"Back in Baby's Arms"

   Initially when I titled this post I intended to write about a return to something I love.  Well that, and lately I’ve had Patsy Cline songs on my mind.  It’s really been quite nice.  Not at all like that Tina Turner stint that almost drove one of my closest friends totally insane. 

   Anyhow as I mentioned, at first I believed I was going to write about rekindling a lost love.  To explain, I'm happy to report I finally broke through my thrifting funk!  Honestly it was a dry seven months in the land of vintage.  This lifelong thrift store enthusiast had nearly given up until that horrendous cold hit me…for the second time…and I was banished to the land of Etsy while bed ridden.  Who knew it would simply take the purchase of one fantastic vintage Krizia coat to re-inspire this clothing collector's urge to hunt!...and that’s basically all I have to say about that...which really doesn't cover enough ground for an entire blog post. Huh...what to say now?  Uh…"GO VINTAGE?!"

   Speaking of being, “back in baby’s arms,” one could also comment that I’ve had a lot of babies in my arms as of late.  I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I currently work in childcare.  It would be logical for one to assume that I am referring to my job with this last comment.  While this conclusion has some truth to it, I must admit the, "babies," I’m currently discussing are my cats.  Yes, I've finally completed my transformation into the middle aged cat lady who refers to animals as her children.  I now plan on buying a puffy paint sweatshirt featuring cats playing with yarn balls.  Okay maybe it hasn’t gotten quite that bad yet, but I’ve seriously been eyeing Laurel Burch tote bags.  I have to be able to argue they qualify as kitschy 90’s vintage…right?     

   Anyway I find myself joking a lot about being the proverbial, “crazy cat lady.”  Initially I always believed this title referred to a woman of eccentricity who was extremely enthusiastic about cats.  However, lately my perception of the, “crazy cat lady,” title has changed.  I now believe it refers to a woman who has slowly and agonizingly been driven mad by her furry feline friends.  Believe me, this is a much more accurate depiction of a, “crazy cat lady.”

   Every night when I get home from work I find myself dog…ha! more animal references…tired from entertaining children all day.  All I can think of is collapsing in front of my laptop and staring at endless pages of vintage crap on Etsy in order to numb my mind.  Instead I find myself frantically searching the yard yelling, “HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTIEEEE,” in a desperate attempt to get my, “babies,” secured in the shop before nightfall when all the really big and bad beasties come out.  The other day I was unable to find one of my, “children,” until I heard a muffled, but recognizable, squalling coming from a sealed off hayloft in one of our barns.  Instantly I panicked, when I realized with horror my cat had made the precarious climb to the ceiling of our barn and jumped into a two foot opening that dropped down into a hayloft that no longer had any other entrance.  I could hear her crying until her voice was raw and I’m not too proud to admit I shed almost as many tears.  At that moment I feared the worst may happen.

   Finally, my boyfriend came outside to see what was taking me so long to…let’s face it...cook dinner.  He found me, half crazed, trying to climb the barn’s hundred year old support beams while wearing my work wedges.  I tell you…it could only be defined as a mother’s love.  Thankfully this man, who is often highly inconvenienced and annoyed by my fondness for furry strays, ended up climbing a ladder about seventeen feet in the air while swinging a sledge hammer into the side of a solid wood wall.  After quite a few tries...wow! these old barns are built to last...he was able to bust a hole big enough for a cat to fit through.  As a result, one terrified calico kitty came scurrying down and thankfully, “baby was back in my arms”…which ultimately caused me to be, “back in baby’s arms,” trolling vintage again since that’s the only thing that seems to soothe the insanity of this, “crazy cat lady.”  As for my boyfriend…well, good luck to him because this place is nuts.

-r.

Cardigan:  Nick & Mo

Jeans:  Gap

Boots:  Esprit

Purse:  Vintage

Necklace:  Thrifted (Joan River's Collection)

Sunglasses:  Chloe