Bead Shopping, Tempe Style

Being the beader that I am, and meeting with my nephew in Tempe, AZ, I searched the Internet to see if I could combine the need to bead with the reunion. After meeting with my nephew and his wife, having a great lunch at a wonderful bar full of Vikings fans (he is a Packer Backer), and great conversation, we eventually went our separate ways. I went to one of the bead stores I had located. I have seen advertising in the bead magazines. I thought I could get beads for a new project of delica beading. Purchasing online is my other option, but the color on the computer screen sometimes is incorrect. Just the nature of online shopping. To be able to see the colors side by side would make the selection easier. Delica beads come from Miyuki in Japan. These Japanese cylinder beads are wonderful for making beaded projects, especially the peyote stitch. The cylinders are uniform and fit together very well. Since I design in the peyote stitch, I nearly always bead in delicas. Bead Galore has a handbag policy. This is common in a lot of bead stores. Due to the nature of the store, there is a lot of shoplifting. I understand. I object to being classified as a potential shoplifter. But I digress. The store has a series of lockers with keys. You lock up your own purse. Fine. I like this method better than other methods such as locking your purse in your car, which means others have seen you place your valuables in your trunk and while inside, your car may be broken into and you purse stolen; or the other alternative is to hand your purse over to some random counter personnel. After locking up my purse, I shopped. I went up one aisle after another. No delicas. I went to a clerk and asked if they carried delicas. She had no idea what I was talking about. What? An employee in a bead store not knowing about a popular type of bead? Oh, just another job. I had a piece of jewelry I had beaded out of delicas. She seemed unimpressed. She called back to the back of the store asking the question about delicas. They did not carry delicas. Fine. I continued shopping and made a few selections. Common practice is to use a store provided basket, with zip lock baggies, a marker and as selections are made, the items are placed in a baggie and marked on the outside with quantity and price. This is a time saver at check out. The shopper is on their honor. I had made up one baggie for one selection which did not have a price. I made a selection of Silamide, a type of beading thread, and I failed to make a baggie, and I should have. Sorry. I also had two hanks of seed beads, and those were clearly marked. I retrieved my purse at the front of the store, and went back to the back of the store. The clerk read me the riot act about the lack of baggies used. I mean she really read me the riot act. I informed her that I would not be making another trip to that store because they did not carry delicas. She told me they did carry delicas, in black only. Really? Black only? A line of beads which consist of nearly one thousand colors, and they only carry black. She then took her time to make the REQUIRED baggies. I am thinking inventory. She tells me it is so they know how much to give back if I come back to refund or exchange. I tell here again, I am not coming back. She then used a calculator and a hand written receipt, to make the sale. Inventory was clearly not the issue. As I said. I will not go to Bead Galore in Tempe, AZ. They have a lot of seed beads, wooden beads, gem beads, findings, charms, art wire, pliers, other tools, etc. But no delicas, and poor customer service.

Danger in the dusk

I am sitting enjoying the evening air. I had removed some hay form the floor of the barn. Too old, too moldy to feed to the horses. In the twilight, I see that two rabbits have staked their claim on one of the piles. They are unaware that in the brush is danger. Danger in the dusk. A bobcat, nearly perfect blending of color matching the brush. He is slowly moving at the edge of the growth. Then he slowly turns his head. He sees me sitting in my chair. He actually does not look shocked or surprised. He considers me for a moment, then very coolly steps backward out of my vision. He apparently turns. I just see a portion of his right ear. Then, gone. The rabbits are unaware. I just saved their lives. I hope they are hoppy. But then again, the evening before, I spied a small snake right where the rabbits were now dining. At first glance, I thought it was a diamondback rattler. No rattles, narrow head. Interesting pattern on his back. I even reached down and touched his body. He did not coil, but just lifted his head, using his tongue as a nose. A king snake. I left him to do what he does best. King snakes kill rattlesnakes. All hunters and hunted lived on. Peace.