This vexes me - #4.

I reached for my brand new, well, 2.5 month old robe to toss it on in the morning chill today and noticed a hole in the arm sleeve. The stitching has come undone from the junction they call a seam. This is the 4th hole I've found in sleeves over this weekend as I spent time getting laundry caught up because I wasn't going out in "that".

What is it with manufacturers? I have 2 sweaters, a shirt and now my robe that have holes in the sleeve seams? Yes I can fix them and I can do a danged better job than what it appears they did in the first place, but that's not the point. The point is, I shouldn't have to fix these in the first place. I took a look at the robe's sleeve seam and it was less than one quarter what it should have been. I am going to have to stitch the entire seam to make sure it doesn't unravel anywhere else. This is NOT what I was taught in home ec so many, many years ago.

If I were to take the robe to JC Penney where I got it, I would be told that because the robe has been worn and washed, they could not take it back. And, realistically, even if they did take it back, what would they do with it? Would they send it back to the clothing company and demand better stitching? Hardly. It's just going to get landfilled. They aren't going to bother asking for care because care is going to mean more man-hours to make the piece which means it will cost more and no one makes a profit if it does sell.

This is also not an indictment of overseas goods, although the label says the robe was assembled in China. Regardless of where the robe was made, it was made badly and that can happen whether the robe was assembled in China or in Kansas. It's about maximizing the product for the most buck. It's about a lack of care in what goes out the door.

I am resigned to pulling out my needles and thread and my sewing machine and fixing these holes. This is an age-old argument. I'm sure that when the cave man figured out a wheel and then added more production to his wheel-making, his customers complained that the craftsmanship was missing. It would take a huge, monumental shift in consumer attitude for anything to change.

At least I know what I'll be doing while I watch the football game on January 5th.

Beverage: Assam Tea

Deb

Welcome to winter, part 2.

Shoes from all the times this past week I have gone to the mailbox to get the mail.

They get snow covered soles so I take them off on the front rug. There they stay until such time as I go looking for a pair and find them here. Then, I decide they should all be put away.

In another week, I'll need to wash the rug due to the salt I spread on the front steps being dragged in.

This goes on until mid-March, maybe longer if there is snow later in the season.

Yes, that is a fair number of shoes. The ones in the foreground, my very first pair of Clarks shoes, is in need of a polish.

My boots never wind up here. They are always left in the kitchen. The rug can't absorb the snow that gets on them and it soaks through. This rug's backing has long since deteriorated and fallen off. When there aren't shoes on the rug, it's a prime target for attacking cats. I can tell when there has been toy play during the day while I'm gone. The rug is balled up against the front door. Spread it out and it gets attacked again.

I've had the rug for years. Sometimes the best toys are, quite literally, under your feet.

Beverage: Hot cocoa

Deb

Rituals

Perhaps at no other time of the year do we have rituals that are almost unyielding. From November 20th to January 2nd, we must consume certain foods, go certain places, do certain things at certain times. These rituals give your life structure and are integral to our sense of self and our personal well being.

Why so philosophical? If you have been allowed to share your life with a cat or a few cats, you quickly discover cats need ritual. They, unlike dogs, do not adapt well to changes in routine. Something as simple as moving a piece of furniture can disrupt a cat's life to where you'll see behavior changes. Mine adapted very well to moving the papasan chair to the back room and bringing up the Christmas tree.

Weekends, we have a ritual. Pilchard gets a major combing. This is an hour long affair, shorter if she gets antsy. I can, generally, remove a good handful of loose fur while she purrs up a storm, lies down, gets up, comes up to the comb and rubs her chin on it. When she starts chewing on the comb or bats at it, we are done. She is absolutely gorgeous afterwards; glossy, gleaming, satin-like; and I love to cuddle her, which, of course is not appreciated as she's very much an "I'll cuddle when I want to" cat.

A number of you have asked just how big is she? She seems to know when I want to do a size comparison with something you'll recognize. Both of them, actually, have figured out the noise of the digital camera and then make a conscious decision whether to cooperate or be more "catty" than usual. I was able to get Pilchard to stay long enough for this photo.

I don't know if this gives you a relative size. I tried measuring her but she refused to lie down and stay. This is 16 pounds of cat and it's muscle, not a belly. This was last Sunday and we had done our ritual combing about an hour before this was taken. Photos just will not do this cat's fur justice. She gleams. She's beautiful after a combing.

I haven't really established a ritual with Mija yet. She comes into the kitchen every time I go there, except when I leave for work. She sleeps with me and insists upon being in the bathroom when I shower. On those mornings when we can sleep in, she allows herself to be pulled under the covers for some cuddle time.

Rituals give our lives stability. I find I am every bit the creature of habit that my cats are.

Beverage: Dr. Pepper

Deb

Snowbunny loves him?

He or she is back. We're in the middle of a huge snowstorm and there he or she sits, just outside the north window. I admit to being tempted to finding something to cover the spot just to make it more hospitable. But he or she is a wild animal and should be able to survive on his or her own. And do I really want to encourage rabbits to live in the yard? They eat things, tender things, like early lettuce and broccoli and flowers. It could be interesting, however, if this is a female. It could be kind of like that bird's nest in the corner of the front porch.

Beverage: Scottish Blend tea

Deb