A thief amongst us!

I LOVE that Adaptive Cruise Control and see I'm not alone. I bet many people do not know what it is or how to use it properly! Sigh.................  Like most things, it takes a bit of getting used to! The first couple of times I used it, I didn't trust the car, and I still keep alert for the speed of the vehicles in front of me. But it's a fantastic safety feature -- if you have it, learn how to use it! And it does a great job! 

We all know that the cost of living is increasing, and groceries are no exception. We often blame the big companies, shipping costs, or whatever. But imagine if the stores didn't have to worry about theft. What part of inflated prices has to deal with security and theft. And let's not forget the packaging -- anti-tamper proof, etc. 

On the back of a truck the other day, I saw a sign saying, "Only the driver opens the door." That is likely so only one person is responsible for the contents, and there is less potential for theft. It's also a CYA tactic - again, for theft. 

I was at the grocery store the other day shortly after the school kids were let out. Now the mall and the dollar store get swarmed by the school kids, but I never thought about the grocery store. So I was walking down one aisle, and I noticed two boys, one of which had a bag of candy in his hand. I watched him drop his backpack to the floor. He grabbed his hoodie, and in that instance, the bag of candy disappeared into the backpack. 

I couldn't help myself, so I asked him if he put that bag in his bag. He didn't look me in the eye but said NO. Then he and his friend walked to the end of the aisle. I followed them, and they were GONE. So I ran to the front of the store and saw the tail end of them as they had walked BRISKLY through the self-checkout lanes and out the door. They literally ran! The one guy had his hoodie on, and the hood was up! 

I could have confronted them if I had run to the front of the store first. I know -- why would I over a bag of candy. But it's the principal of the thing --- why should I pay higher prices, so they can steal a bag of candy. And while they know it's wrong --- innocent people do NOT run out of a grocery store, they think it's OK to do it. 

I can only hope that by my confronting them, they'll think twice before doing it again. I doubt it! How many other kids (and possibly adults) think it's OK to steal? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I did that. 

So I have a thief a little closer to home. And we won't name any names; she knows who she is and what she did. 

I had unpacked all the bags from the car but left them in the hallway overnight. With the exception of one sewing machine, everything is downstairs, and it looks like a mess. 

After the rain stopped, I was outside for a few minutes, and Murphy (oops - I named the culprit) was running around barking. Of course, she doesn't listen and thinks everything is a game! Then she ran to the edge of the yard and grabbed something. This was NOT her decapitated bear or her ball. Something black. What has she gotten into now? I figured it was something nasty. 

So I tricked her with a cookie and went to check. OMG -- she stole my dollar store gloves! AGAIN! I had taken the inexpensive gloves with me, and they had been rolled up in a ball on top of one of the bags. The ball was a sodden mess, so they had been outside overnight. I guess on her way out the door for the before-bed pee, she pilfered the gloves to have fun with outside. That girl!!!!

My dollar store gloves -- a sodden mass

I guess I should be happy because the last time she did that, she tried to bury them! I caught her doing that, and I guess she didn't have time yet. That monkey! I will have to watch her whenever she goes out, or just be careful with gloves! She doesn't care about socks or any other item of clothing or my quilts. She just likes mitts! 

So my list of things that had to be done before I leave is getting shorter, but many things still need to be done. There isn't a minute to spare. 

Now, I'm going to say something, and I don't want anyone to criticize or say, "I told you so" (that's what my mother would say, and I HATE the phrase), and I don't want you to think that I'm overwhelmed because I'm not. Thankfully, my mental well-being is solid, and I can handle a lot. 

But I'm in over my head! I feel like I'm on a treadmill and can't get off. I have no one to blame but myself for it. Thankfully the amount of stuff to do comes in fits and spurts, so it's only sometimes. The crunch is on because of my travel for the next few weeks. The next time, it might be because of a writing deadline. So I'm in a serious mode right now to figure out how to fix the situation! I have commitments, and I will NOT back out of a commitment, but as I schedule classes and such for the next year, I will seriously think about what is important. 

Here are a couple of thoughts --- I run a fair number of clubs, and the participation in some groups is amazing. In some others, the participation is less than stellar. For those with less than stellar participation, that club will NOT happen in 2024. Sorry -- but I'm not taking the time to prep something, and then less than 10% of the class does anything to learn on their own. Nope -- so there are a couple of clubs in danger of going bye-bye. 

And I totally get it -- you are equally as busy as I am. Then we both need to do ourselves a favor and not sign up for all this stuff! It's as easy as that. And I'm looking at ways of combining some stuff (I currently have THREE separate classes on machine embroidery software), and that doesn't need to happen either! 

So that is a wake-up call to people --- the lower the participation in a club, it's likely not going to exist in 2024. And I think I need to go into my calendar RIGHT NOW and block every second Saturday off with a ME day. OK --- I just set aside TWO weekend days a month for ME!!! 

And if anyone has suggestions -- let me know. I like quilting and embroidery, but when it becomes a treadmill? It's not so much fun! And I WANT it to be fun. The problem is -- I'm not having any FUN time to sew for myself. But that's OK --- my brain has wrapped itself around that, and I'll get through, but I don't want to repeat the craziness of this year. And that's a life lesson -- learn from history and don't repeat the bad stuff! 

I don't need your sympathy or excuses or whatever --- the only thing I want is your participation.

OK --- so let's go run in the rain. We sometimes cross a puddle or two on the walk, and Lexi and I love to walk through the mess. We must have gotten a lot of rain because this puddle was HUGE. 

A mud puddle

While I didn't walk right through the middle, I did get my boots wet. WAIT A MINUTE! My boot is leaking! My foot is now wet. 

And when I got home, I realized that the entire back of the boot has a split. How and when did that happen? 

A split in the boot

Then I checked the bottom of the boots, and the heel was worn down. Yep -- time to get a new pair of rain boots. 

OH -- the heel is toast as well

OH -- one other thing about my revelation --- do NOT feel guilty if you have signed up for a class/club and are not participating. You are likely struggling with time, just like me. 

And here's the difference between a CLUB and a CLASS. For me, a class is where we are usually sewing a pattern. We do show and tell, and then I teach something. Some people like to audit for whatever reason, and I'm OK with that. If they want to "waste" their time listening to something that they have no intention of making, then let them waste their time; although they can learn from the show and tell, why can't we learn from their show and tell? 

However, a CLUB requires PARTICIPATION from everyone to be successful. A club is a sharing environment, and if people just sit back, it's not fair to me or the others in the class. We can learn from a beginner's naive questions because it helps to put the rest of the stuff in perspective and let's face it, many people think they know all the basics, and they don't. So the beginners help the more experienced to learn as well. So I'm mainly talking about the clubs!!! 

So as we continue for the remainder of the year, the clubs in question will be notified, and if participation doesn't improve - the club won't exist in 2024. 

I would rather have THREE serious students in a class than 20 people who may or may not participate. So when it comes time to think about what you what to do --- think carefully and sign up for ONE that you can participate 100% in, rather than 5 that you can't get anything done! 

Harsh? Nope -- just realistic with my time. 

Anyway -- it's time to get the day rolling. The two presentations for today are ready, and the rest of the day will be a flurry of packing and sorting. I have an early plane to catch, so there is ZERO time to waste today. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!