029 Savvy Shopper

A passion for retail therapy

Shopping is my passion, hobby, relaxation, and refuge in times of trouble. I find it a cleansing of the mind and soul. Checking out a clearance rack for the ultimate bargain gets the adrenalin flowing and keeps me pumped up. 

I can scan a sale section like a super hero with X-ray vision. --- if there is a true bargain there, I will find it. I will swoop down and aim for the target. Occasionally someone may beat me to it, but I will hover hoping the item will be put back on the rack and often it is. If not, I move on to something else or check online for the same item.


Perseverance is the name of the game --- knowing the stock from precious visits and location of sale racks is crucial to my mission. Some stores keep sale items close together and in the same place, but every once in awhile, they pull a fast one and switch the racks around. This takes a little maneuvering, but the seasoned shopper can get back on track quickly with a fast tour of the store to find the coveted sale items.

I remember my first introduction to the clearance rack when I was about 12 years old. My mom had taken me shopping, and my most recent growth spurt had propelled me into what was called pre-teen clothes --- and there against the wall was a glorious sale section. I realized at that very young age that full price was a thing of the past. I am sure my mom had scoured the sale racks many years before that, but it was my first realization that I could buy so much more at a reduced price.

From then on, it has been a life of stalking clearance areas and watching for reductions -- sometimes with even more discounts than the price tag says. That really gets the adrenalin pumping. I was recently called a savvy shopper at a retail establishment as I whipped out extra savings coupons.


Needless to say, I can definitely be called a clothes horse, lover of the retail world, and even a shopaholic. If I haven’t been shopping for a few days, I start to go through withdrawal. I don’t always buy something when I am out, but the looking and “window shopping” are part of the experience. 

Several friends share my passion and often accompany me on shopping excursions out 

of town when local options have been exhausted. One trend we have found and embrace is the opening of thrift and consignment shops. Sometimes amazing buys are found in these establishments. The best buy of the last few years was a pair of Christian Louboutin red sole, black patent heels for $1. The usual price is several hundred dollars. So far, we haven’t found a better bargain even though we keep vehemently trying.

One of the closets of a Shopaholic

Some items still have tags on them.

This is certainly not for everyone, and some may have quite the opposite reaction about shopping as I do. But for those who share my passion, keep up the hunt.

Frances        

028 Fitbit--Kinda

Fitbit--Well, kinda . . .

Fitbit can control your life—if you let it!

So how does a laid-back person deal with this little manipulative gizmo?

To start at the beginning, I bought myself a Fitbit Zip for Christmas. I did have a few misgivings when I saw the commercial in which the Fitbit Flex orders a woman to get moving, but I liked the idea of tracking activity so I purchased the Zip since I did not want to wear something on my wrist.  You can put this one in your pocket or wear it attached to your bra, which is what I do.

You can synch the device to your computer or smartphone. If you are obsessive-compulsive about tracking your diet, you can register your weight and your desired weight. 

Then for every meal, you log in everything you eat and the dashboard that pops up every time you synch with the device will tell you how many calories you can eat--including if you have eaten too much.

I logged foods for a week.

You can input your sleep habits as well. Some of the other models will track your sleep but the Zip (fortunately) does not.  

It will also allow you to track how much water you drink.  It does not, however, log Diet Dr. Peppers!

Fitbit has other motivational features.  You can communicate with other Fitbit users and challenge each other via Facebook or otherwise.  I have not done that either.

Fitbit also awards medals when you reach certain goals. Since I track only walking, I have earned medals just for distances.  As you can see, I have received many step badges--lots for 10,000 steps in a day as well as a few 20,000 step badges.  

Fitbit takes your sex, weight and height into account to calculate your steps and translate those steps into miles. The Fitbit webpage also tells you how to exactly translate your steps into miles, but I have not done that.  The mileage does seem to be fairly accurate.  The iceberg badge indicates I have gone past 70 miles.  The next distance badge is 250 miles; I don't know why there are no interim ones.  Badges seem incidental, not motivational to me!  Until I pulled the badge list for the blog, I had no idea how many step badges I had.

Even though I am not using the food log, I have lost some weight so pushing for more miles seems to motivate me.

You can see your statistics on a daily, weekly, monthly, or all-time basis.

I began using Fitbit on Dec. 29 (remember my New Year's resolution blog?).  Since then I have walked 173 miles!

Trish                                

027 Moving

A ‘Moving’ Experience

Remember Alistair Cooke, posh-voiced, British reporter of 20 years for Masterpiece Theatre? It is he who best said that which I feel about New York City: “New York is the biggest collection of villages in the world.” 

Take a look at the NYC map. New Yorkers are identified in part by where they live. Our daughter, who has been in the city half of her life, is a West Side apartment dweller. Over the years she has moved uptown from 49th Street (Hell’s Kitchen), then to 75th and now to 84th Street. Both of the latter are known as the Upper West Side (UWS). 

The UWS is a residential neighborhood filled with young professionals in an area that allows them to avoid the tourists of Midtown and Times Square. Still, it is very close to all the attractions: just a block or so from Central Park and the convenience of Broadway as it winds its way through the neighborhood north and south. It’s a nice hike down to 60th at Columbus Circle and nearby Lincoln Center. Not only that, there is an AMC 6 movie complex across the street, Harry’s Shoes, a Zabar’s deli, and upscale fashion, along with burger joints (Five Napkins Burgers) and Zagat reviewed restaurants. 

Our daughter and son-in-law, both city attorneys, outgrew their 75th Street one bedroom apartment.

In the heart of the UWS on 84th Street is a seven-story building called Eagle Court, which does have an eagle or two on the front. Built in the 1920s, it was once part of the Borden Company with a mid-century conversion to living space. More importantly for Eagle Court, is that it is SAID to be the site where Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven.” To some literati, Poe (b. 1840-d.1849) was considered New York’s first Bohemian poet. 

Front of Eagle Court at 84th Street with Poe plaque

While you are trying to remember some of the famous lines from “The Raven,” consider this point: It was just over a century ago that the UWS was still open country with farms, summer mansions for the barons like the Vanderbilts, and shanties of the poor. 

 Although today’s street grid plan had been developed in 1811, the actual cutting and leveling of the land did not begin until after the Civil War. This is the reason that Eagle Court is only the “reputed” home of Poe when he lived in NYC. 

BUT back to moving. I spent almost a week playing “momma” and helping pack and then unpack from one apartment to the other. Good moving company--efficient and quick. Praise to daughter and son-in-law for organizational skills. I was handed a spreadsheet with each box numbered and contents listed. Why didn’t I think of this when we last moved? Numbers are so much easier than just a room name on the box. 

The most interesting experience, however, was while the van was being loaded. The apartment building on 75th Street is not only a one way street but also a taxi route from Amsterdam Ave, across Broadway to West End Ave. BUSY! I sat in the van driver’s seat while the trucks, cars, and taxis inched by on my left. We did not want a traffic ticket for blocking the street. And police did come by--I just nodded like I knew what I was doing. Felt very superior and New York-ish.

The new apartment is much bigger and lighter with 20’ ceilings. Daughter bought herself a present to help them decorate. It’s a 22’ multi-telescoping ladder. Hoping I can add a photo someday of its use rather than a picture of said daughter in traction in NY-Presbyterian Hospital. 

They have a real kitchen with a DISHWASHER!!! Garbage disposals in the city are usually a no-go and dishwashers rare. Just like George Jefferson, they are “movin’ on up.” 

And check out the shelving….ladder may be needed to retrieve wine from purple wine rack (this across the room from the VERY HIGH windows). 


I had really dreaded this move in Manhattan. But it was relatively easy for me. Maybe not so for the two young people who still have much to arrange, wait for cable people, etc., and still go to work all day every day. BUT they really did just move within their own neighborhood. The state of NY has approximately 20 million people with over 8 million of them in NYC boroughs and 1.75 million in Manhattan. The UWS has roughly 230,000. Puts it into perspective, I think.



And two final thoughts about moving whenever and wherever--bubble wrap is good and muttering under one’s breath is expected!

Glenne

We received a lovely addendum from Lloyd Cather Dickson about the joys of moving in Barcelona.

Thanks for the pix!

026 Always on

Always turned on

Connected, plugged in, and wired up

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be connected, plugged in, and wired up at all times. But in this world of technology, I never miss a chance to text, email, or visit Facebook no matter where I am.

It all came about several years ago when my husband and I realized our two children didn’t answer their phones any more but were texting. We had no choice if we wanted to communicate with them; we had to become tech savvy.We already had cell phones, but it was difficult to text on them so we had to make the plunge and get ones for easy texting. We went the iPhone route and found them relatively user friendly. 

Now, it is rare that I pick up the phone and call someone. Texting by far is the quickest if the intended receiver is online. Email is a close second if the person is checking consistently.

Since then, we have upgraded our phones several times, purchased an iPad, and update our software. Here we are grandparents and looking at seven decades of life next year and staying turned on. Go figure.

Now it is hard to imagine life unplugged and out of touch. Just think, a few years ago none of this was even possible. Cell phones were revolutionary when they came on the scene, and now the latest models are way off the charts.

My first cell phone was what was called a bag phone --- the receiver was as big as a regular phone and the whole gizmo was in a black bag (thus giving it the name) about a foot long and 8 inches wide. The reception was great but it was not convenient to carry. Mine was basically left in the car to use on trips and when commuting to work. 

The next model was a teeny, tiny flip phone – easy to carry around for sure. And then there were several others with keyboards built in and often difficult to use. 




After the iPhone, it was a natural progression to the iPad which has opened up a whole new world with games, news, videos and more. Doing all the same things I did on the phone but with a bigger screen has been amazing. 


I was always addicted to games --- thousands of hands of Solitaire actually using playing cards and small hand-held devices with one type of game.


Now the games are all rolled into one device --- pure heaven for a gamer like me who looks forward to blocks of times when I can play uninterrupted. Some have consumed me --- Candy Crush, Pyramid Solitiare, 40 Thieves, and more.

Charging is sometimes an effort as we both seem to want to use the one on the first floor at the same time. The other will have to make the trek to the second floor to plug in.

Using them at work can be off putting to customers in retail settings, especially at checkout lines. In addition, customers who talk loudly on the phones are a terrible distraction for serious shoppers like me. I will get away from them as fast as I can.

Our grandchildren are definitely plugged in too with mini-pads and tablets. Even the three-year-old wants to use the Ipad for games. It is amazing how fast those little fingers move.

We have really come far in regards to technology. I can’t imagine what lies ahead. I am leaning towards purchasing a phone watch when they come out. Maybe I won’t misplace my phone if it is on my wrist.

But who knows. I am sure there is some form of technology and communication on the horizon that we can’t even start to imagine. Can’t wait to see what it will be!

Frances C. Lowe

025 Anniversary

25--Hooray!

This is our 25th blog posting!

We started with a joint column and then each of us has written eight. Who knew?

I love to celebrate anniversaries—big and small. Not only do they break the tedium of days, but also let us commemorate our accomplishments.

It may have started with my mother who loved to throw surprise birthday parties. Even though my sister and I sort of expected a surprise party, our birthdays were always special.

We returned the surprise for my parent’s 40th anniversary. With our husbands we flew to Florida and shocked them by showing up at a restaurant where many of their friends had gathered. My mother and I sat and cried while everyone else was enjoying the party.

We celebrated the library’s 80th anniversary in 1993 during my first year as director of Handley Regional Library. Some great young volunteers recorded people’s memories of the library. When we began writing the library’s history in anticipation of its centennial, many of those who shared memories had passed on. We were blessed to have their recollections for the book.  

Another anniversary I particularly remember was the ten-year anniversary of the opening of the Bowman Library in 2011. We had a contest for the child born the closest to the opening. It was great to see those ten-year olds who had grown up with the library. I might have shed a few tears during the festivities . . .

Of course, the library’s 100th anniversary was extraordinary.

We had been working up to it for five years so we thought we were tired of celebrating. But we were not! 

We had John Handley's portrait beautifully restored.  The centennial history was finally finished--thanks to the hard work of many. We had a great reunion of former library staff members and directors. I cried. 

Then we had a fabulous centennial celebration. It was amazing—from the wonderful 1913 costumes that many folks wore to the musical groups on every floor—we had a ball. 

The staff took bets on whether I’d cry, but I don’t think there were many bets on no tears. I surprised them and me—and not cry!

There will probably be a torrent of tears in 2021 when Harry and I have our 50th anniversary. I am already thinking about the best ways to celebrate!

Trish     

024 Junk

Junk, Stuff, and Clutter

Yes, you read the title. Yes, we have too much of it. We are working on getting rid of it. Well, some of it. Our goal (though not really a New Year’s resolution) is two hours per week of weeding out. Three piles emerge each session. GO, STAY, and the onerous and somewhat dangerous MAYBE.

Part of our dilemma is our lovely historic brick 207-year-old house. It is a treasure--high ceilings, wide board floors, many windows (some with original glass), Winchester mantels, etc., etc., etc.  HOWEVER, there is NOT a closet for coats or brooms or anything in between on the first floor. We’ve added a couple of closets to the kitchen in our 12-year-ago renovation. One of those closets is the “pantry”--i.e. dog food, soups, and paper towels. And, oh, yes, cereal and peanut butter. The other closet has cookbooks, vases, vacuum, mops, brooms, baskets, and picnic stuff for lakeside, (Yes, we are lucky enough to have the lake just across the field.)  This closet is a masterpiece of ingenuity. If one vacuums, one likely gets to rearrange all the stuff!!! 

I found this quotation online but without attribution. So, whoever you are who said this: THANK YOU!! I do believe that our historic home causes some of our problems. And just, FYI, the laundry room is in the basement (unfinished, concrete floor), which means all dirty/cleaned clothes go three levels – with only an outside entrance. (I am thinking servants those many years ago, but that is a topic for another day!)

Do not, however, mess with our junk drawer. We know what’s in it. 

LEAVE IT ALONE. 

I want my duct tape and my Gorilla glue when and where I know where it is!! 

Another impetus towards the cleanup, clear out was started last year. We do have a two-car garage. Neither car could go into the garage because yes, again, too much stuff. This past summer, we did masterful work on organizing the garage. One yard sale, Goodwill, and several truckloads to the dump, both cars now fit snuggly into the garage. 

How did we get so much stuff you may be wondering? Several excuses/reasons: 1) note date of house and lack of closets – the answer, carry stuff to garage; 2) we have both been blessedly cursed by inheritance – much of which is in the garage (that we can serve 109 people on china luncheon plates is a prime example); 3. We have both been married twice. Things we thought we had to save from our starter marriages were also in the garage. After checking in with grown children about a few things (Barbie dolls in their boxes are still in garage attic), everything else – except a very few things we felt we could NOT part with - is gone!! We hope our “treasures” are now someone else’s treasures.

Now that winter is here, we are working on our closets. If it doesn’t fit, out it goes. If I haven’t worn in two years, it’s gone! I kept two pairs of slacks to see if I can still wear (the MAYBE PILE), but the rest to Hospice. They are about to get four 33 gallon bags of clothes this week, plus two 33 gallon bags of NEVER AGAIN go to the dumpster. 

Here is our sage advice for de-cluttering clothes closets. Do it alone. Do NOT sit and watch your spouse. You will be sidetracked. You will talk to one another. Actually work for 45 minutes at a time; it will take 15 minutes to clean up and move your bags to their designated sites. Thus, your hour is wisely spent. 

I may have to put in an extra hour this week. I tripped over a box of old files and I have not picked them up. They are minutes of Wayside, PHW, our LLC’s, and Apple Blossom annual events. What do I do with these? NO, I am not going to scan them! But, please, please, please do NOT let me take them to the garage. 

Frankly, I think we need praise from our children. Think of the time and money we are saving them in their future now that we are “senior citizens.” And yet, I keep thinking of funny man, George Carlin, and his 1981 album and stand-up routine about STUFF. “…A little place for my stuff. That’s all I want, that’s all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff….This is my stuff, that’s your stuff, that’ll be his stuff over there.”

But a lot of our STUFF IS GONE! 

Glenne                  

023 Tree hugger?

A Tree Hugger? 

Losing good friends

I never thought of myself as a tree hugger until the trees lining, the front of the Handley High School campus near our home, were marked for destruction. It was like losing very good friends. 

We had walked on the sidewalk beside the trees for many, many years. We moved to the neighborhood in the mid-1970s, and the trees were a prominent part of the landscape. 

They were too big to completely hug so it is more of a figurative term, but nonetheless it defined my husband and me as true tree huggers. 

We realized we had taken the campus for granted with the lush greenery and open space, including the majestic trees, which were 75 years old. The school was completed in 1923 after years of construction, and the 16 trees came shortly after.

It was such a shock --- one day they were part of the landscape and the next marked for total destruction.

City officials on various committees ruled the trees too old and diseased and were in the way of a sidewalk improvement plan. Many other trees were taken down on Valley Avenue, but some of those had been pruned excessively due to electrical wires.

These along the campus were not in the way of electrical lines and had retained their shape. They had done their duty for many years heralding the majestic beginning of the campus, home of the school for seven decades.

But no one would listen to the passionate pleas --- save the trees. The die was cast and the execution was slated.

Watching the destruction was painful --- like losing loving family members. Memorials included candles, flowers, and even a flash mob. And then add insult to injury, the leftover stumps were ripped from the ground so no evidence would remain.  

We did observe the cuttings of the massive trunks and noticed the wood was very full and healthy. No diseases were apparent to the naked eye, but our leaders knew better, of course. Why couldn’t the ones diseased be taken down and others left? New trees could have been planted between the old ones.

If sidewalks were the problem, why not move the sidewalks toward the campus, leaving the trees for shade and environmental purposes.  But no alternatives were noted or discussed with the public.

After the murders were complete, we didn’t walk that way anymore. Small trees replaced the majestic elms, but it will take years to reach a size that would be noticeable.

It has been several years and to this day I avoid walking on that sidewalk. It has become an unconscious act --- avoiding the scene of a heinous crime.

Quite by chance, we came upon the opportunity to acquire some of the wood from our beloved trees. About two years ago, we were at a gathering when the hostess showed us wine glass stems made from the wood of the Handley trees. We were stunned and shocked as well as pleasantly surprised. When we inquired abut how to obtain the wood, we were directed to a local company that sold wood. My husband high-tailed it to the company and bought most of what was left. 

The wood is a gorgeous color, it made a wonderful kitchen table. Now we have a small portion of the trees we use daily. It’s better than nothing but we still miss those amazing trees.

Winchester is designated as a tree city, but after this tree annihilation, I cannot imagine how the title was bestowed.

Frances