Prime Time Living: UFOs and USOs

“UFOs? As in the type that accidentally deposited ET on Earth back in 1982?”

That was my response last month to a friend recommending a book she had just read. She explained UFOs referred to “unfinished objects” of the hand-crafted type; because I shared here in TBY in November 2021 that one of my goals for 2022 was to use up my stashes of yarn and scrapbook supplies, she thought I’d find the book “inspirational.”

I proudly explained I only had two UFOs — both knit scarves — and moved on before she could raise the topic of my stashes.

There was no reason to discuss the 12 plastic shoe boxes and one large under-the-bed storage bin, all filled with yarn. Nor was I about to tell her about the 20-plus 12x12x4” boxes filled with photos and memorabilia waiting to be sorted, scanned and placed in digital scrapbooks for my two adult children.

And since she didn’t know about my years-ago flirtations with crafts of various kinds, there was absolutely no need to make her aware of the two large plastic tubs of various craft supplies or the medium-sized box of candlemaking materials. Or the fairly-small box of found objects and seashells that will, I’m confident, someday be used for word art projects.

Of course, those supplies don’t qualify as UFOs; instead, they are evidence of USOs — unstarted objects. There’s a vast difference between the two. Unfortunately, it’s a difference that means more work for me, because, simply put, unfinished projects take less time to complete than those that haven’t even been started!

While I was inwardly vacillating between congratulating myself on my low number of UFOs and struggling to come to terms with the fact I had enough craft supplies to open a small retail store, my friend reached into her tote and placed the aforementioned paperback book in my hand. Just what I needed — a book to read in addition to finishing my two UFOs and innumerable USOs!

I decided to read the book first; after all, it’s only polite to read and return a borrowed — or thrust-upon — book in a timely manner. It was a nice, if predictable, tale of two women who start a UFO club in their small Minnesota town. To their surprise, it attracted a large number of women and several men with UFOs ranging from a baby afghan to a small, hand-crafted fishing boat.

While the fictional characters’ successes inspired me to finish my own UFOs, the embarrassingly-large stash of various crafting supplies still awaits me in the basement storage area and under my bed.

Reminiscent of the childhood monsters that caused me to sleep with a nightlight on and avoid dimly-lit, unfinished basements, I try to pretend they aren’t there. But just as I eventually became brave enough to go to bed in the dark and to venture into the basement alone — at least in the daytime — I know someday I will pull out every single bin. Not only will I open and confront all those supplies, I will use them.

Or maybe I’ll just have a giant garage sale!