“Orange” You Glad The Rock Tumbler Is Done?

First, an update. The rock tumbler has finally stopped its machinations. It hasn’t been quite a week yet since I added the last grit, but we’ve lost power twice in the meantime, which kicks the tumbler off until we restart it, and honestly, I don’t have the patience to wait 5 more days. I took the rocks out and rinsed them in a colander and I think they look really beautiful, although at least half of them are a LOT smaller than they started out to be, and some of the smaller ones have disappeared completely, which I suppose is only natural, or unnatural I suppose, since it’s really an accelerated process, and finally, a lot of them, unexpectedly, are ORANGE. I got a lot of fantastic ideas from the comments in my last post, including using broken vintage wine goblets to make “sea glass”, so that’s next on the agenda if the weather continues charming. Well, it was charming today, but’s it’s been a shitstorm of a week weather-wise here. The west half of the country, which is usually soaking wet, is burning, and in my part of the world, it’s been raining non-stop. Ken and I were looking at videos of Atlas from August two years ago, and the front lawn was crispy and brown; this August, it’s as lush and green. But here are the “fruits” of my labours:

At any rate, I don’t have anything else specific to focus on this week, so here are a few vignettes:

1) I had to work yesterday at the antique market because they were short-staffed. As I went by a booth that sells mostly lamps, I saw a family of four standing in it, surrounded by the lamps. The father was smelling his fingers, and as I watched, he offered them to his wife, who also smelled them somewhat appraisingly and furrowed her brow. Then it was the oldest child’s turn—he pointed at one of the lamps questioningly, and then the dad shrugged. Did I ask what they were doing? No, I DID NOT. Did I go back later and smell the lamps myself? Also, NO, I DID NOT. There are some things you’re better off not knowing.

2) Last week, I was on Facebook Marketplace and I saw this ad:

And I have several things to say about this. First, Jacquie Butler is a strange name for a cat, but I kind of like it, like I can imagine being upstairs and wanting your cat to come and snuggle you and calling out, “Jacquie—get your sweet little Butt-ler up here!”. Second, I’m very impressed that Jacquie the cat has not only mastered the use of a computer keyboard but has her own private messaging service AND a private income. And finally, if you know anything at all about cats, this ad makes total sense. Every cat I’ve ever known has loved boxes and will sit in them whenever the opportunity arises. And not just boxes—I read once that if you created a square on your floor with painter’s tape and your cat saw it, your cat would immediately come over and sit inside the square. I didn’t believe it until we tried it, and our cat at the time, Raven, ran over without any hesitation and sat right in the middle of it. I’ll bet Jacquie would do the same thing, given her penchant for boxes and all.

3) And while I was browsing Marketplace, I saw this ad for a free computer:

My only thought was this: Are they still together, and he’s going to give away her Macbook without telling her? Also, why would you not at least try to get your money back? Macbooks are way too expensive for revenge giveaways. And was she cheating with another man, or did she cheat on a diet, like she ate the birthday cake after she promised to cut down on calories? I’m torn—I kind of want to know the whole back story, while at the same time, I don’t want to know the whole back story. Somehow though, I think his wife is better off without either him or the computer. Maybe she was the one who posted the laughing emoji response.

I also have to work today, so let’s hope there’s no more lamp-smelling shenanigans. Wish me luck.

30 thoughts on ““Orange” You Glad The Rock Tumbler Is Done?”

  4. I like that you’ve got some “Dalmatian” rocks in there. There’s a rock called “Dalmatian jasper” and I don’t know if that’s what those are but they’re popular in jewelry. And I want to know if the MacBook is actually haunted. Maybe you can’t sell it. It’s a cursed item that has to be taken willingly. This guy who doesn’t even have a wife has made up this elaborate ruse of revenge just to get the Steve Jobs demon on to another target. There’s your backstory.

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  6. It looks like you also have some tigers eye and maybe an amethyst. They all sook spectacular! What the hell with the lamp touching, finger smelling family!? That’s just weird because old lamps probably smell musty of if they come from a smokers house, like cigarette smoke. But standing around and having your entire family smell your fingers after you’ve touched something, anything is wacko.

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  7. The rocks came out lovely. What a lot of work though. Glass sounds like good idea, sort of. Be careful of all that glass dust. And I can’t believe what you find on FB Marketplace. What a hoot. I hope Jacquie gets lots of boxes in which to sit her Butler. 🙂

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  8. “Do my fingers smell like team spirit?”
    “Mmm, smells more like a short circuit.”
    “The movie?”
    “What movie?”
    “Are you asking us to pull your finger?”
    “Get that finger out of your ear, you don’t know where that finger’s been!”
    “Oh, that movie.”

    Shiny rocks. Nice. You can give those out at Halloween. Of course, kids will try and eat them. Sounds like another one of those cooking shows, Will It Rock?

    ISO boxes? International Standards Organization? I doubt very much that cat is in compliance.

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  12. I think the lamp family simply have a collective, very dry sense of humor and probably do this or some variant of it everywhere they go. It’s possible that it’s good for the occasional free cheeseburger or what-have-you. And I’ll bet when they’re outside, they all look up at the sky until everyone around them is looking up to see what it is. (bird, plane, etc.) Then they go home and make prank phone calls. These people are toxic and you want to steer clear of them.
    That’s great about the macbook. Every item should have a story, no matter how absolutely stupid. I have some limited experience selling a few motorcycles on Craigslist, and I learned that it helps to have a story. At least a lot of people on there think so, even if “wife says it has to go or she goes” is the story. Although my favorites are “small dent in tank from previous owner,” and “I purchased this from the guy who bought it from the original owner.” I’m like, wow, that thing must be in nearly the same condition as a bike half its age will become after one more owner, provided the tank is not dented. Or something.

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