Tuesday, April 3

Blow or Show?

I got the idea, looking at the 3+ boxes of facial tissue I went through last week, that perhaps it is time to experiment with handkerchiefs. Without going into all the details of all my nose-blowing habits (can you say "allergic rhinitis"? I knew you could!), I do seem to be the kind of person who could benefit from using a handkerchief during the day and tossing it into the dirty laundry at night and selecting a new one in the morning with my underwear.


So I went handkerchief shopping. I have memories of running across them in the past... they'd be hanging out by the ties in the men's section of the department store. But the department store I visited didn't carry them. I tried using a bandanna from a craft store, but it was too rough and too big to stuff in my pocket. A friend of mine suggested looking at a Men's Warehouse. So last night I was walking from the restaurant where I had dinner to the office supply store to get some garden planning materials and I looked up and realized I was walking by a Men's Warehouse. I walked in, scouted out the tie section, didn't see anything and wondered whether handkerchiefs were so far gone from our psyche that they aren't stocked even here... when a guy behind the registers asked if he could help me find anything. I said, "handkerchiefs" and he said, "Show or Blow?" Which was a really cool way of saying they are still pretty common, but there are two kinds.

So I got myself a baker's dozen for a buck apiece, and we'll see how this goes. At least I know no old-growth forests are being cut down so I can wipe my nose this week.

~~~~~~~~~

I have been mulling over that couplet from "The Night Before Christmas":

Ma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled down for a long winter's nap
and that got me to wondering what a "kerchief" was to have this common use... here's the Wikipedia link for those of you whose minds wander like mine. ;-)

4 comments:

Crunchy Chicken said...

Yikes. I'm at the tail end of a head cold and I couldn't even imagine not having my 6 Kleenex boxes stationed around the house.

Susanna Donato said...

Nice blog! For a cold it's one thing - we always use tissues for sicky germs. But a few years ago I made my husband (a major nose blower) a batch of about a dozen handkerchiefs out of natural-colored flannel. They are awesome - no leaks (ew), just as good now as they were then. I just cut squares of flannel about 7-8" square, then did a zigzag stitch around the edges. Very easy if you have a sewing machine ... I've been thinking about making or buying more.

Anne said...

I agree. Throw the germs away. I have been trying to figure out whether the landfill, the compost heap, or the fireplace is the best destination though.

Speaking of flannel, I found this stuff yesterday: http://pacificcoast.net/%7Emanymoons/flannel.html

I'm thinking about making and tie-dying my own.

Susanna Donato said...

Ha, the flannel was left over from my project making a copy of Glad Rags. I just busted them out again from where they'd become buried in a closet (some 'authentic' and some homemade). I have a laundry sink and a perfect strainer pot to store them in.

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NotSoBigLiving is the story of a woman inspired by Sarah Susanka, Bill McKibben, Airstreams, Tumbleweed houses, Mennonites, Jimmy Carter, hippies, survivalists, Anasazi, Pema Chodron and Joko Beck, Scott Peck, Buckminster Fuller, and Al Gore to see what she can do to reduce her carbon footprint in her mid-80's suburban townhome. Strategies include roommates, alternative travel, organic eating, planting a victory garden, mindfulness, and a belly full of laughter.