I Heart My Cell Phone

Okay, what does this gorgeous polar bear have to do with my cell phone? Not much. I just liked the photo. And it's cold here. And as our 39th anniversary approaches, it's nice to remember that 35th anniversary trip to France we took. For our 40th, I've already asked the kids to find a way for us to all be together at one time. At any time during the year. In any place. Life is tough when your family lives spread out across two continents.

My cell phone? Oh yeah. Back to the cell phone. I needed to get new heels for my leather dress boots. Michael had the Garmin (GPS) that day. So I used Google maps to find the shoe repair shop. First problem? The address was listed as in Kingston on Lackawanna Ave. Now there is no Lackawanna Ave in Kingston, but there is a Lackawanna Lane. But Google maps brought up a Lackawanna Ave in Swoyersville. So I decided to go with the address in Swoyersville because somewhere on the web I found an address for this little shop that mentioned the corner of Dennison and Lackawanna. This matched up with Swoyersville. This has happened to me several times since I've been here. The name of the town doesn't match up with the address. I always, always ask for a zip code when asking for directions as this helps my GPS narrow down my choices.

I follow all the directions and get to the corner of Dennison and Lackawanna in Swoyersville and there's nothing. On three corners some family homes and on the fourth corner a park. So I turn around and head back to Kingston. But I thought, why not call the guy? I had already talked to him about when he was open. So here comes the cell phone part of the story! I pulled into a Turkey Hill  (our local version of gas station--also known for their ice cream). I called him and he said he was at the corner of Dennison and Lackawanna. I asked for a little bit more info! (I had already been there!) He said it was on the left right after the railroad tracks. I was skeptical but decided to try it again. I really needed new heels for my boots and this was the only shoe repair shop I could find within twenty-five miles. I retrace my steps and go down Dennison Street, cross the railroad tracks and look to my left. Far off the road is a tiny building. I had asked if there was a sign. He said, "Uh, yeah." This sign is just tacked to a pole and has peeling paint. You can hardly read it. And what about that other intersection I had visited, you ask? That was Dennison and North Lackawanna, a block down the road. How silly of me! Again, I love my cell phone. Thanks to my cell phone, I found it.

I can't believe how confusing it is here. And keep in mind that this shoe shop was only 7.4 miles from my house and I passed through Trucksville, Luzerne, Pringle, Kingston and Forty Fort to get there. That's nine towns if you include mine and his.

Photo copyright: Susan  Denney. Taken at Musee d'Orsay, Paris. "L'ours blanc" by Pompon.

Surviving the Sixties

You don't really survive the sixties. Because they never, never, never go away. A much younger friend on Facebook posted the first line of "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel and in minutes all these young'uns had posted line after line of that amazing song. Our music, our dreams ( like Earth Day and World Peace), and our fashion live on.

And check out this pattern that sold in just minutes. It's for spats! You make the spats which zip up the back and they hook under your shoe with an elastic strap. Suddenly you can have boots to match any outfit. Styles like that leave an indelible mark. In truth, what most people think of as sixties fashion is late sixties early seventies fashion. What a great time to be skinny and have a gorgeous wardrobe!

That being said, to me no clothes were more flattering and beautiful  than those from the 50s. We just watched "Bell, Book and Candle" with Kim Novak. I could hardly listen to the dialogue for being distracted by the gorgeous clothes she wore. It's a umpteen-star movie just for the fashion.

To say that I find modern clothing boring and unimaginative is a huge understatement. No wonder I sell patterns almost every day from eras that were more romantic, more funky, more groovy or more elegant. There is a really good thing about modern clothing though. You can wear almost any style and pull it off. This was not true in the sixties when middle-aged ladies had a huge dilemma. Almost all clothing was for the very young and svelte. So they could either look stylish (and silly) or look nice (and  frumpy.) Tough choices we don't have to make today. Because today's clothing is so bland, you can adapt almost any style element from another era and still look interesting and attractive.

You boys bored yet? Sorry. But sometimes I just have to talk about clothes. (And shoes.)

Cinderella shoes at Macy's

While I was trying on shoes at Macy's, Michael took a shot to show what chaos there was at the store that day. I really, really need a pair of brown or beige heels. The pair I wore to GL's wedding wore out (she has five kids now so that's no surprise) and if I wear the pair of Bandolino's I bought to replace them, my feet are bleeding before I get home (this is no exaggeration.) So, unbelievably, they had dozens of pairs of shoes in my size (5 1/2) at Macy's and most of them were brown. You have to understand that most stores don't even carry one pair of shoes in my size. They start at 6. I tried on several pairs but did so quickly, trying hard not to bore Michael. I was looking at the sale rack exclusively, of course. He took pictures of the shoe racks which showed what pandemonium there had been that day at the store. Then Michael handed me a shoe and said, "Try this one on." What a mistake! I don't wear pumps any more because my foot is narrow and I can't find any that fit. I always buy shoes with a strap of some kind. But these fit perfectly. I felt just like Cinderella when they put that glass slipper on her foot. Why was it a mistake? Because they were $89.00 on sale. I have never paid that much for a pair of shoes. Ever. Don't get me wrong. I almost always buy well-made shoes because they fit me better but I always buy them at rock bottom sale prices. I did pay (or Dad paid) $40.00 for a pair of knee boots in 1970. They were beige and I wore them on my honeymoon. I loved those boots. But really. $89.00 for a pair of shoes? What if I wore them twice and they stretched out and didn't fit any more? What if I nicked the toe? So I didn't buy them. I have no real regrets but if they go on a really good sale online after Christmas, those babies are mine!