Call Him Ludwig

A few days ago, I posted some of the amazing things I didn’t buy at the thrift store. That morning, my sister-in-law, Amber, took my girls to the Scarecrow Festival, so I asked Nicky what he wanted to do while they were gone, and he gave the best answer this mom could ask for, “Let’s go to the DI.” 

Nicky took the wheel (he’s working on those required driving hours), and we went to three DI’s and a Goodwill. 

(Side note: Nicky still hasn’t driven a car in drivers ed, but last week, they were all given bucket lids, and they got to pretend to drive).

Honestly, the day was a total letdown. The only thing I bought was a $2 puzzle. When we got home, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Beethoven bust and the ceramic potato. The Beethoven would make such a fun Halloween decoration, and the potato was just awesome. Why hadn’t I bought them? 

I decided to go back the next day and see if they were still there. I ended up hauling four teenagers with me (trying to explain to the youths why I needed a Beethoven bust and a ceramic potato was fruitless, but I digress). I walked in the store and went first to where I’d left the potato. I really thought the potato would still be there, but it was gone. I didn’t think Beethoven would still be there, and when I walked over to where I left him, sure enough, he was gone, too.

I was truly devastated, but I also understood that I’d missed my chance the day before. I can only expect so much from such an exquisite thrift store inventory. 

The teenagers were still wandering the store, so I walked up and down a few aisles. Then, to my utter surprise, I found my Beethoven!

He’d been moved!

It was a joyous reunion as I cradled him in my arms. He was smaller than I remembered, but I loved him all the same.

When I got home, I started a little makeover on him. First I sprayed him with an old can of spray paint I found in the shed (there were some sketchy spritzes coming out of that thing, I admit). 

I left Beethoven unsupervised for a bit while he was drying, and I was momentarily distraught when I found him face down in the grass a few minutes later. 

Luckily he was dry enough that he didn’t get grass stuck all over him (it wouldn’t have been my first grassy accident). 

I was concerned because the white paint made him look rather pleasant, and that’s not what I was going for. I needed to accentuate that cold, hard stare! I mixed some black paint with some water and poured it all over him, then wiped it off with a wet rag. Then I darkened his eyes and some other details, and voila! 

He is everything I hoped for!

Right now he’s in the living room, and Eva keeps telling me she hates my big, scary head, to which I respond, “His name is Ludwig.”