Ye Olde Trunk

How did it get to be Wednesday already?  We headed out for our usual Wednesday breakfast. We went to Spot. Our very favorite breakfast place, Coffee Planet, closed a couple weeks ago. They have another location, but it seems there just are too many coffee places to make it in this town. Or there could be another reason, who knows.  I am sad, though.  So, Spot it was.

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It would have been nice to walk, but it was 3 degrees out and the sidewalks are horribly icy for a lot of the walk. Just not safe. It got a little warm and water flowed on the sidewalks and now it is frozen to a glaze of ice (not to mention those that haven’t cleared the walks yet… ). Probably be that way for a while, too. I miss that walking.

I have to say I am in an exercise slump a bit. I ride the bike at home. My gym membership is expiring shortly and I don’t know if I want to renew it or get a treadmill at home. I can lift weights at home, just not as heavy, but then I also don’t have to actually go there, which is kind of nice. It’s not like I do a ton of socializing at the gym anyway.  It’s this bitter cold, I think.

Anyway, I have been a busy bee lately with home stuff, work stuff and life in general. My latest find in bargain hunting:

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This trunk dates from 1890 to 1920. The hardware patent on it is July of 1889.  It is so cool to see something so old. I picked it up off Craig’s list for $40 and it is in terrific shape.  It has all of its original trays inside, too.

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I spoke with HMS Antique Trunks about how to go about sprucing it up without totally changing the trunk. Did you know there are businesses out there dedictated solely to restoring trunks? There is a niche for everything! I was told to use a toothbrush and some 409 and go over the trunk, and then use tung oil. If I want later I can always do more work, but you can’t take away stuff you do.  I will be lining the inside with some new cloth, but that is a project for another day once I finish the middle bedroom!

I do have to say that I kind of fell in love with the look of it. 

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This picture actually looks cool 🙂 . I want a trunk for a coffee table, but this particular one is ever so slightly curved, which isn’t good for a table top.  This one is probably going to be used in my practice room for holding music and stuff.  Or I might sell it once I fix it up a bit.

John and I looked at it and wondered where it has traveled over the years. What stories this trunk could probably tell.  It’s not a super antique, but a good example of a piece of American history!

18 thoughts on “Ye Olde Trunk

  1. Kim

    That trunk is so cool!!
    And, yes, I agree that your picture is really great!!! I know for me it is much easier to be motivated to work out early in the morning when it’s bitterly cold out knowing that I don’t have to leave my house:)

    1. Lori Post author

      It definitely is easier to do at home, but since I work from home, it also is nice to get out of the house to go to the gym.

  2. Shelley B

    That is a beautiful trunk! I’m glad you addressed the curved top – I knew you were looking for one for a coffee table and I was wondering how that would work.

    1. Lori Post author

      It sort of works as a table, but not really well. I thought about putting a piece of glass on top for a table, but not with this trunk. I knew when I got it I would do something else with it, but I just couldn’t pass it up 😀

  3. debby

    You’re probably tired of me saying this, but honestly, I had a trunk very similar to that one! Had the same innards too. And I wanted to restore it, but I didn’t consult with anyone, and I started trying to take the canvas off of it (I can’t really tell if yours has canvas) Anyway, I kind of ruined it. But I still enjoyed it for a long time.

    Sometimes I think about getting a stationary bike to use at home, but for the most part, I think the gym is a good motivating factor for me. If only I didn’t have to spend time driving to and from it.

    1. Lori Post author

      I swear, Debby – all your things must be trickling their way over to the east coast LOL! My trunk has canvas, but it is completely intact (pretty unusual), so I am leaving it on there.

  4. Helen

    The cold is getting to me as well. I’m just already so tired of it. We luckily had some rain that cleared sidewalks and then a wind that dried them so they’ve been clear but still some mornings I go out to run and my brain is all, “NO!” I feel like Grumpy Cat.

    Everyone around here keeps saying how mild the winter is but really, it has been very cold, just not a lot of snow yet. Fine by me but now I know I don’t like the cold either lol!

    I found an old truck at a garage sale years and years ago (maybe 30) and ended up painting the whole thing black. Then I lined it with scented drawer liners and it’s in the back of my closet with clothes stored in it. I probably ruined a good thing but at the time I needed storage.

    1. Lori Post author

      I hate how icy it is outside. I would go in the cold for a walk, but having to pick over sidewalks is too time consuming and you don’t get a good workout.

      There is nothing wrong with doing what you want with your trunk. That was their purpose – for storage and travel. It gets a new life with you and better than in a scrap heap somewhere.

  5. Fran

    I love the trunk! It’s beautiful.

    I here you on the exercise. I am so done with the darkness. I need to change things a bit to keep on exercising. I probably will run a bit less and do a DVD workout instead in the morning. Plus we have more daylight so I need to try to walk before dinner as much as I can because after dinner it’s dark which I don’t like for walking either.

    1. Lori Post author

      I do notice that it is lighter out for longer, which is really good. We almost got above freezing the other day and John and I said it made us want to get out our bikes LOL! That would have lasted about 2 minutes.

  6. Mick

    I have a trunk that looks like that, it was my grandfathers. it’s so hard to be motivated this time of year, cold,snow, ice…..Anxious to see your trunk when you are done with it.

  7. Biz

    Sorry the Coffee Planet closed – bummer, but the bagel looks delicious! I am loving the treadmill – I watch the news, t.v. while I work out and it goes by in a flash 😀

  8. Cammy@TippyToeDiet

    I’ll miss Coffee Planet, and I don’t even live there. 🙂

    Nice find on the trunk! If you lived closer, you could be in my FB Resale group and find all sorts of vintage things. I have to sit on my hands sometimes to keep from buying things I have no place for. 🙂

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