Ironing Wars

I love garage sales. When we bought our house, the first thing I did was scout the neighborhoods for sales to find everything. I came to Houston with only a Honda Fit's worth of stuff and needed everything, with the exception of a Jack Lalanne Juicer and NutriBullet. I like pulverizing food.
People's refuse and defunct valuables crack me up. I am amazed at what you can find, and what some people will actually buy! Broken furniture, a broken bucket, old playboy magazines, calendars from 10 years ago, orphaned dish sets, the list goes on. I once bargained with a guy over a rusty, beat-up, ironing board. He wanted $7. I offered $5. He shook his head 'no' and wouldn't take it. As I walked away, he stopped me and offered it to me for free, explaining he's "got quite a few already, so what the heck". "What the heck" is right.
$7 or Free. Those are interesting options.
And I'm curious why a person would collect ironing boards. Lot's of business meetings and too many shirts to iron? Maybe they hold smart-business-attire ironing contests during the evening to pass the time; I imagine them grabbing the stop watches, assuming their positions perched over blouses and blazers with hot iron in hand. Some chose to steam, some take the conservative approach and keep it high and dry. Some carry disadvantages like astigmatism, being a lefty, or having attention deficiencies. Others have years of experience training in different parts of the county, even having unique mastery of hotel ironing. But the judging is simple: speed, technique, and final product wearability.

Final wrinkle tally: 24 - 3 - 7. Betty is in the lead. Ooooh she ironed the Lycra! 2 point penalty.


Lately, I've been working weekends and really miss my drives through the neighborhoods. A few months ago I had a Saturday off and decided to visit my brother who lives 5 minutes away. On the way out of our subdivision, the streets lit up with yellow and orange and green hand written signs with arrows pointing in every direction. I had forgotten about my favorite past time. game on!

Stormie Omartian books on CD. Lot's of them. and other Christian books...hmmm let's see here. This gal must be a Christian. Sure enough she was. And we swapped phone numbers and quickly became friends. The funny thing is. Those books on CD continue to bless me. I've been listening here and there - and I felt the Lord speaking directly to me through these chapters. Start Writing. Stop being chicken. Do it.

By the way - there is a great education in listening to books on CD. First off - I never knew how to pronounce Stormie Omartian's name. I thought of martian, like Marvin the martian. The 't' happens to be strong. Second, I can sit in traffic and read and learn and be fed. Keeps me calm and relaxed while I'm moving 2 inches every 3 minutes. Houston traffic can test the fruit of the Spirit.