Mountain Home is one of my favorite places to go thrifting. A small city of 14,000, it is home to Mountain Home Air Force Base.  People are always moving there from all over the country and then moving away. With so much toing and froing, lots of possessions get left behind and donated to thrift stores. A few weeks ago, Kim, Kelly, and I made a foray to Mountain Home to visit Kim’s aunt and uncle and to spend some quality time shopping for vintage and second-hand clothes.

The first thing I found while thrifting was a 1960’s pimento green lady’s dress coat for $7.99. The mink-collared coat was in mint condition. My squeal of delight was short lived, however, when I discovered the sleeves were two inches too short for me. Kelly started jumping and simultaneously tried not to throw her two-inch shorter arms up in the air. Our FU rule: If it looks better on someone else, they get it.

Luckily, my disappointment was short lived. Mere moments later, I spied this leopard-print mini. Since I’ve been wearing so many retro, feminine silhouettes to the office, it feels good to switch things up. I coupled the miniskirt with a vintage blouse I found at the same store. It’s a bizarre blend, but somehow these prints complement each other with their spotted texture. Pairing an animal-print mini and modest vintage blouse is so wrong and yet so infinitely right.

When we were done thrifting, we headed to Kim’s aunt’s bunkhouse to finish my outfit. Aunt Veronica pulled out these thigh-high bitch-boots from her closet. Kapowlicious. Oh the confessions these boots could tell about Ronnie’s hippie, biker, and bouncer days . . . .  The boots begged to be worn with her thick leather belt.

Kelly and I immediately headed to the wintery yard next door to photograph our thrift store finds. Kim’s uncle Boyd watched from inside and was concerned we would get too cold. Kelly climbed his trees and broke branches to get just the right angles for the photos. Thanks to Kim, we have documentation of the behind the scenes.

After the daylight faded into crimson reds, yellows, and amethyst, we all cozied up around the kitchen table. I filled my belly with fresh cod cooked in vegetable broth from the garden, baked potatoes, salad with feta and pomegranates, and Aunt Ronnie’s famous pickled eggs and beets. I felt sixteen again and more at home in Boyd’s house than I had felt in a long time. Boyd’s home is cozy, humble, and personal–decorated with memories from a life of trail guiding and guitar picking–while most people’s homes are large spaces filled with empty things.

Dinner ended and I sat to the side in the kitchen as Kim and Ronnie cleared the table. I observed. Kelly and Boyd migrated to the living room to sit in two coupled arm chairs. Both of them are musicians. They each picked up one of Boyd’s four guitars and began to share their songs. Framed as if on a flickering stage by the kitchen door, Boyd sang Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game.” Ronnie watched as Kelly smiled and listened and said, “There goes another woman falling in love with the Cowboy.”

Next, Kelly played one of her songs. In it, General Lee of the Civil War lies awake in his tent at 3 A.M., praising the Lord for the young men who will die in battle in a matter of hours. Kelly has a huge voice married to a slight, songbird’s frame, and her lyrics are piercing. The words simultaneously speak to those who believe in war and those who don’t. The chill her song gave me swallowed me whole. It’s the chill of recognition that highlights life’s beauty and tells a person when they or someone else has a gift, a calling. The chill is living awe.

Photographer: Kelly Lynae Robinson

Leopard-print polyester mini, MODA International, thrift store, $3.5o
Vintage blouse, Country Sophisticates, thrift store, $4.50
Wool scarf, family trip to Russia 2002
Thick leather belt, Bad-ass Aunt Ronnie’s closet
Thigh-high leather bitch boots, Bad-ass Aunt Ronnie’s closet