Shielding our eyes, we stared up to the tops of the building facades stating 1885 or some odd old number in stone.  Buildings stretch along the street that would have once held the needs of a western town.  The train station held its ground- now a senior center- near the downtown streets.  I could just picture the comings and goings of buggies and hoop skirts, the sound of the train whistle on the wind.  The shops in Florence, Colorado are now filled with art and antiques, bygone eras of items still in good preserve.

Oh, I’m no better than anyone else.  If we need something it is very easy to hop on Amazon and in two clicks have it shipped to the door for not a lot of cash.  Walmart is a back up.  Yikes, all that plastic.  All those things just doomed to break in record time forcing us to buy again!

The three quart cast iron sauce pan shined and its wooden handle was sound.  I had never seen this sized pan.  Two quarts is oft too small, and a soup pot is a bit much at times, but three quarts…my goodness, that’s just right.  So was the price.  Its tiny match, a pot just big enough to heat up some barbecue sauce, came along for the ride back to our homestead as well.

The bottom of a butter churner, a wooden pestle, and a large grain scoop that will never fail also joined our foray.  We sipped coffee over breakfast and enjoyed the views the town offered.

If you are in need of something new, be it measuring cups (I love my old battered aluminum ones), coffee pot (percolator anyone?), a dress, a whisk, a piece of furniture, Corningware,  dishes, a stock pot, an oil lamp, a new coat, a dutch oven, or a funky 1960’s glider, you can probably find it out there.  Try antique stores, garage sales, Ebay, or second hand stores.  There is usually not a thing wrong with old items, they have simply been traded in for a new, plastic ones.

The benefits of buying things antique is that they have been around this long, they will last and last for you as well.  They are generally cheaper or comparable in price to their new fangled counterparts.  And they add charm to your homestead.  It’s the best recycling of all and includes an entertaining half day of “the thrill of the hunt.”  We love visiting new towns and the treasures they keep hidden behind 1800’s storefronts.  I love the feel of a good whisk in my hand that a great-grandmother likely used before me, whisking eggs from the chicken coop.