Slaves To Fashion

A teenager came into the hardware store yesterday asking if we sold lighters. I took him to the BBQ section where we have assorted BBQ lighters as well as a standard Bic lighter. He chose the Bic and as I followed him to the front desk, I observed his attire. He had on the classic baggy jean and oversized shirt. I don't know how they can walk in those things. When I rang up his sale and told him the amount due, he proceded to search through his pants pockets for money. He was practically reaching down to his ankles to find the bottom of his pockets. He dug and dug and dug some more until he finally came up with a few crumpled dollars bills mixed with other stuff he probably hadn't seen in days. He then said he guessed he no longer needed the lighter as he had finally found his matches.

Forgotten (almost) Sounds of the Past

Today at the hardware store one of the guys was putting together a push lawnmower. The old ones had a long wooden shaft with cross piece handle bars and blades that whirled when you pushed it. They were sometimes a pain in the neck if you didn't keep the blades well oiled or got a branch stuck in them, but oh what a sound! I loved that soft clicking whirl.

Another wonderful yet vanishing sound is from the engine of a vintage Volkswagen. It was so sad when the new Bug came out with a revamped engine that sounded just like every other car engine. Whenever I encounter a vintage bug on the road, I'll roll down my window to catch the sound.

Remember the old sensor hose at the gas station (service stations at the time)? When you ran over it with your car, a bell would ring alerting the attendent that you needed service. As a young girl I would go the the service station with my dad. He would always tell the attendent to give him ten gallons. As the attendent filled his tank, washed the windows, and offered to check under the hood, the gas pump would ding after each gallon. The attendent could just count the dings and needed only to go back to the pump after the 9th ring in order to cut off the flow at 10 gallons.

Christmas is coming

I went shopping with friends yesterday. I was just looking for a small throw rug for my bedroom. I did find the perfect one, but not before finding, and buying without a second thought, a 4-foot red Christmas tree. We saw it on a top display shelf. It was beautiful! While searching the shelves we could only find white and green trees. Art found a floorperson who promptly went through the boxes on the shelf behind the green ones to reveal not only a red one but also purple, black, and OMG the most gorgeous dark blue. I managed to restrain myself and resisted buying the blue one also. But there are still at least six weeks before Christmas. I'll have to set up my tree forest and see if there is room for one more.



I just love the holiday season. Until recent years I was a traditionalist, who would not play Christmas music until after dessert on Thanksgiving. Then when eggnog started appearing on the shelves in supermarkets before Halloween, I thought why should I limit the timeframe for playing my favorite music. I just saw my first Christmas ad of the season on television last Thursday. It's time! A Christmas music CD goes into my car today.

For the past several years while working at the bookstore, I had the day after Thanksgiving off and my sister and I would go Christmas shopping. I think the earliest we ever started was 7am. This year I have to be to work at the hardware at 8am on Friday so if we want to continue the tradition, we may have to start at the ungodly hour of 5am. I used to think people who wanted to shop at that hour were crazy. Wait a minute! Not used to think. It is crazy! We'll have to think about it. But, I'm afraid the solution is going to be "let's do it!".

I'm told the hardware store is not like the bookstore during the holiday season. They do get in "gift merchandise" and decorations and have a day after Thanksgiving sale, but I don't think they dedicate a large space to it. Personally I think a hardware store is a great place to shop for Christmas gifts but I'll have to wait and see if others share my opinion.

When I worked at the bookstore I was probably the only person there who looked forward to the Christmas season. I loved the hustle and bustle. And I was the person in charge of weekly ordering (which could become "daily" during the last couple of weeks)! It was crazy but I loved it. I always tried to keep Christmas (and Putumayo's Jewish Odyssey) playing during business hours, although my co-workers complained. I would tell them studies have proven that Christmas music generates higher sales. I wonder if the local station we listen to at the hardware store plays Christmas music.

9 Volt Battery

Today at the hardware store I was stocking batteries and it suddenly occured to me that I really like the look of the small rectangular 9 volt battery. Strange thing to pop into my head. Perhaps it is nostalgia. When I was a teenager I had a transistor radio that used a 9 volt rectangular battery. It was a strong sturdy-looking battery. One that that was worthy of keeping me in touch with the "top ten" hitmakers of the time, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Or maybe the attraction is the design with its clean lines and the simple black and copper of Duracell. And it won't roll off the table.

Post Halloween and a rainy day with Shady

We got about thirty or more trick or treaters. They were so cute and all seemed to be having a great time. There were witches, princesses, ninja warriors, storm troopers, teenagers with Santa hats, and thank God, no Sarah Palins. When my sister commented to one little boy that he had a good stash of candy, he started digging around in his bag a pulled out a small container of Play-Doh saying very excitedly, "Look what I got!" Later that evening I went to a friend's house and was serenanded by a trick or treating mariachi band. The man with the guitar was wearing a colorful woven poncho and the other two were dressing in army camoflauge complete with camo face paint. An unsual trio, but great entertainers. We voted them highlight of the evening.

Thinking back over the years some of the most memorable costumes I have seen worn by friends and co-workers were my friend Angela who dressed as the dead Laura Palmer from the bizarre TV show "Twin Peaks". For those not familiar with the show, as the show opens Laura Palmer's body is found wrapped in plastic and has just washed up on shore. The show centers around "Who killed Laura Palmer." A group of us when to a local ice cream parlor that Halloween night dressed as characters from "Twin Peaks", took a corner booth by the window with Angela in her pale blue makeup, slumped lifeless in the corner. Another year the folks at work dressed as "The Wizard of Oz" characters, there was Dorothy, flying monkeys, the Scarecrow (me), the Wicked Witch of the West (OMG she was the spitting image of the witch) and the owner even rented a tuxedo with top hat to be the Wizard.

The most subtle but funniest ever was sometime during the 1980's. A co-worker came dressed as a Carithers employee. Carithers department store had a reputation for catering to the over 60's crowd, their employees being of that age or older. Louise walked in the door wearing a polyester pantsuit, a family Christmas pin, and a long out of date wig.

During a late night Halloween field trip with my photography class, as we were sitting in front of Hamburger Mary's in San Francisco, I saw two men dressed as Generals Grant and Lee holding hands and skipping across the street.

My sister made a stunning appearance one year in a lovely green dress and smart pill box hat as the ever elegant Jackie Kennedy. And of course, we have to include me as a memorable costume, which I have worn three times in the last twenty years. I will try to post the picture from about three years ago (or maybe more as time does fly) as my portrait when I get to work on posting my profile.



Oh yeah. I almost forgot about Shady. He hates the rain. I thought maybe with all his winter fur he wouldn't even feel the rain. But apparently rain dripping on his face really freaks him out. While I was out shopping during the worst part of the storm yesterday, my sister was at home trying to get Shady inside. She saw him across the street and called him to the front door. Since there is a leak in our gutters by the front door, he wouldn't come in that way and ran toward the backyard. She went to the back door to let him in and still couldn't find him. He had only gone as far as my bedroom door and was crying to get in. She let him in that way and took some pictures before she gave him a good towel drying. Poor thing, he looked so miserable. He fluffed wonderfully after she dried him. He spent the rest of the day lazing about in the house. Very unsual. Shady loves to be outside.

Halloween

It's Halloween. The candy is by the door in hopes that we will get some trick or treaters. Living in an apartment all these years has brought one or two trick or treaters on a odd year, mostly we got none. This year we have a house with a porch light and a huge black and purple spider having over the door, but none of the small kids in this area really know us, so we may end up eating all of the candy. I think more kids are being entertained at parties rather than trick or treating.

Shady has been told he must stay inside early tonight although he is not the traditional Halloween black cat. He is bitterly complaining. He wants to say out until at least sundown. I am trying to ignore him while I type this, but he has just attacked my elbow. Okay, I guess we can play chase the crumbled ball of paper. He never tires of that game.

Happy Halloween!

Life with Shady

Shady came in for breakfast this morning smelling like a geranium. Okay, I must admit, it may have been partly my fault. When I opened the back door, he slipped off the porch and landed in the geranium. He's not too bright about dodging doors and even though he is not the most coordinated cat, he still managed to pull himself back up onto the porch. He was completely unaffected by the entire scene even though I was laughing. When I bent down to put food in his dish, still laughing, I found he smelled like a geranium. Of course I began laughing even more. When I told my sister this evening about the events of the morning, she said "I thought the geranium looked different. I thought it was just looking a little tired because of it's been getting colder." She was laughing as hard as I was.

Don't feel bad for Shady living with a couple of people who laugh at his misfortunes. He is the one with the upperhand. Demanding to get out of bed and outside at 5:30 in the morning and acheiving that goal at least by 6am is just one of many ways he is indulged. He is now playing a new game in the evening, since we try to keep him inside after sundown. He dashes under Laura's bed and waits for her to walk by and then runs out at her and bites her feet. There is a lot of dancing and squealing going on lately.

When Shady is outside his favorite part of the garden, besides chasing butterflies, is hiding behind and attacking the many ornamental grasses. OMG! What is he going to do with the Christmas tree?