September 9, 2012

A 50 mile yardsale find

I headed out yesterday, innocently intending to head to the market for some pork fat (for sausage making – which I am doing later today and will post about) and then to see about a few yard sales around town. And then my computer beeped with an incoming FB message: Hey did you know there is a 50 mile yard sale today?

Long story short, my companion Lisa and I left at 9:30 and returned home at 5:30. Granted we made a few side stops, but the back of the car was full of goodies and we don’t think we made it more than about 4 miles in. Around the point at which we both thought we might succumb to heat stroke due to the unusually sunny and humid temperatures, we sidetracked through the towns of Shubenacadie and Stewiacke looking for a cool drinks and some food. We found these, but while driving through Shubenacadie, Lisa was startled by my sudden cry of “BUNTING!” I’m not one to pass by bunting, so we pulled over and walked up to what turned out to be The Tin Shop Museum – former home of the Canadian milk-tin making headquarters. We were greeted by a friendly little dog and then we stepped inside.

Holy junking paradise. Look at what we found.

The Museum was staffed by a very friendly lady. We enquired about the diner down the road and she told us that it was very good, but if we’d like some homemade soup, she has a pot on. She likes to keep a little something on the stove in case visitors want to stay a while. There is a complete workshop out back for making milk tins, untouched from its heyday. And the front section was just treasure after treasure.

She also explained this tiny  leather boot we saw. In the past, when people  built a new home they put a boot in the foundation for good luck. This boot was found when an old home was torn down. It was exquisite, with tiny little nails in the bottom, and some wear on the heel.

So if you are ever passing by Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, stop in at the Tin Shop Museum. It’s a find.