Today’s ramble concerns the return of the gremlins. One of our A-Z Challenge blogs (G) described their presence in our basement where all my sewing equipment is kept. Since that time, we (the gremlins and I) have been maintaining an uneasy truce. Well, this morning, I’m feeling rather warlike. I’ve been re-covering a couple of chair pads for our patio chairs, and needed some hook and loop fasteners for the ties – we used to call it Velcro, but since that’s a patented brand name, I should probably try to stay out of trouble. Well, back to the story.
When I opened the plastic drawer that I keep spare fasteners in, there was a big, tangled mess to greet me; and when I say big, I mean BIG! Years ago, someone who had worked on an international exposition of some kind, gave me about thirty feet of hook and loop fasteners – thirty feet of each kind – it’s backed with heavy duty ‘stick to anything’ double faced tape. Apparently, you aren’t allowed to deface ancient European halls with nail or screw holes in order to hang exhibits from your native land. Patriotism does not excuse defacing historic buildings.
The stuff is wonderful, as long as you treat it with respect, part of which involves keeping the hooks away from the loops until you’re ready to use it. Suffice to say that once they are joined, the hooks and loops do not separate easily... and the glue backing... we won’t even discuss the backing. The gremlins had better keep a very low profile for a while. At the moment, I’m gunning for them. Supernatural, imaginary beings, or not, they won’t stand a chance!
On a happier note – while walking back from fitness class (our instructor of the day was a man I secretly call ‘J who tries to kill us’), I saw an enormous, jewel-toned dragonfly dancing in the sunlight, showing off its beauty and skill simply for the joy of it, and because it could – a small gift to lift my spirits.
J, by the way, is a wonderful instructor. He works hard to help us improve our fitness levels and he seems to care about us, but he shows no mercy. Are you listening gremlins? I’m going to take a page out of J’s (instruction) book, and apply it to you. Gremlins beware!