You Collect What?

I used to limit my collecting to non-tangibles.  This was mostly due to lack of space and frequent moves.  I needed to keep myself light.  For example, when I back-packed through Europe I made a point of "collecting" an ice cream cone at least once in each country.  But now, in  the U.S., there's no fun in that. Oh, I still indulge in having ice cream, but since the onset of chains, where's the sense of the hunt?

Somewhere along the way, I made a leap and began to collect something tangible - t-shirts.  They folded flat, were functional, and had a limited life span.  Perfect. 

I still collect  t-shirts, but I now also collect pie birds.  Some people call them pie vents.  Others, never having heard of them, just scratch their heads and ask: "you collect what?" 

It started when I came to my home in Floyd - Blackberry Ridge.  I had lots of blackberries growing around me (ergo, the name), and had started making blackberry pies for anyone who visited.  After noticing I was in need of a signature vessel to do this with, a friend gifted me with a pie plate and bird.

I've gotten these so far... 
My first is the full, multi-colored bird with a comb.  It'll always be my favorite, but I'm fond of them all. It's  always hard for me to decide which one to use when baking.

Now that I've gotten to this point, I have to figure out a permanent home for them.  The cupboard's no longer sufficient or safe.  I don't have space for much in the way of displays, so I'm going to have to think outside the box for a solution. 

The good thing about collecting pie birds is that there aren't too many of them around.  And, of the few that are out there, many are those I just can't buy.  I'm not talking money - though some are priced in the hundreds.  I'm talking subject matter. I saw several at the recent Hillsville flea market that were not birds at all, but people...stereo-typed people, if you get my drift.   Between the two, I don't think I have to worry about having this collection getting out of hand.

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Comments

[Tumblewords]

Nice post. I'd forgotten about those - I don't bake anymore. An interesting collection, for sure.

[Beth]

An interesting post about an interesting collection! I must say, I have never heard of pie birds. May I ask a silly question? Do they sing when the pie is done? By the way, I also collect t-shirts. I had some that were thirty years old that were faded, but wonderfully soft. So my daughter claimed them, but I'm afraid they're finally getting a bit too ragged to wear.

[June]

No singing. They just allow the juices to gather round, and by so doing, keep the inside from spilling out.

[colleen]

I'm one who didn't know what they were. They are cute and make me want to play with them. Joe collects T-shirts, and I help him. Now I'm collecting blog comments!

Thanks for your comments on the spoken word post. I hadn't proofed it yet (or not enough), so I hope you jumped over a couple of mangled sentences.