Monday, March 28, 2022

What to say?

 


It's been a long, long month. I borrowed this lovely picture from Allison, who does not remember where she found it. I've had it squirreled away for the last month; it's too sad to look at for long. Pray that President Biden screwed up the courage of the European Union to more vigorously support their neighbor, Ukraine, and more vigorously condemn their neighbor, Russia. 

Back at the studio I have nine colors in stock; ninety three towels total. I sold sixty five towels at the Peninsula Flea last summer. My downfall was my inability to make more. I was waiting to move my loom to the new studio; I had no more thread, and even if it arrived, I did not want to move a fully dressed loom. Just that much more weight, and the move was difficult enough as it was.


I certainly had more than nine colors! I am so looking forward to this event, again this year. Just for starters, I won't be looking out my window at snow! It certainly has become old.

It will be good to spend some time with my daughter again. Beth and her family used this past week of Spring Break to unite the family and visit Joshua Tree and the vast desert. She sent me any number of pictures, and had stories to share. Her husband opined he was pleased they had filled up the tank as there were no amenities.


Beth got to share the story of her mother crossing the Great Salt Desert with a broken fan belt. I hope she shared how without Uncle Walt we would not have made it. Peddle to the metal, go as fast as you can until you peg the temperature gauge. Turn off the van and coast for I don't remember how long. Start the engine, peddle to the metal, etc. It seemed like forever, and suddenly there was a service station and the wall was hung with every size fan belt on the market!

I would not have known how to handle that emergency if my brother had not been riding shotgun. I suppose I could have asked Mom, seated behind me. 

30 comments:

  1. I've heard of pantyhose being pressed into use as a temporary fan belt! Not as exciting as your approach though.

    Here's hoping for a great summer of sales for you.

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  2. There were no pantyhose on the trip!

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  3. Hari Om
    Oh yes, the adventures of the old mechanical cars... these days you need an electronics degree... and here's to a productive and colourful summer ahead for you Joanne! YAM xx

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  4. I am so so so impressed with all the weaving that you do, Joanne! How awesome that you got to sell so many of them.

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  5. That is a crazy adventure. The Great Salt Desert gives me shivers; my daughters were avid Oregon Trail game players and we always died if we went that direction. NO more snow-yay! And such a beautiful collection of towels. It makes me want to re-do my kitchen so I can buy more colors!

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  6. I love Uncle Walt! He really knew his stuff and that's very impressive. Here's my fan belt story. I moved from MA to AZ for a fantastic job. Upon arrival, I bought myself a new Ford Mustang. Within a month, the fan belt snapped and I had the car towed to the dealership that sold me the car. I asked: "What the !?x? happened to my new car?" The explanation was shocking: Ford designed an extra long fan belt needed to power the steering, radiator fan and air conditioner and the belts snap regularly. I wanted to return the car. They said, unconditionally, "No." They offered to supply me with free fan belts to carry in the trunk. They showed me how to attach a new fan belt using a broom stick. I went along with this and changed many belts as I traveled through AZ. In a year, I moved back to MA and the belt never broke. Cooling in MA is never key whereas in AZ 100+ degrees requires cooling all the time.

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  7. That was an excellent way to cross the desert. I never would have thought of that.

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  8. I don't know how long ago the broken fan belt was, but here in Aus, many people carry a pair of pantyhose in case of fan belt breakage. They cut off the waist band and slip it on as a replacement until a new belt can be bought. I remember my father-in-law doing the same with a stocking top to replace a belt on an old twin tub washing machine when the spinner wouldn't turn because that belt broke.

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  9. That sounds like a harrowing journey across the Great Salt Desert!

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  10. P.S. I am glad your Uncle Walt knew what to do to keep going, not many people would know.

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  11. I am adding the pantyhose solution again. Many people here have one in the tool box for just such an emergency.
    How nice to have some one knowledgeable and able to find a solution though. New cars? Sit by the road and wait.
    And thank you and Allison for that stunning image. My head and my heart hurt.

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  12. Joshua Tree must be amazing. I've never been, but hope to visit someday.

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  13. You have sure been busy getting a lot of weaving done! I agree with you on being tired of snow. We've had snow every week since early February. Recently we've had a few nice days but now they are talking snow again. I love the way you made it through the desert! Well done!

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  14. Quite the experience with the fan belt! An uncle to the rescue is a great story!

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  15. That must have been a real white knuckle drive. Our cold weather is finally behind us.

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  16. Persistence and ingenuity run in your blood.

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  17. Glad you have so many towels ready for your sale. I bet you sell them all! That was a crazy car trip through the desert! Thank goodness for your brother!

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  18. That was quite the ride to remember.

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  19. We did pedal to the metal a few times, as I recall. Oh, the good old days when life was sweet and, oh, so mellow. Getting old is not fun a lot of the time but memories of times past are often so sweet. We prevailed.

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  20. I keep coming back to that beautiful photo. It's perfection.

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  21. That is a stunning photo, and yes - sad, too.

    Things going wrong make the best stories, as long as they turn out well in the end.

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  22. Maybe pantyhose are dead now, or at least "on their last legs"? They are pretty silly garments, when you think about it.

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  23. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your blue and yellow flag.

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  24. I like the story of the broken fan belt. Luckily I've never had one as I wouldn't have had a clue what to do about it - especially if I was in the middle of a desert!

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  25. I believe this is your birthday?! A very Happy Birthday to you Joanne!

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  26. Glad you survived the Great Salt Lake Desert outing. Definitely not a place you want to break down. Love the sunflower photo. Hope that war ends soon but it is hard to believe anything Putin says these days. Take care and good luck with your towels.

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  27. Dear Joanne,, I laughed out loud at your story about your brother Walt. I’m wondering if you all screeched and hollowed or laughed hilariously as you were going through the routine that you described. It’s family stories like that that bond family members together how wonderful. Peace, pressed down and overflowing.

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  28. Beautiful selection of towels, you've been very productive.. we went to Death Valley and it was like standing in a fan oven when you got out of the car!

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  29. OMG. What an adventure. I hope you have a wonderful new month.

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