I grew up on a farm, and we fixed things. There were several reasons for this. First, “things” were hard to come by where I was from. We didn't have many “thing" stores, and so if your thing broke, it was sometimes hard to get another one. For this reason, we also took care of our things because we didn't want to lose them.
But also, as my parents would remind me, “Money doesn't grow on trees.” They didn't believe in waste. There was no throw-away society then.
So, whenever possible, I fix things. I remember one time it was so tempting to chuck my dish drain because it was gnarly and coated with hard water. But I broke out the Clorox spray and some elbow grease and got it looking like brand new. I felt a sense of pride at having done that.
Last week, I noticed some weird pieces of plastic on my living room floor. After investigating, I saw that one of the wheels on my cool Ikea coffee table was disintegrating. It's a solid metal table, so the rest of it will last the rest of my lifetime.
At first, I assumed they were the casters with a solid rod that snaps in, but a friend and I discovered they are threaded. We took one to Home Depot to find out the bolt size (5/16). They had a selection of casters, but none were the right size for my table (and besides I've been boycotting Home Depot for many years).
I did some searching online and found some cool red ones that were just a smidge smaller than mine. They came the next day and even included a wrench and nuts, so I was able to install them with ease.
They look fantastic, and the only small complaint is that they are extra “rolly," and my floor isn't even. I think once they pick up gobs of Libby’s hair, they will stay put better.
They cost $17, and now my table is probably good for at least another decade.
Some people would've thrown this table away or donated it with a broken wheel. But honestly, I love this table so much because it can roll out of the way when I do yoga or vacuum my small space.
I'm filled with pride any time I keep something out of the waste stream, and I'm happy when I can prevent myself from having to shop for and buy a new one (assuming I can even find an equivalent item of equal quality).
🦩 Everyday Adventures
Dream
I had a dream this morning that I was at some kind of sporting event, and there was a woman athlete and her female trainer standing near me in an outdoor sporting field. I was looking at the athlete and saw a tiny hummingbird, about an inch high, flying near her. The trainer approached her and suddenly dozens of these tiny hummingbirds surrounded her. It was otherworldly. Then, just as I was about to exclaim about it and was moving toward her, bees attached themselves to each of the tiny birds in attack. I stood very still as did the trainer until the scene broke up. The trainer and athlete were engulfed in these mid-air attacks, hovering around them. I assume the birds were all killed but my dream ended there.
It seems like a pretty depressing dream, but if anyone would like to take a stab at interpreting it, let me know your thoughts.
The End of an Era
I use a lot of lip balm, and I’ve been using the same brand for probably—no joke—20 years or more. This lip balm is craft made in Vermont. In the past, I have purchased hundreds of tubes of this lip balm at a time to give as gifts.
Nothing ever changed about this lip balm in all that time. What I loved about it is that it’s very soft. You don’t have to force it on your lips like waxy chapstick. It melts onto your lips and is very healing.
Well, the day finally came when the woman who makes this amazing lip balm decided to retire and sell her business. I was hopeful that the lip balm would remain the same, but alas, it is different now. It’s all the same ingredients, but it’s not as soft. There’s also apparently less in the tube.
I ordered five of the new brand (on the left) initially, but I will probably look for something else now. I may come back to it if I don’t find a suitable replacement, but it's just not the same.
📑 Project Updates
Cross Stitch
The only piece I’m working on right now is the one for my Arts Marathon participation. I’m making daily videos about my tools, process, and progress. It's been a lot of fun, and I've made five update videos so far.
Here’s what the YouTube channel looks like:
Once the month is over, I'll open it up so the videos are available to everyone.
Collage
I stitched on this leaf, and I’d like to find more leaves to stitch on.
The biggest difficulty is that the leaves dry out and become very brittle. I'm investigating ways to preserve them so they'll stay more pliable.
⏰️ Currently
🗓 Transcribing my short journal entries for the last 10 years into an online format that's searchable
🚶♀️➡️Soaking up the last cool days of spring
🤷♀️ Trying to figure out the purpose of the rest of my life
I love the fixing of the things. I'm a buy quality/care for quality/repair quality woman also. The dream weirded me out because I'm afraid of birds but I will say that it sounds interesting.
My lips are Doll10. Have been for a decade. They're my favorite feature of my face, and everyone looks good in Doll10.