In the Style of "Alice's Restaurant"

I received the following email from my father today. I think it's the longest email he's ever sent me:

"I found the receipt from Target it was in a pile of papers on the kitchen counter, I remember now finding it in the bag and taking it out before I used the bag to collect the rubbish in it was a nice big bag and held a lot of rubbish when I was done collecting the rubbish I put the Target bag in another bag of rubbish put a sticker on it and put in the rubbish barrell and dragged it out to the street for pickup the next day and then the big truck comes around and a guy jumps out and picks up the barrell and dumps the rubbish in the back of the big truck the truck drives off with rubbish and takes up to Coventry (thats near Newport) and dumps the whole thing in a hole that someone dug. So I guess the next thing would be to snail mail you the reciept from Target that I found in the big bag and used to collect the garbage in that I put in the rubbish barrell for pickup by a big truck and a trip to Coventry to be dumped in a hole in the ground. I hope this explains everything without going into a lot of detail. Dad."


To which I replied:
"Dearest Father Collector of Trash in Target bags,
Yes, please send me the Target receipt  that was once in a Target bag which you found and thankfully saved and put in a pile of other papers , via snail mail in a stamped envelope with my address on it and your return address on it and walk it to the post-office and drop it into the mail box or slot where it'll get picked up by a mail carrier and taken to a sorting center in VT and then to another sorting in MA and then to Northampton and then to the Hatfield post office and then into a plastic bin and the postal carrier who drives the red jeep will put into into my cluster mailbox in front of our house one day soon and I'll retrieve it with my little key that unlocks the mailbox and I'll carry it into the house and open the envelope and be able to return the footstool to Target which is just a few inches to tall and makes the backs of my knees stretch in an uncomfortable position and is also the wrong shape so Trevor and I can't share since he wants a corner and it's round and therefore has no corners. Thank you.
Love,
Nancy

He explains his odd behavior in the following email:
"maybe I have been listening to Arlo Guthrie sing 'Alices Restaurant' too much Arlo is the son of folk singer Woody Guthrie. Arlo Guthrie lives somewere in your area, his father wrote a lot of folk songs and was Bob Dylan's idol. Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman but changed it to Bob Dylan to honor Dylan Thomas he wrote poems not music like Bob Dylan did. You can get anything you want at Alices restaurant.  Dad."

It's November and approaching Thanksgiving and not at all unusual for Dad to be overdosing on Alice's Restaurant. I'm not worried. Really,  I'm not.

Introducing: The Java Jacket

I found a pattern for Java Jackets somewhere in my cyber travels and crocheted a couple of them this summer which I sold at the Sales Table at camp this summer. On the ride home, I crocheted another out of some yarn that my sister Wendy gave me. It's Vermont yarn, spun and dyed in VT. I've been carrying one with me and using it whenever I order a hot beverage in a coffee shop.

I've also been conducting an informal survey of coffee shop staff. Here's the informal results of my informal survey: over 95% of respondents agree that the java jacket is cool. The same 95% think that all customers should use the java jacket. The very same 95% think it's an environmentally-friendly product. Let's forget for the moment that we're still all using a paper coffee cup! The java jacket is small and can fit in your pocket or purse.

Thankfully, my product has attracted the attention of the buyer for a natural foods store in Newport, VT. I'll be producing 12! Yes, a dozen! For SALE at Newport Natural Foods in Newport, VT. The above, in red, is my favorite. I've made a total of 4 so far, one of which I ripped out. One is in the works. I've given myself a deadline of November 30th. No problem. I can make 9 more in.... what's today???

Little Trip to the NEK

That white stuff floating in the air? It's snow! We spent a few days at Little Newfield in Island Pond, VT because we could. There was a dusting of snow on the ground both mornings we were there. We kept the woodstove going and got the little cabin quite toasty. The cabin is a "chop wood" kind of place. Thankfully, it's no longer a "carry water". And since it's off the grid, yes, it's also a "do dishes" kind of place too. Two out of three isn't bad. It's better in my opinion.

I spent most of my time reading for an upcoming assignment in one of my classes. I did make a short trip to the Island Pond Public Library to check my email and (ahem) update my Facebook status. I thought I might try to do a bit of work while I was there but I was very distracted by the library director who was talking rather loudly to someone on the phone. Geez! We're in a library! And from the sounds of the conversation, I'm not even sure if we were in the same library. He was making it out to sound like it was a lot bigger than it really is. Don't get me wrong, I love the Island Pond Public Library. It's a really nice little library. But their catalog isn't on-line...and they don't have a website....

Trevor spent his time doing crossword puzzles, reading science fiction, splitting wood, and cranking the radio. We listen to a Canadian radio station that's en Francais and really enjoy being out of touch with the US while we're still in the US.

Just before we left, when the propane was shut off and all of our stuff packed into the truck, Trevor made a valient effort at turning off the water beneath the cabin. But since we didn't know that the shut off valve was wrapped in a foot of insulation, he never found it. The owner will ask a friend to turn it off.

We hope to get up there again but we may have to schlep our stuff in on a toboggin.