A bright spot amid chaos!

During the chaos of the first day of our Blowout Sale, look what arrived.  These two boxes of the most beautiful, most delicious treats you could imagine!  Before I describe my stunned response, I must back up.

You meet the nicest people blogging!  Don’t you all find that true?  Blogging lets you reach out and make new friends and new connections.  When I was barely started with this blog, I got a lovely email from Jodi at Simply This, That and the Other.  She wanted to know if she could profile me on her blog!  Me?  Why, of course!  It was wonderful.  She helped get me out into blogland.  We’ve exchanges a few emails since then, and you know how sometimes things just “click” with someone.  That’s the way it was! 

When I announced my final Blow Out Sale, I had an email from Jodi saying she had a conflict and couldn’t make a trip to Long Beach that weekend, but she wanted to send me something.  Oooooh, how intriguing!  I’ll keep my eye on the mailbox, I thought.

Well, back to the sweet treats.  I opened the door to the shop on Friday and it was instant pandemonium!  I had my head down, fingers clacking away on the cash register, when a stranger steps up with these two beautifully wrapped boxes and says, “These are from Jodi.”  I imagine I had that deer-in-the-headlights look.  I so hope I remembered my manners and said, “Thank you!”  She faded into the crowd and I went back to doing my sums.  

Some time later,  this mystery woman returned.  Turned out it was Sheri, and her friend Regena (who braved a trip over that very high Astoria bridge despite her fear of heights!).  I leaned out for a quick photo with them.  

None of us took a breath–or a food break–until we closed the doors at 4:00.  And, oh, then did those sweets hit the spot!  BUT, before I let anyone have a bite, I had the presence of mind to snap a couple of photos.  

I had to put Bob in his place, as he thought he should have the first one!

These cupcakes, cookies and candies were every bit as tasty as they were beautiful.  And Jodi was so generous.  There were enough to share with all my helpers.  I just hate it when I have to hoard food all for myself!  

Thank you, Jodi.

Our Last Chance Blow Out Sale

    I was overwhelmed by the numbers of people who came to our sale.  And such patient people they were!  Just the week before I was teaching a class for the Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild at their retreat.  Celinda was telling me that she’d been to a sale in Portland and how inefficient they had been at cutting and ringing, and how people had waited hours.  I assured her that I was well prepared for our sale, and that “efficiency” was my middle name.  Celinda, I owe you a public apology!  I know some people waited an hour, even though we had three cutting stations set up, and my dear cousins and Gail worked at top speed, non-stop.  There were no potty breaks, don’t even think about lunch!  We did each get a bottle of water.  I ran the cash register.  Dang that credit card machine is slow!  We opened at 11:00 and the first time I lifted my head to ask what time it was (we sold the clock first thing!) my mom said, “It’s ten minutes until 4:00!”

 Here’s a pic of the ever patient Celinda!

    Everyone does loves a bargain!  This little cutie is saying, “Look at all this fabric my mom is buying.  I just want this one little bolt!  Please……”

So, the store is closed for good.  Things didn’t work out like I’d planned, and I’m sorry no one is opening a shop in our old building.  But I’m glad we moved so much inventory during our final weekend!  Now, on to other things!

Yellow Roses

   Many years ago, I was dating a super guy named Bob.  He lived three and a half hours away from me, and we managed to get together almost every weekend.  I would either drive to Albany, or he would drive to Long Beach.  I had my business here.  Back in those days I was making gourmet cranberry products.  Bob had a career with a private utility and two boys still in school.  Bob was up to visit me the weekend before Valentine’s Day, and we had a nice weekend.  I don’t think we even discussed the upcoming holiday.

   Well, on Valentine’s Day, Ray from the local florist shop walked in the door of my business carrying a big bouquet of yellow roses.  I joked with him, saying, “Oh, Ray, I didn’t know you had feelings for me,” and he joked back about no longer being able to keep his feelings a secret.  Of course, I knew they were from Bob.  I smelled them and admired them for a few minutes and set them on the counter.  I headed back to my office, and Kristine, a 19 year old who worked for me, said, “Aren’t you going to open the card?”

    I said, “Well, I know they’re from Bob, but I suppose I should.”  So I did.  I must have had a strange look on my face when I read the card because Kristine said, “What is it?  Is it something sexual?”  (Oh, to be 19!)  

    Actually, what it said was, “Honey, I love you.  Will you marry me?  Bob.”  When he’d been here the weekend before, he had sneaked away from me long enough to go to the flower shop, place his order and write out his card.  I was pretty speechless.  Then I started laughing.  We spoke every night on the phone, and I can just imagine the conversation that evening if I hadn’t opened the card.  I’d have thanked him for the flowers, he’d have wondered why I didn’t say more, etc., etc.  Thank goodness Kristine had to good sense to insist I open that card!  

    Of course I said yes.  It was a long time before we figured out how to put our lives together in one place, but we did–right here in Long Beach.  Someday I’ll blog about our Cowboy Wedding.  But, in the meantime, Bob still sends me a dozen yellow roses every Valentine’s Day.

Yikes, a “prefect storm” of events has happened in cyber space.  Our server went down, the back-up was also lost, and the back-up to the back-up was lost.  We have no stored data prior to December 2.  So, we’re in the process of rebuilding the site.  Thank you for your concerned emails.