I am glad I asked ...
I made a quick job-interview-trip to Cali, spent time with the parents, aunts and uncle ... I did not have a readily available travel project, so I packed a couple of crochet hooks and J's Mahou no tawash / Magic Scrubber Part 2 book (and the elephant pic on flickr). I managed a little simple one on Thursday night, with Daiso antibacterial yarn*.
I made plans with Joanne (and Will), lucky me she had a holiday on Friday, so she and Will were in town. I talked them into going to Santa Cruz ( pics on flickr of food with parents & aunts & uncle and Santa Cruz). She is the recipient of all my tawashis, she has the genetic disposition to like cute.
me: (hands Jo the elephant)
Jo: Oh! an elephant. I haven't used the others. I did not want to dunk them.
me: Oh yea. I wouldn't want to dunk them either. (hands her the simple flower one) You want this one too? You should feel ok dunking this one.
Heh. We don't have any issues.
Saturday morning came too quickly, I sat down at the table after I finished packing. I asked Mom about the table cloth (prompted by J's comment on the tawashi pic)
me: where did this come from?
mom: oh, this? heh. I've got a story ... I got this in Hong Kong**, many years ago... finding a table cloth for an oval table is [more] difficult [than a rectangular table]. It was slightly bigger than the table so I trimmed it (I had noticed the edge is 'odd'). Then it shrunk and now it is too small. Oh and I was cutting cloth [for sewing] and accidentally cut the table cloth too. I've been wanting to replace it. Do you want it?
me: nah, not now, maybe after you found a replacement. You did not wash it before you trimmed it?
Mom is a very good seamstress and made many clothes for me when I was younger. She also wanted to try on the sweater I was knitting for her, to make adjustments, before wash. Sometimes, she really surprises me.
Then... she went OH! and proceeded to pull out ... a pile from the linen closet.
mom: I didn't know whether you like these [ol school crochet table cloth]. You never said anything.
me: well. I had no appreciation for them until I learned how to knit and crochet.
mom: These have been hoarding space in the closet. I had no use for them, and couldn't bare to throw them away. Here. Take them.
So while I dutifully stuffed the pile into my already packed-with-more-food-than-clothes suitcase, I reminded myself to be careful what I say to mom, and contemplated what I will do with this pile - see pic on flickr.
Btw, I was feeling both old and nostalgic when I saw black skinny jeans + doc marten + black flag t-shirt in Santa Cruz.
*why yes. I do have a Daiso antibacterial (ahem, plus other yarn) stash in my parents' closet.
** Hi! I can't wait to go back to Hong Kong, with empty suitcases for all sorts of goodies.
