The Wordsmith's Forge

Today we went to a flea market at the mall.


We actually went yesterday evening too, but several stores and almost all the vendors were already shut down even though it was nowhere near closing. >_< We did encounter a favorite vendor, where I found a melon scoop (it looks like a stiff hook on a handle, for gutting melons and squash) and a jar of buttons; my partner Doug found several decks of cards.

Happily everything was open today. \o/ We found a lot of great loot. :D

The first find was a lady selling houseplants among other things. I got a night-blooming orchid cactus, which apparently is a type of cereus; another cactus that is fuzzy rather than spiny; and a hoya vine whose green leaves have white on them.

Doug found a whole stack of videos really cheap. The same guy had a gorgeous mirror set in an antique horse collar. I was tempted because it would match our house so well. But I couldn't think of a place to put it, and it's really heavy -- we'd need to find two studs and buy a hanging bar. I'm not even sure we could lift the thing safely. *sigh*

New Life Car Care is a charity that does free car repairs and helps people get reliable transportation. That's desperately needed in modern America. See their donation page if you feel that travel should be a right rather than a paid privilege for the rich and lucky. Anyhow, they were selling paracord crafts as a fundraiser. I picked up a bracelet not to wear, but as a compact way to store paracord in the car, in case of emergency. It has numerous survival uses, and can be deconstructed for more.

Feminine Grace Keychain & Purse Accessories by Altheia Denise caught my eye with its colorful dangles. She had a bunch already made up, or you could design your own. Tempting as the composites were, I knew they'd never survive the way I knock things around. So I got a plain turquoise leather tassel to snap on my purse. The booth really reminded me of the Fierce Lynx series on The Vivienne Files which uses the palette of a beaded bracelet to design a capsule wardrobe. You can do the same thing with a purse dangle, and then you'll always have your color reference with you if colors are hard for you to remember. Alternatively, you can collect dangles of different colors and use them to accessorize, if you can't be arsed to change your purse all the time. I definitely can't. Ribbons or handkerchiefs also work, but a snap-on dangle is faster. The same trick works on some shoes or anything else with a little metal part that you can fit the snap through. That little flash of bright blue makes me smile.

Two guys had a great collection of 3D-printed nerdart. Most of the pieces were highly articulated with exquisite details and excellent color choices. Some were iridescent. I don't think any of them were finished to smooth away the production lines, but that's okay. Lines add to the shimmer on an iridescent item, and are not always a flaw; it depends on the product. I didn't really have anywhere to display the fancy ones, even the adorable little palm-size beholders, so instead I picked out a jack-o-lantern. That will fit in any of the usual candle locations; it has a lid and cutouts with a hollow inside, so it can be lit with a battery light. It's about baseball size, slightly flattened, and a very shiny mix of purple, blue, and green. While I don't 3D-print things myself, I'm rather a fan of the art form, and it's nice to see someone with a really sharp eye for good designs and color coupled with the skill to run the machines and not fuck up the process.

We stopped at C & C KettleCorn in the mall for an apple pie empanada. It was excellent: about hand-sized, crispy, coated in cinnamon sugar and drizzled with caramel, stuffed with diced apples. :D They sell a variety of fair foods and a few kinds of real food like hamburgers. I'm tempted by the pulled pork fries. They also had a prayer board, which is not a rare thing to see around here, and a pair of food bank donation jars as a competition between two local sport teams (clever idea). Then they had the Love Thy Neighbor sign on the back wall. They had free Narcan on the counter, too, so they really meant it. (Carrying Narcan or similar overdose treatments is a quick easy way to save a life, if you are in places where people may be abusing narcotics.) Looks like somebody actually read the book for once. \o/ That's the second time this summer that I've seen someone who was really doing the things Jesus said about taking care of those in need.

By the time we got out of the mall, it was almost supper time. So we swung by Dairy Queen and got a basket of chicken strips to split and pineapple milkshake. Really good too.

This was a very productive outing. :D