Farewell, Time Warp

I was quite bummed out today to discover that Ortwine Hardware--a crusty True Value hardware store and craft supply shop--has closed, after 70 years in business. I have made numerous trips there to poke around in the dust and grime to discover trims/fabric/hairnets/cake decorating supplies, as well as all of these delightfully creepy doll faces. The story goes that the current owner's parents wanted to run a shop together: he liked hardware, she liked crafting, and so the wonderfully weird Ortwine Hardware and Appliances opened in 1946.

I thought I had blogged about it before but am unable to find the blog post...

Not sure what caused the closure (I can imagine, though)--the store is locked up (and reported on Yelp as being closed permanently) but all of the stuff is still inside. How I wish I could get back in and buy more! (The vintage Hong Kong doll faces are depleted, alas--last time I went, all that were left were recent "made in China" ones--but the bolts and bolts of fabric and velvet ribbon! Oh my...)

Farewell, Ortwine's...you shall be missed.

Baby McSkunkerson...

...was stuck in a rat trap. Poor little thing somehow got its front leg stuck in the side of this rat trap--not a snap trap, it's the kind that has poison inside--and was desperately trying to get it off (including chewing on its leg).

I called Animal Control but couldn't wait (doctor appointment); they did come, and they did free the little one and took it away (some plumbers working nearby gave me the details). Yay for Animal Control, who actually came relatively quickly (and left me a message saying they were on their way after a stop at a vet office). And a shout-out to Miss Robin from Various and Sunday--we are longstanding partners-in-crime when it comes to rescuing animals!

I hope little Monsieur LePew is resting safely somewhere tonight. Poor baby. Skunks are actually very cute! (And even if they weren't, every living thing deserves to be treated with kindness.)

Be well, little McSkunkerson!

Travelogous Interruptus

This is how I feel right now...I'm traveling and my wireless mouse won't work. Meanwhile, the touchpad on my laptop is so sensitive that all I have to do is breathe on it and it deletes, cuts, pastes, calls China...blergh. More later!

The fellow above is on the Duomo's exterior...

Power Outage, Blogging Lateage

Glad this little guy is smiling--the power went out here about 3:40 this afternoon and came back on at about 11:45. News flash: there is not a lot for one person to do in the dark (B. is away).

Reading by flashlight, while perhaps alluring when we were kids, now induces headaches; trying to knit also seemed to be asking for a disaster. So I thought deep thoughts (like when should I open the freezer and eat the ice cream?)--nah, mostly I napped!

Epic Fail

I used to love the drive-in theatre, didn't you? It was so fun...

Not anymore: we tried to go to the South Bay Drive-In (cute website, no?) to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Captain America (mostly, for me, it was just a chance to go to a drive-in--unless those apes are wearing Regency-style empire-waisted dresses and walking in an English garden waiting for Mr. Darcy or Mr. Knightly or Henry VIII, not so excited!).

Anyway: we get there; there are three screens, and it's crowded--I, of course, am thinking, "Good for them--they'll survive where so many others haven't."

We drive over to Screen Three and try to park. Not many spaces left, and we had to park in the "truck and SUV" section because we have a small SUV. Every spot we found was A) behind a vehicle where the people had turned the car around and had the back hatch up, blocking the screen; B) behind a car with 4 or 5 or more kids up on top of an already tall SUV, blocking the screen; or C) next to yahoos who had spread out on all sides of their cars as if tailgating, with lawn chairs and coolers and who knows what else, making it very hard to fit your car in next to them. And then there were the people with their bass-heavy stereos turned up to 11.

So we left. Before the movie started. Drove home. Had some ice cream and watched a video.

Le sigh. Damn people (a favorite catch-all phrase in our household!). Try it--you'll find it appropriate in many situations.