Chaos in the Craft Room

As predicted, Community Room was not open at 9:30 and Activity Director (AD) did not show up 10:00 sharp. I arrived 10:05, she came in shortly after.

Not a problem, it gave me a few minutes to catch up with the seniors.

“Winter Crafts” turned out to be flower pot snowmen.

We painted terracotta pots, wrapped the bottom with ribbon, made ear covers of puff balls and pipe cleaners, then color penciled in faces.

A resident entered the room, asked what we were doing and, instead of saying decorating pots”, Baker mistakenly blurted out “making pots”.

“Oh, you’re making pot?” joked the resident, which sent us into fits of laughter.

Another bout of laughter occurred when, using white paint and white glue in separate bowls, both liquids looking remarkably similar, we got confused and it became necessary to sniff to determine which was which. At which time someone pointed out, “We’re making pot AND sniffing glue”. LOL.

In the midst of all this frivolity, Greedy Grabby made an appearance and joined in making a snowman. Only, she didn’t want to follow AD’s instructions. Instead she wanted to make her pot differently than the rest of us, wanted to cover the pot in ribbon.

“No”, said AD. “There’s not enough ribbon on the roll for that. We need to make sure there’s enough to go around”.

First thing I knew, AD rushed over to Greedy and asked her to stop cutting ribbon.

Evidently, just like always, Greedy had ignored directions, did exactly what she wanted to do and AD caught her in the process of cutting more ribbon to cover her pot.

Greedy replied, “Without more ribbon, I can’t finish”.

Something I can’t explain came over me. I turned to Greedy and said, “You always have to be different, and you always have to take more than you are entitled to. To finish the way you want, you can always go buy your own supplies”.

Greedy said nothing. She continued to try to cut ribbon strips.

Fortunately for us, the scissors were so dull that considerable time and effort was required. Greedy was unable to just snip snip away, but she was trying ─ with AD standing right there, asking her to stop, hand out, requesting the ribbon roll to be placed in the outstretched hand.

Greedy turned away from AD’s outstretched hand and began sawing away faster, trying to get as much ribbon as she could before handing the roll over.

I lost it.

Having entered an altered state, unable to stop myself, I snatched the ribbon from Greedy’s hands with, “You don’t care about anyone but yourself!”

I then placed the ribbon roll on the opposite side of the table, away from Greedy, in front of AD’s seat.

Greedy then signaled to her friend, seated near the ribbon, to pass it over.

Before that could happen, I picked the ribbon up and put it in AD’s bag saying to Greedy, “It’s in her bag now. If you go in her bag to get it, that’s stealing”.

I kid you not ... Greedy then climbed under the table, crawled to the chair holding AD’s bag, and began to drag the bag under the table.

Another resident seated near the bag grabbed it to prevent it from falling under the table, and AD rushed over from where she was helping another resident with decorating, and red faced with anger said to Greedy, “That’s it! I’ve had enough!”

It was at that moment Community Manager walked into the room to check out our crafting.

All he saw was AD, all red faced with anger, addressing Greedy’s bad acts. Greedy tried to play the victim saying all sweet like to Community Manager, “Well, I didn’t know. She never told me”.

There was a chorus of voices at the table saying, “Yes you did. She told you three times”.

Greedy dropped the act at that point. Her face got dark with anger, her lips tight with determination and she demanded of Community Director, “Make her give it to me!”.

Can you believe that?

Community Director said, “I can’t do that. She (AD) is in charge here” and then I don’t know what else was said as I, having to hurry up and finish before heading for the pain cave, stepped away to the glue gun.

When I returned to my seat, Greedy was preparing to leave.

I kept an eye on her to make sure she didn’t shoplift any craft supplies and, as she prepared to exit, she had the nerve to hold up her creation and ask me, “Do you like it?” 

“I’m too disgusted to even look at you right now”, said I.

This thing with Greedy taking what doesn’t belong to her, and more than her share of what is offered, is what got Greedy banned from the local Community Center. I’d be very surprised if AD allowed Greedy to participate in future craft sessions.

And it’s not that Greedy is on medication, nor is it an age thing ─ Greedy isn’t that old. Greedy is just plain spoiled ... accustomed to being catered to, being in control, a princess.

At any rate, in posting photos from the event to the residents' facebook page, I see that luckily I captured Greedy's creation ─ or at least as much as she was able to manage with the ribbon she snagged.