Welcome to my blog!

You never know where the blacktop will lead.

Over the past forty-something years the highways and byways have taken me from the prairies of Oklahoma and Texas to the Cascade mountain foothills in Washington and a whole lot of places in between.

I'm a gypsy spirit juggling motherhood and marriage to my high school sweetheart with my passion for writing, reading, and collecting most anything older than myself. I've been an antique dealer for the past 14 years. My business is called The Garden Cat since there always seems to be both a garden and cat somewhere in my life -- and each is a symbol to me of slowing down and enjoying the moment -- organic living.

I'm especially fanatical about rusty, worn, or handmade furniture and garden items. However, I also have a soulful connection to Victorian ephemera, vintage hardback books, old lace, brilliant bark cloth fabric from the 1930s and '40s, and always patterned, colorful quilts. I'm particularly drawn to imperfect, defective, or patched items often thrown aside as not worth keeping or using. I'm not perfect so why should the items in my home be?

I'm at a life-crossroads about as crazy as the Dallas mix-master at rush hour. Events are merging together -- sometimes gracefully and sometimes ending in a "fender-bender" or two. You see, our kids are growing up and all those dreams and goals I put on the shelf 18 years ago are begging to be dusted off and achieved. Some might call it a "mid-life crisis." I choose to call it "new life opportunities."

Enough about that. The purpose of this blog is to journal life's road trips and all the interesting destinations just waiting to be discovered along the way.

My passion for old stuff began at a young age following my parents to Spivey's Antiques in Oklahoma City or collecting stuff out of the city dump with my daddy. I got some pretty cool bicycles from parts he collected here and there and put together for me.

Now, my ideal day includes a tankful of gas, a few dollars in my pocket, a rough idea of a destination, and finding a piece of the past for my very own. (Although I've come to realize my possession of any given item is only temporary as it will surely find another home eventually.)

I love to imagine the stories the worn Depression era kitchen tool or the bold floral hat would tell if it could. That's where the writer in me just itches to put fingers to keyboard and tell the story.

I'm inspired by the great stuff I find at flea markets, garage sales, estate sales, tag sales, and thrift stores. But even better than the stuff are the people -- strange, quirky, friendly, mean, rude, funny, and everything in between -- an amazing collection of characters. Many whom I'm now blessed to call good friends.

You never know where the blacktop may lead, but I'd love to have you along for the ride -- so, hop on in, buckle up, and get ready for the next part of the journey. As my sweet grandma used to say, "Grab your head-rag and catch it!!"

Peace, love and all the good stuff to y'all.