The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Dye Test

Last week, during the 5-day spinning class I took at Sievers, I wasn't surprised when talk turned to using powdered unsweetened soft drink mix to dye wool and silk. I was surprised to learn that Mexican Kool-Aid may yield better color than the American product. The woman at the wheel next to me is from an area in northern Minnesota that is as rural as where I live. We both assumed there wouldn't be much chance of finding the product in our local grocery stores.

I don't know about her, but I was wrong. It is in my local supermarket -- right at eye level in an aisle I pass down every time I'm in the store.

How many times do we dismiss possibilities because we assume they won't be available so we don't look for them at all? This time, I looked.

It's time for me to make sure I'm paying attention to other possibilities I might be overlooking. After a summer packed with learning as well as teaching, I need to use some of the incubation exercises I give my students on myself. Want to play along?