Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week she asks the question, I don't know why, but Spring always makes me feel like I need a new outfit. What would you buy to welcome the new Season?
This is an odd topic for me, as i almost never feel like i need a new outfit, as far as clothes. If i have at least one pair of jeans with no holes in the knees (from kneeling to clean baseboards, i'm hard on knees of my clothing) and a few shirts without cleaner stains, one "nice" outfit for special occasions, and a couple of light dresses to wear around the house after work, i'm happy.
Unless my clothes are worn to rags, i generally go shop for new things once a year, while on vacation. That's about as much of it as i can stand.
The new "outfit" i need is outfitting my cleaning service with new gear, or tools, or equipment, or supplies, or whatever the accountant wants to call it.
Right now i could stand to outfit my business with new spray bottles. Most spray bottles are cheaply made and break frequently, especially if you use bleach in them. The spray mechanism don't like bleach. The bottles also don't really like living in the Jalopy and they get dry and brittle and crack if they are dropped once they get too old.
Once i lost nearly a whole diluted bottle of blue Fabuloso that way. Most of it ended up under Ms. J's dryer when the bottle hit the floor and cracked open, and i am blessed she loves the smell of it because it lasted until i got back two weeks later. It was faint by then, but i could still smell it.
Red-headed Alec has helped me many a time in my business, he's hard on equipment, though. Thus i could stand to outfit myself with a new mop. The one i have he broke, and though it works, i do have to be careful with it or the head comes off. Two new ones would be better.
My feather dusters have seen much better days. They are straggly looking things now, so i could stand to outfit myself with a couple of new ones. Only the really good feather dusters, the ones that are pure outer ostrich feather, will do. The outer feathers of an ostrich have no oil to them, and they create a natural electrostatic charge that makes dust cling to them until you take them outdoors and shake them. They do wear out, though.
A better broom would be nice, and i also need to outfit myself with more cleansers. Until i knew what the tax bill was for this year (and i only found out yesterday), i've been not buying anything that wasn't essential. Now that i know, i have a bit of breathing room, and i may go pick up a few things.
Other women's ideas of new outfits would probably be much more glamorous, but outfitting my business so i can keep working is my idea of money well spent.
Today is:
Adult Autism Awarenes Day -- sponsored by aheadd.org; i know the poster child!
Army Day -- Iran (Rouz-e-Artesh)
Easter Tuesday -- TAS, Australia; Cyprus; Nauru
Eighty-Niner Days Celebration -- Guthrie, OK, US (commemoration of the Oklahoma Territory Land Run of April 22, 1889, celebrating their heritage with chuck wagon feeds, "gunfights", a parade and carnival; through Sunday)
Global Days of Action on Military Spending -- sponsored by by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), through the 28th
Goddess Month of Maia begins
Income Tax Pay Day -- US
related observances:
Freak Out Day
National Griper's Day (after all, you have to pay your taxes)
Tax Resistors' Day -- good luck with that!
Independence Day -- Zimbabwe(1980)
International Amateur Radio Day/World Amateur Radio Day -- celebrating "ham radio" around the world ARRl
International Day for Monuments and Sites -- UNESCO
Invention Day -- Japan
Laundromat Day -- the first self-service "washateria" opened on this date in 1934 in Fort Worth, TX, US
Look-Alike Day -- internet generated, a day to try to look like someone you admire; some sites list it on the 20th
National Animal Cracker Day
Newspaper Columnists' Day -- The National Society of Newspaper Columnists in honor of the anniversary of the death of Ernie Pyle
Pesach/Passover -- Judaism (ends at sundown tonight)
Pet Owners Independence Day -- the day to let your pet do the work and chores while you lie around and enjoy having only the responsibilies of your pet; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays
Smile Big and Say Hi for No Particular Reason Day -- if some site gave the reason for this, it would defeat the purpose
Southland Provincial Anniversary Day -- Southland, NZ
St. Agapitus Day (Patron of Palestrina, Italy; against colic)
St. Agia's Day (Patron against lawsuits)
"Third World" Day -- the phrase was first used on this date in 1955
Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri -- Furukawa, Japan (one of the liveliest dance festivals, with elements of dance styles from around the country; through the 20th)
Anniversaries Today:
The University of Alabama is founded, 1831
Birthdays Today:
America Ferrara, 1984
Cheryl Ann Haworth, 1983
Melissa Joan Hart, 1976
Eli Roth, 1972
David Tennant, 1971
Maria Bello, 1967
Conan O'Brien, 1963
Eric McCormack, 1963
Jane Leeves, 1961
Eric Roberts, 1956
John James, 1956
John Pankow, 1954
Rick Moranis, 1954
Dorothy Lyman, 1947
James Woods, 1947
Hayley Mills, 1946
Robert Hooks, 1937
Barbara Hale, 1921
Leopold Stokowski, 1882
Samuel Earl "Wahoo Sam" Crawford, 1880
Clarence Darrow, 1857
Lucrezia Borgia, 1480
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Beauty and the Beast"(Musical), 1994
"Real People"(TV), 1979
"Call Me Mister"(Musical), 1946
Today in History:
Boleslaw Chrobry is crowned the first king of Poland, 1025
The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid, 1506
The Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History) is founded in Madrid, 1738
The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and William Dawes, upon seeing two lanterns in the church steeple, set out to warn that "The British are coming!" 1775
Fighting ceases in the American Revolutionary War, eight years to the day after it began, 1783
Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico, 1881
The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria, 1899
Denmark becomes the first country to formally adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals, 1902
Quetzaltenango, second largest city of Guatemala, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1902
The Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
The Los Angeles Times story on the Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement, 1906
The RMS Carpathia brings the Titanic survivors to NYC, 1912
"The House that Ruth Built," Yankee Stadium, opens, 1923
Simon and Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book, 1924
The first "washateria" (laundromat) opens, in Ft. Worth, Texas, 1934
The League of Nations is formally dissolved, 1949
29 nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference., 1955
A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound is to be released from an insane asylum, 1958
The Republic of Zimbabwe is officially established with the swearing in of Canaan Banana as its first President, 1980
The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, from the Triple-A International League, begin the longest game in professional baseball history, 33 innings, 1981
The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision, 2007
Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, two planets resembling planet Earth are discovered revolving around the star Kepler-62 in the habitable zone, an area around the stars whose atmospheric pressure can suport liquid water at the surface, 2013
I am also not into outfits shopping unless it is necessary. Nowadays, feather dusters, brooms and mops don't last like those old ones.
ReplyDeleteIt is money well spent. You have to have things to make your cleaning work for you. Your idea of outfitting is spot on if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
I need a new sleeve of golf balls.
ReplyDeleteI am like you in this manner, I wear clothes out of obvious necessity and I choose things that are comfortable, stylish or not. I try to look nice, but I am not one who loves shopping. I have one store where I buy nearly everything I wear. Being at home now, I am not adding things to my wardrobe.
ReplyDeleteI think your Spring shopping list sounds very practical and well thought-out, it is easier for you to do your job if you have the right tools and cleaning supplies, and I'm glad that you will have a little money to spend on them. I used to watch the staff who cleaned the office where I last worked try to use a broken vacuum, and make do (not always sucessfully) with a shortage of cleaning products, and I felt bad for them, because they took the heat for a contract employer that didn't provide sufficiently for them to do their jobs well.
You sound like my daughter when you say you don't need new clothes if you have at least one pair of jeans with no holes!
ReplyDeleteI'm her polar opposite. I love clothes and colour. I used to buy them more frequently in my 30s. Now in my 40s, I tend to enjoy wearing them. Don't save any for that special day anymore:)
When spring comes round, I get my cotton sarees out and enjoy wearing them.
Your spring shopping list would make a friend of mine (She's like Monica from Friends) very happy:)
O is for Observing the Ordinary
I'm like you for sure - while I love the *idea* of buying new clothes, I rarely ever do. When I have extra funds for such things, I tend to buy the *kids* new clothes instead, since they have a terrible habit of outgrowing theirs. ;) And, if there's extra moolah, I'll spend it on the kids randomly, or buy something for the house. Rarely do I ever spend it on myself! Hmmm...I might have to rethink that mode! :) Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteObviously, you are a pragmatic individual.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand the smell of most cleaners, but I buy Fabulosa because I like that smell too- not that I use if often though :) I need to do a big cleaning one of these days. I am glad you can go shopping for some supplies.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't "outfit" your business, how will you stay in business? Seems like a good position to be in to me. Then again, I always think it's ridiculous to spend money on things you don't really need… If I can make something work for me for two purposes, you can bet I will do it. :)
ReplyDeleteWith Love,
Mandy
I seldom buy myself new clothing either. I will likely get one new thing for the writing conference I'm going to in May. Mostly, I need a new screen door.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think I actually BUY jeans WITH the holes in them. LOL Ahhh, what we do for our image right? But you're correct - investing in our work is much wiser. I don't actually buy a lot of clothes since I am SAHM - but I do love to browse. I'm a professional browser :)
ReplyDelete