Frugal Friday Thoughts: Old Brown Teapot

Years ago, I found a humble, old, brown, “Made in England” teapot at Goodwill.I loved that old teapot. It was just the right size for a couple of cups of tea in the morning with extra for iced tea later. Or it would serve two cups each to a friend and me.The old brown pot wasn’t ornate or delicate; rather, it was simple, sturdy, and useful — just what this tea-drinker admired most in a teapot for everyday use (and perhaps this tea-drinker identifies somewhat with all things simple, sturdy, and useful). The old brown teapot and I logged a lot of time together, morning after morning.One day, the lid to old brown disappeared. Poof. I couldn’t find it anywhere.I panicked. I searched everywhere for it or even some trace of it — I would have settled for a shard or tiny sliver of it to solve the mystery, but found nothing. I even dragged the trash bag out and picked through the banana peels and stinky leftover black beans in search of some clue. Nobody admitted to breaking it, and it was nowhere to be found. The thing was just gone.I loved the old brown teapot so much that I continued to use it even without a lid. I’d just stick a saucer on top while the tea steeped. The solution was fairly functional, but the sweet old brown teapot was, of course, never quite the same after that. A teapot is always best with its lid.Years passed. One day, after reading yet another guilt-inducing article about decluttering, I decided to sell the old teapot in a neighborhood garage sale. I set it out, but nobody bought the lidless brown teapot. So when the sale was over, the teapot was boxed up to go to a charity.Bye-bye, old brown. I made-do with smaller pots. Some were far more valuable, delicate, and beautiful — gifts from my teapot-collecting mother — but they were never quite the same. They didn’t hold quite enough tea. The handle didn’t feel the same. The spout didn’t pour quite right and dribbled after I tipped it back.Old brown never did that. It poured perfectly. But it was gone and I had to just move on.I transitioned to a plain white teapot of similar size, also a Goodwill find. It was probably nicer in some ways than old brown. It was, for example, a step up in class (plain white) while remaining humble (unadorned, sturdy ceramic).Anyway, the other day I was at Goodwill, and do you know what I found? Old Brown is back! With a lid!So head over here for tea sometime — two cups each!(Is there a clear frugal thought in this? I guess not, other than celebrating Goodwill shopping.)