What I'm Thankful For:

That Mom is healthy and doing well. We've come a long way since last year at Thanksgiving when Glenaire had first contacted her about the apartment and I made her cook that all-out holiday dinner and use all the china one last time.

In these uncertain times, for having at least one job between us, health insurance, cars that are paid for and a little money in the bank

For crockpots, ATMs and Pay-at-the Pump gas stations

Gerald's Tire Service

For an incredible view out my window every morning; for the cranes and egrets, but not so much for the racoons

Gas at $1.78/gal

For the constant entertainment, if not the affection, of Eloise

For Duncan's affection which more than makes up for Eloise's lack thereof

Two good women I know beat off breast cancer this year. Yea!

For the loom, the sewing machine, origami paper and my library card

For the fixed heat vent in the bathroom so that now, when we stand at the vanity, heat blows on our feet. Ahhhhh!

For living in a place that doesn't get too cold, too often

For work, when I can get it

Duncan has said over and over that he is thankful he doesn't have to mow the yard anymore

Morning coffee

In the category of "Thankful for small favors" last week a refund check arrived from IRS for our 2006 return in the amount of $1.37

The State of My Things

There was a 2nd interview a couple of weeks ago and I didn't hear anything and didn't hear anything. Last week I interviewed for a development position at a legal aide-type office. The whole thing was like a legal aid office on a TV sitcom-- creepy office, creepy man, sketchy story about potential of continued funding. And I heard that hated line: "This job doesn't have benefits, and of course we are a non-profit so, the salary's not great." OK, no thanks. So I called the Senior Center where I had 2 interviews and they had indeed, offered their job to someone else who, while I was great and had great skills, was just a little more qualified. Whatever that means.

The stock market is tanking. Unemployment is at a 14 year high. Today's paper says retail stores have more applications for part-time holiday positions than they have jobs. You have a greater chance of "getting into Harvard than you do getting a part-time job in a store this Christmas". How did this get to be my life? Well, I don't know, but it is. It is very discouraging. Everyone is telling me to keep my spirits up -- that the right job is out there for me. And you know, I guess that is true. It makes no sense to operate on any other premise. So, keep looking.

The holidays are coming. Get ready for that. I am about to finish the Annual Report for the Silver Crescent Foundation -- for which I will get paid a nice sum because I've been working on it forever. I need to work on the Fiber Guild's website. We have some very good programs planned for 2009 -- including an African-American quilter featured in the last issue of Charleston magazine who does "story quilts". We will go to NC for Thanksgiving, and then I will spend a long weekend in Black Mountain with Kathy and Lee. A small craft show in Dec. at St. Francis. Things to do, people to see. Chin up.

The Day After

I worked the polls yesterday which turned out to be rather grueling duty. At our place, we had 2 precincts and a steady 2-hour line all day. I pretty much kept my head down and focused on what was right in front of me the entire 12 hours. We felt lucky that we did not have people in line when the polls closed at 7 PM so we did not have to stay late. I came home exhausted and followed a little news. I called friends who were at a raucous party hosted by die-hard Democrats in their neighborhood and was on the phone with them when they announced Pennsylvania for Obama -- but I soon went to bed. The clock radio went off this morning about 4:30 (??) and I half-asleep listened to NPR for an hour. It registered in my dreamy brain that Obama had clinched it and I went back to sleep until time to get up. Rather anti-climatic for such a big event but it's OK.

Inauguration day will be a moving because of all of the historical significance and oh yeah, because the war in Iraq will end sooner, and we might start negotiating and working with the UN and we might begin to address global warming and change the deal where the richest 1/2% of the country absorbs any economic progress we manage to make and healthcare might stop eating us alive and the Supreme Court might uphold that the Government should not accompany me when I visit my doctor and you know, stuff like that.

Since nothing happened in South Carolina yesterday that couldn't have been predicted a year ago, I have enjoyed watching what is happening in North Carolina. Beverly Perdue! Kay Hagen -- from Greensboro! At play in the Presidential race and ultimately going for Obama! These are huge changes!

The big disappointment is that Suzanne Reynolds did not win her race for Supreme Court Judge. Apparently she ran a great campaign in what should not have been a competitive race and she came very close to winning, so I'm sure great opportunities are ahead for her. But still. . .

Catch Up

It was nice to have Mom and Joan visit. The first day they were here it rained by the bucket load. When Duncan took them to their hotel he realized the streets were flooding and our ponds were overflowing. Turned out to be double the record rainfall for a day's time here -- but Saturday was nice and the rest of the weekend was great. We visited Mepkin Abbey, the Tea Plantation and went to church at a sweet little Presbyterian church built in 1850 in the very quaint little village of Rockville on the Edisto River. We also ate a lot and tried to coax Eloise into being more friendly and watched great white cranes in the marsh. I hope it was a nice visit for them and that they will come back. I love having guests - and they are very easy guests to have.

What I Want

She just wants to be employed
for eight hours a day. She is not
interested in a career; she wants a job
with a paycheck and free parking. She
does not want to carry a briefcase filled
with important papers to read after
dinner; she does not want to return
phone calls. When she gets home, she
wants to kick off her shoes and waltz
around her kitchen singing, "I am a piece
of work."

Beverly Rollwagen

Tomorrow, an interview. They are few and far between. Blow on the dice, light a candle, say a pray, cross your fingers and toes and surround me in light. If I don't get a job, I'm going to have to make my own Christmas presents just to have something to do and no one wants that!

East Cooper's Crafter's Guild Fall Show

The Craft Show was an interesting experience, if not profitable. Most people walked right by me, obviously there for the jewelry, lighthouses painted on oyster shells and Santa Clauses made from dish towels. A lot of people stopped and looked at all the boxes, sometimes picked one up and looked inside, then looked over at me and said "This is really neat!" And then moved on. But some few people took a look, lit up and said "I have to have one!" Those were the people I liked the best.

I was definitely one of the rookies at this show. Most people came in with very elaborate display set ups with the exact right cart of move it in on. They had professional signage and their own cash registers. I felt a little bit like the kid with a lemonade stand on the sidewalk in front of the house.

I had good conversations with people who gave me ideas about ways to go about it in the future. #1 Don't pay such high entrance fees. Look for shows that cost $10 or less. #2 Configure "floors" for boxes so they serve better as gift boxes. #3 Get business cards made at dot.print.com. #4 Fewer boxes -- the most distinctive ones are the ones that sell. #5 I need bags next time. It was a rainy weekend and I needed to help people protect their purchase from dissolving before they got it home.

I think my bargain basement prices were about right.

Origami Boxes

I have a booth at a craft show in Mt. Pleasant this weekend. All energy has turned to getting ready for that! Will anyone be shopping for crafts with the stock market crashing??? Put that on the worry list.