As my darling husband would say - "I'll be dipped" which is a favorite saying that he heard on one of the car shows that he watches.

I'll be dipped indeed. Because here I am, tippy tapping another post only days after my last one. It's a miracle! Was I dropped on the head? Did I suddenly lose my sense of reason? Yeah nah, I'm just here because time is no longer for wasting and I may have a little more of it on my hands than I used to. And instead of dutifully folding the freshly dried laundry, I'm opting to spend my time today on more creative pursuits. Did some work this morning on dyeing fabrics, painted some of the concrete items that I've made, tidied up the basement a little bit, took some photos. It's been really nice....to ignore laundry and have a bit of "me time", slow down a little and just do some things I've been finding hard to find the time to do.

Anyway, I'm actually here for another purpose because I always have a lot to say about time but I'll save that for.....another time. I'm here today to talk about SHOPPING! A topic that quite a few of us could chew over considerably for hours. And I'll admit, I like shopping. It doesn't suck. As someone who has a past in retail, I've run the gamut from selling perfume, medications and condoms at a pharmacy (my first real job leaving school) to working at a high end department store. And also have worked at a less high end department store. So yep, I know my way around a mall, can visual merchandise like a champ, schmooze a customer into buying things they may not have originally planned, do a solid "open palm directional gesture" because pointing to where the mens jocks are is inappropriate and even 20 years after leaving the fancy store, can remember my register PIN number with clarity. No, I'll not be sharing those digits.

So as a consumer, I know what I like, know what I want and as I get older, know I don't need as much in life but I DO however want quality. And many may giggle since they know my years of hitting bargain stores, estate sales, thrift stores and so forth - and my love of a good garage sale. Let's not forget that! And I admit, I have a lot of stuff. But those days are beginning to fade - I no longer have much interest in getting out there looking for things that I don't really need. And I'm more driven now to get rid of the things that I do have in order to enjoy my quality of life better, surrounded by less. Quality over quantity - that is where I am now. And quite frankly, I'd much rather put my money into locally made or artisan than blow a wad of cash on more useless things that fill up our home.

I heard a saying in 2020, one of our favorite TV shows (hint drop: cowboys) was airing mid year and the characters were discussing the price of saddles and western wear. And one came out with the zinger "Cool shit ain't cheap, cheap shit ain't cool" and you know what? That really stuck with me and got me to thinking more about that. Consumerism runs all over the board and there is definitely a mentality of "cheap is best" - mass produced items from an international market, sent here for us to buy buy buy and then eventually it all gets pitched away and becomes landfill or clutter in thrift stores. Yet in the past year, I've heard the battle cry of "Buy American!" - more now than I've ever heard it. Buy Made in The USA! And yet, I wonder how many of those people saying it would pay an extra $10 more for something made in America instead of trotting off to Wallyworld and buying it for $10 less.....and it was made in China. Sadly, I think many would do the latter, not the former.

It's hard to change a collective mentality that is so great. I'm just as guilty as the next for being thrifty. But I've discovered that I'm okay letting go of many of the excess things I have in our home (vintage clothing for starters) in order to pay that little more for QUALITY and even more so, LOCAL. Yes, local made is a thing here in Dayton and it's growing and booming! Not just items that are in the more artistic and decorative realm, but items that are functional and practical. And that's where I want to keep my support going. These small businesses have worked hard, hustled even harder and put their time in to get themselves out there. They put their hearts and souls into what they do, what they create and deserve to charge accordingly. And I for one, will be happy to give them my support as much as I can. From food to furniture, hot sauce to hops, ceramics to cheese, art to aprons, bakers to booze - Dayton has a lot to offer with some pretty incredible creators and merchants out there as well as people offering services. And I look forward to exploring them all as time and funds permit.

So that's kind of all I really wanted to say here and the main point being, please try to shop local when you can and support the makers and shakers. Please don't be a cheap arse and try to bargain these people down or whine about the prices. They are just trying to make a living like anyone else and don't deserve to be treated with less respect just because they charge a little more than what you'd pay at the big box stores. You support the creators, you are helping them LIVE. And that's worth far more than a house full of cheap junk.

Well, time to wrap things up and before I go, I'd like to share a photo of a pair of great earrings that I purchased from a local artist - this guy creates the most beautiful decorative goods as well as extremely functional pieces out of skateboards! YES! REALLY! He does his thing, recycles old skateboards and makes divine works of art from all that. And I know that years from now, I'll still cherish them because I know where they were made, who made them and the love and care that went into them. And I hope that when I made my purchase, he did a little happy dance....because I can tell you right now, I did a little happy dance when I got them.

Righto - off I go for now. The laundry awaits my return to the real world.

Stay well, stay happy and stay out of trouble. And please....support local.

Sam.