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| June 16, 2012 |
Hours shopped: 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
Best buy: the Ikea chair and ottoman
Number of books: 9
DVDs: 1
Dutch Connection: big time!
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| Boerenbont |
These mugs practically scream HOLLAND. The design is known as Boerenbont. It is a traditional pattern used on pottery from the Netherlands. Translated from Dutch, "Boer" means farmer and "bont" refers to a mixture of colors. These are made in Belgium. They were 25 cents each and the chipped one was free. When I paid for them, I asked about the Dutch connection. Turned out the woman lived in Zwaagwesteinde (province of Friesland) and Zeist (province of Utrecht) for a year working for the Doopsgezinde Gemeente-- Baptist Church (?). When she found out I was Dutch, she threw in the poffertjespan for free.
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| poffertjespan |
Then she invited me in to look at her 12-piece Delfts Blue coffee service. She was getting ready to retire in Mexico and didn't want to take it with her, but she also didn't want to put it out in the sale either-- cause it was too nice. She sold it to me for $20 and I added $10 for the three tiles, the miniature windmill and the kissing couple. She looked at me with big eyes and said, "really??!!" She was very happy that her Dutch treasures had ended up in a Dutch home, and I promised her we would speak Dutch only over coffee when using this service. She answered in flawless Dutch: "dat is een hartstikke goed idee!" Or, "that's an utterly good idea." We both got a kick out of the transaction.
