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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Luuucy, You're Ho-ome!


So . . . remember when Ricky used to come through the door
of the Ricardos' apartment and call out, "Luuucy, I'm ho-ome!"


No?
Then you are too young to be on the Internet. Go outside and play.


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This past weekend, in a casual cruise of our local Craigslist, I found a posting for a Lucy Ricardo Chair.
Curious, I clicked.
It was an old metal lawn chair, the type that everyone had in their backyards in the 1940s and 50s.

My Aunt Edna had them.
I used to love to sit on one and bounce when I was a little kid.
Remember how hot they got in the sun? No? Back outside for you!

Anyway, long story short -- I wanted the Lucy Ricardo Chair.

I also got a kick out of the owner's wording:
Price is $10. if you want to buy and $12. if you prefer to haggle.

I like a listing that makes me laugh.

Turns out, Lucy Chair was living in a house even older than ours.
She is moving forward in the timeline of New Jersey domestic architecture,
from the late 18th to the 19th century.

Here she is, chips and blemishes and all, on our front porch --
which is also chips and blemishes and all:


She's green.

As in, many coats of . . . .

Dig that fancy swooping look; she's a girly girl, our Lucy:

She's been round the block a few times, but hey, who hasn't?


Last June, my daughter Alida and I grabbed fire-engine-red spray paint, and made our front yard look like a crime scene, painting wire and ice cream parlor chairs, a little table, and a couple of rocking chairs.

I guess I should have put a drop cloth down, but grass grows and the red
eventually gets mowed off. A hapless dandelion got caught in the crossfire:

No real reason for that picture, except it cracks me up.

Anyway, back to business . . . Lucy is going to get wire-brushed and primed
and then also painted fire-engine-red, so she can live with the cool kids on the front porch.

Including the Grande Dame of the porch, the old wicker rocker:

Well, that's it for Wednesday is Rednesday at It's A Very Cherry World, and Outdoor Wednesday at A S0uthern Daydreamer.
Click on the highlighted words or the buttons below to go visit other posts.

Say goodbye to Miss Lucy;

next time you see her, she will be all decked out like a naughty girl in va-va-va-voom red.


We are holding our breaths that my Dad will be all right for the re-scheduled 90th birthday party here on Saturday. We're cleaning and weeding, and maybe spray painting -- best foot forward! -- Cass


39 comments:

  1. I love the new old chair!! BUT BUT BUT, I have to say, although I luvvvvvvvvv red, I do like the color of this babe in its original hue!!

    my red post is at this blog and not my others!
    http://spindlecottage.blogspot.com

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  2. I like the old chair and i like the other chairs too.Beautiful red!!!love it .catherine

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  3. I love it. I remember the chairs and hopping on and off them like a Mexican jumping bean because they would get so hot. Hubs wanted some for the lakehouse until I reminded him! ;-)

    Lucy will look darling dressed in red!

    xoxo
    Janie

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  4. I LOVE your Lucy! Does that sound obscene?? LOL!

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  5. I remember those chairs and yes they did get hot! :) But I don't think I have ever heard them called a Lucy Ricardo chair.

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  6. Me again. :) Did you get the email I sent you on how to do the speech bubble on a picture? Sent mid May - I think.

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  7. Love the chair! It will look great painted bright red.

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  8. Loving Lucy! Can't wait to see her makeover.
    Hope your Dad is up for his party.

    Melinda

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  9. Well....I'd like to say I don't remember Lucy & Ricky & Fred & Ethel BUT....I am a card carrying Lucy Fan & always have been!!!!!
    This post was a hoot & it made me laugh!!
    Love the chair......
    Love,
    Marilyn
    xxoo

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  10. I remember Ricky R, may I please stay on the internet?

    I love your Lucy. I love her just as she is - - - but I'm sure she'll "glow" in va-va-vroom red too.

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  11. I love the red chairs- I need to that to my outdoor set. It looks great!

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  12. I can't wait to see the chair all done. heck I would have paid $12 without any haggling.

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  13. This post just cracks me up!!!!! Go outside and play....very good! LOL
    Love the chair can't wait to see her all "Lucyfied" in red! :)

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  14. Cass,

    We have those chairs at the cabin!!! Plain backs though. One is gray and one is red and I have bark cloth pillows on them. And we have a glider sofa.

    We head back Saturday. Mixed feelings.

    I still can't believe you found that piece of Majolica.....

    Carol

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  15. I have about 6 of those chairs and one thats a glider. I love them! and most are green. seems like they're supposed to be green?

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  16. If someone dosen't know what you're talking about with Lucy, then they've been under a rock or are an Alien. Love that chair. I like green too, but she'll look great with a coat of red.

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  17. I popped in to visit and thoroughly enjoyed myself. And yes, I grew up on I love Lucy and my kids loved them as well! I also remember seeing that chair (or one very similar to it) at my grandma's house, eons back! What an enjoyable trip down memory lane. ♥ Thank you.

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  18. We all loved Lucy and now we love your darling chair. Can't wait to see her in the red, only a redhead could love, like Lucy :)
    xo
    Robin

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  19. Love the chair and yes, I remember every bit of I Love Lucy.

    xo
    Claudia

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  20. Luuuceeeee, Fred wants that chair, so we're on our way
    Love, Ethel

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  21. Oh yeah, I DO remember all the Lucy/Desi episodes! And I DO remember my paternal grandmother having several of these chairs --only hers didn't have the fancy scrolls! Should look marvvvvvelous in RED!!!

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  22. I'm definitely old enough to stay inside and "surf"!!

    I love the chair, no matter what color! On the ones I remember, though, the seat and the back were not separate. It was all one piece and the design on the back was "introverted" not "extroverted" (can't think of the correct term at the moment, but you know what I mean). Also back in the day, I'm pretty sure they were all dark forest green. Hmmmm, otherwise they were exactly the same! :)

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  23. What a beautiful home you have! I have two Lucy chairs on my front porch and just love that jiggly way about them. Painting the yard red a much better idea than my own, paint your basement red welllllll past the edges of the newspaper. Such a lovely blog, and such a fun Rednesday! Thank you for sharing! Elizabeth

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  24. I remember those chairs! That one is a prize -- and she'll look good in red!

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  25. Very cool. It should look fetching in red. Hope your dad makes it this time to his party. Have a wonderful weekend, Cass. Deb =^..^=x5

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  26. What a cool find that is. I got to stay here and continue reading because I certainly remember Lucy and Desi and Little Ricky, Fred and Ethel.
    Babbalooooo

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  27. Fun! I love all your reds on the porch. I just painted a shelf and spilled a bunch of red paint on my grass too. Oh well - it will just get mowed off eventually too.

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  28. LOVE ALL OF THOSE SWEET RED CHAIRS!!!!

    AND I really would just die to have those bistro chairs!!!

    Debbie

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  29. Oh, fun! I want to sell something on Craig's list for $20. It must be $25 if you want to haggle! LOVE it.

    And, I love your red furniture and the new Lucy chair. My grandmother had those at the lake house. Wonderful memories.

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  30. Love the Lucy chair and look forward to seeing it once it's wearing it's new red dress.

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  31. I just love Miss Lucy! The back looks kinda like a seashell. But, I love the Grand Dame even more!

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  32. Hi Cass~I have 2 chairs similar to Lucy(different design on the back) and as soon as we get settled in our new house they will also be getting a paint job. I was thinking about a shade of red as well.:)
    Fondly,
    Ann
    @
    The Tattered Tassel

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  33. I have 3 of those chairs . Not so pretty a design but metal. I painted them tan. Red would of been better. Red next time it is.

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  34. Love the Lucy chair and the red dandelion, especially! At least your grass will grow over -- I accidentally oversprayed onto the pavers even though I used a drop cloth! I guess I should have used two.
    You really do find some stellar sales in your area!

    Scribbler
    http://scribbler-unfocused.typepad.com/

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  35. Ah, the incredibly durable metal bouncing lawn chair...Lucy will look fabulous in red! When I was a mere tyke (Ha!), my family moved to Tucson, Arizona in the 1960s. We rented a nice little house which had these wonderful chairs...now, you talk about hot, try getting within 5 feet of one during a desert summer, July at 105 degrees!!

    Hope you have a wonderful birthday for your Dad and that he feels much better.

    Thanks for always bringing a laugh with your cheeky wording!!

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  36. great makeover! I love the red, course I'm parcial to red! LOL
    Helen

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  37. "Then you are too young to be on the Internet. Go outside and play." LOL LOL LOL!!! You crack me up!

    My Dad & now my sister own some of those chairs & a house around the block from us has 3 of them on their front porch painted BRIGHT Yellow, Red & Green! They make me smile every time I go by. I'll have to take a photo for you.

    I love your new tureen. Have Howard put a solid plank of wood under those items to lift them up a wee bit so they will show up better. I had to do that here in my den. Just any old board will do. I'm sure he'll love me for that suggestion. ;-P

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  38. dear cass, love lucy. she is a beauty. hope your plans work out. i am better, leaving for WY on thursday and am getting excited! take care and I guess i can stay as i remember all of the above mentions. :)

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  39. One of my favorite things about our small town here in the Texas Hill Country is our outdoor movie theatre, where all the seats are Lucy chairs!

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