Trade Days

By mutual confidence and mutual aid -- great deeds are done, and great discoveries made. --Homer

It's been over a year since Valine and I went to the Canton Trade Days, so I was very excited to be going again this past weekend. We usually go once or twice a year, but with the wedding and all, other things just got in the way this year. She took off a day from school to drive up here and Friday afternoon we drove over to Longview to do a little shopping, eat out, etc. Spending the night there makes the trip to Canton a little bit shorter, so that's nice, too (especially at 7 a.m. Saturday morning!) We got some much needed Christmas shopping done and had a nice meal------shrimp scampi was yummy!! After watching a movie back at the hotel, we turned in for the night.

Of course, when we're together, there is never a shortage of words.
We talk and talk and talk. And then talk some more. Our semi-annual visits are great chances to catch up on everything. We talk about friends, step-families (which we have both recently acquired), teaching and our daughters. We talk about the past---college days, old boyfriends, our weddings, our children's births and how they've grown and the loss of our mothers--- and we dream about the future---what we'll be doing in a few years, what our children will be doing and even what vacations we might take. Somehow, talking to each other in person (we talk by phone and email on a regular basis) seems to "fill us up", giving us sustenance to last until our next visit.

Saturday morning, we got up early and drove over to Canton. It was so much fun. We met her Aunt Pam and her best friend for shopping at the flea market. Just like us, they seem to share that same camaraderie and endless conversation. They live near Canton and are able to come on a regular basis, but for Valine and I, the journey is quite a treat. We begin our shopping in the pavilions, which are filled with high quality merchandise and inspiration, then, slowly make our way through the "open booth" area which is filled with row upon row of "junk booths". It's always so much fun to peruse these booths, hoping to find a special treasure among the $1.00 piles. This year, as I was looking through one such booth, I came across a cardboard powder box very similar to the one my mother used to keep her buttons in so long ago----complete with the filigree metal band around the bottom. How could I resist?? Well, I didn't. It now is home to a few of my favorite buttons!! Who knows--maybe someday a future grandchild will enjoy playing with this box just as I did a few years back.