I Am a Self-Confessed, Unrepentant Sockophile

I got the funniest facebook note the other day. I was dithering over attending the upcoming spinning guild meeting, which was on December 11th. Unfortunately, the annual Honeoye Rotary Christmas Bazaar was also that Saturday. And the Christmas Bazaar is a huuuuuge family tradition for us. I fill the car with neighborhood kids with their lists of friends and family to buy for, and we race to Honeoye, hoping to be first in line. And then I send my kid and his friends in with an elf, and they shop for like, 2 hours, while I eat cookies and wait.

They let the adults in after an hour and a half, and I swoop in to see if there's anything left. Slim pickings after all those kids have swarmed through buying new and gently used stuff donated by the local businesses and townspeople, but I usually find something. The kids, meantime, get their gifts wrapped, then we haul out and see Santa and Mrs. Claus, which is a hoot because I was definitely in the fifth grade with Santa, and I am quite sure I twirled batons with Mrs. Claus when I was in the fifth grade. We take pictures, and then we leave, and somehow my collection of kids always has twelve times as many bags of gently used treasures as the other kids. What can I say? Three of the kids had 25 names on their lists - each. Two of them got through their lists, one laid down on the floor halfway through and moaned.

Absolutely the best Santa ever

Yeah, that's my trunk, filled with "treasures"

Oh, now you're wondering what I scored at the Christmas Bazaar, aren't you? Handknit potholders. Much nicer ones than I could ever make. Some lady went absolutely WILD. They had three garbage bags full. I'm hopeful that they save their leftovers for next year. I could use more than the 12 that I bought.

But back to the amusing mailnote.

The reason I was dithering was that it was possible, with a certain amount of Herculean effort, to get back from the Bazaar and go to the guild meeting. Possible, but painful. After I got home, I laid down on the couch, and the phone rang, and I hollered out to my husband, "I CANNOT STAND UP." You're probably thinking I'm a weak woman, but really, you try herding four hepped up kids, each toting $20 at an event that sells most of its stuff for 50 cents each. Herding Cats, that's all I'm saying.

But, for one person, I was willing to get up. Yes, for Georgia, Knitter of Socks. She made me those amazing alpaca bunny socks, and I owe her fiber, but she doesn't come to guild because she has a Saturday commitment. But I wrote to her anyway, and told her that if she was going, then by golly, I would haul out my stuff and go too. Fortunately, she said she was busy with her other commitment, so I got to stay home after all. But she sent one final note, after I offered to bring stuff the next time she knew she was coming, and I thought it was just too funny:

Cool - Let me know when you need some more socks.

Oh Georgia, you funny, funny girl. I've already worn through the bunny alpaca socks, and had to look up darning, which I am actually going to learn how to do, just because I love those socks so much.