Trade Days at the lake...

While we were up at the lake cottage last week, we went to Trade Days, which is a monthly flea-market gathering of vendors. I expected a good old Texas flea market filled with antiques and interesting booths of odds and ends. We had gone to Trade Days once before up there, but it was held during a cold snap in one of the "winter" months... not many sellers, very few buyers.

So we thought we'd try it again, being that the weather is at its normal hot peak. Trade Days lasts for three days, from Friday through Sunday. We went on a Friday, thinking we'd beat the crowds and get the first look-see at all the vendors' booths. Not only did we beat the crowds-- there were no crowds. We found out that most of the dealers don't set up their tables and booths till late on Friday, when they've finished with their regular Monday to Friday jobs.

I had come prepared for that market, bringing sneakers in the car with us so I could change from my good shoes for walking around the fields of grass. I think it took us all of thirty minutes to see all that was there, and what was there wasn't much at all. Not unless you're into homemade pickles and beef jerky and goat's milk, which was what three of the vendors were offering. I declined to taste all three, but thanked the dealers kindly for their offers. They did have two booths filled with antique items, but the prices were as high as those in an antique shop. If I'm going to pay those kinds of prices, then I want to be browsing comfortably in an air-conditioned store in my good shoes, not walking around a hot pasture in sneakers.

We were just about to leave the Trade Days grounds and what do we see? A vendor selling puppies. Tiny Maltese, Papillions, Pomeranians, and Dachshunds. Of course, I fell in love with the cute little white balls of fluffy Maltese puppies. There were three of them, two males and a female, none of which cost more than $550. My cousin R bought a Maltese puppy last year, for nearly $1500 up in NY.... so those Texas Maltese puppies were a steal.

Thankfully, the three Maltese puppies were all sleeping, so I didn't get to pick them up. Once you pick a puppy up and it cuddles into your shoulder, you own it-- paw, collar and wee-wee pad. I could tell that my husband was holding his breath as he watched me looking at the puppies and asking the breeder how old they were (10 weeks) and did they have AKC papers (Yes indeedy!) and had they been weaned (Of course, little lady... I don't rightly sell puppies that ain't been weaned from their mama.)

I looked at the sleeping puppies, and I thought of our Gracie, who will be 11 years old this year. I know that Gracie is a one-dog dog..... she doesn't want another dog in the house, and she has proven that over the years. Then I thought of our three cats........ especially AngelBoy, who would be the first to show his displeasure if another pet is brought into this house. Then I thought of me..... and I remembered all the puppy training I went through with Gracie...... waking up in the middle of the night when she cried, sometimes two or three times during the night. Did I want to go through that again? But look at how tiny and how cute these fluffy white puppies are! Did I want yet more work with another pet in this house to feed, to brush, to bring to the vet, to worry about, to train, to lose sleep over........

I walked away from the dog breeder's booth. And all the way back to the car, I said out loud We don't need another puppy..... we don't need another puppy..... we don't need another puppy.... we don't need another puppy.

Now, of course, I'm glad I walked away. They were certainly cute, and I hope they all found good homes. I told my husband that I don't ever want to go back to that field again to walk around Trade Days. The next day, as I walked around one of the local shops, I found a cute little puppy toy in bright, bright pink..... I bought it for my cousin's Maltese (her name is Pinkie) and I mailed it up to her.