The Soapmobile

After listening to the news there are alot of days when I'm not sure that the world has any good, selfless, giving people left. I think sometimes we all wonder that. Then I have a day like I had last Sunday and know that they are still out there all around us.

On my way home from the Shaker Village Craft Show in Albany my soapmobile (our 1999 Chevy Suburban) lost power in Hoosick Falls, NY. I limped it along into the Stewart's store and gas station, my regular half-way-to-Albany-refill-my-coffee stop, and then couldn't get it to start again. This had happened about a month ago in Ludlow and since it started up after sitting for about a 1/2 hour and giving it some dry gas, we weren't sure of the problem, except my husband guessed it might be that the gas gauge was broken so we've been watching it closely. I had plenty of gas this time so after a full day of battling rain and lots, and lots of gusty wind at Shaker Village, I was broken down an hour from home. Now, everyone who knows me knows that I am usually pretty upbeat but this was quite a blow, compounded by the fact that since cell phone service where we live in the sticks is non-existent and I ended our cell phone service 2 years ago, I didn't have a cell phone. Well, actually, that was a mutual agreement between myself and US Cellular after I got mad at them and ran my phone over with the soapmobile but that's another story for another day.

Anyway, so I called my husband from the pay phone (can you believe there was one?) and he packed up the girls and got on the road to retrieve me. When he got there with my two girls, we've been watching alot of "Rescue Heroes" lately so they proclaimed themselves to be my "Rescue Heroes", we still didn't have any luck getting it started. We were all tired, exhausted and frustrated and not knowing of any local towing companies or garages (this was 9pm by then with two very tired little rescue heroes). A very nice local man overheard us discussing what to do and stepped in, gave us the use of his cell phone and helped us to arrange for a tow on the following day. Thank you to him, I feel awful that in all of the chaos I never got your name and maybe by some remote chance you'll read this and know how appreciative we were for your help. And thanks to the folks at Stewarts, Clint, Jeff and Gordy, who were very patient with my questions and generously let us leave the soapmobile overnight until we could come back the next morning and deal with it, especially since they don't like to do that since so many people have left vehicles there, said they would be back and never showed again.

So my husband and I went back down to Hoosick Falls on Monday morning and of course the soapmobile started right back up, so crazy. Jaycob replaced the whole fuel pump system and hopefully the soapmobile is back in business. So thank you to my husband also, the most patient, wonderful man that I've ever encountered.

Thank you to everyone that stopped by to say hello at the Shaker Village Show and offered their well wishes for the new store. I always enjoy seeing everyone from year to year and that show is a great little show.

Plans are proceeding to move into the store on Main Street in the next two weeks. I'm painting display racks and gathering odds and ends for other display pieces. I'm also preparing for the next craft show, Art in Park, in Rutland Vermont in August, and oh yeah, getting a cell phone, LOL! My how summer flies by!

We're moving!

I have moved both myself and my business so many times that when we bought our home 4 years ago I said "That's it, never again!" Well, like so many things, I was wrong. Summit Soapworks is about to move to downtown Ludlow, next to Goodman's American Pie, on Main Street.

The move is going to happen in early August and offers so many pros & cons. I'm excited to have a real workshop but somewhat nervous. I'm planning on being open while I'm there, mostly Friday afternoon/evening and all day Saturday when I'm not at a show and Sundays during the winter. Ludlow is home to Okemo Mountain resort, home of great skiing, and so the winter months bring alot of weekend traffic. This space is in a building that was once both a church and then a movie theater so it's an interesting building with hardwood floors and high ceilings. I plan to put production in the back and sales in the front, hopefully with a wall and picture window between both areas so folks can see soapmaking in progress. I'd like to teach some classes and have some friends, herbalists and other crafters, teach some classes/workshops as well.

I'm excited to move out of my basement workshop or my "cave" as I call it. It seems that the days I have to be down there are the days that it is the nicest weather outside.....And our family is growing, (man these kids accumulate alot of stuff!), and the rest of our house is shrinking so it's time to move out.

Lots of changes and lots of work but in the end I hope it will give me more space to be creative or at least more organized!