News from Experienced Goods September 2021

by Jennie Reichman, Shop Staff

OK, show of hands: How many of you, dear readers, own a bathroom scale? And of those who do, how many have gotten on it in the last year? In my house, this evil contraption sits just inside the bathroom door, the perfect placement for me to stub my toe in the middle of the night. It has a rime of dust on it, its digital screen ominously blank. I recently found a new use for it, however. I planted zucchini in my garden this year, and true to form, it started to produce prolifically this past July. I needed 10 lbs of the stuff to make my favorite zucchini relish and because my kitchen scale is too small for this task, I hit on the idea of using the bathroom scale. I piled on the zukes and the screen registered 2 pounds, which didn’t seem right. I tried again: same result. There is really only one test for a scale meant for humans, and that is for the human to weigh herself, so gritting my teeth and squinching my eyes, onto the scale I stepped. For one ecstatic moment, the number in the readout thrilled me…and then the display flashed a line of Cs.  Time to change the batteries. 

I tell this story because people also need to recharge on a regular basis. I tend to be someone who merrily chugs along thinking I have limitless energy and then suddenly my brain and body give me a line of Cs. Working at Experienced Goods requires a hefty amount of sustained energy daily, and none of us are slackers; it’s why the whole operation runs smoothly and successfully. But we all need a break sometimes, so with a bit of prodding and encouragement (thank you, Karen) each of us at the shop has taken a week or two of vacation this summer. Some of us have gotten out of town, gone to the beach and spent a luxurious week sipping gin and tonics and staring at the ocean. Others have gone to visit friends and family or had a romantic getaway with a sweetie. My favorite respite is the stay-cation: A week at home catching up on projects, working in the garden, going on little day trips. One day I drove up to King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich, stocked up on specialty flours, parchment paper and really good vanilla extract. Another day I traveled south to Northampton, MA (the big city!) and Webs, the world’s most overwhelming yarn store. I also spent a day with my friend Hannah who lives in Bethel, Vermont, exploring the many delightful thrift stores in the central valley. My other goals for my week off were to exercise and practice music daily, two things I love to do and have limited time for.

Even when you really like your job, it’s important to be away from it for a spell. I am so accustomed to seeing and chatting with my co-workers everyday and enjoying the general bustle of the shop, I feel a moment of sadness before I leave for a week’s vacation; I miss swimming in the stream of community and interaction that is Experienced Goods. I also chafe at the thought of saddling my co-workers with tasks that I normally perform, in addition to their own workload. That said, we are all so versatile, flexible and hardworking, the gaps are filled and the job gets done, no matter who is taking time off. When I return to work, I am back in the groove in no time, happy to see everyone and tell vacation stories, grateful for both the time off and to be part of the team again.

So as we get ready for fall and winter, as we slowly stop putting out shorts and sundresses and start hanging sweaters and jackets, as wool blankets and crockpots become hot commodities and ice cream machines gather dust on the shelves, we at the shop can say that we are running on fresh batteries.  It’s a good thing, too, because Halloween is just around the corner, and the holidays shortly thereafter, and we will be going at full tilt through it all. I hope all of you have taken a break from work and obligations this summer to relax and enjoy down time and loved ones, that you’ve given yourselves the gifts of recharging and refreshing. And remember, if you get that line of Cs, take a break!