The BIG ONE ~ October Flea Market ~ Nashville Fairgrounds

When Neil and I get to go to the flea market [rare these days], we make it a point to go on Friday ~ to avoid the crowd that shows up on Saturday and Sunday. That didn’t work out so much for us today, because this is October at the Nashville Flea Market ~ widely known as “The Big One” and for good reason. I’ve never seen such a full parking lot or so many people or so much stuff. But it was a perfect day to be outdoors for a bit of junkin’.

Yorick? Is that you?   “a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy” I wanted to buy him but he was 38 dollars and I thought that was a bit pricey for a skull [but the Shakespeare is free for the taking]

Not to be outdone by poor Yorick

Vintage top hat and boots ~ whenever I see these at the flea market, I always wish my feet would fit in a pair ~ women back in the day had really tiny feet!

Lots of Halloween things there today ~ love the vintage decorations

Beautiful Mums and great pumpkins

You can’t swing a dead cat at the flea market without hitting a creepy [clown] doll

Hi ya, Mickey! I guess the nose is always the first thing to go

Seems like everyone was selling rusty metal letters of the alphabet and signs like this ~ which is right up my alley ~ rusty junk

For all you teachers and students out there ~ won’t be long

Did somebody just swing a dead cat? Creepy Cupie doll ~ I don’t trust it. It knows something.

Good to know ~ if you like goat milk. And look at that cute puppy face that sneaked in the picture

Don’t ask because I don’t know. You can insert your own caption here.

This is my gratuitous flea market self-portrait ~ it’s weird because I had no idea I even took this picture until I downloaded it on the computer ~ me and my shadow in the blinding sunlight today and somebody’s retreating foot

Where’s the rest of this rusting Chevy? I can see this in some guy’s man cave [maybe far far away from his wife]

Deer head on papasan chair ~ abandoned deer heads always make me a little sad ~ it probably came from some estate sale

Wild boar remains do not come cheap

Lunch! Mine. I got two because I figured they’d be small. But they weren’t. I ate them. Both. And it was good.

Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea.  Did you know that President Taft [27th president] was a BIG man? At over 330 pounds, Taft was the heaviest president. Once, he got stuck in the White House bath tub and required six aides to pull him free. The tub was replaced with a new one large enough to hold four men. Want to know more fun facts about Taft? No? Yes? Here’s a handy link:  http://www.republicanpresidents.net/10-interesting-facts-about-william-taft/  Don’t say I never taught ya nothin’.  [I photo bombed Taft]

I kill you!!

I know we’re not supposed to covet, but I coveted this awesome card catalog. It was only 900 dollars. I wanted to buy it.  But Neil said no. Go figure.

Speaking of Neil, he wanted to buy some toys. I said no. Ha! [not really ~ he was sifting through Thomas Trains to see if there was anything grandson Knox might not have]

Neil and I both coveted this cool work bench, although it would have been more useful for him than for me. I liked the color and all the drawers and cubbies and such.

I had to take a picture. The vendor told me it’s not just a can but an actual never been opened full can of pork chitterlings [or chitlins which you know if you’re Southern] He said he’s had it for years, displaying it at the flea markets, but no takers so far, although he offered it to me for free if I’d eat them. I told him I’d pass, thanks. Chitterlings are [usually] the small intestines of a pig, in case you were wondering. Here’s a fun fact for you about chitlins:  Chitterlings are often soaked and rinsed thoroughly in several different cycles of cool water, and repeatedly picked clean by hand, removing extra fat, undigested food, and specks of feces. They may then be turned inside out, cleaned and boiled, sometimes in baking soda and/or salt, and the water discarded  ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitterlings ~ Sounds delicious. No? People do eat them. Not me, though. Not even free ones. I’ll bet you didn’t know the flea market could be educational.

All the Christmas holiday bases are covered here at the flea market

He’s half the man he used to be. Poor guy. How embarrassing.

Remember [if you’re a child of the fifties] how we used to play cops and robbers? Cowboys and Indians? We knew our Second Amendment rights even when we were six.

Mummy and child reunion? Sorry. Could not resist. We had a great time at the flea market today. We haven’t been since I can’t remember when. I picked up a few odds and ends ~ a pretty [and unusual] red Mason jar and a cool turkey platter to name a couple. I would show you but I didn’t take a picture of my junkin’ “treasures” [rust may have been involved in one of those things…maybe…and I can’t help thinking of that verse in the Bible where Jesus teaches "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21] Happy TGIF, everyone! Hope you treasured this beautiful sunshiny blue sky October day.