Bidding Battles

All lovely things will have an ending.

-Conrad Aiken

You sweet people remember Victoria magazine, don't you? Surely you do. The beautiful magazine that hundreds of us mourned when it came to an end? I have small stacks of them that are strictly off limits to any scrapbooking, tear-sheet, or daydream board-mania I fall into. At Freeman House, Victoria is sacrosanct. They, along with the Bible I've used since I was 15, are the two things (besides the kitty) that I would grab if this old place ever caught fire.

I got a little birthday money from my grandmothers, bless them. Yesterday, while awaiting my lunch partner, I called up eBay on the old cell phone. Well, what do you know. There was a bidding set to end in 7 hours for 29 pristine Victoria magazines. Most of which I didn't have. I nearly choked as I punched out my bid - $21.00! - and hit "place bid". I don't recall a word of what was said at lunch. The only thing I kept wondering was, Have I been outbid? Have I?

Miraculously, I wasn't! I've seen Victorias go for hundreds of dollars before on eBay. But not yesterday. Yesterday my grandmothers bought me 29 issues of Victoria magazine. Thank you, ladies! I will wait at the mail box everyday until Junior (the female mail carrier) brings them to my door.

But I'm glad the tiny bit of bidding excitement is over. I'm convinced that adding even one more thing or activity to my life will cause my head to roll off. A revised bid came in yesterday for more work at Freeman House. More bidding. Yikes! There are many Excel spreadsheets to review and haggle over. And of course, I make all the worker men sign my Rule #1: No smoking in Freeman House. It's necessary. Cigarette smoke makes my eyes burn and pour and it seems "smoking like a chimney" is a prerequisite to being trained as a worker man. Oh! Also the pH balance of the soil must be attended to today... Echinacea needs planting... Jeep is being recalled... taxes are due... work report is due... custom aprons need to be finished... sheets washed... 1 p.m. meeting... uggh! [Smile]

Now I remember why I loved Victoria so much. They are a respite from our lives, aren't they?

By the way, I'm already looking forward to the Second Annual Cupcake Day. The first ended up being more like a Cupcake Passover, in that the production of masses of delightful cupcakes was passed over for a trip to Best Buy to procure printer ink and a camera repair. Next year we'll make more than one dozen. We'll do it up right, I tell you. We will finally have that cupcake tower!

Until then, I think there's a great cupcake picture in the March 1998 issue of Victoria. Maybe that will hold us over for another 364 days...

Hope your busy day is wonderful! -Brin