Recent case in point: Donna has been enlisted as an honorary Santa's Elf. She planned ahead. She brought out her sewing machine. She visited fabric stores to buy the necessary material and go-withs. Here in the Branson area, that in itself is a quite a chore. There are no fabric stores. A Walmart in West Branson--20 miles and 45 minutes from us--was found to carry usable fabric, thread and patterns. Two other nearby Walmarts do not carry any fabric at all. Donna bought her necessities and was excited to begin her sewing project for that jolly old man from up north.
The dining table was cleared and an additional leaf was inserted to give more space. Patterns were lain out, pinned and cut. The sewing machine was dusted off, the task lamp was placed just right and other sewing needs were placed to be handy. But wait. What's this? No electrical cord for the sewing machine! Several choice words were spoken and/or left unsaid. A search high and low was begun to locate that wayward power cord. But where could it be hiding? Did you check there? Yes. There? Of course I did. The cord must have escaped during the night as she was sure it was right there with the machine. Nope.
After several hours of consternation and tearing through this house on wheels, the problem was solved. The cord must have been left 600 miles north of here in a storage shed. It was placed in a bag of also missing books all prepped for a journey south. Apparently, the bag desired a colder climate.
Several choices were available. (1) Wait until we go north for the holidays to retrieve the cord and sew like mad to meet Santa's demands. (2) Order a new cord from the Internet. (3) Try to buy one locally. (4) Punt. The first option was impractical so Donna searched the Internet and found a cord for her Brother brand machine. With shipping it would have cost nearly $40. Not gonna happen. Considering the problem finding even a spool of thread locally, finding a shop which carries a power cord for a specific machine seemed far out of the question. The Internet save the day. Donna located a sewing machine repair facility and other possible shops in Springfield--about 40 minutes north. Road trip.
We left shortly after breakfast and after the commuter traffic had eased. Donna got out her phone and activated the GPS to ensure we could find the primary location. If that store did not have the cord, she also had a second possible place. We got into Springfield and merged onto another four lane highway. Turn here, she said. Where? The driver was obviously not in tune with the demand. There! Why is it that it is always the driver's fault? Oops, missed the exit. OK, we will try this other place first and then come back. We found our destination--a sewing machine shop and classroom on the southwest side of Springfield, Told the clerk of the problem. Cord was identified in a catalog. They could get the cord in two weeks for $16. Maybe we should try the primary shop first and then, if they don't have it, we could return and order from here. As we were about to leave, one clerk said to the other "Couldn't we just take one from one of the used machines?'" "That should work" came the reply. Sure enough. They had the perfect cord on a used machine. Only the cord was brand new. Someone else must have had the same disappearing cord problem. Donna exchanged $9 for a new cord. Eureka (oh, Brother!).
So we are with cord and happy. Santa has been reassured, and project deadlines will be met, The cold rain has given way to a bright, cloudless sky.
Today is a good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment