Tis the Season

 Yes - Christmas is coming, and well, it's the season for many things. I'm not anti-Christmas, but I'm very anti all the hoopla surrounding Christmas. I am really anti to the COMMERCIALISM of what Christmas has become. If I say my real reasons for these thoughts, I will come off as Scrooge, so I have to think of a clever way to phrase it. 

It has something to do with political correctness and people of different faiths, and I'll leave it like that. 

But what I really meant when I wrote that title was the commercials. Yep -- these are the ones that focus on the Christmas family/friend traditions while getting in a "dig" for their product. I don't mind the "dig" when they send a good message. Messages about family and life in general. However, I'm a big softy, and most make me cry! 

Case in point - I stumbled across the commercial - we can't really call them commercials - what do we call these mini videos? There must be a category for them. I just Googled Christmas Commercials, and a whole list came up, so they are classed as commercials. That's better than a Hallmark movie! Which I have never watched. I didn't even know they existed until some people mentioned them. And NO -- I don't watch Christmas movies -- it's not my thing. 

Anyway, I stumbled across the one for Chevrolet this morning. And to top it off, they played John Denver when they got in the car! Anyway, who comes to retreat with me knows that my darn playlist brings up John more often than necessary. 

Yep -- I had a mini cry-fest watching that one. Here's a link to it - be prepared with your tissues. I know there are others out there - I recently watched another one, but I can't remember it. Oh - after watching the Chevrolet one, I better not say that! By the way -- the other one was The Joy Ride for Amazon! OK -- that's enough -- NO more!!! 

Anyway -- it's a bit warmer this morning - minus 11 instead of minus 15! But prairie girl that I am, I still dressed up and went for a walk yesterday! It wasn't that cold -- only the wind on my face was bitter. I have my hat and scarf, but it still gets to the face. I don't wear a huge down parka - I wear my Patagonia down sweater. It's thin, light, and the BEST investment I made in a winter garment. If you remember, they repaired the holes that had worn in the sleeves and put in a new zipper - FOR FREE. So, the down sweater is good for another decade or so. 

If I did the math regarding the cost of the down sweater versus the number of wears, I was down to less than a penny a day years ago. I could bunch this thing into a small ball and shove it in my bag. It's tiny, but the darn thing is warm even in the wind. The price has gone up about double what I paid. I'll still be wearing this thing in twenty years! 

I didn't quite make my daily mileage, but I did pretty well. 

I stopped at two thrift shops on the walk and spotted some items but didn't have any money with me, so when I was ready to get to the store for work, I stopped and bought the items. Now I will say that it's a heck of a lot easier to get to any place on foot rather than in a car. One-way streets, center medians, etc. You NEVER have to worry about them on foot! 

I had a peek at the craft books and spotted one or two that I don't think I had, but I decided NOT to buy anything. While I have room in my second suitcase, there are a couple of things at the store that I "need," so I'm leaving everything else here. 

A full shelf of craft books

I also spotted this while on the walk. It made me laugh. One sign says The Brick, while the other says "Flying Squirrel" - it's a trampoline park! Which is it? I noticed another outlet for The Brick further down the street, so I guess they moved, but the old sign is still there. 

The Brick or the Flying Squirrel?

I have to laugh at the hotels that require you to use your card to access the elevator. And if you try to be helpful and punch the button for someone else on a different floor, that doesn't work. You have to have a card for that floor. 

Secure elevator access

However, there's a staircase, which, unless I'm mistaken, is open for anyone to take! OH - I guess bad guys don't take the stairs! I'm not taking the stairs, although I could, but in some hotels, the stairs are so sketchy, and in one hotel, they didn't go to the bottom. You had to exit on the 4th floor and then go somewhere else to resume your journey to the ground floor. Imagine the chaos that would create in a fire! I think that was in the nightmare hotel in Florida. 

I mostly get enough steps in without the stairs, so I'm OK. 

My writing assignments are DONE. I sent in the last picture when I was at the store as I needed to retake one. I hope you went and checked it out, even if you don't need or want a new sewing or embroidery machine. Needs - wants -- what is that all about anyway? 

And while the posts get up at 7:30 AM EST, sometimes the cache on my computer delays when it shows up, so you may also experience that. 

Here's the link to the Monday post in case you didn't see it. 

QUILTsocial - Day One - Unboxing the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3

And here's the link to Day two

QUILTsocial  - Day Two - Unveiling the NEW embroidery unit for the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3

Oh my --- such a fantastic machine and I'm still learning a few details. I can't wait to spend more time on it with loads of embroidery and sewing. What's been nice about the presentations is people will ask about a particular feature, and then I have to find it, as in some cases, I haven't discovered it on my own yet!

I won't have time for a walk this morning, and then it's warming up to ZERO, so I hope to get out before dinner. I have to try to keep up the 10 km a day. And I need to drink more water. 

Well, I'm off to prepare for the day  - it's all about sergers today!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!