Don't worry, I was behind a stoplight for all three of these!
Not that a little matter like driving has ever stopped me when photos need to be taken; but I did happen to be behind a stoplight for all three of these.
And I was in the passenger seat for this one! It's the best my poor little cell phone camera could do in the dusk. It's somebody's pickup truck on fire and the heat was INTENSE.
I went to Shopko because two different people told me they had a lot of wide-width athletic shoes, and they did, a really good selection.
Almost fell off my feet when I picked up a pair of New Balance sport shoes made in USA!
All excited, but too soon, because they did not have the right size in stock :-(
At least I found these in Wal-Mart :-)
Got two packs.
What tiny, light printing! Where's the big flag on the packaging, that we're used to as a clue? Not all the Hanes socks were made here, just these.
And those New Balance were the first shoes I've ever seen, made here.
Oh, but at the feed store they have rubber farm boots made in USA that are better quality and cheaper than the Wal-mart ones!
Point and shoot, it's gonna be gorgeous.
It is cool to see the bald eagles. These aren't very good pictures, but just to illustrate that the eagles are right there sitting on trees all over the place. Once we saw a bunch of them alongside the freeway, like ten or twelve, it actually started to feel like Hitchcock's "The Birds" once we became aware and started counting... I wouldn't want these critters coming after me, but they are pretty to look at!
And some volunteer pansies, or maybe that's the columbine coming up?
My friend has crocuses in her yard coming up with pretty purple blooms showing already. I had not the foresight to like and to plant crocus, unfortunately.
Sudden irresistible urge to make spiral skirts. I have four of them cut out of various color combinations.
Here's the very cool way one looks going together:
Does anyone think these things are tricky to sew together? They are not like sewing two contrary curves together to make a quilt, or put a sleeve into an armscye. These are easy. There's no pinning. You just sew a few inches of curve, then pull the edges together to line up on top of each other, sew a few more inches, until one of the gores ends.
But I have no idea why I always end up tipping my head to one side while doing it. Why do that? There's no reason. Can't see any better that way. I straighten up and start sewing again, but as soon as I forget about it, the head tips sideways.
Long story, actually. Ed got a money order to get this puzzle from White Mountain Puzzles, and they sent me an email (they must've had my email address on file from when I submitted the sweepstakes card that was included in the Christmas puzzle from Cabela's, and THAT'S why we don't send in sweepstakes cards, folks!) to say they wouldn't ship the puzzle until I gave them my phone number.
WHY? They're shipping the puzzle, not faxing it! They have the money and the address and they don't need any more than that.
We went round and round until I told the @#$! to send me back the money order.
I was totally gonna leave bad reviews all over the internet etc, oh, haha like I've got time to do that.
Anyway they wanted $17 for that puzzle plus shipping, and here it was at Costco for $10. Cool.
And here is Dave all finished with it.
Because the world is totally interested in what I bought.
Cinquefoil, shiny, useful and $1. Can't resist that.
Have I commented that I don't like silk? I don't know why. It just feels repellent and I want to put it down. Is that weird? Apparently everybody else loves silk. I even picked up a skein of pretty embroidery floss at that last faire, and I could just TELL. I said, Is this silk? And it was. The lady could tell by my face that I didn't like the feeling, and I could tell by hers that she was confused: that's the nicest embroidery floss out there, or something.
Well, write me down as liking marble. Previously I've only been able to get my palms on the Olympia capitol's surfaces, but I couldn't take any fist-sized pieces of it home with me. Now I can. I walked through the whole store holding this bit of smooth white marble, forgetting I had it and then remembering, and thinking of excuses to never put it down again. Hey, it would be great for self-defense!
Okay, yes, it's now at home with me and it was $2.
I love the Goodwill.
I wish there was a word for that, or that I knew what it was!
"Long paragraph," how dull.
Sesquipedalian's been my favorite word since I discovered it at a young age (displacing antidisestablishmentarianism), and learned that it defined me; and there's also that delightful to the tongue and ears word for long words, polysyllabic.
But how about a word for a long paragraph?
Anyway Nicholas Nickleby's full of them and they are wonderful.
(Read free http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/967)
Examples:
Upon a hasty consideration of the circumstances, it may be matter of surprise to some persons, that Mr and Mrs Squeers should have taken so much trouble to repossess themselves of an incumbrance of which it was their wont to complain so loudly; but their surprise will cease when they are informed that the manifold services of the drudge, if performed by anybody else, would have cost the establishment some ten or twelve shillings per week in the shape of wages; and furthermore, that all runaways were, as a matter of policy, made severe examples of, at Dotheboys Hall, inasmuch as, in consequence of the limited extent of its attractions, there was but little inducement, beyond the powerful impulse of fear, for any pupil, provided with the usual number of legs and the power of using them, to remain.
Nicholas looked at the ugly clerk, as if he had a mind to reward his admiration of the young lady by beating the ledger about his ears, but he refrained, and strode haughtily out of the office; setting at defiance, in his indignation, those ancient laws of chivalry, which not only made it proper and lawful for all good knights to hear the praise of the ladies to whom they were devoted, but rendered it incumbent upon them to roam about the world, and knock at head all such matter-of-fact and un-poetical characters, as declined to exalt, above all the earth, damsels whom they had never chanced to look upon or hear of--as if that were any excuse!
Here was one of the advantages of having lived alone so long! The little bustling, active, cheerful creature existed entirely within herself, talked to herself, made a confidante of herself, was as sarcastic as she could be, on people who offended her, by herself; pleased herself, and did no harm. If she indulged in scandal, nobody's reputation suffered; and if she enjoyed a little bit of revenge, no living soul was one atom the worse. One of the many to whom, from straitened circumstances, a consequent inability to form the associations they would wish, and a disinclination to mix with the society they could obtain, London is as complete a solitude as the plains of Syria, the humble artist had pursued her lonely, but contented way for many years; and, until the peculiar misfortunes of the Nickleby family attracted her attention, had made no friends, though brimful of the friendliest feelings to all mankind. There are many warm hearts in the same solitary guise as poor little Miss La Creevy's.
Big WIN for me, because I brought down a whole carload of fifteen or twenty bags of old junk, and came away with two bags of excellent stuff!
(But as I've said, the second funnest part is watching my old junk go away in other people's arms and they seem happy about it!)
The boys found several tall candles, a bunch of Christmas lights that work, a battery lantern, and a wind-up clock. I did, too!
This one's mine. I love old wind-up clocks.
Dave's got his name permanent-markered on his already, lest there be any confusion about it. His was made in USA :-)
Okay, he wins, but I like mine too!
The kids got four big fluffy deluxe Santa hats. Here they are fresh from the freezer (everything not machine washable goes through there to kill the cooties).
MORE jigsaw puzzles, isn't that what I need, well it's free, so why not :-)
I have a thing for jigsaw puzzles. Just love 'em.
I donated a 60s German grammar book that had bugged me with its post-war noblesse oblige, and found this one instead, from 1938 and in perfect condition! Even has the old style Gothic print that I like so much.
That's a roll of shelf lining paper. Looks like pattern making paper to me.
The buttons look medieval, n'est ce pas?
Fabric. There was a HUGE pile actually, and a bag of squares and strings that tempted me, but I limited myself to just this, which looks medieval, and a couple good-sized chunks that I really fancied.
The plaid flannel can always be pajama bottoms or pillowcases.
Boys got this for Andrea.
Andrea isn't a cat person, she's a dog person! It's just that she isn't able to keep a dog right now, and kitty's better than nothing.
The boys sorted through a box of toys and found these cool Legos.
Nice little cups, I like everything about them, size, style, colors and price.
A great heavy quilted bag, perfect for bringing handcrafts in the car. It has a metal snap closure that's broken on one side, but I don't care. Looks like it was never used.
New to me phone. Doesn't matter where it's made because I'm not profiting them this time around, and at least it hasn't any Spanish labels on it :-)
I'm without an answering machine and can't get a new one because they apparently don't make them in my price range NOT bilingual! Hmph!
