Threading a Needle, Quite a Challenge at My Age

I can't remember the last time I threaded a needle to do some mending/sewing, but last night I had to take the plunge. The hem of my all purpose black skirt was history.

The skirt had been bought a number of years ago in a 2nd hand store and is of a fabric made to last forever. I used to joke about that, but the proof is that it has outlasted the thread and ribbon of the hem. Yes, it was that well-made. Since the hem fabric was literally falling down and "flapping," I could no longer ignore it and wear the skirt unmended/unhemmed. Last night I bit the bullet and pulled out black thread plus needle from my dusty old sewing box.

very tiny hole in the needle, but it was the needle in the spool of black thread

In my younger days, pre-reading glasses, meaning decades ago, threading even the most delicate needle was totally effortless for me. But then things began to change. To thread a needle, you need excellent vision and very reliable fine motor skills. Considering how very minute the hole in a needle actually is, this isn't easy at all.

My first attempts to thread the needle were far from successful. Having once been an expert in it, I still remembered a very simple trick. Cut the thread with sharp scissors, so there aren't any extra threads at the end. Since I noticed a little willowy thing, I cut. Actually I needed to try from both ends of the thread before succeeding.

Then I had to remember the hemming stitch. I don't know how long my new hem will last, because the entire skirt needs to be re-hemmed. Either I need to fold over, baste and hem, or I need to sew some thin ribbon all around the edge of the skirt and hem that. But, in the meantime, I can wear the skirt without looking worse than shabby.

It's a relief to know that I haven't totally lost my touch. I used to really sew. But to tell you the truth. Mending was never a favorite task. It's just not creative and interesting enough for me. It's like housework, which I avoid at all costs.

"Rescuing" Old Blogs

The other day I got a phone call from a total stranger. He said that his name had been mentioned on a blog post of mine, and he wanted his name removed. I said:

"No problem."

But then when he told me which blog, I explained that it hasn't been active for years, and I don't even know how to get into it. It had been controlled by an email/gmail name/account no longer in use. When he called, I wasn't home, and it seemed pretty impossible to access it from my phone. It would be near impossible from the computer.  I promised to try once home.

I asked him to send me the link to the post, which he did. I looked at the post and messaged him that I hadn't meant any harm. He was understanding, but really didn't want his name there.

Of course, it was pretty surprising to me that he discovered my cell phone number. I didn't ask him how he did it. It isn't all that secret. In the days when we only had landlines, most people allowed their phone numbers to be easily/publicly listed.

Once I got home, I emailed myself the link to the blog post and took on the challenge. I was pretty determined to figure out how to fix the problem, get into my old blog, because over the years I've heard of writers/bloggers/publishers/site-owners being sued for unauthorized use of pictures, names etc.

I finally discovered the email address which had been controlling/accessing it. The next challenge was to sign into the account. After a couple of wrong turns, I found out that my yahoo email was listed for such emergencies, and the yahoo is kept open on the computer. After that it was relatively easy to sign in, find the blog post, edit out the person's name. And then I hit another snafu. When I signed out of the account I somehow signed out of this one, too. Grrr. Of course, since I no longer sign in and out daily, I never remember the password. Then phone was used for sign in verification. Only after that did I realize that I should have added this email to the old blogs as writer/contributor/administrator.

What old blogs? You're probably wondering...

The Muse's Pics
Blog Free!

What do you think of them? As history, of course. No, I have absolutely no intention of adding to my blogging.

I'm relieved that I succeeded relatively easily. Why do people say that only kids manage well on the internet?

NEVER TOO OLD!