advice for the last days of March..or anytime, for that matter.

Our shower is finished! This is great cause for rejoicing as it was taken apart the 6th or so of this month and driving several blocks for a shower is kind of a pain. Now, don't get me wrong, I was very glad we had water in our house and the chance to go somewhere to shower. But, it is so nice to be able to shower, put your bathrobe on, and walk to your bedroom to get dressed!

At any rate, since I felt I had cause for a celebration, I decided to 'use' a salt body scrub packet that I have had around for ages. It was an organic mix of fragrant oils and sea salt and looked festive. I carefully read the packet and it suggested that you should not get the mixture in any sores or do any shaving prior to use. I was good with that. Not rubbing salt in wounds was one of those mantras you learn at your mother's knee along with hot stuff burns and don't spit into the wind. (ok, that last might have been from Jim Croce, but you get the picture)

As I mixed the salt and oils as directed I realised that I had clipped a hangnail on my finger a tad too short. Ouch! Then, I started applying the paste to the skin. Yes, it did smell nice, but I had not known that 'wounds' could also be scratches along my arms and legs from working in the garden (I had just done that) and all the teeny holes in my tummy where I had been taking my insulin shots were also areas in which salt should not be scrubbed. Needless to say, it was all a rather stinging experience. In my haste to remove the organic sea salt, I had also forgotten the bit of advice on the packet that suggested that the oils may cause tub to become slippery. Thankfully, I did not slide much and in spite of feeling like an Olympic speed skater for a milli second or two, I survived.

All in all, I have come to the conclusion that one should not just read the directions to things carefully, but one should also heed them in their entirety. Although, in heeding directions you can lose a great many interesting experiences. Not necessarily exciting, but definitely interesting.

Am reading Hidden Harbor by Katherine Pinkerton as I have just finished House Upon a Rock by Elsa Pederson concerning the Alaskan earthquake of 1964.