Projects

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Shit Happens

I woke this morning to the fridge wide-open, and everything inside ruined. Combined with the residual heat in the kitchen from a bottling session last night, and the twelve hours it stood open, everything inside was a total loss. Normally, that wouldn't be a huge disaster, but I'd just been grocery shopping and had a stock-up. I'd also spent hours yesterday cooking ahead for the week as I have a rather full schedule at the moment. My first thought was to sit down and cry, but then I thought better of it. Last time, Mr. ETB was over-tired and on-call, he nearly burned down the kitchen leaving a burner unattended. In comparison, forgetting to close the fridge door seems almost minimal. I reminded myself that we're lucky enough that we can afford to replace the groceries, and we set out to do just that.
But first, I had to get dressed because you can't go to Aldi in your dressing gown. At least, I don't think you can. Perhaps I can test that out sometime.

At the store, we're still joking about the morning as we stood in line. I mean, what else can you do, really? It was a beautiful autumn morning with golden sunshine, blue skies, lovely changing leaves-I'm going to moan about a gallon of milk? We get up to the cashier, and she tells us how happy it made her to see someone laughing. It was only 10 AM and she'd already had a morning full of people that wait all week to go to the grocery store and verbally abuse the cashier. I'm convinced people save it up. I've been on the other side of that register (all through high school and university) and I know how shitty people can be. Perhaps the only real comic relief was the clueless guy in front of us that used the worst-ever pick-up line on her ("Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you here before."). Danny tried not to groan as he rolled his eyes at that one. Anyway, here's a plea-if you're having a bad day, don't take it out on the people working retail. They have lives and problems of their own and the salary doesn't include taking the sort of abuse people feel entitled to hand out. OK, lecture over. Be nice.
Outfit Particulars:
Skirt-Goodwill
Ko Ko Knits 1970's blouse-Thrift World
Talbots cardigan-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage brooch-Hand-Me-Ups
1970's Lucite bangle-Goodwill
Vintage Gaymode shoes-Thrift World
1970's suede shoulder bag-Goodwill
Vintage clip earrings-Hand-Me-Ups
Fragrance-Bulgari Omnia Coral 


This jacket was a consolation for a vintage crewel work jacket I couldn't bring myself to drop $250. on. Not the same, of course but it satisfies my desire for an embroidered jacket. This one is silk, and cost about a dollar. With that kind of savings I can replace two weeks worth of groceries buy something else.

Outfit Particulars:
Skirt-Filene's, 90's
1980's belt-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage Pendleton Country Sophisticates blouse-Goodwill
Laura Ashley silk jacket-Goodwill
Shoes-K Mart
Vintage needlepoint bag-Gift
Brooch-Goodwill
Earrings-K Mart
Fragrance-Rihanna Nude

Good heavens, is it really only Monday?!


9 comments:

  1. Oh, crap! The Great Thaw never happens when the freezer/fridge is empty -- this is Nanook's Natural Law. As you say, the only solution is to rig up the sled and set forth to secure more blubber for winter.

    A dressing gown for Aldi's might be underdressing, but over-dressing for a WalMart's restock: there's actually a website for fashion fails spotted at the Wally Worlds. (Danny is much too young to view this. Even you might be shocked! at the full frontal views.)

    However, the black skirt with riffles and coral jacket would serve for a personal appearance at an upscale deli. The silk jacket, elegant maquillage and intriguing earrings, and that bag!, now this ensemble calls for an expedition to Carmel-by-the-Interstate, a 'burb north of Indianapolis where the boutique shoppes are to be found, the shoppes where the retail clerks are titled interns, possibly named Sasha and probably hold degrees in biz admin.

    The lippy is a grand variation on basic red. Just the shade for that vivid green!

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  2. I second Beth's opinion on the lippy!
    That embroidered Laura Ashley silk jacket looks like the traditional floral Kashmiri chain stitch embellished silk jackets my husband has in his shops. I can't even get a jacket like that for $1 wholesale though.
    You have electricity 24 hrs a day and an Aldi to go to? WOW!!! I'm envious!
    I hear you on the abuse of US retail clerks. It always amazed me at my retail jobs in high school & university how nasty the American public can be. Actually it was even worse as a pharmacist, I DO NOT miss having a 'real' job.

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  3. Bugger!! Does your insurance cover that. Typical that you had just stocked the fridge before hand. Bugger!!

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  4. Being skanky, I'd probably have sniffed everything to see if it had gone off, and kept anything that smelled okay! It must be a drag having to replace everything, though. As you say, it's good that you can afford to.

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  5. @Beth

    When we lived in the country, that was a real possibility, though if we lost power in the winter we could just pop everything outside to keep cold. Now I live three minutes from the market, so it is less stress-inducing. I did buy a fresh box of powdered milk though, just in case winter turns out to be a bad one. Old habits die hard.

    I haven't been to Indiana in far too long-I don't remember any posh suburbs of Indianapolis, but maybe you have to go looking for them. I do remember asking a toll operator where a good place to stop for breakfast was, and being directed to an Amish diner that served the biggest cinnamon buns I've ever seen in my life. That was probably the single best breakfast of my entire life, but I'm sure I could never find the place again. Maybe I hallucinated it after hours of driving the Interstate.

    @Sue
    Our homeowners policy would probably cover it, but our deductible is so high it would be pointless. At least the freezer stayed cold-I'd be upset if I lost batches of homemade vareniki.

    @Mim
    I would too, especially with the hard cheese. Danny's on so many medications that suppress his immune system I can't chance it, but if I lived alone, my cast iron stomach would probably be fine. My mother used to leave eggs out on the table all week-and we lived to tell about it.

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  6. @Bibi
    Yeah, I'd love to get my hands on a real Kashmiri jacket-they're so beautiful. It makes sense they're expensive given the amount of work that goes into it.

    I suppose even with a generator you have to be careful with the fuel to run it. I've only run across that once, in the Caribbean where the power was cut overnight. You had to plan ahead and get water because the wells/pumps were all electric. Sometimes that would happen accidentally on the farm, but I can't imagine living with it day in and out. You're tougher than I!

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  7. Oh that's a bugger. Bound to happen just as you've stocked up, it's that butter-side-down theory of pessimism! But as you say, there are worse things, so hey ho, off to Aldi you go. And yes, let's all be polite to the retail staff, it makes life so much more pleasant.
    Loving the autumnal vibe of the first outfit, and the silk jacket works beautifully with the tapestry bag (which I envy, as you know!) xxx

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  8. Ah, I hadn't realised about Danny's meds. That's definitely not something to mess around with, then.

    We never refrigerate our eggs...

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  9. @Curtise

    I hope people are being polite to you at the charity shop-I don't suppose you can hit the rude ones upside the head with a vintage bag?

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