Happy Birthday Tea (to Me!) and an Old Fashioned Country Auction

This morning I am enjoying one of the cinnamon rolls my mother-in-law made for my birthday (yesterday!) along with an uncustomary deviation from my "usual" black tea.

Something citrus-y seemed like the perfect pairing to a rich, sugary cinnamon pastry.

And it is!

YUM!

The amazing thing was, that there was a country auction on my birthday(!!!)

So I went.

And dragged my antiquing friend Liz along for the ride.

It's a rare auction that happens on a week day

Most are Saturdays or even an occasional Sunday afternoon.

So one on my birthday had to be a sign of good things.

Or just really good junk at rock bottom prices!

At a country estate auction, where most things are pulled fresh from the barn,

you have to look past the dirt to see the treasures and their potential.

This stuff is not cleaned up for show.

I wasn't the only one who recognized this glass water kettle as something rare.

It sold for $27.

The dirt was free.

The hay trailers look like they are full of junk. Trash even.

So you have to dig through boxes and make a mental note of what is in them.

So you wouldn't accidentally buy a box of old pens.
I actually bought all of these on purpose, when they were bundled with a tray of knick knacks, a coffee mug a couple planters and an old cookie tin of quilt squares.
I paid $1.00 for ALL of it.
Hey, do you know how hard it is to find a pen in my house when I need one?
And my kids like sharpening pencils more than using them!
Auctions are not all about antiques and collectibles.

Although I also scored this McCoy planter (yes, the Real McCoy, marked) for a mere $4.00!
The farmers were more interested in wire egg baskets which went for $16.00-$22.00 a piece.
I was not even tempted to join into that bidding war!

The temperature barely got above 50*F (10*C. ?) and that's only when the sun came out in the early afternoon. Liz and I had dressed for the cold but were shivering within the first hour (auction started at 10am).
But it was worth it.
And some hot coffee from the concession stand eased our discomfort.
Between us, we spent $51-- and packed my van!
I will reveal more in future posts.
The auction was as much entertainment as shopping.
Like, did you know that framed paint by number snow scenes are worth $25 each?!
They are when when close friends and family members bid on them.
For more Tea Tuesday posts, visit Kimmie's blog.