Thursday, November 3, 2011

November 3rd


This is what our mornings look like.  That's the view out my front windshield as Pk is scraping the frost off.  We had a "hard frost" on Sunday night and the car has been frosted over every morning since.  I have been wearing my mittens in the morning.  I have arthritis in my hands and they need the warmth.

I used to go out to bring in the newspaper and I'd start the car so it was warm when I left and the frost would have melted off.  We no longer get a newspaper (we stopped it when I realized we were only reading the comics sections most days and it was all going right into the recycling bin) and it's actually illegal to let a car idle in NJ.  I've seen the signs outside of convenience stores and I assume it's true for cars idling anywhere.  So, now we come out to a cold car and scrape and brush and clean off the windows ourselves.

Our small rally didn't make the news last night.  The Occupy Philadelphia (just like Occupy Wall Street and others) folks were impeding traffic in center city and got arrested.  They got all the press.  We can't compete with them.  I wonder if they'll stay outside here when the winter comes.  It gets pretty cold at night. 

The knit group had 6 consumers and 3 staff members today.  Another new person came in to learn to crochet.  I was giving her my "find some yarn you love" speech and telling her it should be fun  when one of my coworkers commented that I made a good teacher.  Thing is, I AM a good teacher.  I believe good teachers are born not made.  I've had some really great teachers and some notso great ones.  Training is the least of it.

The new woman decided to crochet a scarf and asked me what pattern she should use.  I said "it's up to you" and they all laughed.  Seems I say that a lot.  For some of our consumers, the idea of making their own decisions and making something their own way is foreign.  There is also a paucity of imagination.  I bring in yarn catalogs so they can see colors and ranges of weights and some patterns.  They are often bowled over by the colors!  All they're used to is what they can find at the local Walmart or Joann's or Michael's.   Giving them a WEBS catalog is like when Dorothy opens the door in the Wizard of Oz and everything is is color!  I love sharing this.

Tomorrow Pk and I are taking a half day off.  He's taking me to a Dansko outlet to get some new shoes for my birthday.  And then out to lunch/dinner.  Saturday the girls and my brother's family are joining us for dinner and cake.  Mmmmm.  I love birthday cake.  I'm taking the good donuts to work tomorrow morning to share with my coworkers.  They're good people and deserve a treat, too.

Happy Nov 3rd!

5 comments:

amy said...

I believe good teaching can't be taught, too. You can learn all the theory in the world, but if you don't connect to people, an education degree isn't going to change that.

Happy (almost) Birthday!!

roxie said...

Oooo, she's using the "good" donuts! Well good for you! You deserve good donuts every day!

You ARE a good teacher! Andhooray for introducing the glory of crochet and knitting to so many !

Bells said...

i don't understand the not leaving a car idling law. How odd! Even in your own home? We do that on cold mornings - one of us will go out a few minutes earlier and turn the car on before coming back in to lock up the house.

I LOVE seeing newbies discover what's available in yarn. It's thrilling!

Olivia said...

Wow the cold seems to have hit you guys fast! On this side of the world we are warming up pretty slowly.

It used to be that cars NEEDED idling to warm up - modern ones not so much. When I worked overnight in a supermarket in winter, I used to leave cardboard or an old sheet draped across the windscreen, that way in the morning I didn't have to scrape ice off when I was exhausted.

Hope you have a great birthday!

Saren Johnson said...

We've been lucky, no real hard freezes yet but they're coming. Part of the don't leave the car idling is the car is easier to steal when it's running.

Happy Sunday!  I am sitting here working on my sweater made with the cashmere yarn my husband gave me for my birthday last year. I’m further...