or should) do--we went to El Nopal for dinner. (I called ahead, and "Si," they had electricity.) We could not go the "usual" way because huge trees were blocking the roads. It was amazing driving along and looking at all the damage the storm had caused. We were so grateful that we didn't have any damage. We were a little iffy on whether we had homeowner's insurance at the time.

At El Nopal, we could enjoy margaritas and watch Dave Brown in all his weatherman glory on their big screen TV with the misaligned projectors (so the red, green, and blue were all slightly off). We were regulars at EN by that time and knew all the waiters by name. They knew us too, but what they didn't know is that we had just become bona fide residents of the FC.

The Risks Involved in Being an Antique Dealer, or Dont Get Attached to the Merchandise

Booth 36 is all mine, February's rent check has cleared, and yet here on February 3, except for some shelves I painted and faux finished, Booth 36 is vuoto (empty)! Yikes!

Last night I was up until 2am cleaning, polishing, refurbing, researching, and putting adorable little price tags on my inventory. I was on such a roll I could have pulled an all-nighter, but I knew I would pay for it big time the next day. I finally turned in, but my mind was still racing. I had the kind of sleep where you aren't really sure if you are asleep or awake, and maybe you're a little of both. Either way, from 2am to 6:30am my brain was still sorting treasures and writing out price tags.

I just love all these things. There are silver spoons that are over 100 years old, a miniature cup and saucer made in Occupied Japan, and beautiful, prewar crazed floral plates. I told H that the biggest risk in my venture was becoming attached to the merchandise. Like fostering puppies. Ball jars with zinc lids are adorable like puppies, especially if they (the jars, not the puppies) are filled with celluloid buttons, right?

At least with the booth I can collect, tinker, putter, and futz with all these goodies and when they are gone, I can seek out some more.

La Vita Squisita: Booth 36 at The Antique Gallery

That's Me! I am now the Booth 36 vendor at The Antique Gallery in Bartlett, TN (6044 Stage Rd if you are in the neighborhood). I love visiting this antique mall and have been a long-time customer. Every time I'd visit, a little voice would say, "You can do this...and it would be so fun..." I've heard that voice say that very thing many times, and too often "fun" would start to seem like "work," which I already have enough of. So far this has been a lot of work, but so much fun! I have two simple goals for this booth: have fun with this new hobby and break even each month. Easy, right?

So how did I get here? A few weeks ago I was at a different antique gallery, and I saw a fateful sign that said, "Booths Available." Hmmm...I do have a lot of collectibles that I've been trying to get rid of. Lots of them have been donated to Goodwill, and while I don't really regret the donations, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were really too valuable for such a fate. Selling them in an antique store seemed so much more humane. So I asked, just out of "curiosity" how much a booth would cost. Well the answer did nothing to discourage me or the voice (which, it turns out, is also me).

My adrenaline began to pump a little as I headed over to The Antique Gallery to ask the same question. Of course walking in the door of that place, (it was the Piggly Wiggly when I moved to Bartlett over 16 years ago) you are met with a rush of Vintage and Antique and Collectible, with a smattering of Kitsch and Junk that renders you helpless. If you are the kind of person who doesn't really think you need a Lay's Peanut jar brimming with old cupcake toppers until you are face to face with one, and then you are kicking yourself for not saving every cupcake topper you ever had your hands on so that you would now have such a jar for yourself because Look-What-They-Are-Worth-Now, and you are seriously considering paying $28 for just such a jar, well then, you know how I felt.

With H's support, I reserved a booth that is small enough for a beginner. The good news regarding this booth is that the former occupant has done well enough here that she is moving to a bigger booth. Ah, dare to dream...

In the mean time, I have been going through my collections at home, setting out things I can part with and saving a few treasures for myself. I have so many wonderful antique sewing notions. I have also been pulling things from my mother's attic--the collections our family amassed, mainly my dad who is the King of Junking, Thrifting, and Scavenging. That man wrote the book on gleaning treasures from junk piles. Some of my earliest memories were of going to the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores around Nashville. He referred to the second-hand stores collectively as "The Junk Store." A trip to The Junk Store always meant "new" toys and books and whatever. We had hoards of "whatever." Frankly a little too much "whatever." My mom's attic, which is floored the entire footprint of her house is lined on either side with shelves made of nailed-together 2x4s. Those shelves are well-stocked with an inventory of old toys, books, dishes, and endless supplies of "whatever." It's like an antique store you have to stoop over in to shop (and occasionally crack your head on a low-lying beam). Just right for seeding my inventory.

For now, my booth is empty and waiting for me to stock, and my stock is sitting staged on my dining room table waiting for price tags, which I have printed and just need to fill out with all the pertinent information: Booth #36; item number; item description; and of course price (very reasonable!).