5 January 2009 All three of the paper-white bulbs have flower buds already. At the rate they are going, the show will be over before I find a hanger. I plan to look for a spicy globe basil to put in the plant hanger after I set out the narcissus. The first Science News of the year came today. I've read it all, but only because I set myself down and said "the content is still there; never mind that the format is pushing you out with both hands." I didn't retain much, though. They've found a clue as to why going short on sleep makes you more likely to get diabetes. The peanut-allergy epidemic was caused by efforts to prevent it. That medical blunder wasn't as nasty as the campaign to put babies on their stomachs because the age-old custom of letting them sleep on their backs "made them likely to choke on their vomit". And it's much more plausible a mistake than the belief that infants are immune to pain -- which superstition hasn't been entirely stamped out. I have a student for Handwork Circle tomorrow night. I hope I don't forget to go! 7 January 2009 Went, had a productive session. Helen needed to remember how to crochet, not to learn, so we made amazing progress. But she plans to come back next week for another lesson. Tonight is the banner-making class and I still haven't the foggiest idea what we are going to do -- the students know more than me: *they* know whether or not they are coming! Fortunately, Martha has promised to come and help me out. About New Year's, I saw an ad in the paper for three local fabric stores that were neither Lowery's nor Pretty Pillow. One was in North Manchester, but the other two only had street addresses, therefore should be in biking distance. (And I *do* need some fresh motivation to ride my bike.) But I failed to cut the ad out. So yesterday, while bailing the scrap paper up for Dave to take to the recycling center, I sorted the newspapers by date, found the ad, and cut it out. Where the flim-flam is Wabash Street? Took the ad to the computer, plugged into the Internet, called up Google Maps on the Web, typed in the address of Nancy J's, added "Warsaw, Indiana". Up popped Nancy J and a hardware store -- in Wabash. Not exactly a bike trip. Nonetheless, I'm impressed that Google Maps could find the right store when I gave the wrong town -- there's got to be more than one "Wabash Street" in Indiana. "Heaven on Earth" turned out to be north of Wall-Mart. No indication of what sort of store it might be, though; Google Maps had only a pointer for the address -- and just try to Google the Web for "Heaven on Earth"! By adding the address, I found some lists that include the store, however. 8 January 2009 When walking through the living room today, I decided that the sheet of white tissue paper was just too tattered to be born, picked up the pieces, and threw them away. Al crouched protectively over the red sheet of tissue. I'm a good mother -- and I have a package of white tissue that I bought back when pattern paper was hard to come by. (Tissue is Extremely Poor for making patterns; its only virtue is that a pattern company can crumple a lot of it into an envelope.) Dave came out to watch me drop a sheet on the cat. Al calmly crawled out from under, crumpled it, and settled back down. 12 January 2009 My two favorite comic strips update on Monday, but there is no use looking at them . . . I was up past midnight last night, and peeked. (Girl Genius, , and Free Fall, .) When I undressed Saturday night, I found a hole in the heel of one of my Big-R socks. I've been wearing them in rotation, so this means that they aren't even going to make it to spring. Even though they were cheap (about seven dollars a pair, if I recall correctly), I feel entitled to a little more wear than that: not one pair has been worn more than once in a week, and I haven't had them very many weeks. Also on Saturday, we went to Big R so Dave could look at something in the heating department and I could buy some cat food and litter. We found a hanging basket to put the paper whites in. I must have scratched one of the pods getting the stalks arranged around the chains -- a partly-open flower bud had popped through the weak spot the next time I looked at it. Today, all four stalks are in bloom. The blossoms are smaller than those that grow outdoors, and there are more of them. They are pure white, without the red edging around the trumpet. I can't detect the slightest scent, which may be due to my cold. Dave says the perfume is very strong. 16 January 2009 Quite a lot of E. Nesbit's classic children's stories are on line at . Some of them are short enough to read on a computer; I'm nearly done with "The Seven Dragons" now. There are more than seven stories in the collection, but if I recall correctly, all of them involve a dragon. Or more than one; "The Deliverers of Their Country" described an infestation of dragons that swarmed like mosquitoes. This morning I checked the weather prediction, which said more snow tomorrow, noted that it was bright and sunny with very little wind out, and decided that if I was going to go shopping before my Prilosec ran out, I'd better go today. When I got to Owens, I found that everyone in Warsaw had made the same calculation -- I actually had to make a loop to get into a parking space; I normally just drive to the east edge of the lot and park in isolation. I got a surprise while waiting for the light to cross Center: busses parked in the lot through the last couple of snows? Incredibly *big* busses -- ah, they are shopping-cart shelters. Owens West has had shelters ever since I first noticed, but Owens East has had corrals, at least one of which has not yet been removed; I didn't notice whether or not people were still using the corral. More changes inside: a new counter-on-two-sides-of-a-square thing just inside the entrance, just enough work done that you can see what it's going to be. But hasn't there always been such a critter there? Maybe I'm thinking of Marsh -- or perhaps they removed a smaller one. [It turned out to be a dining area with drink dispensers.] I couldn't find any of the carts with the little basket in the nose to keep your produce from getting squashed -- I hope that isn't one of the changes! Could be that with the crowd, they were all in service. I got the last carton of Vernor's Diet Ginger Ale. The stocker in charge of that brand -- the store was cluttered with stockers; Friday must be their day -- overheard me comment on it, and said that it disappears as fast as he puts it out because Vernor's rents so little shelf space. Looked as though you could only get four cartons in there, and I doubt that he comes more than once a week. 19 January 2009 I've been noting for some time that it's past time to make more bras. When getting dressed Saturday morning, I noticed a worn-through spot on the oldest of my three remaining bras, so later that day I put all the leaves in the table and got down the remainder of the four yards of white linen I'd cut the newest bra out of. After flopping the fabric this way and that in search of the faint, faint bias lines I'd drawn on it, I decided to use a large scrap that already had one edge cut on the true bias. Hung up the rest of the fabric, arranged the two pieces of pattern on the scrap, pinned them in place, and said "It *can't* be this easy!" So when the cutting got a little awkward at the top of the shoulder strap, I shoved the smaller cutting mat under it and confidently reached into the sewing stand that once belonged to Dave's grandmother. My rotary cutter has vanished. That thing is dangerous! I *always* put it right back into the sewing stand. But the other cutter that I use for paper was there; it won't cut fabric, but using it as if trying opened a snip that I could get the point of the scissors into and cutting proceeded. So I put away the scraps, put away the removable leaves, laid one piece on each drop leaf, confidently opened the antique trunk where I keep my patterns -- and my dressmaker's carbon has vanished. That stuff is fragile! I *always* put it right back into the trunk! I know at least three other ways to mark a dart, but each one is a royal pain, so I set the project aside to resume after I manage to get to Lowery's to buy new carbon paper. And a new tracing wheel; that's missing too. I thought I could lay my long-delayed kameez suit on the bed to sort it, but Al said "ooo, paper! How kind of you! It crunkles so nicely on a soft surface!" Can't lock him out of the room where the litter box is, so I guess I've got to open out the table again. Perhaps just raising the drop leaves will do. 23 January 2009 Not *one* 2008 so far! I've been meaning to buy a grabber at Zales the next time I go downtown. But with cold weather, poor road conditions, and very little to do once one *has* gone downtown, it would probably have been weeks before I did, so Dave ordered one from Amazon. UPS brought it today; I said "It's a big empty box!" then, upon opening, "No, it's filled with crumpled paper." I unfolded the paper enough to be sure nothing was caught in it and threw it into the living room. Al has been nested ever since. (And I thought two pieces of tissue was clutter!) There were detailed instructions on the card: "Hold Grip Handle (A) and squeeze trigger (B) . . . " A label had been pasted over (H), but I could see that it had to do with the black button in the middle of Extension Arm (F), which button had "to fold, press here" embossed on it. So I pressed here and folded it, then we said in unison "Why didn't they ship it that way?" So I took a couple of boxes off the top shelf of the sewing room and put them back again, and there are going to be fewer items lying around waiting for the next time I drag the step-stool in here. The grabber won't exactly grab a suit box, but it does a much better job of knock it off and catch it than the yardstick does. Did nothing yesterday but go to Aldi's and spend $76.01. Bought some pre-fried ground beef, which sounds like a good idea -- don't have to thaw it before putting it in chili. [The "Crumbles", on closer inspection, are raw, for throwing into boiling soup, and have a texture like sawdust. Won't be buying any more.] Busy Wednesday evening. Somehow Banner class, crochet class, and the consultation over the pew cushions all came off. Pastor Bonnie and I rejected the panel print -- the design was much too large to show on a cushion, and it was a shame to spoil it. That left a small-flowered knit in subtle hues that we both favored, and an abstract-rectangles print. Later I showed them to Martha, and she agreed that the subtle knit was more artistic, so I wrapped up the other fabric and left it on the secretary's desk with a note. (But, as it turned out, I saw Pastor Bonny again before going home.) I was a little concerned about the knit, but it's fine, all polyester-or-something, and has almost no stretch, so I think I can sew it like the muslin muslin. (Maybe when a muslin is literally made of muslin, I should call it a "toile", as the British do.) Particularly now that I've realized that I can put on wide broadcloth facings instead of narrow hems. I can't tear it, but cutting along a ruler should be good enough. But first I have to buy some polyester thread. All I have on hand is spun staple, except for a spool of upholstery weight. I think I'll need a packet of fine stretch needles, too. The thread isn't going to actually show, so if I can't get filament polyester, I'll sew it with the yellow nylon I already have. [Bought spun staple.] Pity the weather worsens tomorrow. Today would have been a good day to ride my bike downtown. No reason not to go out in light flurries on roads that start out clean -- but riding is supposed to be *fun*. (Sharrup about the exercise. I'll walk up and down every aisle when I go to Owen's Grand Opening.) [Never made it to the Grand Opening even though it lasted a week. But they still had $0.99/half milk when I did go.] 25 January 2009 Al is still enjoying the paper my grabber was packed in. I found my sewing tools: I'd put them into the big flat pocket inside the lid of my suitcase when I went to Alice's house, then overlooked them when I unpacked. Bought thread and needles at Lowery's yesterday. No more excuses not to get on with making the pew cushions! Except that I've got all-day medical appointments tomorrow: Dave will get doped up for his exam, and the doctor doesn't want him to drive himself home. And I get my teeth cleaned in the afternoon. Also went to Marsh and walked through every aisle, and took two loops through the frozen foods, as I missed the fruit the first time. As I thought, Marsh doesn't sell three-pound bags of frozen blueberries. They do, however, have 2.5-pound bags. It was flurrying when I parked at Marsh, but there was no snow on the car or the parking lot when I came out. Yesterday would have been a good day for a bike ride, were I not soft from staying inside so long. Not soft enough that I couldn't ride such a short distance, but too soft to get on the bike and do it. Besides, my warm clothing isn't organized. Lovely day to walk to church, but stretches of Sunday Lane are still covered with ice and packed snow. Since I hadn't brought my cane, I cut over to Chestnut. And I walked in Ninth Street coming back; I think every flake that fell on the staircase is still there. Pity Grace doesn't hold meetings in Rhodeheaver any more; when they had hundreds of students tromping down Ninth Street every day, they shoveled the staircase. 27 January, 2009 Dave, the meany, threw away the bigger piece of packing paper. Al has enough to crunkle, but not enough to make tunnels. It's much easier to walk through the living room now. Today, I swear, I'll *cut* that pretty flowered fabric. Or at least decide *where* to cut it. (Cutting out is stressful enough when it's my own fabric.) I've decided not to wash it first, as it will be at least a year before the cushions get dirty, and I'm afraid of fading it. I did mist it with my laundry dampener, and I plan to steam iron it. Harold called to say that Helen (who had just left for work) would see me only on Wednesdays, as it's a long drive from Silver Lake in this weather. I'm planning to go anyway, as I need the walk. Didn't even walk up and down aisles yesterday. 2 February 2009 Today's paper included a MacDonald's ad offering a sandwich free when you buy a cup of coffee. It was bright and sunny today. We knew there would be six more weeks of winter anyway. Still haven't cut the fabric for the pew cushions. I did get some sewing done Saturday, and my new bra wants only a bottom hem and three rounds of quarter-inch elastic. Also pressed a quarter inch under to get ready to measure the rod pockets on the banners. Walked a point eight Saturday, and to church yesterday, but didn't even make it to the compost heap today. When I saw that the next step would put me knee-deep into a drift, I threw the garbage. A lot of it didn't reach the heap, but that sort of thing cleans itself up, come spring. Nothing accomplished today but two loads of wash. I threw away the tattered remains of Al's tissue paper yesterday or the day before. He still has one well-punctured sheet of packing paper. On my latest trip to Owens, I still couldn't find a cart with a basket in the nose. I'm beginning to think that they have gotten rid of them. -- Joy Beeson http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/ http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ http://www.timeswrsw.com/craig/cam/ (local weather) west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A.