Saturday, February 26, 2011

Saturday Morning Blather

As you may have guessed, most of this week I spent stationed in front of the television with the radio close by, trying to gather any and all information about the Christchurch earthquake on Tuesday.  I am a news junkie most of the time, (I inherited it from both my parents,) but I have never experienced such a big disaster so near me.  Everybody I know personally are safe and in some cases out of the region, but I have not heard of anyone whose homes did not suffer.  Worse, I have friends whose family members were injured and our thoughts are with them especially. 

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The news coverage kept me in the living room, and I was able to hem and finish my 18 cashmere and 4 alpaca scarves, rather than fluttering away to start more projects.

I finished labeling and tagging around 11PM on Thursday, (so no time for feel good pics,) but was able to deliver the cashmeres on Friday to the Red and The Suter.  Jay at the Red very much liked the Log Cabin pieces, and when I told her I was thinking of more in perhaps navies and teals, she challenged me to teal-and-burnt-orange based on the bottom center painting in Red's current exhibition.  It's an unexpected piece, one I want to revisit, but the top far right piece was my instant favorite. Two of my scarves are on their way to my friends, both named Joan.  

I'm still so unsure about the alpaca scarves and they ended up coming home with me. I haven't photographed them and I need to sit/sleep on these a bit, and they need to spend time under my couch a bit.  

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One of the things troubling Ben and me for months has been whether to have another trip to Japan this year.  Financially, this is so the wrong thing, but for the first time in our 16 years we've been here, my dad asks me every time I phone home if we're planning a trip soon.  This is uncharacteristic of him, and we wonder if he knows something we don't.

At long last we decided to go, and yesterday we bought tickets at a good price, (but not exactly "cheap" fares as they have more restrictions about dates, etc., and we've never found one that suits us.)  Let's just say I need to sell 19 cashmere scarves to cover my ticket.  Plus I had a small filling in my tooth fixed yesterday; three cashmere scarves there.   

I have never been this hard up monetarily in my adult life, and on the one hand I feel dispirited rather than worried.  On the other hand, I feel strangely elated and cleansed, because I no longer have the burden of worrying and what's left is to save where I can and work to generate income.  And I am fortunate I have all my equipment and yarns so I have the means to try to generate products that can potentially generate income.   

Of course because Ben has a day job, we don't have to worry about our living as long as we cut back on non-essentials, and I know this is absolute luxury for a weaver.  But the cost of this trip may have been the kick in the head I needed for some years; I don't worry about book sales, yarn sales, or tiny everyday luxuries any more and I like how this feels.

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The planning for the New Zealand Creative Fibre 2012 is going ahead and the latest report indicated much of Internet-related aspects (my turf) will go live before I leave for Japan. So, there's some work to be done there.

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I wonder if anyone can help me.  Ever since the earthquake, I can't get rid of the smell of  smoke/cinder. I had Ben check everywhere, during the day and at night, and there is nothing around the house that's burning and no neighbors have been barbecuing.  I'm sure it's psychosomatic. I didn't smell it in town yesterday.  One burn ointment with a strong smell has been the only thing that works.  I feel like I'm forever walking by a house ruined by fire.  Have you heard of anything like this?

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Good post title for what I've been doing often on Saturdays, don't you think?

7 comments:

  1. You have been working hard, the stack looks fabulous and 18 cashmeres.
    I'm sure you've done the right thing in booking a trip home. I don't regret spending the time I did with my mother even though it was trying at times.
    Looking forward to seeing the teal-orange combination.

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  2. I thought I was going for Dad but he sent he his first "instructional" email and I just about blew up again. I can look forward to many more to come since we've planned this trip far longer in advance than any of our trips in the last... perhaps ever. But it'll be nice to see everybody, since they'll have more free time.

    Honestly, I'm not too sure about teal/orange. Hasn't quite caught my fancy yet, but any combination is worth a try.

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  3. Last spring I thought I smelled gas coming from a broken main or something and was wandering up and down the street looking for the source - turned out to be sulphur from the eruption of Eyafjallajokull. Maybe you can smell Christchurch?

    I think teal and orange would be fabulous, by the way!

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  4. Did you, Cally? I'm pretty sure it has to do with the earthquake coverage, but I keep looking and I'm driving Ben nuts asking if he still doesn't smell anything.

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  5. Meg, very thoughtful and honest story from your heart about the financial needs in your life. I hope your cashmere scarves fly off the shelves and that your dad proves to be just a sentimental man who wants to see his daughter and not a bearer of bad news.

    As to the smoke. I recall you had a new wood stove installed a year or more ago. Could there be a draft causing the smell to enter through the flue? If it is psychosymatic and you simply want to eradicate the aroma, you might try a potpourri of lavender and rosemary and cedar. Or to clear the sinus cavity, perhaps a netti pot or a good steam with some eucalyptus oil.

    I will be thinking good thoughts for you!

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  6. Outside doesn't smell like smoke, though, and neither does under our roof. (I'm always terrified of electrical work going bad under the roof.)

    I had one day when I didn't smell it, but last night it was stronger than ever, and it really hasn't been wood-burning-stove temperatures yet. Strange, isn't it?

    I'm pretty sure it's psychosomatic, but just in case something is burning, I want to smell it, so I've held off aromatic oils so far...

    So, imagine me checking under the roof a few times a day - our manhole is at the top of the linen closet and I haven't emptied it yet, so it's a bit tricky and, well, if you weren't me, it's hilarious.

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  7. The only bad thing about the money, and really it's the only thing I've been regretting these last few days, is I can't buy any of the lovely things people are selling to raise funds for Christchurch. Darn...

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