Tag Archives: jewelry

Jun6

Not Me!

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Not Me!

A danger of growing older is that we accumulate stuff, way too much stuff. As I scan photos of another lifetime, I am eternally grateful that I no longer have to dust all those collectibles or polish all that silver. I recently came across some jewelry in one of the bins of photos. I found a couple of sterling silver bracelets, very badly tarnished. While they will come back to Washington with me, I wonder if I’ll ever polish them or wear them.

I jokingly would tell my friends that all I have left in Winnipeg (other than my son) are bins filled with family photo albums. When I leave here later this month, that will no longer be true. The hard copies will be gone and I will be leaving absolutely nothing behind.

I found hard copies of the two books I’ve published, as well as a cookbook I co-authored as a fundraiser for Grace Hospital. I also found my baby book. So those will all accompany me to Washington as well.

I look at some of the “things” I found in those bins and wonder why I saved all of those as well. I stopped being sentimental long ago and it’s actually a relief when I toss them in the trash now. I’ve taken photos of the items and that will more than suffice.

I still have nightmares about cleaning out other’s apartments and condos when they’ve passed away and am thankful my own kids won’t have to ever go through that. Two suitcases in my closet in East Wenatchee with art supplies, clothes and a handful of memorabilia. That’s it!

A hoarder? Not me!

Nov13

Tienguis

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Tienguis

One of the things I really enjoy is strolling through the tienguis on my street on Thursdays. Basically this is like a street flea market. It has a real mixture of both new and used items. And of course there is food.

I’ll start with food. This week there were three different areas where food was being cooked. Two of the areas had the usual tacos and tortas. The third one appeared quite popular. I have no idea what it was but it was some deep fried unhealthy looking I’m not sure what. As wonderful as the aroma of meat and onions is, I don’t eat at the tienguis.

But I do pick up my weekly supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition to the usual broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, onions and potatoes, I was excited to find mushrooms. Fruit this week was watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe and apples. And I must admit I buy other fruits and vegetables whose names I don’t know in Spanish or English but I do know how to prepare them.

Now for the non-food items. This is where I really get to practice my Spanish vocabulary. There are always several people selling used tools, cell phones and all types of other technology. One guy had a Dell laptop. He told me it didn’t work but if I went to the plaza de technoligia, he was sure someone there could fix it. A tienguis isn’t where I’d go computer shopping but apparently some people do. I’ll have to check back this week and see if he actually sold it.

Lots of jewelry and toys, new and old. And interesting people to talk to who are selling these items. Of course these items in the used category are often interspersed with tools and books, all laid out on a blanket.

Perfumes, creams and lotions. New and used here too. Housewares including BetterWare. Toiletries and cosmetics. Paper goods. Candy. Furniture. Incense. Wallets. Purses.

And then there are the clothes and shoes. Racks of new and used. Great places to practice asking for sizes and colors. Amazing how a new blouse goes from 150 pesos down to 95 with a teensie bit of negotiation. The sellers expect you to bargain and they’re disappointed if you don’t.

The tienguis is like going to garage sales, except you don’t have to drive around and fight for parking spaces. You just stroll leisurely down the street. Much more convenient.