On the move...part 2

I had to rent a truck in order to transport my belongings to PA. My dad offered a suggestion that proved most amusing in the follow-through.

My dad is a fan of "Ice Road Truckers" and he learned a trick to check the tires on any large truck, in this case a moving van. It involves taking a baseball bat and taking a swing at the tires--if the bat bounces back satisfactorily, the tire is sufficiently inflated. If the bounce leaves something to be desired, the tire is probably flat.

The day of the move, I set out to pick up the 16 foot truck and trendy, matching tow dolly for my car. As the rental place was just down the street from my house, I walked. Before I left, I asked my dad for the offered bat, thinking he intended to provide me with a small souvenir bat--the kind you can get at baseball games and that looks like it would make an effective and easily-concealed weapon. But, no, the only bat he could find on such short notice was a tee-ball bat from my youth. So, I slung the bat over my shoulder and proceeded down the street.

Until very recently, I lived on one of the main thoroughfares in my hometown, so walking down the street, with the thoughtful, but somehow intimidating look on my face that I normally sport, I drew some strange glances and a few people gave me wide berth on the sidewalk. I walked into the rental place and without missing a beat, the owner said "If you're gonna rob me, you're gonna need more than a bat." No, I explained, the bat was for checking the tires on the van. He countered that he had already checked the tires and the oil. I said that I would like to check them all the same and proceeded out to the van, bat at the ready and I swung at all 8 tires [6 on the van, 2 on the tow dolly] and they all rebounded the bat to my satisfaction. I returned inside to a chuckling owner, who said he had never seen anyone do that before. When I told him it was an old trucker trick, he came back "I know! I used to drive trucks! In the 17 years I've been doing this, I've just never seen anyone do that before. I may have to tell some people about this."

Civic duty

I ventured downtown today in order to be a responsible citizen and cast my vote. As I expected, the main parking lot for the Board of Elections was full, but they were thoughtful enough to point the way to other parking venues. Unfortunately, one of the venues they indicated had several unmistakable signs indicating that parking in said lot in order to vote would result in one's car getting towed. Fortunately, there were several overflow lots that were not only free, but had actual parking spots available.

The line itself was not bad. The local paper had likened it to a line at an amusement park--long, but in constant forward motion. The set-up was very well-organized and from the time I walked in to the time I left, it was only an hour. The news later reported people waiting in lines that extended out of the building and down the street, which I can only imagine probably quadrupled the wait, but it's good to see that people are actually voting.

On the move

I am moving to PA! Finally my Beloved and I will actually live in the same house! [We've spent the past 8 1/2 years not even living in the same state.] It's been a crazy month trying to pack everything up for the move and there is still a whole lot of work to be done.

For the past 2 years, my stuff has been taking up space in my dad's garage, haphazardly packed in cardboard boxes. So, I have been repacking everything...sorting out duplicate items for my little sister...throwing out things I should have discarded long ago...finding things I forgot I had...taking impromptu trips down memory lane and finding boxes of paperwork that need to be sorted through. Oy, the paperwork! I fear I will kill another of my dad's shredders trying to destroy all the stuff that is not safe to simply throw away.

Mice have destroyed quite a few things [my favorite red chair among them--it was my first piece of furniture and it was ugly, but it was super-comfy] and in a way I am somewhat grateful for their destructive intervention. They have helped me whittle down my belongings to a more manageable size. There were things I was keeping that, for some reason or another, I felt I could not throw away, but once the mice had gnawed, nested or pooped on something, I found it much easier to discard the item. My only regret is I wish I had been more careful packing up my yarn...the mice chose some of the handspun wool over the cheap acrylic yarn, but I can't wonder at their choice of natural fibers over the synthetic. [sigh]

Watch me

Be sure to scroll down and read The Master Plan

Why my dad rocks

Instead of using this:




I get to use this: [cue angelic choirs]



My dad bought a replacement pedal for the Janome and so this past weekend, I was finally able to assemble the skirt I made from my very own pattern [via this book] with this material:



I will be wearing said skirt later this week and I will post pictures later...In the meantime, I will do the Dance of Joy!

Infernal Machine

I am itching to sew, but my machine will not cooperate. There's an issue with the tension that I can't seem to remedy. [grump] Plus, my mom's machine is out of commission since the power cord/foot pedal has run off and join the circus. [That's my best guess, anyway, since it's nowhere to be found.]

Got it right on the first try

The Recipe For Lisa

3 parts Sass 2 parts Genius 1 part Playfulness Splash of Originality Finish off with whipped cream

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?