I See A Pattern Here

Today I made a box of patterns appear out of thin air.

Well, actually, out of the trash heap at the back of the animal shelter thrift store, but it kind of felt like thin air. I woke up with that itchy feeling that there was something out there for me, and it felt like another box of patterns and I kept thinking about the shelter store, where we haven't been since one of the workers was snippy with Sam. So I bagged up a bunch of giveaway stuff and we set out for town.

I visited my tried and true shops first. At Trevor's I just missed a pile of vintage craft books, very nice ones, too. When we arrived, my arch nemesis was sitting on a little stool golluming over them. And in the space of about three minutes I managed to go from a place of irritation to a place of joy, from a place of thinking 'why didn't I get to those first', to a place of 'wow, he made such a score'. I called up that feeling of how fun and triumphant it is to find something like that and I reveled in it, just the feeling of it, feeling it for him, pinched up little man that he is, and for me, pinched up not quite as little woman that I am. And now I feel unexpectedly friendly toward him, though I don't suppose we will ever actually be friends.

And with that feeling lifting me up, Sam and I moved on to visit Dearest and see what her shop had in store for us--the most beautiful big piece of green wool felt, just exactly the color I've been wanting!!

And after lunch at the duck pond, where we fed the ducks for the first time with a bucket full of dried bread we've been saving up, and Sam had a blast doing it, we went on to the animal shelter. I checked the pattern drawer, one craft pattern, nothing exciting, and I was confused because I just KNEW there were more patterns around somewhere and that was our last stop. So I asked the lady who does all the stocking if she ever gets any old patterns.

And she said, 'Oh, I just threw away a big box of them. They were really old and I didn't think anyone would want them.'

I made a horrified screech before I could stop myself. 'Threw them away, really?" I asked, unwilling to believe this ending to the story.

'Well,' she said, 'maybe they're still out there. I don't think anyone's gone to the dump yet, I'll check.'

She was gone what seemed like forever and I started to get discouraged but then I thought to myself--why wouldn't she find those patterns--why not? And she did! It was huge box of mostly vintage Vogue designer patterns and a few fabulous mail order doll patterns and a great 60's bikini and a fabulous uncut McCall's early 60's summer dress. There were probably about 30 patterns I can use, and about thirty or forty more I can sell as a lot or give away.

And when I asked how much she wanted for them she said, 'Nothing, saves us having to haul them to the dump.'

Ha ha, te he, ha ha, te he!!!!! And now I am golluming over my own treasures.

'I'm glad you love your patterns, Prince Eric,' said Ariel the Mermaid as we were sitting in the car and I was looking through the box and he was finishing his BK mac and cheese.

'I'm glad you love your macaroni and cheese, Ariel,' I answered. And home we went, happy as clams.