Shopping Again

 It was time to go shopping for smaller pants again today.  I landed up with 1 pair on sale and a new solid side  drop spindle bag.  No dress pants though, because they actually felt like I was crawling into plastic.  We as the human race need to start going back to natural fibers.  It is better for the environment and people too.  I guess I will go out next week to look for more.  Since I am down to losing a pound a week this current set of pants lasted 10 weeks.  I hate shopping for new clothing so often. When the clothes get too big I have no choice. 

I think I am finally getting the hang of the e spinner.  It is getting less frustrating.  I can still spin better on a drop spindle and double treadle wheel.  I should have lots of interesting yarn for handwoven projects.  

Losing It

 I lost 4 more pounds last month.  They tell me it’s perfectly normal and healthy for my weight loss to slow down after hitting the 20% mark.  I am just the impatient type and want things to go faster. This being said I will hold my course. 

In another area, I sat down with my Ashford E-Spinner3 this afternoon. I have to say from my personal perspective that it is much faster to spin yarn on a drop spindle than the e-spinner.  It took 2 solid hours to spin the yarn below.  I also don’t think that the yarn quality is better than a drop spindle or my double treadle spinning wheels.  I still am not sure what the hype is about.  I have made a personal commitment to spin 2, 4 ounce (100 grams) of a wool silk blend rovings that just happened to be with in reach. Then I will ply them.  Wish me luck. 

My personal favorite drop spindles come from Tom Golding, Krudent ( no longer available as new), Forester ( no longer available as new), Bosworth, Sherpard’s Woodworks, Gnomewood Creations, Akerworks and the ones my husband prints on his 3D printer that are only available at Grandmas Spinning Wheel in Tucson Az.  There are a wide variety of drop spindles in a wide array of price points and materials used. For a wide range of spinning options.  The lighter the drop spindle the finer the yarn will be. A 15 gram drop spindle will get you cobweb or very fine lace weight. A 1 to 2 ounce should get you around a worsted weight yarn. I use my heavier spindles for plying the yarn. 

What I Hate Right Now

 I can say with all honesty that I am tired of stitches in my hand and COVID19.  Both have put a big crimp in my life for different reasons.  At least the stitches come out on Monday for the second time in 2023 and it’s only February.  At the end of the day the stitches have a purpose.  My hand will function better.  COVID19 does not and will still keep me from having a fun retirement.  Keep me dining outside.  Not letting me go to fun indoor events.  

I thought retirement was supposed to be the best time in my life.  I think people lied to me so that I would work hard when I was younger.  Yes, I had a bad day.  

One Project Finally Finished

 The bookcase in the den is finally finished.  Even dusted.  Before you ask the cookbooks are not in any order. It still shows that I am missing one of Julia Childs cookbooks.  The cookbooks are not organized in any way. Not by region, country or regional style. They would not pass the library test.  

What it is about is being dusted. No books stacked on top of others.  Junk removed.  Parts of audio books tossed if the other parts could not be found.  In general neater.  

That being said the fiber arts books are organized.  John’s shelf was camera shy.  

3 More

 3 more shelves were completely reorganized today.  I also made a Bookman’s run today. I got enough store credit to get 4 pairs of socks for charity, 1 pair of socks for me and a new to me Wii Fit game.  

I also managed to make the main course of dinner using only my left hand.  Well except for the spices.  We both enjoyed a rare bit of home cooking.  We even have enough for tomorrow too. It was a turkey breast.  I put it in a cold oven. Then put the lid on and closed the oven door.  Only then did I turn on the oven.

I can’t wait to get the stitches out next week so I can start physical therapy at home.  Unfortunately I know all the exercises.  By that time most of the book cases should be finished.  Then it’s counter time again.  When I am tired I just put things on the counter instead of going the extra mile and putting things away.  

A Good Day

 I am starting to feel human again after my hand surgery on Friday.  I was a little more active today.

I did some very light deep organizing.  I filled 2 bags with books for Goodwill and 1 bag for recycling.  By the way I am now at 3 bags of books leaving the house with a few more places to go through this week.  Since Goodwill will no longer get the things out of the car John will take the Goodwill load in.  

I was able to do a very little bit of spinning on a small Turkish spindle.  I am very anxious to start creating again, however, I will take it very slowly until the stitches come out.  

John went with me for the fruit and vegetable run.  It went very smoothly.  

Weekend Shopping

 I think unless I can go very, very early.  I will try to avoid shopping at Target on weekend afternoons.  I did not mind the people.  What I did not like was a store full of dogs that were not service animals.  I know this because service animals have special vests.  Not one service animal vest in sight.  Also service animals are trained not to go up to people unless their person needs help.  There were puppies and some  dogs the size of small sheep or horses.  Going up to people wanting to be played with or petted. I am not sure what would have happened to my hand if I did not change my route because some of the larger dogs were jumping up on people or nudging them for attention. I am not sure who was needier the dogs or the owners. The city of Tucson and Pima County provide dog parks for the dogs and their owners to socialize.  I personally don’t play with dogs I don’t know. Also having dogs romp throughout the store including the grocery area does not seem like the best idea in the world to me.  I am wondering if that poses a health code violation because of the produce left in open bins and tables. 

There is nothing wrong with having pets.  I think at certain times of life they are great.  That being said, pets do not belong in the grocery store or restaurants for that matter.  Pets need to be left at home for certain activities. 

Also I do not like the attitude of the cashiers towards reusable shopping bags. I keep mine clean. One that I used today was older the the young lady who checked me out.  After I had paid for my groceries, she looked in the bags to see if I was trying to steal something then simply dumped my groceries and bags at the end of the checkout and went on to checkout and bag the items from the next customer because they were using Target’s plastic bags.  This leads to the following question. Target why do you even sell canvas bags if you check out staff refuse to use them.  Do you as a corporation even care about the world you are leaving to your children and grandchildren?

These opinions are my own. They reflect my shopping experience today.  My hand 1 day post hand surgery was not up to the task of bagging my own groceries.  That is why I choose to use a cashier instead of self checkout.  I guess the joke was on me today.