Autumn is Here

   I spent Friday in the shop in Cooperstown.  I was suppose to work Saturday but the schedule was jiggled a little and I ended up there one day early.  It was a  good day for me (I sold 2 hats and a pair of baby socks) and a very good day for the shop with sales over $500 (and in late September that is great!) Hey, my first 2 customers each bought 6 bars of handmade soap...that's over $40 each! 

   One of the reasons for the jiggle was an estate sale in Herkimer that the girl who was scheduled to work on Friday was helping out at.  She let me know that the estate sale had a lot of yarn and since I know the people who's house it was at I decided to pay a visit on Saturday morning.  I exercised a great deal of restrain and came away with just 11 skeins of sock yarn...for only $3. (See, it does pay to know people!)  So yesterday afternoon and evening I worked on a pair of baby socks in one of the self-striping, superwash wools (OnLine in tropical colors , worked from the toe up on 2 short circular US 1's) that I got there.  Got the first sock finished and the 2nd one started before I had had enough of Batman's return and went to bed.  I've got to get a couple of pairs of socks finished and a pumpkin hat or two before Wednesday so Steve can take them down when he goes on the first.  As long as the good weather holds business may stay brisk...Saturday's sales were over $400, too.  We can only hope things last!

     Today may be Wood Day.  We've got a large pile of wood ready to be cut (and stacked).  The sun is shinning and it's fairly warm so there isn't a reason not to do it.  Besides, we have to get it done.  It's been cold at night...and in the morning...and I'd like a fire!  The leaves have started to turn and fall and we're going to have to get busy raking soon.

    Jeff's daughter Sara celebrated a birthday this week.  She lives in El Paso, Texas with her husband and 4 kids.  They visit Utica yearly and I've met her once.   Here's Sara with one of her twin daughters.  The other two kids are boys...the oldest one

resembles Jeff at that age tall and skinny with glasses.
   The foot on the Bosch reciprocating saw broke off again after dinner today as Jeff was finishing cutting wood.  That was Saw #3 (with replacement insurance) that we had gotten at Lowe's...this one in December 2013, so we did a quick trip to Lowe's to replace it.  Didn't think to take the checkbook with me, so I had to come home for it, and then the salesgirl wouldn't exchange it without the sales receipt so we did another trip home for that.  In the end, we finally came home with Saw #4 (with another 2 year replacement plan) and didn't spend a penny.  Jeff really likes the Bosch saw.  The motor is very good, doesn't overheat...it's just the plastic foot that always breaks off!  If you ever need a reciprocating saw Jeff recommends Bosch.  And we both recommend the replacement insurance plan at Lowe's!