Some Housekeeping

Sorry for no post yesterday. I was laid low with a vicious migraine. Never had one like this before and hope not to have another. But thank god for illegally imported paracetemol and codeine. It did the trick.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I am preparing to move, as the house where I am living is being sold. I am de-accessioning some of my possessions in order to make the move as simple as possible. I figured that if Eddie Ross can sell off his collections on Etsy, then so can I! Check the site frequently, since I am adding new things every day, including a collection of antique quilts from New Mexico and Tennessee. I am still getting a lot of requests for the Turgot Plan de Paris, and people are having a problem printing it if they don’t have photo editing software. Because of this, I have uploaded PDF versions on 20 pages, so that you can print each page separately. Click here for the various versions. If you upload the map, please e-mail me and let me know. I’d also love to know what you do with the map. I am heading to the Book Thing this afternoon with my new friend Christopher, and then down to Housewerks. Can’t wait to see what treasures I find.

Hope your weekend is great.

Moon River

The moon is full this week and when I saw it last night, shining over the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, it reminded me of the wonderful song, Moon River, sung by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
Waiting 'round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Although the Patapsco River doesn’t quite have the same romance as Tiffany’s, a moon like this is always gorgeous, no matter where you see it shining.

A Ghostly Tale

It was about this time of year, maybe a little later. I was driving with a friend from the horse races at Chepstow in the Welsh Borders, back to our house in Cardiff. We decided to take a detour to look at White Castle which dates to the13th century, although there is evidence of a fortification there before that time.It was just before sunset, so we were the only people there. We parked and walked through the outer ward, through a 13th century gate and headed toward the bridge over the wet moat. From there, we would enter the inner ring of the fortifications through the inner gatehouse.  As I broke the plane of the gatehouse, it felt like I was walking through a curtain. I felt a bite of chilly air and had a flash of the scene before me: lots of people milling around, cooking fires, activity and light and some noise. Then it was gone. We walked around the inner ward until it got too dark, and then we headed home. I didn’t say anything about what had happened to my friend, thinking that he’d say I was nuts.

A few weeks later, I was back in the States and sending my Christmas letter to friends around the world. I mentioned what had happened at White Castle in one sentence. Several days later, I got a call from my friend back in Wales. He was shocked! He had had the exact same experience as I had but didn’t mention it to me for the same reason I gave.

Do you believe in ghosts and other-worldly experiences like this?

Why the Post Office is in Big Trouble

I went to the post office to mail a package, and got there about 20 minutes before closing. There were about three people in front of me, and after a few minutes, about six people behind me.

There was only one clerk.

It was slow going, and soon the post office was closing, but everyone in line could stay. Another clerk came out and asked for people picking up mail, and helped them. One person jumped the line to buy stamps, and everyone objected because we’d all been waiting longer. My package was a flat-rate package and I had exact change, but that didn’t hold any sway.

The women in front of me was probably homeless and was putting tiny bits of packing tape on to her package. She also needed numerous money orders in very random amounts.

At one point, the manager came out and I asked if he could take some of the people in line. He said no, because he couldn’t handle money. I thought that was the stupidest thing I’d heard, and said so… in a nice way. As a manager, I am expected to do whatever is needed of me, regardless of whether it’s my job or not!

I finally got to the counter and completed my transaction, after apologizing to the clerk, who was nothing but pleasant in a bad situation. As I turned to leave, she said I’d left something on the counter. What?? I was sure I hadn’t. But it was this: As I went to leave, the doors were locked, so the other clerk who had let the woman jump the line, had to open the doors for me.

I told her that I thought she was wrong to let the woman buy her stamps when there were so many people ahead of her, and I just had a flat-rate package. She told me that she couldn’t have served me because she had to weigh my package. When I asked why, she said she had to be sure that it wasn’t over the 70 lb. weight limit! This was an 8x8x8 package, that I was holding in one hand.

What is your Post Office horror story?

What Fresh Hell Is This???

Just when you think that things are going along swimmingly, a shark arises from the water and begins nibbling at your feet.  Prior to moving to Wales, I lived in my house for ten years. And now, I’ve lived in my wee house since I moved back from Wales. Between these two houses, I moved five times, so was glad to settle down.I just got word that the house where I am living is being sold. This is pretty much bad news, but as ever, I am determined to see the good side of things. Quite possibly, it will take a long time to sell. I can stay until it’s sold, but I haven’t decided yet. Regardless of what happens, the earliest I will have to move is the first of the year. I am going to launch my Etsy shop and start selling things to begin clearing out items that I’ve accumulated since I came back from Wales. Overall, this will be a good thing for a number of reasons. I will keep you posted.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger award. I really appreciate it, Corinthian Column, Soodie Beasley and Victoria Art!