Oct 18

It's cold enough to retrieve the old quilts from the cedar chest. One contains fabric from high school days, like my mother's dresses, my jackets, my dad's pants, my brothers' shirts and swimsuits. The quilt smelled like mildew, so I washed it in vinegar, then another round with soap, both on the regular cycle. The embroidery held, but the backing fell off. So it is being repaired with thread and hand stitching.

It has reminded me of working as a bartender at The Mariner, an upscale restaurant where I learned how to make pousse cafe drinks. I was trying to quit smoking at the time. To keep my hands busy, I hand sewed 3 vests while tending bar, (the Mariner wasn't very busy in Nebraska) quit smoking, and finished 3 rather nice vests that never made it into a quilt.

So the moral is?

The samskara, or pool of the subconscious, is vast and holds old habits that die hard. One lapse and you'll be sleeping in mildew and stealing cigarettes.