Thursday, September 22, 2011

It's the economy, stupid

My excuse for not exercising
This 1992 slogan from Bill Clinton's campaign is ringing in my ears these days.  As probably happens to many of you, my stomach churns each evening while watching the national news.  I hear this slogan when I hear stories about my hard working friends who are barely hanging on, and I hear it when I see my friends and family struggling to pay astronomical prices for health care (not to mention the ones who just can't pay for it at all).  I hear it when I hear stories about what's happening to internet sales, and I hear it when I see how many businesses have had to close in our little mountain town the last couple of years (including my own).  I hear it when the homeless people I see now are no longer only disenfranchised mentally ill people and alcoholics who are down and out.  It is, quite frankly, haunting me.  I wonder, sometimes, how things will ever get right, at least in my lifetime.  (Please note: I don't profess to have any big answers, and I try hard to keep my politics off this blog...usually.)


Just a sampling of what's getting purged
So having shared my angst with you, I'll proceed to babble about some other things in progress.  After returning to Taos a week ago, I decided it was time to purge more of my mess; this time starting with knitting books.  When I had the yarn shop, just about every book we ordered came home with me (she said, greedily).  Now that my knitting projects are mostly for donation, and simple patterns, I've decided to clear the shelves.  This week I listed over 20 books on Amazon, sold two promptly, and then this morning, checked my listings page:  all but about 3 of my listings have been plowed under by newer listings, in some cases cutting my asking price in more than half (it's the economy, stupid).  Books that were considered collectible a couple of years ago, and sold for big bucks, are now being dumped for next to nothing (ditto).  I am starting to think that I'd be better off re-shelving the most precious and donating the rest to the library.  My primary concern is that these books end up in the hands of someone who will love them.  What to do???

In the meantime...Monte (MyMixMix.etsy.com), Anila (Widdershinwoolworks.etsy.com) and Shelley (HeadleyGrange.etsy.com) and I have decided to stage a "porch sale" at my former shop location in Arroyo Seco next week.  They'll be selling their gorgeous hand spun yarns and hand painted fibers.  I'll be trying to sell the last of my shop inventory, which includes commercial yarns, needles, books, notions, and lots of free patterns.  If you are in the area or know of someone who might be in town for the Taos Wool Festival, please share this information:

Porch Sale at Taos Sunflower
Friday, September 30 from 9:30-3:00
located in Arroyo Seco behind the Doug West Gallery
(our same old shop location)

Well, back to the shelves.  If you look carefully, you'll see the tiny face of my enemy lying in wait on the floor...alongside my other enemy, the duster.  Wish me luck.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

oh i'd love to be there with you all...

Taos Sunflower said...

That would be so great!!

Robyn said...

I wanna come!!

And you are right - it is scary what is happening because people haven't yet realized that we are in this together. I get the most scared when I see and hear attacks on poor people, as if they are the problem. Oh my...what have we created?

Taos Sunflower said...

You're so right, Robyn. Oprah has always said that many of us are only a few paychecks away from being homeless, and now it is coming to pass...it's like America has been on one big drunken spending spree for so many years, no one knows how to act sober.

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