High Button Shoe
May
...like underwear, you periodically have to buy a new coffee maker. If you are a coffee drinker, that is. Otherwise, you probably only buy the underwear. My first clue that this was going to be an involved process should have been the actual selection of the new coffee maker. As we only have either Meijer or Walmart for the buying process, it doesn't seem like it should be such a major undertaking. Find the houseware department and just go pick one out. Un-huh. First FIND the coffee makers. That alone is worth several aisles of frustration as I had a predetermined idea of where you would put them. Silly me. In the kitchen stuff would have been my guess.Finally finding them, I find there are so many to choose from that you actually do have an entire aisle of them. Now, how did that escape me the first 10 times I looked? My requirements are #1 must..that it have an automatic 2 hour shut off. I won't go into why that is the #1 Priority, but suffice to say that it has something to do with the other coffee drinker who shares the kitchen with me. Other priorities are the cup capacity, and lastly the color of the appliance. As the old one was white, which with constant use and age had obvious coffee stains that no matter how I cleaned it would never to come off. Never. And it had in its old age, taken to doing strange things (besides not turning off when Ron was 'sure' he had turned it off), sometimes it would stop in mid flow and would turn itself off, sometimes after turning it on, it wasn't. And a nice feature that the other household coffee drinker really likes, is that where you can take the carafe out for up to 20 seconds, and pour yourself a cup of freshly brewed coffee, then put the carafe back in and the coffee process will resume to make a now less than full pot, but you got coffee! The old pot didn't have that feature. (Ask me HOW I know that?)Third requirement is price. I should have put that right after the #1 requirement of 2 hour shut off.After mentally keeping all the requirements in mind as I paced back and forth up the aisle, I decided perhaps I should make price first and then see how the other requirements placed. That narrowed the choices down significantly! After a while as I began to sweat and found myself mumbling quite audibly, finally made my choice, this time a black coffee maker and a price that was higher than I have ever paid before, but at this point, I no longer cared. This was the same day I was going to buy a new room fan, AND a new fry pan (as my no stick fry pans seem to have no no-stick left on them...) After the coffee pot, I lost interest in the others. I did locate the fry pans, but after looking at all of them decided I had taxed myself too much already. The fans were a total loss. Finally finding a clerk that wasn't hiding (they may have been closely watching the sweating, mumbling blonde on a monitor screen, and decided not to get involved with that customer), I was directed to the 'fan' department, " right next to the paint department". I should have asked directions to the paint department. After continuing, with my mumbling under my breath now becoming slightly nasty, I came upon the paint department by accident, and thus, after thinking I had been given faulty directions, and was about to leave the store, when voila! I find the fans! Those would be the 4 fans they had in stock! Is this NOT the season just prior to needing a fan? Unlike the coffee makers where the choices seemed endless, this was not the case with the fans. You take this size, this size, or that size. I took that size and put it on top of the coffeepot box. I never did find my Vicks, so one nostril is still plugged, I didn't find the CLR (which IF I would have had some of that, my old coffeepot wouldn't get in such bad shape.) And something else I couldn't find. Which I no longer remember or even care about. That will be UNTIL I need it again, and will remember I couldn't find it.Which brings me to today! Some little voice told me NOT to throw the old coffee maker in the trash UNTIL I got the new one ready to use. Now coffee makers shouldn't be all that different, so reading the manual should not really be necessary. But I decided to anyway. Between the English, French and Spanish, I still got stuck on paragraph 3. Directions: push the filter basket down securely with thumb into place. MY basket does NOT want to stay down in the little notch where it is the ONLY place the thing can go...........so I am looking at the pictures....... I found my white vinegar to 'clean the coffeepot properly'. I am supposed to turn the pot on for 30 seconds and then turn off, with my vinegar in there, and then after 1/2 hour turn it back on. My question? what bearing did the 30 second turn on have with anything. Where so important did that vinegar go for 30 seconds? OH, and I spilled some of my vinegar on my manual. Horrors! Probably on some of the most important words.I bought underwear a couple weeks ago, and I tell you, it was MUCH less traumatic. It does NOT require a manual. No vinegar. Didn't take an hour of my time making sure I did everything right. So while the new coffeemaker sits there spitting and sputtering vinegar behind me, I think I will just make some in the old pot with its quirky ways, and see if caffeine will calm my nerves any.I am a couple days early to announce that www.crowsoup.com is being released on May 15th. But I will be busy, so wanted to get this letter out to you now. At the moment I have NO clue what I will be showing. I have some possibilities, but it is not written in stone yet. I have a strawberry makedo, another Sherwood rabbit, a piekeeper on a really thick old paint base, and a few other things. After I make that coffee, my brain may clear enough to concentrate on the matters at hand and I will get this finalized. Or not.I also wanted to share with you before this weekend, the house tour of my friend BrunieMae ( www.saltboxfarm.com) this coming Saturday. The information is on her website. AND she has new pictures of her saltbox home up on her website, just to tempt you! Bruns, my partner in crime, has an especially nice house (and shop). A devotee to decorating, she has blended a country look with true country primitives in such a way, to make your glance jump from one piece to another and back again for a better look. Her house tours are always popular and well attended. AND remember, whether you attend in person or take the visual tour off the website, you will be seeing first hand her home that is being featured in a major national magazine for the Christmas season. We can all say "we knew her when....."Also, a website that is gaining some well deserved attention is www.simplegoods.com.Candy Looker and her sister and friends are promoting a show in Mt Vernon Ohio for Nov.4th. One of those GOOD shows. NOT filled with imports. I bought the tape these women have fashioned off their extreme primitive homes decorated for seasons. Oh my! Knowing full well I am primitive!!!!, but these women have taken primitives to a new art form. If you are anywhere near Mt Vernon Ohio and LOVE good shows, I would suggest you look into this one.I have filed away in my currently sorely lacking memory banks, ideas for the fall and Christmas season decorating that they have so generously shared with us who have the tape. My dead cedar tree would fit in so nicely with their decorating schemes, but I don't suppose Ronnie will budge an inch on letting me bring in that dead tree. Ceiling high, with no bark left on it, and about 8-10 dead bare branches, it is perfect. And perfectly dead. We do however, have a difference of opinion on its beauty. The man just does NOT see it's potential.If Beulah gets some time, we have all new shop pictures to be uploaded. http://www.highbuttonshoe.net/stepinto.htm Are you tired of looking at the Christmas pictures?OH, sheesh, I forgot. Sometimes when I know something, I figure I told you. This time.. not.The garage sale is set for June 23 & 24th here at the farm. It will be a good one. I will get the words around and we will get them on the calendar of events next week.Also, we have added to the Gundrum Collection cards pictures. You can see them athttp://www.highbuttonshoe.net/gundrumcards.htm You can mix and match. These are truly great cards and showcase the Old Gundrum Mercantile Building, taking you back to the 1880's. On high quality card stock, these are cards, unusual, and ones you will be proud to send!So on May 15th, we are at http://www.crowsoup.com/Market586.phpIt usually releases late in the day. Be patient. (like me...BIG smile..)Remember the shop is closed to regular hours, but you can come ANY time with a prior phone call to make sure I am around. Keep the garage sale in mind. AND be sure to check out Brunie's house tour. AND simple goods.Thanks for asking to be a part of our farm!in fond regard, Miss Clotilda