random thoughts – Day 1,866 – (Saturday) – treasure hunting

The rain came as forecast, but the Earth Day event scheduled for today had already been moved to the Sunday rain date, so there was no need to awaken early and check for a text update. With the schedule cleared, there was the chance to visit another thrift store to search for an Indian top for a costume for a dance in a June show, and materials to make a tasseled belt for another dance in the same show. There was better luck with the top at Savers in Nashua today. Yesterday, my beloved St. Vincent de Paul, which had lots of Indian tops when I didn’t need any, had none. It seems to be a shopping rule.

Top for a dance and shawl for whatever.

Today, there were seven or eight potential tops in my cart at Savers. They were ranked in order of prettiness and cost, and in some sort of shopping miracle, the one I liked best was also the lowest cost of the bunch. And the icing on the cake was that it fit when I tried it on over my shirt and jeans in the aisle, the only way to do it since the pandemic removal of fitting rooms. Now, it’s like a smaller, more civilized version of the days of the old Filene’s Basement in Boston with people trying things on in the aisles whatever way they can.

A piece of fabric that seems like a rectangular shawl but was labeled as “seasonal bedding” was bought because I couldn’t resist it. A brown curtain valance was bought because the fabric seems suitable for the dance belt that needs to be made. My mysterious fixation with plaid was nurtured with the addition of a pair of purple plaid shorts which will hopefully fit. Those are less easy to try on over jeans. I served as a neutral consultant concerning dresses. A guy stopped me in housewares to ask if my hair was natural and said, and I quote, “it is totally rock star.” Thank you very much, dear stranger. 

After Savers, there was a quick and less eventful trip to Michael’s down the street for tassels. It’s been ages since I was last in a Michael’s and it seems that sewing fabric and notions have been replaced by knitting materials and Cricut supplies, which really stinks with the recent demise of JoAnn Fabrics. The only tassels in Michael’s, which required professional help to find, were in the seasonal area, and were much too large for a belt. They were more suitable for a Downton Abbey bell pull in a fancy sitting room. Nobody asked me if a dress was too grandmotherly. Nobody called me a rock star. There were no tassels. Michael's was a bit boring, but overall the day was a success.