I’m about to have to say goodbye to an old and dear resident of my closet. (No, not some living thing. Some fabric thing.)
The McCart Family Thrift Store. It’s amazing.
Several years ago, I was in Fort Worth, visiting Kevin and April, along with my sister and niece. JoAnne and Natalie were wanting to do some shopping for Patrick’s (the middle child) wedding. JoAnne didn’t find anything (despite April’s strong encouragement to purchase a pair of bright pink cowgirl boots). Natalie did find a nice sundress with a pink and peach floral pattern on it, in the colors of the wedding. The place April had taken us to was a huge, well-organized, clean, and well-stocked consignment store. McCart’s Family Thrift Store. We all did a bit of shopping, and, as I looked through clothing, I made a wonderful find! Denim overall shorts! Giant-sized! They looked perfect for working in the yard and around the house when I was doing messy things, like painting. It was in good shape; I don’t recall what I paid for it, but whatever it was, I’ve gotten great wear from it.
Recently, though, it’s begun to show just how much work it’s done over the past few years. And, it’s beginning to have holes so large that it might be becoming inappropriate for me to wear in public (even if that “public” is in my backyard).
-
- You can spot some of the wear–holes all around the bib pockets, one particularly large, and paint drips on the legs
-
- And some serious pocket-area holes in the back.
So, I went to the place where I do most of my where-can-I-find-that shopping: Amazon. I asked for “Cherokee (the brand of my old overalls) short denim overalls.” Looks like the Cherokee people do not make short denim overalls any more; nothing matching what I had been wearing for several years came up. So, I tried asking for “denim overall shorts.”
-
- These cute overalls come already ripped. Already ripped? I pretty much can do that by myself.
-
- These are the very plain ones that I ordered. I’m a little afraid that they may be somewhat lacking the in pocket department.
-
- And for some inexplicable reason, this showed up on the “denim overall shorts” list.–TOPONSKY Women’s Casual Plain Short Sleeve Fit Simple T-shirt Loose Cotton Dress. I do see the word “short” in the description. And maybe they think it would look nice as an overall cover-up, in case somebody drops by while I’m gardening.
I ordered them. Not the largest size, which was 4X. That seemed overzealous. But I did order the 2X. I’m not going for looks. I’m going for comfort, and plenty of space so that I can put my gardening gloves in a pocket and a pair of small pruners in another pocket and my phone in a pocket and my glasses in a pocket. And a couple of shirts underneath the overalls, if it’s a little chilly out. I just want lots of room.
And, news from the front yard …
-
- Lovely brick-colored bougainvillea
-
- Violas hanging on the front railing. Cool weather plants, they won’t last much longer.
-
- Yellow princess roses in the front flower bed.
-
- A yellow bloom on the miniature rose bush in a pot on the steps
-
- And, on the other side of the little rose bush, on some rue—oh, yeah! I’ve had them in the autumn before, from the end-of-season migration. But I’ve never had one in the spring before. I don’t think I’ve had rue plants in the early spring. My front porch must be on the route in the spring, too!
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
Proverbs 31:15-17 (New Revised Standard Version)
Okay. It’s not quite a vineyard. It’s an herb garden. And a thyme garden. And a shady place with a garden bench. But my arms are strong enough to transfer a big bag of mulch or topsoil from the car’s trunk to a wheelbarrow, and to cart that bag to the backyard. And spread that mulch or topsoil where it needs to be. While wearing my overalls.