An Odyssey

This post was actually written yesterday but I was too exhausted too wrestle with the "new" formatting of photos on blogger to post it.  Truth be known, I fell asleep for a very long late afternoon into early evening nap shortly after this was composed.  Anyway, please make all the necessary mental adjustments that this time line requires.

Today starts another of my three day weekends.  Unfortunately, I haven't done any at home stitching Monday through Thursday and it was the at home time that was slated to be about the afghan.  But sinc I worked 11am-9pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I was just too tired and mind-fogged to stitch when I got home.  Thursday was an 11am-7pm day and though that was a bit better, all I wanted to do after making supper was do a page in my NY Times Crossword Puzzle Book and go to sleep.  It's a wildly exciting life I lead, isn't it?  Anyway, the only progress I have made thus far this week has been on my travel piece, Primitive Needle's Black'd Skie, squeezing in about 3/4s of an hour at lunchtime each day.  Here is a photo of my progress thus far. 

And today has been a mad dash around town for various errands.  First to the bank to deposit my March 15 paycheck.  My husband gets exasperated with me when I don't get to the bank in a more timely fashion.  My attitude is, basically, that's it's not like we use my salary for current expenses so where's the rush.  My money goes to paying down principal on the mortgage over and above our regular monthly payment, adding to retirement savings and providing vacations and other luxuries ... in that order.  Then it was on to the jewelry gallery to pick up three murano glass beads to complete my Pandora bracelet that has the astrological signs of self, husband, daughter and two sons as well as selecting a simple cross for the gold chain  my husband gave me for our anniversary.  After that, we headed out to the pen shop where a fountain pen that needed repair was awaiting pick-up.  This shop also has a giftware and jewelry section.  I couldn't resist some lovely green Swvarski crystal earrings that caught my eye while my husband was seeing to his pen.  Then, onward and upward, to Barnes and Noble where I found two Jospeh Campbell titles that have been missing from my library and the latest Laura Childs' tea shoppe mystery ... now there's a mind-boggling stretch!  What can I say ... my tastes and interests are wide-ranging and eclectic, to say the least.  While at B & N I found a charming little display of Beatrix Potter items and what could be better for the grandchildren's Easter mailing than these little lovelies: a classic edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a boxed doll sized tea set with Beatrix Potter illustrations, a Beatrix Potter lunch box containing a jumbo Potter puzzle, a Beatrix Potter china mug and these two sweet Peter Rabbit totes to carry the items.  So far so good.  Ordinarily, I don't like shopping so when I finally get up the nerve to do some, it becomes something of a marathon.  Well the next stop almost destroyed my will to carry on.  I have been mutterring for some time about the need for a new sewing machine.  Nothing fancy: just something adequate for crafting.  So I figured Sears would be a good place to start.  They had exactly 6 floor models on display ... none of which were plugged in.  Once I flagged down a "blue shirt", I asked where and how I can try out the models.  His stony response, "We do not demonstrate sewing machines."  Okay, my next question was about the return policy.  Obviously if I took it home and didn't like the machine, I'd want to return it.  "Of course you can return it" ... but, get this ... "if the box is unsealed you'll have to pay a 15% restocking fee upon return."  Well, hell, how do you try out a machine that's still sealed in the box?!?  When I commented that Sears could avoid returns in the first place by setting up a demonstration area for the machines, we were back to "We do not demonstrate ..."  I left quietly without buying anything.  But, in my imagination, I stormed out of the store like Malificent in the old Disney Sleeping Beauty film, kicking objects aside and shouting "Fools!   Imbeciles!  Morons!"  I find rerunning that little snippet of film very satisfying whenever life gets in my way ... if only in my innermost thoughts.  I'll never get an ulcer with that kind of release to fall back on.  With the Malificient momentum fueling me on, I proceeded to a wonderful little place called Above and Beyond Creative Sewing.  I spent a very pleasant half hour playing with three Pfaff machines.  I selected one that was almost three times as expensive as the Singer machine I had been considering at Sears.  In addition, I purchased a rolling lime green travel case, extra bobbins, some vanishing ink marking pens all at 10% off since I bought a sewing machine today.  I'll be going back for free lessons and the warranty came with five annual cleaning/servicing coupons.   Sears lost a $400 sale and Creative Sewing gained a $1500 sale and a likely repeat customer for fabrics, notions and future classes.  Who knew anger and disgust with one vendor could be such a marketing tool for another?  I may regret this once the adrenalin ebbs but I doubt it.  I finished off the shopping trek with a stop at the local Orchards to stock up on produce and baked goods and enough root beer flavored candy [licorice, barrels and barley sticks] to keep my charming husband in a blissful sugar-induced high for at least a month.  In all likelihood, this shopping tour has exhausted my meagre shopping mojo for the next six months.  I just may muster up the energy to visit the grocery store and pharmacy but only because their products are absolutely necessary to my continued well-being.  If I could convince them to start up a personal shopping service with home delivery, believe me, I would.

But for the next two days, I am determined to devote what stitching time I have available to the Jacobean Elegance afghan.  The weather has already warmed to the point that having that much afghan draped over my legs is no longer cozy.  But cooler and more seasonable March weather is predicted  for Saturday and Sunday, so I am hopeful that I can really settle into my stitching chair and accomplish a great deal.  I'll post a progress photo at the end of the weekend.

As you can see, I finally gave up wrestling with the picture formatting and just let blogger do what it pleased.  I promise to master this in the future but for now please just deal with the crazy placement which belies bloggers claim that "images will be loaded directly to the insertion point"... yeah, that's tight!