Shopping Spree

Sorry, just being busy again – plus I had some work stress I had to deal with, so I’ve been spending my free time working on the garden and chopping another Mesteno to bits. 

(If anyone lives nearby and wants some of my leftover perennials, feel free to stop by and grab a bucket or two. You can’t have the Mesteno, though: he’s actually looking promising!)

The annual book sale that I go to was something of a washout this year; I had high hopes for it, since I missed out last year due to partying my butt off in Chicago at Worldcon. Unfortunately they now start the sale in the afternoon, rather than the morning. Since I work nights, not much was left for me to pick over the following day, other than a few quilting books. 

On the bodies front, things are looking up: I managed to make a few box lots purchases, and another kindly benefactor may be sending some not-so-lovelies my way. 

I purchased two of the Spooky Stablemates: they were still available when I logged in after lunch, and I managed to completely miss the glitches in the beginning. As long as I get two different, I’ll be content. 

I’ve also managed to do a little bit of upgrading, most significantly a near mint and complete Davy Crockett Set:

My previous set was missing most of his accessories; the person I purchased him from back in the 1980s confessed that he used them to complete his Hartland Horse and Rider sets. While I was happy to get the set regardless, I remember how dismissive he was of Breyers in general, and the impression that I was somehow doing him a favor by taking it.

I got that feeling a lot from Hartland collectors I met at flea markets and antique shows back then. It was doubly weird because I never got that vibe from model horse hobbyists that specialized in Hartlands, and at that point I had a pretty decent-sized collection myself, though very little of it was either the Horse and Rider sets, or the Baseball figurines.  

I have downsized the Hartland section of my collection pretty significantly since then – just one shelf of larger horses, a bunch of Tiny Mites and Barkies, and all the glow-in-the-dark religious figurines I love so much – and the local supply seems to be mostly exhausted anyway. Any new pieces I’ve added recently have been in lots of miscellaneous horse type things I’ve bought locally, or on eBay. 

But back to the Davy Crockett. In spite of the fact that they made a ton of these sets – they were made to capitalize on the Disney-generated Davy Crockett fad, in 1955 – they’re remarkably hard to find in mint and complete condition. 

And most importantly: at a price I could afford. This one popped up on eBay at a killer price, and I could not say no.