Sunday, January 17, 2010

salt and pepper dance

Magpie that I am, every Friday I make it a habit to swoop down on
my local Goodwill thrift store, and quickly browse the books and
housewares. Besides the thrill of the treasure hunt, when I shop at
Goodwill, I'm supporting job training and placement programs for
those with disabilities and other disadvantages. Yesterday, these
two cuties begged to come home and dance at the manor. I conceded,
since they were only $1.99 each. Such a bargain.

They immediately gave me a warm and woolly moment, bringing to
mind a poem by Wymond Garthwaite, illustrated by Grace Dalles
Clarke, I loved as a child, called "The Salt and Pepper Dance" from
Poems to Read and To Learn, Golden Press, 1955.
.



One day, or no, one night--
It happened just by chance
The Salt and Pepper pots
Decided they should dance.

They skipped and skupped about
As merry as could be,
For Salt and Pepper pots
So seldom dance, you see.

They jigged and jumped and jogged--
They really did too much--
The pepper sprinkled out
And made them sneeze "Ker-Snutch!"

"Ker-Wish! Ker-Wash! Ker-Chow!
The dancers now were through.
"We'll have to stop, " they said.
"We'll have to st--Ker-Choo!"


By the way, if you are wondering where to donate to help with the
Haiti disaster, I highly suggest Goodwill Industries. Click [HERE]
for their website and donation instructions.

69 comments:

  1. Oh my! I have never been 1st to comment Ms Willow! You usually have so many :)
    I Love your Salt & Pepper shakers! And a lovely poem too!
    And wonderful of you to promote Goodwill! They are amazing!
    Love to you!
    Thanks for the smile :)

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  2. Since I lost my job of 21 years and retired, I don't allow myself into Goodwill anymore - I love the place - but a move into smaller quarters is imminent and I am really downsizing, having to give alway/donate all but what I love most.

    The poem is so cute.

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  3. Goodwill does a lot for people with barriers to employment. Having a job is a life changing event, so good for you Willow! And these are just downright perky with attitude!

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  4. what a happy find that cheers you and helps others!
    they are exceptional, i must say!

    and yes. to helping, in as many ways as possible.

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  5. Willow, I LOVE these! What a great find. They're magical. Oh to hear them sing and dance. A little soft shoe, perhaps a romantic dip. A waltz? No. A TANGO! The salt and pepper tango!

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  6. This is just precious! I like the poem & the shakers...ROCK!

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  7. Oh, they are superb! That is movement captured in the most prosaic of objects.

    Also making me think of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

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  8. cute! I like going to the second hand shops too.

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  9. these are delightful...remind me of a vintage anthropomorphic towel i've got :)

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  10. I too am a lover of Goodwill. I have purchased all matter of items/goods at their stores over the years. Those little shakers are quite the find!

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  11. I love thrift store shopping as well, what a find! congrats!

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  12. Those shakers are adorable, and thanks for the link. As for me, I'm declaring a halt on shopping except for groceries, kitty needs and meds for the next 6 months. We'll see how long it lasts...

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  13. Salt and pepper shakers with an attitude!
    I could even imagine that they'd shake off when you reach for them. ;-)

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  14. too cute...love the paper the litlle poem is on..me like-ee the vintage too...
    love scoring something at the Goodwill...

    and yep, i have a quirky salt and pepper collection too...from squirrels to turkeys to acorns........

    hmmmmmm

    more later, dear friend

    fondly,
    kary
    xxx

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  15. Love those salt & pepper shakers, & the poem is a lot of fun! Your suggestion about donating to Goodwill makes much sense--GW is a great resource.

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  16. Oh these are charming. A real find. They remind me somehow of the characters in Disney's version of the Sorcerer's Apprentice!

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  17. Those are the cutest ever!! I adore salt & pepper shakers...and I would have snatched those up in a minute too! Sweet little poem!

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  18. Several people I know have worked at Goodwill over the years. You're right; they do a great job of training people. I used to shop there a couple of times a week. Ended up with too much stuff, so now I limit myself to every couple of weeks (except when I need something specific).

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  19. So cute. They remind me of the dancing teapots, cups, etc. in Beauty & the Beast. I can hear Angela Landsbury singing....

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  20. i love those cuties...

    and only you would have a perfect poem to go with them, LOL!

    much love

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  21. What an adorable, adorable find!!!

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  22. That's marvelous! Not just the shakers themselves, but your keen perception in being able to discern that they are in fact dancing.

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  23. Goodwill happens to be my regular day-date, complete with a cheese stick stashed in my backpack for my 2 year old son.

    Love that place, love the salt n pepper shakers. They are a sweet addition to your manor.

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  24. Very cute poem - and I doubt I would have been able to resist those things either. Wonderful photo, too!

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  25. I've never cared much for cutesy salt and peppers but I gotta say that those are pretty darn adorable.

    And yes, Goodwill is terrific on all fronts!

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  26. Yes, Goodwill welcomes me once a week also. The treasures are amazing and the treasure hunt is also. Thank you to all who work there---treasures also.

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  27. Love these and the poem!. Thanks for the smile and the good reminders
    Linda

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  28. Oh I WANT those. But I'm happy they have found a home at the Manor.

    Most of my clothes come from Goodwill or The Salvation Army Store. :)

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  29. What a great purchase. Quirky and fun. Nice poem too. I gave my 'Child's Garden of Verse', with the wonderful Hilda Boswell illustrations, to my daughter years ago. I still can't resist thumbing through it whenever I visit though.

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  30. these are wonderful - perfect poem!

    I was so glad to see your recommendation of Atwood's new poetry book over at the Clever Pup's. I think her fiction is mostly wonderful and wanted to read more of her poetry, so thanks for mentioning it!

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  31. I spend a lot of time in second-hand shops too! These shakers are adorable. Have you ever seen the Significant Objects Project (just google it and you'll find it)? Curious thrift store finds are given a fictional history - so those little darlings could have been props on a table in a Fred Astaire film, or they could have been given to twins separated at birth.

    BTW, there's a surprise for you on my blog - look for the post called Tagged.

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  32. Heh, heh..cool find! These reminded me of the little Chinese mushrooms from Fantasia :)

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  33. I feel some warm and wooly now. So cosy I dont need my teacosy or snuggie that I got for Xmas! I can go naked through the thrift store picked up kitch to pick me up and dance with the spoon! Serious i dont advise the naked part unless that's ok in the Goodwills where you live. I love this! Got me dancing! Are you a collector of salt and pepper sprites? Of course this is high tech! Salt and Pepper chemically do dance but are they opposites? Opposites attract in oh so many ways! ps I have found some "real" finds in the Goodwill, Sally Ann, Reuse, Restore Habitat for Humanity, etc. Promotes RRR; which is a good thing to quote Martha Stewart. Not as thrifty or as talented as our Ms Willow!

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  34. such cute fellas and fun poem. Between high school and college, that summer, I somehow got a summer job, myself and my friend Kathy, at goodwill industries. Not sure what qualified us. I had to type address stensils all day. We have no goodwill shops up here in the boonies.

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  35. The pictures and the poem match so well, Willow and coincidentally I accidentally threw away my favourite salt cellar on Friday (don't ask) so will be searching for a new one tomorrow. I bet it won't be as cute as this one

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  36. Hello Willow,

    They look very cute and a veritable bargain! Like Titus, I'm also reminded of 'Mrs Potts' and 'Chip' from Disney's film. I love hearing Angela Lansbury sing the theme tune!

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  37. such a suacy salt shaker...cute little ditty as well!

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  38. Love the "pots" and the poem. SO SWEET.
    I frequent my favorite boutique "GW's" often to find treasures such as this too. LOVE IT!

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  39. Those shakers really are dancing their little spicy asses off. Sweet!

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  40. Dirtywhitecandy, I just popped over to Significant Objects and love the concept. I might just have to do a little series my self. Believe me, I have a Titanic load of quirky objects.

    Thanks for the tag! I'll be working up a post soon.

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  41. Oh, very good! The illustrations on that page look so familiar. I either had that book, or my Mother Goose was illustrated by the same folks.

    I head to Goodwill every Saturday morning with Kevin (a willing thrift-store scourer). We have our favourite sections of the store (which is very well laid out and exceptionally clean, by the way). I start at books, of course and he heads to the back to look at any artwork that may have come in (our house is full of painting rescued from GW.)
    Yesterday, I came home with a brown and white jug-style ceramic canister for my flour (I bought it because it mentions Guinness Porter on the side) and just for fun I googled it when I got home and found it to be Beauceware Abanakis pottery and worth about $75 U.S. — So, a worthy little purchase, indeed.
    We also came home with a gorgeous poodle-sized shaggy stuffed sheep who is now ensconced by the fire and has been christened "Rufus".

    Great idea to donate through GW. We make donations through Plan Canada where we sponsor a Columbian boy.

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  42. Egad, girl... I am not a person who, for the most part, notices or shops for salt & pepper shakers... but THOSE???? They are SO GREAT! Worth much more than you paid for them, I think. They make me want to get up and cha-cha.

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  43. Love the salt and pepper shakers--such a deal, such a great cause. Am linking it on Red Apple Elegy. Have you ever seen Silver Pennies, a book of poems for children from the 50s? This poem would fit in so well.

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  44. neat find and what a fun little verse as well. always find something interesting at the thrift store or goodwill...

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  45. Love the poem! (And the salt & pepper shakers.) I think I'll teach this to my preschool class!

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  46. Kat, we are such kindred spirits, my friend. I would love to thrift shop with you, in your neck of the woods.

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  47. Vicki, I'm not usually one for cutesy salt and peppers, either, but this little babies, I just couldn't resist!

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  48. This whimsical duo reminds me of characters from Disney's Beauty and the Beast:)

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  49. How sweet they are! Just like a Disney story! That's a very cute poem, too.

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  50. Well, being #296 to comment (heh!) you most likely will not see this! But just in case.....

    My mother-in-law collected salt and pepper shakers. I don't think she ever traveled more than 150 miles from her home - and she died just days shy of her 100th birthday!

    She did not have a driver's license and did not care much for cars. But when people went to Yellowstone or Washington, D.C. or where ever, they would bring her a set of salt and pepper shakers.

    Her house was filled with them on shelves and in cupboards. It was an amazing collection.

    Take care.

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  51. I love Goodwill as well--sometimes, when I've brought things down to our local store, I think of going in, and then realize I'd probably wind up buying up our own things again. They're an excellent organization! They and craigslist are two of my faves. Sweet pair you found, Willow--I can see why you couldn't resist.

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  52. I love the Salt and Pepper dancers. My mother had a moderate but interesting salt and pepper collection, mostly souveniers from trips. When she died, a lucky friend was recipent of the collection.

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  53. Hey, Russell, I love all my gentle readers and relish each and every comment, even though I don't answer each one directly! xx

    Your mother-in-law's collection sounds amazing.

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  54. These are perfection and I am loving the poem. Salt and pepper shakers were on my list of 'things I collect' about 15 years ago. The collection quickly got out of hand so nowadays I only get them if I can't resist. This dancing pair would make the cut.

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  55. Wonderful blog post about Salt & Pepper shakers, Good Will and donations. The new world order should say " Repair, reuse, recycle." Supporting church or charity thrift shops is the best way to do all of those things, and the money gets recycled to good ends by good people!

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  56. Cute, colourful and quirky! Good find!

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  57. Willow,
    You are a warm and woolie type gal. Cute set! I'm sure they feel at home at the Manor...who wouldn't!! Your light shines on everything and everyone that enters the Manor! :)
    The Bach

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  58. I haven't thought of that poem in years! Fun, fun!

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  59. Those are so much fun... they kind of remind me of the singing and dancing serving dishes in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

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  60. Brilliant post willow - such a lot of fun and such good advice re Haiti.

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  62. You are so fun.
    Kudos to supporting Goodwill, too.

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  63. I am behind with my blog & my bloggy reads, but this eve, here I am. I love Goodwill too, but really do not need a single more thing; in fact I need to make space. I have not yet unpacked the treasures I brought back from my aunt's home when she died in May. Despite selling off most of the stuff I could not part with all of it! As if I didn't have enough stuff before, I am now beyond max! So perusing in thrift shops which is great fun to me, is off limits. I always find something that I don't really need..and I must avoid bookshelves too! My shelves are flowing over with books to read....I love these shakers and your poem. How it all came together! Serendipity!

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  64. Okay, see, I'm an overachiever, so I have to post twice.

    These salt 'n peppa shakers are just like the serviceware in Disney's "Beauty & The Beast"... one of my all-time favorite movies!

    At any moment I expect them to start singing, "Be Our Guest"...

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  65. willow
    i wish you would come over.
    i have something for you.

    i am running to work right now
    or i would comment on your new post.
    ....later tonight.
    xxx

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  66. Such fun shakers (they do make you want to dance :) I need to go to Goodwill more often. I used to go all the time. A wonderful thing they have going there.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)