Prescott Bound

It was not a very eventful week on the jewelry front. I accepted a Poshmark offer on this amazing 1940s coin silver concho pin on Saturday, only to have the buyer message me Sunday asking to cancel her order because she thought it was a belt buckle. I did not post it here but the listing also included a photo of the back side of the piece which shows the huge pin backing. It was only referred to as a pin on the listing. Since I would not be able to ship it until Monday, I had not packaged it so I figured out how to do the cancellation. If anyone would like to give this pin a home it is available!

I was only able to post two items this past week and they are both quite similar - belt buckles with a Western motif and a real baby scorpion made into a cabochon with resin and added to each buckle. One has an eagle with outstretched wings and the other has a man on horseback. I had them tested and they did not come up sterling but they are definitely unique pieces.

It was a scorching hot week but not terrible if just going from home to the car and then to the destination. I was able to keep up with my physical therapy homework and I am up to two workouts on my own and one at physical therapy. I am not pain-free by any means but I am improving which I am so grateful for. Tasks like putting my shoes on are getting easier. If I can keep it up, maybe I can go totally on my own starting in August.

Kuochun completed his cluster of appointments for his cataract surgery and does not have an appointment for over two weeks so he was ready to transition to Prescott. Our original plan was to drive separately but at the same time on Friday so I could take a van load of items up and he would take the girls. He decided he was not quite ready and we ended up leaving on Saturday morning. I have three appointments next week, starting Monday so it will be a quick turnaround for me. First and foremost, I wanted to be sure Kuochun and the girls arrived safely.

It was quite hot when we got to Prescott, about 90 degrees and it felt like there was some humidity. Kuochun helped me clear the van which was very nice of him. Since the cataract surgeries he had been prohibited from exercising and lifting anything heavier than 20 pounds. We ended up putting the eight 6-foot non-folding tables which were in the van in the Arizona room. I will be able to use it as storage until the tile comes in at around the end of August. This will give me some time to stage and sell items out there for Facebook Marketplace. The tables need cleaning and I would like to remove the Brie's identification which is written on them with marker. I should easily be able to sell them for $20 each once they are cleaned up. I was happy to see the double-sided folding clothing rack, this will really help me at my garage sale because there are so many clothes to sell!

The garage is so full now with items to sell and I still have more to bring! It is too hot to have a garage sale right now so I will need to sell the larger useful household items ahead of time. I have a refrigerator/freezer which was left in the garage by the previous owner, a combination washer/dryer unit which we are not using because Kuochun preferred to have separate units, Mother's small refrigerator which we used to store extra drinks for her in the garage in Scottsdale and a small chest freezer because the freezer in the kitchen was not large enough for different food for three people. I also have a really nice full size mattress and metal bed frame from Brooklyn Bedding and a huge ceiling fan which we thought was going in the Arizona room but it did not work out. The furniture for the Arizona room is in the garage as well, I wish I could get it out of there but I will just need to be patient. My large vintage office chair which goes with it is in the living area but I may end up putting it in the Arizona room to declutter. I brought two large and four medium size jewelry cases up to Prescott, they store so nicely on my rolling shelves. I still have one more large case and some small cases to bring. I figure if by chance I need any of them in Scottsdale I can always bring them back. Slowly but surely I am getting the extra stuff out of the garage in Scottsdale. Because of the heat there I could only spend a few minutes at a time loading but I was able to fill the van. I will have one more van load for sure and maybe a partial second load.

Tina rearranged the furniture in the living space in Prescott and it looks so chic! The round rug was definitely the right choice. The club chairs from Mount Prospect have a slight curve to them in the front which perfectly complements the rug. She was able to use the two nesting tables from Mount Prospect's living room as well. There are a couple of pieces which I need to remove including the single table which matches the nesting tables and an accent table. I understand the need to have some emptiness to give the space some relief. The art is all hung up except for two of my favorite pieces - the cute girl painted on beadboard which I found in Nashville in 2020 and the painting with orange flowers I had in my office in Mount Prospect. There is no place to store them in Prescott so I will reluctantly take them back to Scottsdale. However, they will likely be going up once the design project is over! I brought a cute framed poster which we could hang in the Arizona room which has all of the colors of the tile in it. I will also remove the two framed Mexican art pieces that I had purchased at an estate sale in Scottsdale last year. Overall most of the art was used which I am happy about, even the drawing which was done of me by a street artisan in the Montmartre district when we went to Paris in 1998. It is hanging in my room near my closet. I had it hanging in my closet in Mount Prospect as well. Three of Mother and Dad's original Piano By Barnes poster series are hanging in my room as well. We had sold the fourth at Mother's moving sale in Arlington Heights. But three is perfect for my space, which is long and narrow because it used to be the carport! I need to remove the highboy dresser and the antique settee which were placed in my room when we moved the bulk of the items there due to space constrains. Tina had suggested that I keep the highboy in the garage but she does not know about Mother's cute cowboy dresser! It is too heavy for Kuochun and I to move so I may have to try and sell it online. I only have room for one nightstand as well, with the queen size bed the wall is not large enough for both nightstands. It is a shame to break up the set!

Since I will be spending more time in Prescott now, I brought a couple of suitcases with clothing, handbags and all the other necessities. But my time is short this trip so I will need to put it all away next time. Estate sale work took up the entire weekend, day and night except we were able to get out for lunch each day. On Saturday, we went to a place called Scout's Gourmet Grub which was a few minutes away past the other side of downtown. I am always on the lookout for a good sandwich place and Scout's had many to choose from. The restaurant has a National Parks theme which I thought was cute and unique. When we entered, it was unclear as to how we should proceed. We did not see anyone working there. We were clearly struggling a bit with knowing whether we should seat ourselves, try and find a counter or what to do. No one dining in the restaurant offered to help which surprised me because Prescott is a friendly town. Finally, I saw menus in a basket on the wall and a counter beyond the menus. Only when we approached the counter did someone come up and help us. I went with the Turkey Melt and Kuochun chose the Golden Gate which was a grilled chicken sandwich. My sandwich was pretty good but nothing that I could not have made at home. Kuochun is still on the grilled chicken sandwich kick and liked his choice. It appealed to me that the star of the sandwich was thicker-sliced deli-style chicken breast but Kuochun would have preferred one "regular" piece of chicken. I would give Scout's Gourmet Grub another try and choose a different sandwich, maybe Kuochun's!

On Sunday, I suggested Cracker Barrel. I thought Kuochun would enjoy this comfort food choice which seemed appropriate for a Sunday. We had not been to Cracker Barrel for many years, when Kuochun first moved to Gurnee. The service from the host and the server was so impressive! I went with a breakfast sampler and Kuochun chose grilled catfish with turnip greens, coleslaw, a biscuit and a cornbread muffin. I pointed out that he could add on a take-home dinner for only $6 and he selected grilled chicken and mashed potatoes. I liked it and Kuochun had such a good time, he definitely wants to go back there again. The food has been a little hit or miss so far but we will keep exploring the area and find some favorites I am sure.

I ran out of the house and forgot my little purse with my wallet which has my driver's license, credit cards and a bit of cash in case of emergency. I drove up to Prescott not realizing I did not it with me until I went to get out of the van! I will need to be extra careful driving back. Kuochun thoughtfully offered to withdraw some cash so I was not totally without a way to pay for anything if I needed to on the way back down the mountain. All of the errands we ran were in the same shopping center as Cracker Barrel - Chase Bank, TJ Maxx and Sprouts grocery store. We wanted to get Kuochun set up for anything else he might need right away while he was on his own. We went out even though both of our phones were sounding off like crazy with flash flood warnings. Sure enough, just as we were heading back to the house we were hit with a big thunderstorm. The roads collected water almost instantly and Kuochun said good thing he just had his cataract surgery because he could see to drive so much better. I would have driven but I did not have my license! It was a white knuckle 7 mile trip back but we made it safely. We were not familiar with how flooded the roads would get, there was definitely water collecting but we were able to drive through it. It was our welcome to monsoon season!

These next several weeks are going to be a bit topsy-turvy with going back and forth weekly to keep my physical therapy appointments. I do want to get back to posting items regularly because I have so much great stuff to share! I did not bring any jewelry this trip but will need to bring it next time in case anything sells.

That is all the news for now, see you next time!