BLOGAHOMA

The priciest thing I owned as a child was my glasses. True they were clinic glasses those semi transparent orange-ish/ pinkish generic frame but most everything else in my little life was second hand. I didn’t hate them as when I finally put them on at age four because I was no longer walking into walls or tripping down stairs, however, once I hit school age I realize quickly that the kids that wore the same frame were marked as “clinic kids” or needy.  By high school I was going to a local ophthalmologist and able to choose my own frames keeping price in mind.

Contact lenses were never an option for my monocular, amblyopic, astigmatic, farsighted vision I then need to really like my frames. Before the Internet you had to trust that your eye doctor had interesting frames. That didn’t happen until I went to Dr. Robert Sunkle in 1978 that got in trendy eyewear for artists such as my husband and myself. And it didn’t hurt that Doc was friend and neighbor and would deliver the new frames to your home. One of my favorite frames of that era is the Silhouette steam-punk style frame I selected in 1980.  I wore them off and on for 8 years. I keep them for the time that I will put a new prescription in it. Then the wonderful world of eBay and e-market opened up a whole world of selection. The last four frames I purchased through eBay. One of my all time favorites was a rectangular matte silver pair by Prada and I would still be wearing them if it wasn’t for an unfortunate tumble I took that blackened my eye and broke the frame arm rendering them unwearable.

Three weeks ago I went completely madcap and purchased “new old stock” modified cat-eye shaped ORANGE frames on a “buy it now” on eBay. Aptly named “Vivacious” and made by the American Optical Co they are stand outs. No sense being timid at 66. Orange is my favorite color after all. They are bound to clash with some of my clothes but that’s the way it goes. I’d have a second neutral pair if I could but my lenses alone are over $250. A second pair is not an option for me. Going vintage has an advantage if you want to stand out in a crowd because you won’t see yourself coming and going. Today I surfed the net I found the oversized, modified cat-eye frame is back. These retro frames sell at 3 times what I paid from mine. Do I wish I had “good” eyes? YES, a thousand times, YES, but by being very choosy about my frames I have made the best of a less than perfect situation.

Avoid the craziness and find unique and made in Oklahoma gifts. The owners are personable and helpful and will make your shopping pleasant.

In the past I have bought gourmet treats from Lulabelles, a stuffed buffalo toy from the Laughing Lizard, lucious home made fudge from the Medicine Park Ice Cream & Candy Co, wine as a hostess gift at the Winery of the Wichita, blankets from the Rusty Buffalo, fun jewelry from the Raspberry Leopard, and motorcycle tshirt from Chaps My Ass. This year the puppies will find a treat from the Cobblestone Doghouse.

I hate house cleaning. Growing up we were not allowed to use the word “hate”. We were allowed to say I dislike intensely. Either way it is how I feel about cleaning. I remember as a married adult sitting across from my parents as we had dinner out. I was going on about my career and creative endeavors and how, since both my husband and I worked, we might get someone once a week to help clean. My mother chimed in with “a woman’s work should be her joy”. My father spoke for me and said “Catherine, Muriel hates cleaning”. Father knows best. No longer tied to corporate jobs we have a small house with all tile floors to make it easier to keep clean however when the floor feels gritty under your hard soled shoes, there’s no getting around it you gotta mop. It will take nothing short of hour to do it. So I keep buying mops that promise it will make cleaning a breeze. Don’t believe it. The last one I bought had promise, a sturdy sponge like attachment with an ergonomic slant so you could lean into the dirt to scrub but….. didn’t they go ahead and got another vendor to make the replacement mop heads. They were softer so the scrub potential was no longer where it should be. So this week shopping I figured someone may have developed better mop. (I have an uncanny or maybe canny way of knowing when a cooler product has hit the market.)

So last visit to Walmart I noticed a new Rubbermaid Mop, Self-Wringing, Ratchet Twist with a Cotton Head. Sure it was a few dollars more but it looked pretty tough and Rubbermaid has never let me down. I noted it was the only one left! None of these silly synthetic heads for me. So I got home filled a bucket and began to use it. I like the self-wringing feature. It is an easy to use gizmo and makes this funky ratchet noise to let you know it doing the job.  So the mop itself because it is the rag style glides easily under furniture, under kitchen overhangs, around toilet bases and in corners. It doesn’t puddle because of it’s efficient wringing. So the first run was pretty good. I am still an enchanted mopper. The novelty may wear off but as long as it keep doing a good job I’ll just put on my ipod and lose myself in the song “Venomous” by Trevor Hall, for that hour of mopping floors.

Another image from my past just flashed through my head. My mother vacuuming our second hand carpets with the Electrolux singing “Do Wa Diddy” by Manfred Mann. And it occurs to me that maybe mother disliked cleaning in a intense way.