Next Steps

Because I have so much free time in the summer, I like to take that opportunity to fill that time up with various projects.

It gives me to illusion, safety and security of a schedule.

Remember yesterday when I was lamenting a schedule? If not, go back and re-read it (or read it for the first time...I can't believe you wouldn't be checking multiple times per day to see if I have posted something new. Miss a day, miss a lot.)

My latest project necessitates mason jars. But you know what? Those things are kind of pricey at regular retail locations.

And for this particular project, the jars do not need to have the lids...and in the stores, they only sell them with lids.

Such sticklers.

I was at Goodwill the other day (because it was Sunday and the Salvation Army Store was closed) and discovered that they have Mason jars for $.49.

Well, most of them...I had to check closely b/c some of them were marked $1...and who wants to pay an extra $.49 for something identical?

Not this girl (I use the term "girl" loosely...Female? Yes. "Girl"? That's probably pushing it.)

As an aside, it just about killed me to spend the $.49 for each jar because I knew that on the following Saturday they would only be $.25, as it was First Saturday of the month. 

Does everyone know about that? On the first Saturday of the month, everything in your local (and also non-local b/c it applies to all of them nationally) is 50% off?

Everything.

But I could not go on Saturday b/c I was working with my friend SV to set up wedding flowers.

As an aside from the aside, in our set up of the flowers, we also (this particular instance) also had to pick up flowers from a wedding location and take them to the reception location. We've done this in the past and it is no.big.deal.

The wedding location was at the Hindu Temple. Again...no big deal, right?

I have never been to the Hindu Temple before. And though this may surprise you, I am not well-versed in the ways of the Hindu Temple or the Hindu wedding.

But we did know enough to remove our shoes upon entering the building…no need to be disrespectful right off the bat.

So in we went, having carefully removed our shoes and placed them in the nice wooden cubbies provided for our convenience. 

We picked up the first two arrangements and took them out to the car…in our bare feet, b/c we didn’t have time to be stopping and putting shoes on, only to remove them again in 30 seconds when we re-entered the building.

No time/lazy...however you choose to think of it. We didn't bother with putting them back in.

So we came back in for the next two arrangements (there were only a total of 4…lest you think we were shirking our responsibilities). The second two were zip-tied to the altar (I guess it’s called an altar, but I could be grossly mistaken and if you are Hindu or wise in the ways of the Hindu wedding and I am incorrect, please forgive my lack of knowledge).

For this process (and so you can fully-visualize the scene), SV held the first one while I carefully cut the zip-tie and pulled the arrangement free...careful to not cut the gauzy, flowy fabric surrounding the arrangement...because that might have been bad.

We moved over to the other side of the altar for the last arrangement. She held the first one in one hand and steadied the second one while I cut the tie.

Having successfully freed the second arrangement from the post, I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped backward...and placed my foot squarely on the edge of what I can only describe as a large platter of flower petals.

Now, my faithful (and non-faithful…I’ll let you answer too) readers…what do you suppose happens to a large platter when the edge of it is stepped on? No need to ruminate on it for too long…I’ll tell you.

When the edge of a platter is stepped on, the opposite side flips up into the air and the contents of said platter are expeditiously dumped out onto the floor.

I’m certain that my eyes were big as saucers when I looked at SV, who was staring at the petals all over the floor.

Me: (whispering and bracing myself to be yelled at) Which is worse…leaving it or picking it up? Should I even touch it?!?

SV: (stiffling laughter) I don’t know! Let’s go!

So we left it…all over the floor…as though we had no idea what happened.

And we scurried out to put on our shoes (I picture us as mice right there...because mice scurry, right?). I did have the wherewithal to notice the other woman in the same area who was also putting on her shoes. She was on the opposite side from us.

I looked down and realized that all the shoes on our side were men’s. (She was a handsome woman...)

Look at us...making friend everywhere we go.

But no one skinned us alive or shouted anything at us. They nodded and smiled, surely laughing (I hope laughing and not cursing) at our lack of cultural and religious knowledge.

So clearly we did not make it out of the Hindu temple unnoticed. SV told me that I probably cursed the marriage...so that was helpful.

But I have digressed for long enough. Back to the mason jars…remember the mason jars that I was talking about 3 pages ago? (I know there aren’t really pages in the blog, but if there were, it would have been 3 pages ago).

We (yes, Mr. AR and the PBA were all with me. They loathe the Goodwill…so we were all having a lovely time) were looking at mason jars and I picked up a few. I even went ahead and grabbed the ones that had lids. Not because I needed lids for this project (as you undoubtedly recall), but because they were available for no additional money. 

Something for nothing, if you will. 

And one never knows what one might be able to do with some mason jar lids.

Pinterest is undoubtedly filled with ideas.

It’s up next on my list of projects to find something to do with these mason jar lids.

But…my 11yo was helping me carry some jars. Actually, all three of my trip companions were carrying jars. Why didn’t I snag a cart when I came in, you might be wondering. Well, because NOT getting a cart is the only way I can (theoretically) limit my purchasing power. We only buy what we can carry.

As an aside, I do not recommend this technique at the grocery store…it never ends well.

So we were all carrying our jars and the 11yo started playing with the lid on a jar he was assigned to carry.

It (the lid, not the jar) dropped to the floor.

11yo: Oh mom…I’m so sorry! I broke it!

Me: The jar? (I hadn’t heard the distinctive sound of shattered glass on a tile floor so I was confused)

11yo: No, your lid…I broke your lid. I’m sorry!

Me: My lid…how did you break my lid?

11yo: I dropped it…I’m sorry.

I looked and saw a lid that looked like this:

NOTE: This photo has been reinacted...this may surprise you but it did not occur to me to take a picture of a deconstructed mason jar lid in the middle of the Goodwill. What kind of blogger am I anyway?

Me: No, you didn’t break it…that’s how mason jar lids are made.

11yo: (insert blank stare) Why on earth would they make them like that?

Me: For canning…that’s what these jars were actually made for.

11yo: So how do you can? Can we try it sometime?

Me: Ummmm…I’m actually not sure.

In unrelated news, the PBA's next steps will apparently be adding “canning” to their list of Life Skills work. Now who wants to teach the teacher?

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