Other Ways

 So you might have figured out by now that I'm just not normal.

I'm getting more and more okay with that

the more I see what so called normal is.

                       I spoke a few posts back about a master list I keep

of things I'm continually on the lookout for.

Well this week, I got to mark another thing off the list.

This is about a 1940 model wringer washer that works!

Now I already had a wringer washer, but it didn't have a lid

and the head no longer swiveled.

Since I actually want to use it, not having a lid meant 

it wasn't okay to use in the house.

The water would splash all over.

Other than that, it works great, and I have used it a handful of times.

When we moved to the house we are in,

there was a new washer and dryer already in the house

so we intended on leaving our old washer and dryer up the river.

After using the new set a couple of times, we put it in the basement

and brought our old set from the mountain.

The new washer only put about 4" of water in the bottom

and the clothes came out in knots and dirtier looking than when they went in.

The dryer wasn't much better.

I use our old set and will until it dies at which time it will not be replaced.

I seldom use the dryer.

I do use it when crazy happens in life, and I just need to get laundry done,

but that isn't the norm and even in those circumstances, I could hang the clothes

and deal with the inconvenience.

The washer on the other hand, I use regularly (of course).

When the ol' trusty Kenmore dies, I don't want to be stuck

depending on a newer model.

                One thing I've strived for over the past however many years

is to replace newer inferior products with old dependable items.

Like I said, I had an old wringer that would work,

but if I had to use it regularly, it would be a little less than ideal.

That's why I was looking for an upgrade.

                        It's sure interesting how things work out sometimes.

Most of the old wringers I've seen that are in working order

have been selling for hundreds of dollars.

I had mentioned to a friend that I was looking for one.

This past week she let me know of one on FB marketplace.

I'm not on FB so it took a little coordinating,

but the end result is a couple days ago, this darling gem came home with me

for a very reasonable price.

It was funny when I went to look at it, the fella had it handy to look at.

It was in a little "town" of a couple hundred people out in the middle of nowhere.

There was an outlet right there, and I asked if I could plug it in.

He looked a little startled and asked, "Are you going to use it?"

I grinned ear to ear and replied, "Yep."

He looked amazed.

We plugged it in, and it worked fine so we loaded it up and I paid him.

Now whenever our washer gives out, we will be okay.

You'll laugh, but I refer to that as insurance & investment.

This is the kind of insurance I believe in.

I also see it as investing since I should never have to buy another washer.

These are work-horses, they last, and are repairable if they do breakdown.

If only I could find clothes and shoes that would last as long.

  

I was by myself so couldn't really get a picture while putting the clothes

through the wringer.

We get our work clothes really dirty

 so I was curious to see if they would get cleaner with this washer.

They do appear to be cleaner which is great.

The wringer didn't seem to get as much of the water out

as the spin cycle of the Kenmore, but that could be partially

due to operator inefficiency.

It had been a long time since I used a wringer for laundry.

So they did take a little longer to dry, but that wasn't a big deal to me.

Like I said, I will continue to do laundry with our "regular" washer,

but I really like knowing that I have a back up

and that it really wasn't that big of a deal to use it.

I used it outside and don't have it set up in an optimal situation,

but it was only a test run.

If I was going to use it regularly,

I would have it set up so that filling it with water and draining it

were easier.

The other note is that I did a full load of laundry.

The basin looks so much smaller and is easier to reach 

because of the shape, but I fit just as many clothes in it

as in the large capacity Kenmore washer.

I guess other than letting you know I'm a little goofy,

I'd like to encourage you to think outside of the box a little

when it comes to things we do as part of our routine

without giving much thought to what goes into it.

The Sound of Quiet~

First, I have to tell you that I love that I get to share this with you.

In one of my last post, there were 3 short words that seem to have resonated

in our home recently.

"Quiet the Noise."

I should first admit that I am probably a bit hypersensitive.

I have good ears, a good sniffer, good eyes though do have 

wear readers now which I'm not thrilled about.

At our house up the mountain, 

I could tell when the well pump kicked on just by the "sound"

and could feel the pressure in the house.

Yea, I know it sounds odd.

Guess I'm just odd, what can I say.

(The Rosemary is blooming.)

Anyhoo. . . 

I seem to be on a continual mission to nix the noise,

visual, audio, all of it.

We recently had the son of some friends come and stay with us

for a couple nights.

He is 28 and claimed that he was a night-owl

preferring to go to bed late.

(We had warned him that we were early-risers).

After the first night,

I asked if he slept alright.

He said, "Yea, really good actually."

He had evidently gone up about 20 minutes after I had

when Hubby went to take a shower.

He slept about 10 hours each night!

It was really pretty funny.

He was shadowing Hubby at work to get a sense of what we do.

He's wanting to go into the field and had questions.

He got to smith a steak turner and was thrilled.

It's busy and loud at work (metal-fabrication).

Then when we go home,

it's quiet, no TV, not a lot of "stuff" clanking or beeping about.

It was fun to see him unwind

and probably odd for him to feel.

What it told me though, is I'm on the right track.

We don't realize how screens and background noise and even odors

effect and stress us.

We need the silence sometimes.

For us, it was more sound in our home than usual.

It was another body, another shower, drink of water and

the sounds one makes simply by being

and of course we chatted :-)

I've been telling Hubby for ages that if he wakes in the middle of the night

which he does often, not to read on his phone.

He finally said the other morning as we were drinking coffee,

"I think the screen does something in the brain to keep us awake."

He has the blue-light blocker, but could still tell the difference.

He said he read in the hunting synopsis

and then was able to go back to sleep.

(Can you see me slapping my forehead?)

Actually, I am grateful he figured it out.

I am very aware of how certain things affect me,

but trying to explain to others who can't relate

because they've never felt the peace that happens

when it's quiet can be perplexing.

We obviously have screens, but we try to keep it reasonable.

 It was wonderful to see that it's not just us "old-folks."

And it makes me think how much better off children

could be if certain things were put in check.

I will say, it feels as good to get rid of audial clutter

as it does to get rid of visual clutter.

I'm not finished with either of course~

that would be too good :-)

But I keep plugging away.

Every bit of clutter sent on its way or noise quieted

allows for a little deeper breath and peace of mind.

The other thing that becomes noticeable is what remains.

The sounds of a bird chattering or the wind chime hanging by the back stoop.

Gentle sounds remain and sing to ones soul.

For me, it was an accident.

I started by wanting to lower our power bill 

so went through each room and unplugged everything.

As an item was needed, I would plug it in.

I was surprised at how few things got plugged back in

and how much quieter the house felt.

The little charging lights or vibrations create a sort of "noise".

Again, it's an ongoing process.

We seem to go through phases,

but I know now to look for things to unplug. 

If you're feeling overly stressed,

maybe begin by unplugging and listening for the quiet.

The quiet we hear penetrates and brings quiet to us inside.

I wish for each of you that peace.

 

A Different Kind of Shopping

For the record, I don't like shopping.
Searching for ways to give my money to others
is not my idea of a good time.

There are however, a few things I am always shopping for.
I keep a short list of items I need or would like.
This isn't like the milk and eggs list, but it is similar.
There's just no store that carries the items I'd like to purchase.
Before I get to the items on my list, 
I have to take you down a different path for just a moment.
As far as the milk and eggs above, I've sourced them locally
along with most other items one would usually purchase from the grocer.
I'm not saying I never need a grocer, 
but my dependency is lessening all the time.
I still like coffee, olives, Worcestershire sauce and a few other items 
which are not local or if we want a produce item that is not in season.
If something happened to the supply chain,
we would live (okay, maybe not so happily without coffee, but...).

Honestly, of all the things, raw organic/non-gmo milk was one of the most difficult to source simply due to state laws rather than supply.

It's unfortunate that wholesome foods can be so difficult to find.

I know others who think I'm a bit silly for this, but so be it.
We are healthy, and I accredit it in a large part to this effort.

Now on to the fun list.

There are a few things which probably seem odd to some folks,

but one of the things that I've been on the hunt for for at least a few years now

is a cobbler machine (pictured above).

This machine can stitch leather and has a narrow foot base

so it can reach in shoes.

My regular sewing Singers are all "ladies," but this one is a fellow.

I named him Sidney Singer.

My sewing machines have names because I can't just say "the Singer."

I'm pretty specific in my wants, but I have my reasons.

I wanted an old machine and a Singer.

Old machines have all metal parts.

Even in the best newer machines, there are plastic parts.

Sidney was born in 1906.

The other thing particular to Singer is that there are parts schematics available.

They were made to work and be repairable.

The schematics identify each part down to the size of spring.

And, because Singer is still in business, some of the parts are still available.

All of his mechanical parts are in working order though there are a few issues.

As is, he has neither the knob to be hand-crank, a motor to be electric, 

or the original treadle to be foot powered.

There was a single bobbin that came with him.

His bobbin winder is missing.

He was absolutely filthy!

This was in addition to a bucket of soapy water!

The first thing I did was take the soap and water to him on the outside.

I also had a scraper to get some of the crud off.

Then I worked on "his joints."

Someone had gobbed a bunch of 5 in 1 grease in it.

On the positive side, I guess it helped prevent rust,

but there was so much dirt and grit in there, I didn't want to turn the wheel.

I got him all cleaned up.

I ordered a set of bobbins which have already arrived.

I found the proper bobbin winder and am waiting for that.

I have a knob to add to his wheel so he can have hand-crank.

And now that I have him cleaned up,

I will call the local sewing machine repair shop that has taken care

of my other machines and ask about a motor for him.

I don't mind that he doesn't have the treadle at the moment.

He is on a smaller stand that came with him.

It does have the cast iron legs that are part of a regular treadle.

I've been working on a slipper pattern and am excited to work on that.

Once I have him in a solid functional state, I will order leather.

I want to be sure of what leather I am getting

and get the correct weight for what I will be doing.

Leather's not the cheapest of materials so it has to be right.

I am pretty excited (an understatement)

but have been patient in my search 

so need to be patient in readying him for work as well.

As I said above, I looked for a few years before finding him.

There have been other things that have taken a while,

and those things are among my most cherished items.

(That sounds weird.  I don't worship them, but am content with them.)

I think part of it is that if you're willing to wait,

you don't end up settling for something lesser than what you want.

A few examples:

Our travel trailer is a 1968 Aristocrat Land Commander.

My cauldron.

Concrete double sink.

A butter churn.

I know these things aren't exactly on par with diamonds,

but they make me far happier than jewels.

So with this oddball list, what could possibly be left on my list?

Well, a few more oddities of course.

Yet to find:

A cider press (like this one)

An old (not new repro) cast iron single sink with double drain board.

And yep, there's a reason for the old part - the shape of the basin is different.

A stove-top, corning, avocado green, percolator coffee pot.

McCall apron pattern 1105

and a few other smaller things.

We live in an age of instant gratification.

That avocado green coffee pot has been on my list for almost a decade.

You can bet whenever I do find one, I will relish every cup of coffee

I drink from that pot.

It's the same with Sidney.

Hubby has laughed at me (kindly) when my bobbins arrived, and

when I got him cleaned up & tension adjusted, 

then stitched a little scrap of leather.

I'm sure he will get to laugh again when my bobbin winder arrives.

He laughs but is coming up with projects for me to make for him - Ha!

I told him my slippers are first.

I'd be curious if anyone else keeps a list like this.

I guess it's my form of shopping.

I don't mind waiting - none of these items are life threatening.

They are just items that make life either easier or more enjoyable.

As long as I don't find them, I just figure I'm saving money by not buying them.

It's okay if you think I'm a bit silly~ so be it.

 

Heart Maintenance

 Happy day dear friends.

It has been a while since I've wandered down this path

of blog post writing hasn't it?

Old paths are not forgotten.

They hold on to strings that secure the heart.

Many of you who have been here a while

already know my heart tends to lean towards long ago times.

It seems the more the world rushes forward

chasing technology, current trends, and cyber everything,

the more I recede into the folds of history.

For the past month or so, 

I've been doing what I call "heart maintenance." 

The man who was like my second father growing up

passed away the end of January.

(Did I mention that previously?)

It was not unexpected, but we are never really ready for such things.

It kinda hit me.

In addition, there have been vile words shot out

from so many directions in our society.

I've shunned nearly all news opting instead for silence.

I've tried to avoid going into any public places.

Of course it could vary greatly by area,

but having beliefs yelled at you 

regardless if you agree or disagree is not pleasant.

It's just wearing and disheartening.

I've chosen to focus instead on those few things

that I know to be steady and kind.

The winter weather is subsiding and there are buds on the trees and bushes.

Though it's not really growing or very green,

I mowed the lawn.

It was so shaggy and mowing cleaned it up tremendously

until it starts growing for summer.

I'm anxious to get out into the garden

but know better than to plant too soon.

It does one good to listen to the birds and get caught up in digging in the dirt.

There's something healthy about the dirt.

I've also been working on "fine-tuning" in the realm of decluttering.

You would think I had next to nothing left, but ah - always more.

I'm going through about 30 years of photos.

It's difficult because if I put it away, it's as though it disappears-

but it doesn't go away!  Errrg!

I am making progress, but it's tedious.

I've also been going through the computer.

I am down to 116 emails in files.

My goal is 0, zero, zip, nadda.

It's difficult when there are legal correspondence (estate)

and genealogy information.

Here is part of my receding ~

I have my little old Acer with lots of family pictures,

my iPad with books, and the large mac computer with some pictures

and files (docs.) etc. 

The Acer barely works and no longer connects to internet.

The iPad is on it's last legs, won't open many pages, and will just go black

while in the middle of reading a page.

The space-hogging mac is not far behind these two and is now evidently allergic 

to anything that has to do with photos.

I got a new lap-top and an external hard drive and

am working to get everything moved to one spot

which is another tedious job and is proving trickier than it sounds.

Once I have everything off of the old pieces, I will dispose of them

and have one computer slightly larger than a book.

I want to minimize the sources of pollution in our home.

By pollution, I mean anything not welcome both internal and external:

internal like news or ill humored media and

external like unhealthy lights or toxic chemicals.

I can't do anything to change what I've not created or what others do,

but I don't have to welcome it into my home; I can refuse it.

It doesn't prevent it from being, 

but it does keep it from infecting my heart and my home.

This sounds extreme, but I can feel the difference.

My heart is getting better. 

In addition to all of this,

I still go to work and have to deal with the current issues

facing anyone trying to run a business today.

I realize this post is kinda all over the place - 

that's my life right now.

But you know what?

There is something else.

Inside, secure in my heart, wrapped with those strings

that always hold, there is a peace.

I know my heart is in the right place and

whatever becomes of this day, or tomorrow, or the day after that,

it is well.

Someone far greater than I has it handled so

I don't have to worry.

And this is where I'm at.

Hidden away in my own little life that might seem insignificant

to anyone looking in from outside.

But full of faith and fortune knowing we are all called home at some point.

I actually find comfort in that rather than fear of it.

We all need to know our heart.

It can sure be difficult with so many distractions

vying for our attention.

All I can say is, once you focus in-heart, it's worth it.

Quiet the noise.

Dim the glaring lights.

Still the busy.

Calm the chaos.

Rid the excess.

And then. . . you will hear your heart.

And that

is a beautiful thing.