NO MORE CHEAP CLOTHES FROM CHINA?

Have you looked through your closet lately? If you take the time to look at the labels, you will see that 90% of recent purchases have a Made In China label. Wow. Are the Chinese the only ones who know how to sew? I’m not sure, but I’m thinking these new tariffs may signal the end. No more cheap clothes from China.

When I was a child, “store bought” clothes were for people of means. Most lower and middle class people made their own clothes. Now, sewing your own clothes is a choice, not a necessity.

I still made my clothes until I was about 30. That’s when store clothes got so cheap that it was more actually more expensive to buy the pattern and materials to construct your own garments. A lot of those first cheap clothes came from places like Bangladesh and the Philippines. But now, almost all imported clothes are from China.

No More Cheap Clothes From China — IF WE CAN’T BUY CHEAP CLOTHES FROM CHINA, MAYBE WE CAN SEW OUR OWN

Sewing was actually fun. First, you sat down at the pattern table and looked through the books to find exactly the dress or outfit that you wanted. Once you decided on a pattern, it was sheer pleasure to look through all the fabrics and pick out something that would give you a one -of- a- kind dress. You never had to worry about running into someone with a dress exactly like yours, and no one had the slightest idea what you paid for it. We even made pretty dresses out of feed sacks!

Young girls were taught to sew before they were teenagers. My best friend’s mother worked at Singer Sewing shop—a busy store with many customers who paid the salary of this single Mom supporting three kids. She loved her work, even gave sewing lessons. My own mom was kind of a slap dash seamstress, but this lady taught me the importance of following patterns exactly—a skill that has helped me follow directions for all kinds of self-assembled products.

Women used to make their own clothes before they were so cheap from China — SEWING YOUR OWN CLOTHES USED TO BE COST EFFECTIVE

Store bought clothing was expensive in the old days because it was made in America. Garment workers didn’t make much but it was a lot more than people in China, where the average wage per month is $270 in terms of US Dollars. A factory worker in China may work over sixteen hours, sometimes six days a week. The pay for all of this overtime is sometimes as low as 55 cents per hour.

If we can’t get cheap clothes from China because of new tariffs, will that be such a bad thing? Maybe young girls will get off their cell phones and start making their own clothes . Or garment workers in the USA will have more job opportunities. And we won’t have to feel guilty about that “bargain” coat from China made by women who are forced to work in sweat shops for low wages.

May 13, 2019May 23, 2019

CITY BASHES SENIOR TRASH CANS

Managing trash can be difficult for seniors who want to stay in their own homes. Those big, ugly heavy trash containers must be hidden from the street except on trash collection days. When it got too hard to drag the big cans along our driveway, we prevailed upon the city garbage collectors to give us two smaller cans, which made the entire task doable. They grudgingly agreed to bring us two of the smaller containers. That went on for a few years. But then, last week, the city bashed our senior trash cans.

dRAGGING LARGE TRASH CAN MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR SENIORS TO STAY IN THEIR OWN HOMESS IT — DRAGGING HEAVY TRASH CANS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ELDERLY

Here how it happened.: When I went to get the morning newspaper, I saw that the cans hadn’t yet been emptied. While I walked upstairs, my husband heard the rumble of the garbage truck. By the time we had our coffee and read the newspaper, we saw that the blue cans had disappeared!

Our city has a contract with a waste management company, and believe me, there are big bucks involved. Once upon a time, they provided the handicapped and elderly with smaller, lightweight containers. Then, they decided it was too much bother picking them up with their automated trucks. They made it clear they weren’t happy when we demanded the smaller cans. Grudgingly, they went along with the deal, but finally, they put an end to it all this week by throwing our cans into their shredder.

When I called to complain, I was informed by both the company and the mayor’s office that they couldn’t locate any more of the little containers. They could only provide us with another, large container. It had to be done their way, or no way.

Many seniors have children living nearby who can help out. Unfortunately, our children are scattered across the country. These are the kinds of problems that force seniors into retirement homes before they really want to give up their independence.

After I voiced my unhappiness with their blatant disregard for the needs of the elderly/ handicapped , the mayor’s office called my husband. They said that if we would leave our trash can out where it was in plain view from the street, a trash collector would perform the difficult??? task of walking a few feet to manually pick up the can and feed the contents into the truck. It remains to be seen how long they are willing to do this. Or, will they pull another vanishing act?

We have paid our taxes in this community for over 50 years. Is it too much to ask for a little consideration for citizens over the age of 80? Maybe so.

Follow Up: Trash can was not picked up when promised and as of today, May 19, it is still full, despite repeated e mails from mayor’s office saying that Republic will pick it up.

May 24: A miracle just happened. This afternoon, Republic brought us two of the smaller cans for handicapped people. They are exactly like the ones they shredded last week. I guess they decided that would be easier than putting up with our constant complaints. As my husband said, ‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

May 12, 2019May 26, 2019

LAST CHANCE FOR FREE BOOK

This is the last chance for you to download a free copy of my husband’s memoir. A PREACHER CALLED SINN will be FREE Sunday, May 12 @

This book tells the story of the way my husband and I overcame the difficulties of divorce in the eighties, and defied convention to meet each other before internet dating sites even existed. When we finally married over the objections of family and friends, we thought our troubles were over, Little did we know that the worst was yet to come.

. Here is a brief synopsis:

“The seeds of my undoing as a Protestant minister may have begun with my name.”

In 1995, Duane Sinn endured a brutal media attack that nearly destroyed him. How could this have happened to a young man who left the farm, served his country, and struggled twelve long years to get through seminary while working full time, and raising a family?

Duane bares his soul in this raw, honest memoir, writing about the heartbreak of his first marriage, the highs and lows of his troubled ministry, and his unlikely entrance into the rough and tumble world of politics.

A PREACHER CALLED SINN is a coming of age story that transitions into Duane’s life as a Protestant minister who falls in and out of love, starts over more than once, yet always remains true to himself.

About the Author:

Rev. M. Duane Sinn was raised on a farm in Nebraska, and attended the University of Nebraska for one year before joining the Army Air Corps during the Korean War.

Upon discharge from Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii, Duane returned to Nebraska with his wife and twin sons to attend college and work various jobs: insurance salesman, radio announcer, window dresser, ladies lingerie clerk, and part time minister, just to name a few. It would take twelve years to earn his bachelor’s degree from Hastings College and finally, his Master of Divinity Degree from Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

In 1968, he came to Terre Haute, Indiana as the Methodist campus minister for Indiana State University and Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. Twelve years later, he joined LBJ’s War on Poverty as Executive Director of the Western Indiana Community Action Agency.

Fiercely independent, Duane has always followed his own moral compass when faced with difficult choices. He has been married to author Lucia Sinn for thirty two years, and they have six grown children.

Get a Free copy of Amazon Kindle book: A Preacher Called Sinn , Thursday through Sunday @ http://bit.ly/1HOFqpG

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019

VAPING GRANDPA GREETS SCHOOL BUS

While driving home from the mall on a winding road, I came to a stop behind a school bus as a young girl disembarked. Since I was several cars back, I could see the child running up the hill toward a house at the top. A gray haired man coming from the opposite direction came to greet her. A tender moment, yes? Except, he was surrounded by a vaporous cloud coming from his right hand. I’m not sure if he was her grandpa or another relative, but it seemed like a bad thing to do. Should a vaping grandpa greet the school bus?

Grandparents who vape grew up when it was commen to smoke around children — SHOULD A VAPING GRANDPA DITCH HIS E-CIGARETTE WHEN HIS GRANDCHILD IS AROUND?

When I was a child, most adults smoked—including my parents. Consequently, I started smoking as a teenager. That was the tobacco industry’s heyday. No one connected smoking with cancer. Cigarette ads featured movie stars who made it seem glamorous. On college campuses, free cigarettes were passed out to encourage smokers to start smoking particular brands. It took me 20 years to stop smoking.

Fast forward to the 21^st century. Exposing children to secondhand smoke is considered child abuse. Parents who smoke go outside and hide behind the garage to vape. For their own sake, I wish they could quit, but at least they are trying to protect their children.

Let’s go back to Grandpa, and give him some credit. Maybe he’s turned to vaping as an attempt to reduce his addiction to nicotine. Perhaps he was outside with the idea of having a smoke before his granddaughter got home from school. Maybe she arrived earlier than expected. But still, he had to have seen her running up the hill. Why didn’t he ditch the e cigarette the moment he spotted her? He’s obviously a caring person who loves the little girl. She isn’t a latchkey kid. She has someone waiting for her to get off the school bus. So, he’s doing a good thing, there. But, in a few years, she will be a teenager, and she will know exactly how to vape.

According to statistics compiled from 2011 to 1015, vaping is the most popular form of tobacco use among teens. In the US, e-cigarette use rose by 900 percent among high school students..

By 2016, over two million middle and high school students had tried e cigarettes. 40 percent of vapers from age 18 to 24 had not been smokers before.

A growing body of research suggests that that vaping is dangerous for teens.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/teen-vaping/

Stop vaping, Grandpa!

May 3, 2019May 4, 2019

TEARING MY HAIR WITH TECH SUPPORT

It started out like any other day. As I was leaving Tai Chi, I tried calling my husband to tell him that I was stopping by Kroger’s. Because he’s handicapped, I like to let him know if I’m going to be a little late. I hit our home number and waited for the ring tone. Nothing. Dead silence. Tried again. No sound at all, even though my phone said it was calling that number. When I got home, my husband said he hadn’t received my call. That’s when I started tearing my hair with tech support.

It's frustrating to spend several hours on the phone with tech support — IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL HOURS WITH TECH SUPPORT TO FIND A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM

Called our wireless provider, Spectrum, got connected to the usual automated voice message where you have to tell them who you are, where you live, what’s on your mind, etc.

Once the robot found no outage in our area, I was connected to a real live tech support person with a strange accent who talked so fast that I had to ask her to repeat herself. First, she checked to see if my home landline had my cell number blocked. No, it didn’t. Techie said it was probably something wrong at AT&T.

To reach a real live person at AT&T, had to go through numerous steps : enter forgotten pass code, get a new one, identify myself in various ways. After about 30 minutes, got a support person who got impatient when I asked her to speak clearly, and slow down. First question: was cell phone number blocked? No, Spectrum had assured me I had no numbers blocked. AT&T used their cell phone to call my home. It went right through, so they said it wasn’t their fault, but they would run some tests and get back to me.

Next morning nothing had changed. Cell couldn’t call home. I wondered if something was wrong with my Apple iPhone. Maybe the settings were wrong. Again, Apple had me enter user name and pass code, long forgotten. Took about half an hour to receive numerous e mails, find user name, put in a new password, etc. First question: Did my home phone have blocked numbers? No.

Apple said to refresh my software. This meant I had to sign up for I Tunes in order to save all my data. It was a lengthy ordeal, but after about an hour, my phone had been completely updated. Great!

Now, tried to call my landline again. Still didn’t go through. Apple said it was probably AT&T’s fault.

Called AT&T back, went through all the rigmarole to identify myself. This time, got a person who spoke plain English. I told her everything that had happened, and she said to go to phone settings. There was an item at the bottom of the list, SHOW MY CALLER ID. She asked me if that button was on or off. It was on. She said to turn it off. Voila! My call to my landline went through. One tiny little setting had been causing the whole problem.

Called Spectrum back and asked why they had assured me there were no blocked numbers on my phone. They sputtered around and said, well, your landline didn’t have a list of blocked numbers, but yes, there was a block on all calls with no caller ID. Whoa, Spectrum, why didn’t you tell me that yesterday? They could not explain, but did apologize.

Total time invested: 5 hours

Next day, had a problem with blue ray settings On TV. Another few hours before that got fixed by Sony.

Anyone over eighty should take a tranquilizer before they call tech support.

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019

WHY ARE WOMEN SO FICKLE?

Men have a bad reputation for being cheaters, but research has proven that women are far more fickle than men. This doesn’t mean they’re more apt to be unfaithful lovers. It’s just that they’re always changing their minds about what they like and don’t like. Psychologists say that men’s personalities are more predictable and stable. Why are women so fickle?

According to a report in Psychology today, a woman’s preference in men depends on where she is in her ovulatory cycle. Right before her “fertile” days, she’s more attracted to men with strong masculine traits. During the days in her cycle when she can’t conceive, she prefers men with softer features, less defined bodies, higher voices and a gentler manner. Yikes! No wonder a woman keeps changing her mind. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201011/the-double-life-women

But it may not be all hormonal. Studies show that females of all ages have less predictable personalities. The trend applies across the animal kingdom, from humans to birds, according to the review of 35 years of research. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article…/Females-fickle-nature-say-researchers.html

Some people prefer a male boss because female managers change their minds too often. They may give a directive that’s faithfully carried out, only to criticize what you’ve done because they have decided they want something different. One man complained that women bosses are “picky, irritable, and hard to please.” Most of us have had male bosses who would fit that description, but the constant changing of women’s fashions seems to prove that women’s preferences change far more frequently than men’s.

Women are wearing tights, but that may soon go out of stylet — Women of all ages are wearing tights today

The fashion industry is the largest benefactor of women’s fickle nature. Look back 50 years, and you’ll see photos of men wearing suits and ties very similar to what you see today. Women’s fashions change so frequently that they’re hard to keep up with.

Take the recent preference toward “tights” and leggings. At first it was just a fad for young girls, and then older women began wearing tights.

But have you noticed the latest style in pants? Culottes are making a big comeback. Wide legs are showing up in women’s clothing stores. . It won’t be long before tights are as outdated as bell bottoms. Fashion designers and clothing manufacturers know that women are fickle, and they love it. How else would they make so much money?