Watch it!

First of all, thanks to any and all of you who went to Wings ePress and downloaded a free copy of my book LYLA'S SONG. I hope you like it enough to follow through with the others in the series.

Now, about this Watch it! thing in the subject line. I've worn a watch for as long as I can remember. Daddy used to get them as bonuses with his product lines. I especially remember receiving a delicate ladies' watch once from a spark plug dealer.

Whenever we travel I dutifully set my watch to the local time. When we decided to travel to Australia for the first time in early 2005, I knew the time difference between where I was and home was going to be too great to readily calculate. I went hunting a dual-face watch and found the perfect one.

I liked it so much that I've kept wearing it. I even ordered a new band last year from the Skagen US office in Reno NV. And then, 10 days or so ago, I noticed I'd cracked the crystal. There wasn't a replacement for sale on the site and so I called. To my consternation, I'd have to send the watch to them.

Do without a watch? Were they kidding me? I couldn't even find an old one buried any place. But on the other hand, I couldn't allow the crack to widen and moisture to get in and ruin my watch. A new watch was about $115, depending on where you looked. (Very similar to the price paid in late 2004.) Sending it off was less than $35. I packed it up last Wednesday and kissed it good-bye with adequate insurance.

Four to six weeks the man had said. How was I going to make it 4-6 weeks looking at a blank left wrist? I contemplated a cheapie from Walmart. Then I decided to gut it up.

So far, I'm managing. In the house, I know where the clocks are. In the car, the same. At the computer, the time is just above my right line of sight. When I'm out, I can always grab my phone.

But my left wrist is lonely. I wonder: Is 4-6 weeks enough time for the tan line to disappear?