I did something incredibly stupid. I bought something I never should have bought. But instead of cutting my losses I went all in. Here’s my story.

It all started one fine fall day when I had a craving for my favorite sandwich from a cute as heck bakery named Three Tarts. I like to think the bakers are sassy women with attitude, but I really don’t know and never bothered to ask.

The sandwich itself is a masterpiece of roasted red peppers, garlic aioli, pickled red onions and a slab of hard Italian cheese. It comes nestled in a crusty bread roll they call pepper striata.

I really enjoyed that sandwich.

Next I moseyed over to the fancy lady shop next door. I had no intention of buying anything; it’s pricey and I’m cheap. I do like walking around looking at all the fine household items.

This store is a maze of small rooms. One room is completely devoted to table settings. Bone china dinnerware, crystal stemware, beaded and bejeweled napkin rings, and fine table linens that really are linen. If a polyester perm-a-press tablecloth walked in to this store, the sales attendants would shout with horror.

That’s where I stood when my eyes fell upon a glorious array of colorful crisp linen napkins, artfully displayed, dangling from clips like magpies perched upside down on a wire.

I oohed and aahed and chatted with the sales lady asking questions that surely signaled I was a serious prospect.

“How do you take care of linen napkins?” I asked. 
you wash them....CONTINUE READING