Ever accidentally have a chance to do something you always wanted to do?
In Rochester NY, in 1993, I tried on the world’s most perfect sun hat. It was a straw boater with a blue ribbon around it, but the straw was whole and chunky. Unlike every other straw hat I’ve ever tried on, this one was not too small, and the brim wasn’t floppy. In the mirror I looked adorable.
Then I read the price tag. $109, hand made.
I put it gently back on the hat stand.
I walked past the community garden plot last week, embarrassed to see our green manure still growing, the rhubarb looking like it needs to be transplanted and fertilized, and something joggled in my head about rye straw.
On my honeymoon, I’d picked up a book at the OSV bookstore about making straw hats (oh, if only I could get my beautiful boater with the blue ribbon…maybe I could make one?) But what landlord would let a tenant grow rye grass until it was as tall as a grown up…wait a minute, I’d just done that by accident in the community garden.
Yeah, a sickle would have worked better, but I used what I had. Rose pruners. My Mom warned me that it was supposed to rain soon.
M and K didn’t mind putting bedtime off a half hour, B didn’t mind taking funny photos of me (I’m not posting the ones of my butt.)
M tried out his squirt gun.
Rye straw drying on my front porch.
sections cut at the “knees” and sorted by approximate diameter. The book says to wait until it’s all dried and bleached, but I figure it can dry in the flower vases on the porch too.
I hope I have enough, but I’ve since found web sites where you can buy ready braided straw for hat making.
So, any happy accidents lately?