Okay, all y’all antiques detectives. I need help! As much as I love a good bargain and the thrill of the hunt, I’m not
one to get all googly-eyed over yard sales. Some people are. Some people get up on Saturday morning while it’s still dark and gather their yard-sale tools (measuring tape, hand wipes, bottled water, coffee) and then set off to discover treasures. I only do that in extreme circumstances — such as when the bed-and-breakfast in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where Dear Husband and I stayed after our wedding is cleaning out the linen closets and hosting a yard sale with profits benefiting the church next door where Dear Husband and I got married. Now, that is worth it. The folks who owned Byrn-Roberts Inn, a gorgeous 1903 house on Main Street just a block or so away from
Murfreesboro’s downtown, had closed the inn several years ago and were simply living in the house as normal people. But apparently they decided they didn’t need dozens of water pitchers and hand towels after all and decided to declutter and help out Central Christian Church at the same time. My mom and Younger Daughter were all up for the adventure, and we planned so well that we got there even before the sale started. And we all scored. My mom, with her usual impeccable eye for gems among junk, made some great buys. And YD and I didn’t do so badly either. For less than $45, I bought a wicker towel rack, a metal wall mirror, a wine carrier I’m going to use for flowers or silverware, three adorable square glass flower vases, a restaurant-style ice bucket with tongs, a fun breads cookbook and some … I don’t know what you call them … cute things on metal stakes that you stick in your garden or landscaping — including an adorable metal ladybug for Capt. Adorable (he calls them “Grouchy B Bugs” from a favorite Eric Carle book). And then I also bought this stainless-steel Mystery Pitcher. It’s about 5 inches tall and 11 inches in diameter, with a brass-colored handle and hinge on the lid. I would guess it was for warm maple syrup or something else breakfast-in-a-quaint-Victorian-inn-like except for the holes in the lid near the spout area. I forgot to ask the inn’s owners what it was when I bought, so now I’m hoping y’all can help. Any ideas?
Coffee with Cathy
Pour a cup & take a break
Coffee with Cathy 
Aw, thanks, y’all, for the helpful e-mail suggestions about what this pitcher might be used for: Honey, ice water, hot tea and fresh orange juice lead the pack of suggestions. I’m still not sure …
Cathy…I’m not sure, but I think the mystery pitcher is simply a drink strainer…something to keep the ice & what not in (herbs, citrus peel, etc.), while pouring the liquid out. Does that help? You’re so lucky to have been to a B&B yard sale! That’s something I would enjoy too 🙂
Well you got quite a haul! That little pitcher strains something..my guess is freshly squeezed Orange Juice..for people that don’t like the pulp!! 🙂
Those are all good guesses. I think I’m just going to e-mail the owner of the inn who had the yard sale and ask her. I’ll let you know what she says!
Mystery solved! I called the inn owner, Julie Becker, and she said it’s a pitcher for brewing and serving loose-leaf tea! Of course!!! That’s why there’s no spout, which was the thing that confused me. Anway, ghanks, all, for your help. I feel like those columns in antiques magazines where people send in photos of strange unidentified objects. Fun!