Trials and tribulations

Yes, it is cooler in here.

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Jinx had a bad experience the other day.
Alice and I were in the cellar, and suddenly, there was Sydney, perusing the unknown. When Alice picked her up and headed up the stairs with her, Jinx jumped off the stairs into the cellar, and ran.
Jinx has been in the studio since she was a few weeks old, I doubt that she remembers much else. She is skittish on her best day, but when she flew into the dark recesses of the basement, she knew she wasn't in Kansas anymore. She started wailing at the top of her lungs, racing back and forth. We tried to catch her, but she is fast. Then she jumped up on the old coal furnace; I was horrified she was going to fall into it. I was able to grab her by the back of her neck, just like her momma did once. Usually she is not fond of being held, but this day she seemed quite OK with it. She was shaking in my arms.
She was very happy to leave the cellar, and get back to her comfort zone.

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On Saturday, my DH and I went to a few local garage sales. I bought this lamp for $2, the lady said the bulb was gone. My husband said I was wasting my money, "You probably won't be able to find a bulb for it, and you'll end up throwing it in the dump."

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When I got it to the studio, I was determined to get the bulb out of it. But it wouldn't come out. So with my little screw driver in hand, I started taking it apart........and before you could say "you wasted $2", I had a pile of little pieces, tiny screws and tiny bolts with tiny nuts.
OMG.
I finally got the bulb out, and took it to Staples, and behold! They had it. $5.35
By this time, I realized that there was NO earthly reason for me to have taken the lamp apart. The bulb would have come out, in fact, quite easily, had I just known what I was doing.
I tried putting it back together, dropped little screws, little nuts on the floor. Got down on my hands and knees to search for them. Hot, sweaty, annoyed, I walked away.
Later I went back to it. I knew that I SHOULD be able to figure this out.
Do you ever hear little cheers in the back of your head???
C'mon, you can do it.....stop whining......let's go, let's go.
Ta da.
I love saying that.

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A couple of years ago, my husband bought me some electric scissors. To be honest, I didn't want to tell him, but they were useless. I was so used to cutting through a half inch of fabric with my Eastman Chickadee, I wasn't really into giving these scissors a chance.
But then I cut the tip of my thumb off with the Chickadee, cutting those heel strips in half. Because you have to pull them apart to cut them, your fingers are very near the blade. And suddenly, I saw the electric scissors. I picked them up, and tried them on a heel strip.
Wow. They not only cut it quite easily, but I knew that they would not be capable of the damage that the Chickadee is capable of.
But I couldn't find the cord to charge them with.
So I went to Sears, to see if I could buy another one. I did, and used that cord, and then promptly found the other cord.
So now I have two pairs. I use them to cut a single layer of fabric, too, and they are great.

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For $19.99, as opposed to over $300 for the Chickadee, these Black and Decker electric scissors are the best buy of the year. But they don't make them anymore, so if you want some, go to Sears, or anywhere they sell Black and Decker. And don't believe them when they say they don't have them. They told us that, too, but we looked around, and found them. Teenage boys are clueless about this stuff.
Little construction going on today, but not outside.......it was way too hot.
Here is my answer to not being able to clamp the tension box to a round back beam. I will let you know how this works out.

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I got a lot done today, even the studio was losing its cool.....really.
Rolled the newly dyed fabric into balls.

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I am exhausted now. Two more days of this heat, and then maybe back to a normal summer.

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That's all, folks.