Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Obcessive Compulsive...



I've determined that I'm a bit OCD. I'm not the type that has to wash my hands everytime I touch something. I'm definately no "Monk".
I've been watching my behavior over the past several years tho, and I do think I tend to obcess over the things that interest me.
For example. I used to crochet lace doilies. I bought every pattern book I could get my hands on. Produced doilies one right after another. Had every color of thread. Even bought yarn and crocheted a few afghans, but liked doilies better.
Got into romance novels. Would spend hours reading, and go through 7 or 8 books a week. The lady that owned the used book store became one of my best friends!
More recently, I became interested in scrapbooking. Oh my! How I loved it...would spend hours or sometimes days rearranging a layout until I was pleased with it. That lasted five or six years, and then we bought the camper. And along with the camper, we bought a dutch oven. Then two. Then three. I now have six of them...along with other cast iron...muffin pans...waffle irons...skillets...and trivets! Oh my...the trivets! My kitchen walls are lined with them...and I'm still trying to collect the JZH alphabet series of trivets! I find one now and again....but am not collecting the cast iron like I was...and in fact am selling some of it, everything that I don't actually use.
I decided to lose weight, and successfully shed 105 lbs. I did it by being obcessive about it. I learned everything I could about weight loss, and spent hours on www.caloriecount.about.com . I counted every calorie that went into my mouth...obcessively.
My current love? Sewing, quilting, and sewing machines! This one started when William bought me a Janome for my last birthday. Oh how I LOVE that machine! Then...I saw a 1912 Singer treadle machine in a local antique store. I fell in love! I'd always liked the look of the antique treadle machines, and I pestered William until he bought it for me.
A couple of months later, we were wandering in a thrift store, and there she was! A 1957 Kenmore in a cabinet! And oh my! They only wanted $15 for her! A friend of mine had cams so that the decorative stitch feature would work, she stitches beautifully!
Two weeks ago, we were wandering in a furniture store...they sell higher end used furniture. There we found her...a Wheeler & Wilson #8 treadle machine, made in about 1880. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL machine and cabinet! William bought her for me....had to...the price was absolutely right!
Again today...wandering once more in a thrift store, I happened along a sewing machine cabinet, $35 price tag. Butt ugly pressed wood cabinet, did not expect it to hold anything of real interest, but I opened the lid anyway. Inside was a wonderful 1951 Centenial badged Singer model 201!! I checked it out, no power cord....and there was that butt ugly cabinet! I went and got Willaim...he had stayed in the car...and had him come look at it. Told him that we should maybe make an offer on it..say $15. He did, and they said "Yes"!!! It's an electric machine, with what's known as a "potted motor"...(means the motor is intregal, and the machine is gear driven) Without the power cord, all we can do is make sure it will form a stitch using the handwheel. It does...very nicely! Now as long as the motor runs, we'll be doing good! Well...that and getting rid of that butt ugly cabinet! ;)

Just in case you think I'm slipping by not offering an opinion? I still don't have much respect for the Obama regime... I think he's going to make things pretty tough on all of us for the next two years, until we can get him voted out of office. I didn't like my other choices for the presidency either, I don't like Hillary just because I don't like the woman, and while John McCain was an alright kind of guy, Sarah Palin pretty much turned my stomach.
If only the government would consult me directly about these things...I'm pretty sure I could get this country straightened out!! ~wink and a grin~