Strange at the Bazaar

My daughter has had a gift for acquiring really cool, fun, quirky, interesting, talented friends who come with the added value of cool, fun, quirky, interesting, talented moms who then have become my friends, like when you buy a bottle of liquor that comes with a tiny bottle of other liquor attached to its neck. So Davis (smart, cute as fuck, amazing singing voice) came with Jody (smart, cute as fuck, good at riding horses and swearing), and when our daughters fucked off for parts unknown at least I had Jody to hang around and sob with.

Saturday was our fifth annual pilgrimage to the One World Bazaar. You know, one of those outfits that claims to 'work with artisans all over the world' and, now that I examine the whole thing more closely, are likely exploiting makers in developing countries, shit. Okay, I did a modicum of research and it does claim to operate on a fair trade model and develop long-term relationships. Hmmm.

Okay, putting my white guilt away again. There is pottery, clothing, furniture, linens, a bunch of weird stuff, and there are a lot of ducks. The first year I really wanted to buy a duck but I did not, and I regretted it. The next year I did buy a duck. The year after, I bought another duck.

They have boots! Flowered and polka-dotted! They make me happy. I usually find cool stocking-stuffer things for the kids also - there was a cool baseball player made out of repurposed wires and screws that Angus really liked, glassware and bowls once they had their own kitchens, Christmas pajamas and candleholders.

Did I mention the ducks?

Jody and I bought black cardigans one year - she bought a short one and I bought a long one and they both fit us basically the same (get it? She is short). Often you get to say something fun like "excuse me, where did you get that two-foot tall bouncy metal chicken?" 

We like to find small angry animals that look like Jody. Or sculptures that capture her personality.

More ducks. I loved the Showgirl ducks and Drag Queen ducks, but they didn't really match the vibe of the ducks I already had. 

I shared a moment with this...dog? Rabbit? 

A Malaga/Picasso callback, or a representation of what I feel like trying to remember nouns in perimenopause. 

I got one Christmas present, one birthday present, a glass for my bathroom so I could stop scooping water into my mouth with my hands like a savage, and another duck. Everything seemed to follow a theme (me in my Blue Period). 

I believe I am now at my duck limit. Any duck that is henceforth acquired will require a current duck to be replaced.