I do not like to shop in stores as I'm easily distracted and prone to making spur of the moment purchases I later regret.
Recently in an office supply store there was a small flurry of excited activity in a check out line. Always curious I soon discovered they were selling boxes of 144 pencils for $1.57. Wow, what a bargain.
I personally like using a #2 wood pencil and assumed the rest of the world did as well. I could share this great bargain with friends and family I thought.
Back at home reality began to set in, what on earth was an old woman going to do with 144 unsharpened pencils? I soon discovered friends and family were not excited about #2 pencils. They were even less excited about unsharpened pencils.
I've been contemplating a way to get rid of these pencils. I thought about handing out a few of them to the homeless I see asking for help at different intersections. I decided they would have no appreciation for such a donation, especially if they were unsharpened. I have no desire to sharpen 144 pencils. Besides, they prefer cash to pencils.
Next I considered whittling them into toothpicks. That seems drastic and as boring as shelling pecans. At least you have a little reward for your effort when you shell pecans. There's no reward to whittling pencils. Besides, who wants a toothpick with yellow paint on it?
So far I've found no one interested in a game of pick-up-sticks using #2 pencils.
I think I'm stuck with this bargain. Come summer I'll look for a store collecting school supplies and see if perhaps I can drop this box of pencils into their collection container. Do schools even use #2 pencils anymore?
Shopping online is much better for me.
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Finished knitting a pair of socks using Opal sock yarn.
Beautiful socks! And yes, schools will gratefully accept those pencils. Here in Maine there's an organization that fills backpacks for children at the beginning of the school year. All items, including the backpacks, are donated. Perhaps Oregon has a similar program.( Probably I'd have bought that box of pencils, too. I can't pass up a bargain.)
ReplyDeleteI believe you could drop those pencils off at any elementary school at any time. Yes, school kids still use pencils and they go through bunches of them.
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