Work Breeds Work

As the saying goes, "What you focus on, you attract." The other day my father commented to me, "You're business is going up," I thought for a minute. "Yes, it is," I answered. "Etsy gives me my stats, and they are moving in the right direction." My father has that kind of a mind. He is always totaling up the profit and loss of things. Thirty years ago, when we went to my close friend's wedding,  he was shocked that everyone was served prime rib. "Geez!" he exclaimed. "That's $30.00 a plate!" I chuckled, because it hadn't even dawned on me to think about the cost. My dad owned his own business, though. He kept careful records of his mileage, his customers, his sales, everything. He also had it all memorized. I find now that I am the same way. I tend to remember the details about my students and my customers. My father comes home and reviews all of his bridge hands. It must run in the family. Having that sort of memory came in handy when I was a professional dancer. You have to memorize numerous routines very quickly when you work in show business. The same goes for your music and your songs. It really works the mind to its full capacity.

Yesterday I woke up to another Etsy order for goat's milk soap. I finished breakfast, bagged the soaps, wrote out the labels, and then headed over to the library. Once I had printed out the shipping label, packing slip, and notepaper, I drove down the street to the post office. Orders of two soaps fit easily into a small priority mail box. This one was going to Staten Island, New York. I like this method, because it is very fast. Quite often people will have their soaps in two days, all the way from one coast to the other. Most people really appreciate fast shipping. I like to get my orders out first thing in the morning.

I'm nearly done with the alpaca throw that I've been knitting for my friend. I'm using the last ball of yarn. I love knitting these; they are so rewarding. It's nice to do something that's quick, easy, and luxurious. I just emailed him a photo of how it's looking,  and he's very happy with it. It sure is spectacular yarn. The quality of the wool makes all the difference. This is hand dyed, and it has received numerous compliments out in the community. People can really sense when something is valuable. Yarns have changed so much in the past fifty years. My parents marveled at the difference in the blankets that I knit them, as compared to some they had received from a friend. They didn't understand it. Finally I told them, "Well, the yarn alone was $20.00 a skein. It's  alpaca. It's like cashmere." "We didn't have yarn like this growing up," my parents replied. I think most people at that time bought yarn at Ben Franklin or Woolworths.  Even though my parents don't knit, they immediately felt, saw, and  sensed the difference. It made me giggle. My dad told me about a cashmere and cotton sweater that he has, and how much he loves it. I nodded. With proper care, these items will last a lifetime. I am wearing my mom's cashmere sweaters now. They still look like new, even though they are several years old. I wash them carefully by hand, and lay them flat to dry.

Once this blanket is done, I will block it, wrap it, and ship it off the NYC. Next on the list is the baby blanket. I also plan to make another batch of goat's milk soap. Last night my father asked me, "Are you making more soap?" "You probably should," he added. I laughed and answered, "Yes, even though it's 107 degrees."  Parents are always right.