Lime Green Square Pyrex Pan
Originally uploaded by sammawamma
For the last four Februarys, my husband and I have met up with a group of friends in the middle of nowhere, Kentucky. Everybody gets caught up, has some drinks and some laughs, and usually they’ll end up in one of the numerous caves in the area.
The first year we went with this group on trek through part of Mammoth Cave (the longest cave system in the world, I think?) Caves had intriqued me greatly as a kid; on those annual vacations to see relatives in Ohio I begged and begged my parents to take me on a cave tour. They never stopped, and I had been excited to finally fill in this gap from my childhood.
Four hours later – covered in sweat and dirt, sore from my head to my toes and disappointed to learn that stalagtites are just rust-colored instead of glorious, shimmering rainbows – the allure of caving was gone. For the two years after that I would stay at the hotel or hang out in the gift shop while the others went caving. This experience, combined with an all-encompassing love for my husband and security in our marriage, enabled me to say this year, “I’ve been coming here for four years. I’m never going in a cave again and I’ve never been to the antique district. I’m taking the car, you have a good time and call me when you’re done.”
So I went down to the next exit off the interstate to Cave City, Kentucky. The “district” was an old Main Street with a handful of antique stores. Nothing mind-blowing but still a very pleasant way to spend a cold and wet Saturday afternoon. My first stop was Magaline’s Antique Mall, a large store right in the middle of them all.
Magaline’s husband greeted me as I came in the door, asking, “Is there anything you need?”
“Well, i think i’m going to need some extra cash because this store is enormous!” I replied.
Instantly he was off: “Well, if it’s more money you’re after then we need to get a democrat back in the White House!” And so went his discourse on the Presidental election, the war and the economy. He offered to show me how his income had fluctuated through the years, how much higher it had been under Clinton and how he could prove that it had dropped under Bush’s term. He asked how I felt about “that Bahama guy” and explained how he was going to vote for Hillary. Of course this sent ME off and running. Political debate amongst piles of wonderful antiques? Be still my beating heart!
Eventually Magaline herself appeared, dressed to the nines and apparently just back from her Red Hat Society meeting. The rings on each one of her fingers twinkled as she took long drags on her cigarette. Smoking in an antiques store – oh the humanity! This shouldn’t have been too shocking given the number of tobacco warehouses in the area, and it actually explained the not-for-sale ashtrays that I found every few booths. And the smoky gravel in her voice fit perfectly with that southern drawl as she and her husband went on a whirlwind discourse of the current political landscape.
I had crossed into the Twilight Zone. In my urban Florida area and experience Southern had always equaled Republican – even though I knew historically Southern meant democrat. Finally they permitted me to go about my shopping, which was just as delightful as our discussion. I found two pieces of my lime green pyrex, one of which I had already. I’ve been on quite the lime kick lately, purchasing multiple sets of the lime-banded tableware from eBay and branching out into some apple-green Fireking patterns and Hazel Atlas bowls.
Since I mostly stick to the thrifts at home and taking other regional differences into account, I thought the price on the square cake pan was a little high – especially given it’s condition. It turned out that the pan cleaned up very nicely and I was more than happy to pay for the experience with Magaline and her beau. As I paid for my item, she spoke of the evils of the war (where were all these people years ago?) and how she feared if either Hillary or Bahama became president that, “There’d be a killin’, just like they did to that minister in Memphis.” She told me how she was able to predict a sex scandal of one of the former governors of kentucky just by lookin’ at him, and how she ultimately was right. We parted ways by hoping she wasn’t right about the killin’, and I promised to stop by next year to catch up.
If you are in the area and in need of antiques or current events, skip the caves and stop by Magaline’s Antique Mall in Cave City, Kentucky.
