Earthtones

Day 86: Humans have a profound capacity for self-delusion. We continually trip ourselves up with belief in permanence; that which is shall always be. We do not learn from abundant experience to the contrary. I'm sure some of you will remember when vinyl records disappeared from store shelves seemingly overnight, to be replaced by shiny silver CDs and devices on which to play them. That particular event took me entirely by surprise, having had no inkling that a changeover was in the works. That may have been one of the more dramatic lessons given in the schoolhouse of disappearing products because it happened so abruptly, unlike tube radios and televisions gradually giving way to advanced technology. However, the major changes in availability bother me less than the small ones. They seem less personal when they affect a larger segment of society. The small ones seem aimed at me personally, to wit, the recent discontinuance of my favourite sock yarn. I was blissfully unaware that it had occurred until I decided to pick out a colour for a new pair of tootsie-warmers. None of my usual suppliers carried it, nor any other yarn marketed under the same brand name. Frustrated and not a little perturbed, I soon discovered that the product I wanted is no longer being manufactured. I did not want to purchase a yarn with which I had never physically handled, so I retired to my chair in a fit of pique. No new socks for me! Or so I thought. On Christmas morning, I opened a gift which had been direct-shipped from an artisanal fiber-works, and there did my wondering eyes behold two skeins of soft superwash Merino fingering weight, hand-dyed in the most luscious autumn colours. Thank you, Di!