Friday, August 3, 2012

The Apron Odyssey


DD Lindsey enjoys cooking.  My BFF Denise promised to make aprons for her.  This started an epic that rivaled the travels of Odysseus.

Point A to Point B
Way back in April, while having a mini-vaction in Northern Virginia, Lindsey picked out fabric for aprons at G-Street Fabrics in Fairfax, VA .  I brought the fabric home with me while Linds went back to Charlottesville, VA.



Point B to Point C
In April, I was still working full time and distracted by my pending retirement.  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) It took quite a while before I sent the fabric off to Denise in New York State.



Point C to Point D
I don't know what distracted Denise, but it took some time before she finished the aprons and sent them back to me.  It took longer than necessary because USPS dropped the ball. She was promised the package would be delivered by a certain date but it never made it.  There were many worried and frantic phone calls while we waited for the package to appear – two days late.


It was worth the wait.  The aprons are great!  Denise and I learned how to sew together in junior high school.  She is an excellent seamstress, but doesn't sew lots of garments.  I still remember a suit she made over 20 years ago that inspired me to improve my sewing.

Why do I crave a big piece of pineapple upside-down cake?

There was enough fabric left for a second apron.


Point D to Point E
By this time, I'd retired and I was distracted by my new freedom (That's still my story and I'm still sticking to it!).  It took me weeks before I mailed the finished aprons to Lindsey.  Also by this time, she'd graduated, and started a job in Richmond.  I procrastinated even further on the pretense of waiting until she got a permanent address.


After USPS lied to Denise about delivery,  I used Delivery Confirmation so I'd know for sure when the aprons were delivered. I tracked the package and I called Lindsey to verify its arrival.  No package.  More worried and frantic phone calls.  Turns out, I neglected to include the apartment number on the package.  (Silly me.  Still distracted by my retirement, I guess.)  It stayed in the leasing office for three days while I worried it had been lost in the mail.


The distance between Point A, the point of purchase, and Point E, the final destination is 101 miles.  Yet the fabric traveled 866 miles to get to there.  The journey began on April 3 and ended three months later on July 20.  It would have been easier to teach the aprons to drive themselves to Richmond.



Getting the finished aprons to Lindsey did remind me of Odysseus and his little glitches.   Denise, Lindsey and I are all happy with the ending.  


4 comments:

  1. What a great story and so happy those darling aprons made their way to Lindsey.

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  2. What a great story! love the google maps!!

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  3. Teaching the aprons to drive themselves would REALLY have added a twist to this story. I am glad they made it safely. Is Lindsey cooking?

    Ernestine

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  4. What fun! Loved this post, and I'm enjoying very much reading about your adjustment to retirement. Power to the sewists!

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