Yesterday I went by REI Co-op, an outdoor products supplier. I perused sleeping bags for K (I've had a good quality down one for years) and found that every single one they had was made in China. Then I looked at vests they had on sale. (I figured if everyone thought a vest was enough to keep them warm, maybe they knew something I didn't. It just seems like half a coat to me.) Again, none were made in America. Their REI house brand, Patagonia, North Face, Marmot, Sierra Design....none made here. A few were made in Vietnam, Bangladesh, or Indonesia, the rest from China. The same with bicycles. My one ray of hope was in kayaks. I found one I like very much that was made in North Carolina. It made my short list. Actually it's a list of one. It was a rather depressing trip.
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I have to work this afternoon and again next Sunday afternoon, but after that, the weekends are all mine. Unfortunately, my weekdays will be all mine, too. I haven't heard back yet from the doctor who I bid recently. I do know they visited Friday with a banker I referred them to, so things are moving, just at a snails pace. But after I get the current home I'm working on finished in a couple of weeks (photos forthcoming), and until I get a firm contract signed to start another, I'll be effectively unemployed. It isn't as bad as it sounds as there will still be a nice income stream from the recently completed home. Trouble is, I don't like to rock. Or whittle. :(
S
