Sunday crats fair

I love taking Sunday walks here in the city. So many places to go, so much to see, such tempting things to buy or talk oneself out of buying! Such interesting people to watch and cute little dogs not to trip over. Sunday was not a sunny, beautiful day that called me to the parks so I walked along Columbus Ave. and found it's already time for the spring crats show on the blocks behind the Natural History Museum. Two blocks of these promising tents! Each one full of wonderful things.
Treasures! I am just agape at the wonderful things crafts people make. Necklaces and earrings of great imagination and beauty, ceramics so interestingly built and glazed, glass, photographs, weaving, more. This annual craft fair, which will be there next weekend too, has high class artisans. Prices are reasonable for the quality, but higher than I'm willing to pay considering that I don't NEED anything .. but who does? These aren't things to need except if you are sensorialy deprived. I'm not. Those who are aren't at such shows. Those who buy, and I hope for the artist's sake there are many who do buy, are indulging and that's okay. I resisted but enjoyed looking.

But the avarice or acquisition button had been pushed. Across the street is a weekly flea market, cheaper stuff, most of it not of the same quality. So when I saw a hand painted [by hard working Indian craftsmen who many, many of the same design] leather purse, I asked the cost. $25 said the vender, who had two tables heaped with bags, most of them embroidered or appliqued fabric. "I love it but it's more than I want to pay," I said. And then, because I have some experience bargaining, I looked at other purses, came back to that one and sighed. "I'd take 20," he said. Well, okay. If it were a market in a different country, I would have bargained more but this is about as good as one can hope and I was willing. So it's mine, sunny and cheery and large enough to hold most of what I carry around. I was happy with the day.