Author: Belinda O

Well, a sign of the times–my local yarn shop (LYS) is closing its doors the end of August.

I haven’t actually asked the owners why this is happening. I can only guess. Perhaps online shopping is digging into their sales (although yarn is so tactile, there is nothing online that can compare with holding it in your hands) or the pandemic put them so far behind they haven’t been able to catch up. One way or the other, I’m assuming sales are down.

Or perhaps they’re being forced out of their building by land developers, who are rampant in the area, and they know they won’t be able to rent anything else for the same price.

All speculation.

What I know for sure is this: I will miss them. I’ve been an avid knitter for 43 years, and never lived in a town without at least one yarn store. Some have definitely been better than others, but they all provided me with what I needed. Not just yarn, but the supplies you sometimes forget about when you’re starting a project, like the right size needles.

Don’t tell me I can buy yarn at Hobby Lobby or Walmart. Nuh-uh. It’s not the same as the top quality yarn you can purchase at a LYS. There’s something wonderful about discovering a new merino wool, re-discovering Shetland wool or finding out there is such a thing as machine washable alpaca. You don’t get that at chain stores.

And yarn stores have been more than a place to purchase supplies. I’ve met some of my closest friends in them, debated relationships around the stitch-and-bitch tables, taken refuge during some of my saddest days. They are community centers as much as they are places to shop, full of character and spirit.

So I’m mourning the loss of a brick-and-mortar friend. Farewell, good buddy.

---

Image Credits : yarn © Maciej Bledowski–stock.adobe.com; women knitting © AboutLife–stock.adobe.com

Okay, he’s had nothing to complain about. But it’s Caturday, which means I’m home, and he and Mimi get my full attention–if they want it. Right now Mimi’s under the bed and Walter’s on the windowsill, so I have a moment to myself.

Image credits: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws in Heart © Bigstock

I’m ahead of the game here, folks, because usually I post these holidays in the evening, after we’ve had a fair chance to celebrate. But this one deserves a little forewarning, so you can plan a little.

Okay, I don’t really expect anyone out there to kiss someone you wouldn’t otherwise touch. Apparently the whole idea of this day came, at least in part, from the whole idea of kissing someone you have a crush on, something I would never have dreamed of doing. And likely never will dream of doing, for multiple reasons.

But make tomorrow’s kisses a little extra special, just to celebrate. And don’t limit yourself to romantic kisses. Try kissing a baby. Kiss someone on the cheek. Kiss your cats.

Just pucker up.

Image credits: Woman kissing ©  studiostoks–stock.adobe.com.

Good grief, someone actually thought it was a good idea to make a holiday out of eating cookie dough. Don’t get me wrong, in my time I’ve barreled my way through plenty of chocolate chip cookie dough (and isn’t that what most of us think of when it comes to eating the gooey stuff?). My brother used to make cookies just to eat the dough, and then he’d leave the baking to me. Well, that was the idea, anyway.

So today, let’s celebrate one really bad–and potentially dangerous–habit. I’m only going to dream of the stuff, but someday I’ll make that dream come true.