The Blackburn Digest

Happy 11 month birthday, sweet Sara!

No, I haven’t mixed St. Patrick’s Day up with Valentine’s Day:) After DH and I exchanged cards and candy, he went into *work mode* this morning and I started crafting an extremely over-due menu and shopping list. (I’ve been “winging it” on meals for several days!)

As noted in an earlier blog entry, doing the food shopping alone is not one of my favorite activities. Aside from the obvious issues of painful wrists and leg braces, there are the changes in customer service which most super-markets have made over the past 15-20 years. Remember when the clerk (or a ‘helper’) emptied your cart onto the conveyor belt or counter? I really miss that: the fast paced bend-lift-reach activity at the check-out stand just plain hurts! Remember when the clerk (or bag-’boy’) bagged your groceries with a certain amount of consideration to even weight distribution and protection of delicate fresh produce? Remember when you told the bag-’boy’ that you wanted all the frozen food packed in plastic bags, everything else in paper bags. . . .and the same person bagged your entire purchase? (Now, there’s a new face every 62 seconds with each person doing things their way!) Hehe - do you remember when paper bags were even an option? (While some states are banning the use of eco-unfriendly plastic bags in super-markets, our Texas markets have switched to all-plastic! Groan!

Today was laundry day. That wasn’t “the plan”, but it certainly was a necessity. The washer and dryer were a steady background to the sound of three crazed cats all morning (what gets into them sometimes?!) and the cheerful babbling of our grand-daughter this afternoon. I thought the last load was finally in the dryer, and then happened to notice the towels in the upstairs bath were looking rather dusty. So O.K. - just one more load.

Finally - time to sit down and enjoy the company of DD and the antics of DGD, right? Yes, until I noticed how tired and dusty Mrs. Rudolph (a hearth critter I sewed and dressed some 16 years ago) was! Last load of the day was her eyelet bloomers, lace trimmed pinafore and full-skirted dress with attached slip and crinoline petticoat. Good grief - when did I find time to sew all that!! (Mrs. Rudolph didn’t go swimming; she’ll get a good vacuuming.)

Approximately once each month, an unlikely group of gals (Retired Adult & Community Educators - pronounced racy) gets together for lunch and conversation. What is unlikely about this delightful group of bright, accomplished women is, in a word, me. The attendance varies, as one member hasn’t actually retired yet, one is quite active in political events (especially *now*)and one former CE Director is writing a book on the history of something local (the restaurant was quite noisy). Another frequent attendee is also a former Director, currently involved in multiple civic counsels, and the founder of this lunch-bunch is a former coordinator of classes for senior citizens & after-school care for children! (Interesting combination, that!) Add the founding Director of “my” Community Ed., who interviewed and hired me. Now, add. . . .me? Former CE Secretary (and occasional Teacher: Collecting & Crafting Dollhouse Miniatures, Beg. & Interm. Knitting, Beg. & Interm. Needlepoint). Oh - also the subject of a recent article in CDHM! I’m still trying to figure out where I fit in this group, but they don’t seem confused:)

My clean-up campaign continues. It is still primarily focused on my Tower; my show room and the sewing room/guest room are also begging for the same treatment. Their time will come: *somewhere* in my show room is a bin of handy tools (a miter cutter; a really keen portable “crafter’s iron” with a very small, wedge shaped head; probably some nifty gadgets I’ve totally forgotten I own!), and the sewing room. . . .well, I won’t go there. Actually, No One should go there until I can restore some degree of order!

Another item was added to the “Found” catagory during today’s clean-up: my club’s current project reappeared! It is a two-story quilt shop, in one-quarter inch scale (1/4th inch equals 1 foot), and it has had two months in which to hide itself. (The weather fluctuations have had my wrist joints in a perpetual uproar.) I have a lot of work to do on this structure before the meeting this coming Saturday!

I spent a bit of lazy time this morning; reading my favorite parts of the Sunday paper and catching up (well, sorta!) on my e-mail and interest groups. Then it was get moving before the day’s gone time!

While rearranging my Tower the past few days, one item has been bugging me; why was there an old, unused, bulky printer occupying valuable work space on DH’s work-bench?! (Alright, you caught me- - -I call it *my* Tower, but DH has his work-bench and cabinet space, too. Grin!) Well, today, that old printer was loaded into the Scarlet Lady, along with two others (even older), a DVD player/changer and a record turn-table from the garage!

We needed to do a “heavy stuff shopping*”, and there is a Goodwill donation station just steps away from a market; not the market I usually frequent, but in this instance - perfect! We came home with the cat litter, soda, boxed wine, etc. and without the odd collection of electronics - also perfect!

I have good news to report- - -but I spent several more hours in my Tower today (and the sewing room, and investigating odd *archaeological layers* in my roll-top desk, and. . . . . . . .) I’m pooped! My when, where and how will have to wait till tomorrow. Stay tuned:)

(Always like to keep my audience riveted - “Blazing Saddles”.)
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I FOUND THE INSTRUCTIONS!! (For those who have not been following the saga, this hunt has taken several days and produced a somewhat massive clean-up of my Tower. The other upstairs rooms have also reaped some benefits of my attention. . .but no instruction sheets for the miniature bamboo bird cage.)