Sunday 10 December 2017

What Would You Do?

This weekend I travelled to Niagara Falls to visit my mother.  London is about half-way and a good spot for a break.  Sometimes I stop to eat but more often I detour to shop.  Len's Mill Store this trip.  I wanted to pick up some rip-stop nylon if possible.  My mother likes to make aprons for her church bazaar.  She still thinks it is 1975 when it comes to how much cotton fabric costs.  I look for deals and pick up fabric for her.  Len's is always a good place to look.  Found some pretty cotton mill ends.  I picked up some rip-stop nylon in dark blue and bright yellow.  Also found some heavy nylon fabric I thought I could use.  Even located some flannelette I liked for a nightgown.

While at the cutting table I spied the notice for Len's unusual sale.  Sing four lines of any Christmas song at the cash-out and get a 25% discount on your entire purchase.   That means I could get a discount on regular and sale items.  It meant anything I wanted in the store was 25% off!  I did what any one else would do.  I picked up a couple more items I wanted and tried to remember the words to a Christmas song - any Christmas song.  It is harder than it should be.  Now a 25% discount is a 25% discount.  What would you do?

I got to the cash.  There was one lady in front of me and no one behind.  The lady in front wanted purple sequined cushions which the cashier located for her.  She cashed out - no singing.

I stepped up and asked, "How loud do you have to sing?" 
Cashier: "No mention of volume."
Me: "I should warn you I can't sing."

I break out with Feliz Navidad.  Somehow of all the great Christmas songs this is the only song I can think of at that moment. 

My goodness, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen has been around since 1760.  Silent Night has been a favourite since 1818 and all I can think of is Feliz Navidad and I am not in any way any part Spanish!

Once I start I have to finish the whole first verse.  I just have to be sure I cover four lines - I don't know how much represents a line of song.  Sometimes I can be such an overachiever.

Me: "Is that enough?"
Cashier: "Oh yeah!" 

I look around.  There are now at least 6 people in line behind me; all staring.  As I said I really can't sing.  I say, "There's a 25% discount."  The next lady in line says she doesn't know that song.  I say it can be any Christmas song.

I turn to the cashier and ask, "Do many people sing?"  She drops her head and I watch the white pompoms on the ends of the two cabled tails on her Santa hat swing back and forth as her head signals no.  (I want her hat!)

I get my 25% discount which comes to over $25.  I feel like I just got paid to perform.  Does this make me a professional?

On the knitting front ...

I finished the character hat.  I saw a reindeer tea cozy in  Christmas Knits Book 2.  I thought it would make a great hat.  I really didn't think it through though.  On an adult head what should be the front of the hat will actually be on top of the head.  Someone has to be taller than the wearer to see the character on the hat.  This  of course is not a problem if a child wears it.


An adult has to wear it backwards.  The adult now has eyes in the back of the head or people laughing behind their back.


I used one ball of Cariboo by Hikoo  (too bad I bought 3) and some left over red and brown Paton's DK for the nose and antlers.  The eyes are plain black shank buttons.

Progress on the sweater back.


The sock is longer.



My mother goes to sleep early so after I checked into the hotel I went for a walk.  It has been 30 years since I lived in Niagara Falls and that long since I walked along River Road to view the Falls at night.  I took my camera.  I don't take night scenes very often.  I could not remember the right white balance setting for night lights.  In fact, in the dark I could not see the camera settings at all.  The only light available to me was the Christmas lighting in the park.  Good thing I do not really care what strangers think of me.  I take my camera up to the light display and hold it right up against the light string to see what I am doing.  I picked a setting for the ISO and white balance and hoped for the best.

I was sorry I did not bring a tripod.  The exposure lengths I  needed really necessitated one.  As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.  Here are my really bad night scenes of Niagara Falls Festival of Lights.

Braced on a garbage receptacle.


Braced on the limestone fence blocks at the cliff edge,



Braced on the telephone infrastructure box in front of the Niagara Parks Police headquarters.



Braced on the ugliest fence I have ever seen to keep the tourists from falling into the fake pond.


After the fence stopped vibrating after the boy ran into it.



Braced on the fence surrounding the war memorial at the base of Clifton Hill.



This is all the time I have for this post.  I am off to the Party Store.  Closing sale - 35% discount and I don't have to sing (if I don't want to)!

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