It Was A Good Day - Seeing the Positive

Like everyone, sometimes I just hate my job. I work retail.
I have great co-workers and the management is pretty cool too. The problems come from a small number of customers. The ones who never take the time to actually read a coupon for exclusions or even expiration dates. The people who call asking for the price of a type of item when we sell about ten different styles of said item and the prices range drastically. I can tell them to go to the website, that way they can find the exact thing they need, learn the specifications and also get the current price... no, they can't do that, they want me to give them a list over the phone. Look, I don't have time, sorry. There is a line in front of me, a customer standing behind me asking a question, someone else standing at the end of my counter with a return (instead of getting in line), and a co-worker asking over our in-store radio for me to look up an item quantity on the register. Sorry, person on the phone, you are not my top priority, not even second or third.

This isn't about all of that though, it's about the good encounters that happen usually once every couple of days. Yesterday the "good" took place several times and even though I was exhausted when I left work, the world seemed a better place.

For a brief moment, I had nobody in my line. An older man walked up asking about those little button batteries. I took the little device from him, took the old batteries out and checked the numbers on the back in order to match them up to the ones we sell. He couldn't see well so it was all on me. We looked and cross referenced the numbers on the packages but unfortunately the batteries he needed were not there.
The man thanked me and then asked if I was a manager. I told him I am not but I could get one for him. When one of the managers came out to speak with him, the man unleashed a ton of praise about me. I swear, I almost cried.

It didn't end there.

About an hour or so later it happened again with some younger people. I don't remember exactly what happened but they were checking out in my line and a manager walked up and they both started telling him positive things about me.

Two other encounters with different customers led to them asking me if I was a manager. They thought I was because I had been helpful, knowledgeable, and well spoken when answering their questions.

That brings my total up to four... FOUR, people with positive feedback about my performance. Then there is this last one which made my night.

It was fairly slow, I had nobody at the register so I requested my break over the radio. Two guys were walking by but they were talking and obviously in search of something. About 30 minutes later they are ready to check out. The manager is walking up behind me to bring some change. While I'm ringing up their transaction, one of the guys blurts out, "did you ever give her a break? She needs it, man, look at her, she's worn out!" I admit, I was on my last freakin' leg and probably did look like hell. That was the funniest thing a random customer has ever said (and one of the most helpful... I got my break).

Thank you to any and every person who has pointed out good customer service to the managers and for strangers helping a girl get her break.

Pissing off the Perpetually Offended - Cat People (I'm a cat person)

It's been a pretty nice day for me as a whole. Yesterday and today are both off days for me and I did some needed cleaning yesterday and have just lounged around today.

Don't take that to mean it hasn't been interesting; after all, I am sitting in front of a computer and you know what kind of trouble that can bring. No not the technical stuff, but the fighting and name calling on social media... hahaha, "social," that's a laugh.

I'm a big fan of cats. I love cats! From the time I was born there was a cat around me. Around the age of 2 my cat gave birth in my closet during the wee hours of the morning and I still remember vividly jumping out of my bed, running into the hall and screaming, "Charlene is having her kittens!" Just the fact that the cat was comfortable enough to have kittens in the bedroom of a 2 year old tells you what kind of cat person I am, I have my ways and the cats gravitate toward me.

Moving on...

Today I decided to finally voice my displeasure in a local cat group over the hundreds of "fat cat" photos posted by members seemingly trying to outdo each other in the fattest cat category. This was my post:

This is something that has been on my mind for a while and would like to bring attention to what seems to be a problem. Please realize I'm not saying bad things about anyone but am only here to start a conversation and find solutions. 

Fat kitties are not cute, they are sad. I had a neighbor with a fat cat who was always on her back. You could hear her struggled breathing all the time and tell that she was uncomfortable. WE are their caregivers, WE control what and how much they eat. It's not like these kitties are up all night raiding the fridge making midnight snacks. 

Please don't let your pet (cat or dog) become obese thinking it's cute. That extra weight, just like in humans, contributes to tons of health problems and a very shortened life span. Cut down the carbs, give them food higher in proteins and smaller portions. Yeah, they'll harass you for more food but be strong enough to ignore those pleas. It's for their own health and ultimately, your vet bill.

What I received as feedback was clearly from the butthurt brigade. "You don't know me and my cat!" "Your post is offensive to me and many others!" "I don't let busy bodies tell me what to do."

Yes, these are the people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions and unfortunately, their actions are harmful to their pets' health.

I COULD HAVE HELPED! - By Slick (my first post)

Outside is where I'd like to go sometimes, but I don't get to go unless I'm in a carry bag or on a leash. REALLY! What kind of adventure is possible under those conditions. Well, yesterday I sat in the kitchen window which was opened and watched my mom playing with that dog in the back yard. It's quite disgusting, there is an awful lot of laughing on mom's part and she kept hugging that dog so I knew she was going to really stink after she came back in the house.

Well, as I was sitting there watching mom throw toys for the dog, I noticed mom had one of those white smoking sticks in her mouth (I don't like those). I saw her trying to find a place to put it when she was finished with it, but that dog kept jumping at her. Finally she gave up trying to put it in an ashtray and just poked it down into a flowerpot which no longer holds a plant, only dirt.

Mom came back in the house and yes, she smelled strongly of that dog but thankfully she started opening windows (they all have screens so I can't get out) and she took a shower. When she got out she kept complaining about the a$$ who was burning leaves and how it was making everything outside (and inside since the windows were open) all smoky.

An hour or so later dad came home and started cooking dinner. I like to watch this because one day I want to cook something, maybe a mouse.... anyway, mom and dad went out back so they could put fire on some more of those white sticks they put in their mouths. Mom finished hers first and went to put it into the flower pot but she started hollering something. Next thing I know she's running in and out of the house with big cups of water and putting them in that pot of dirt. Dad said she could have burned us all up - I don't know what that means, but I don't like the sound of it. Mom said she didn't know that dirt would burn but as dad stirred a stick down in the big pot I could see red and orange stuff in there even with mom putting water on it. It was crazy but I'm beginning to think that mom was the one who was burning leaves, as the same smell from earlier in the day was beginning to come back in the house.

If I had gone out with mom earlier that day I could have peed in that pot when it first started smoking and put it out before all the dirt turned to ash. These people don't have a clue about how helpful I can be and they also don't realize how often I have to go behind them to make sure everything is safe in our house.

HAVEN'T BLOGGED IN A WHILE

I've been busy doing housework and other odd things lately. I do promise to start blogging again very soon, possibly later today (when I get back from voting).

Anyway, I just wanted you (all?) to know that I haven't abandoned you and I have much to write about.

Oh, also.... I am taking on a "partner" in my blog. Sometimes it will be written by her, but be sure and check out her postings too, as they are sure to be quite humorous. Most of you will recognize her identity from the start.

Keep checking back often!!

Easy-To-Make Dog Toy

Kylie is the name of my very enthusiastic Australian Cattle Dog (aka. Red Heeler) and boy are the books right when they say that these dogs will eat every toy on the market; that's why I've decided to make her toys out of stuff she can't destroy after only a few days.

Kylie loves squeaky stuffed toys but has them in shreds in about a week and not only am I tired of picking up stuffing from my back yard, but I'm also afraid she'll choke on the squeaker. I found her latest squeaker in the yard a few days ago and it was unharmed so I brought it into the house to use in a new "tough" toy. Since I am tired of picking up stuffing, I decided I'd use some of my old jeans and instead of fiber-fill I'd just wad up the denim in one piece and sew it up; so that's what I did with the squeaky toy.

I cut one of the legs from a pair of jeans and then cut a sort of a triangle. Placed the squeaker at one point then began rolling it toward the end (squeaker being wrapped up over and over again). Once it was rolled completely, I stitched down the side and across the ends twice. I don't think she'll demolish this toy and if she does I will only have one piece of denim to pick up.

Since I had another leg of denim left over I decided to make a sort of "rope-like" toy because she LOVES tug-of-war and fetching ropes.

Here are the instructions for this toy (it's now her favorite):

1. Cut leg(s) from jeans.

2. Separate each leg's front and back by cutting at seams.

3. Cut two times down each leg making three strips, stopping about 2 inches shy of the original hem.

4. Braid tightly until you have about two or three inches of each strip left. Place these on top of each other and sew together preferably with a sewing machine (I went across this end twice).

Finished product should look similar to this:

Good Grief, What Next?

We all have them from time to time; you know, one of those days where you just WISH someone would cross you so you can go to town on them. Well, today is my day and it started yesterday evening…

Monday’s are usually “pet” day, when I do cleaning of the porch where my Maine Coon lives, litter boxes are scooped (they are scooped every other day too), food dishes are washed, and hairball removal (mopped from the porch) is tackled. I finished that big ordeal (including mopping) and look outside about 15 minutes later to find that Nala (the Maine Coon) has not only tracked a “little” litter from her box, but looked to have purposely scattered it from one end of the porch to the other… CRAP!! The porch is still wet from the mopping so either I can go back out and re-mop or wait til the next day after it’s all dried and try to sweep it away – I decide to wait.

Ok, this morning I go out to sweep up the scattered litter and decide when I’m finished that it would be a pleasant morning to take Kylie (the Australian Cattle Dog) for a walk. Well, Kylie being a VERY rambunctious puppy (she’s 8 months old), is just hell to walk. She has a harness because I like the fact that she can’t slip out of it and it doesn’t choke her. Last time I walked her several people told me I needed to get a choke type collar for her to wear on walks until she gets used to walking with me (not dragging me down the street). Fine. For whatever reason, we had one hanging in our work shed so I got that, put it on the wiggle-worm and came in for the leash…(yeah, I know, I should have had the leash with me to start with, but in case the collar wasn’t out there I didn’t want to get her hopes up for a walk). The leash is just right inside the door so I slipped in, grabbed it, walked back outside on the deck and butt-head has somehow slipped the collar off her neck and it has obviously slipped through the cracks on the deck. Good Grief!

Now I decide to just give up on the whole “taking the dog for a walk” idea, cause I’m just not into the idea of being dragged up the street. I need a cigarette by this point so I go out front to sit in the swing and have my smoke. I’m sitting there, looking around at the birds eating their seeds from the feeder and also counting the twelve or more new wriggling earthworms who have decided to take the suicide track in my driveway, then I notice something on the ground behind my truck. WTF?

I go have a look and realize that some sort of rodent (mouse, rat, or squirrel) has decided to eat my trailer hook-up wiring. Yeah, you know the stuff you have to plug into a boat trailer or whatever so it will have brake lights, turn signals, etc. About a one foot section of wires are now just lounging there on my driveway.

Well hell! Damn animals!! I’m going to bed!

Earthworms

Every morning I sit on my front porch with my coffee, if only for a few minutes, and I keep noticing the same disturbing thing: MANY earthworms crawling on my sidewalk. Now this may not be strange in itself and for a long time I figured they were just going from one section of the yard to another and using the sidewalk as a quick path. I've even scooted some of them along in their direction with a leaf, carefully setting them into the grass to avoid being stepped on by either my husband or myself. After putting them into the grass, they slide back onto the sidewalk again and end up drying out up there when the sun gets bright.

Why are they doing this? And even more on my mind is why will the birds not eat them before they dry up all over my sidewalk?

I keep ending up with several dozens of dried-up earthworms out there everyday and their bodies don't leave til we have a giant rain.

Can someone, anyone, give me an answer to this "earthworm suicide" that continues to happen on a daily basis?

Local Tiger Euthanized :-(

This past Tuesday, September 9, the Jackson Zoo euthanized my "friend," Phoenix, the Sumatran Tiger.

I can't stand going to zoos, but my husband and I went to the Jackson Zoo last fall and I was absolutely horrified at the living conditions of those animals. "Grazers" were living in small fenced in areas filled with nothing but dirt (no grass on which to graze) - the whole scene was heartbreaking.

I had a somewhat of a personal experience with Phoenix though. The zoo was fairly empty, and as my husband and I walked up to Phoenix's cage (we are HUGE cat-people) it's like he knew we were "friends." He rubbed the side of his cage, gave me a look like "I wish you could scratch my head," or maybe it was a look of "I'd like to take a bite out of you," either way, he was interested in us. About the time I started sweet talking him, he turned around... and my experience with male cats says, "if they point their rear toward you... run!!!" So I jumped backward about two feet and sure enough, had only just escaped a massive tiger spray! It is said that they will spray for two reasons, to mark territory / personal "belongings" or to mark their food. I don't know which reason it was, but I felt a connection with him. Although I am sad to know he lived his life in a cage and has now passed, I'm glad his spirit finally knows freedom.

I will say one thing in closing; I've lived in several states in the Southeast and by far, the most impressive and animal friendly zoo I've ever visited is the giant one in North Carolina. True, sometimes you may not even see certain animals because they are off in the edge of the woods, but that zoo has created a wonderful habitat for all of their wildlife and I'd rather know I may not see some animals because they are off doing their own thing, then to know they are going to be feet from me, in cramped up cages with no natural habitat what-so-ever.

Here is the article about Phoenix, and why they had to put him down, from the Clarion Ledger (Jackson's Newspaper):
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080909/FEAT05/80909013

In case you missed the above link to the North Carolina Zoo I have it listed below. If any zoo is worth visiting and supporting, this one is the one to see!
http://www.nczoo.org/

Going Green - Part Two

While I understand that changing the chemicals I use to clean my home was an important step in allowing myself to be green, I also know that other steps need to be taken to ensure I'm doing everything possible to help our earth fight the good fight.

Several months ago I began replacing our light bulbs with the new kind of spiral bulbs. Yes I know they have mercury in them and are supposed to be cleaned up in a special way if they are dropped and broken and YES, I did break my first one in my kitchen floor. Now, NO, I did not clean it up in any special way. I looked around for any little mercury beads, didn't see any, so I swept up the glass then mopped the floor. It was springtime so I had most of the windows open anyway (that is one of the recommended things - air out the room where the incident happened). Since that first breakage (is that a word?) I have been very careful with my bulbs. The only problem I have with them is that they will not work if the bulb is pointing upward. They do fine sideways (like in the fan over the stove) and they are their brightest when put in with the bulb pointing down, but unfortunately I have several fixtures where these bulbs just do not work - aw!

My other "green" activity has been purchasing the canvas grocery bags. I love these bags!! They hold an incredible amount of groceries and there is not any worry that my bag will burst before I get into the house. Of course when I buy meats and produce, that is still placed into plastic bags first (the meat because I don't want "yick" all over my nice bags - and produce because, well - I don't want my produce lounging around in a grocery cart full of germs). I thought it would be a problem remembering to take the bags with me to the store, but as soon as I get the groceries put away, I just gather all my bags and take them back to the truck right then. Now they are always with me and I've used them in places other than the big supermarket. I take a few of them with me when I go into places like Big Lots and my local farmer's market.

These two steps, along with changing my cleaning chemicals may seem like it's not very much but I know it will help in the long run. If every one of us could just make one change in the way we go about our daily routines I think the collective difference would be enormous.

Feel free to post more "green" ideas in the comment section.

Going Green - Household Cleaners

Over the past few years I have wanted to do my part in being environmentally friendly. After using circumstances, finances and general laziness for excuses I have finally decided the time has come let my green self emerge.

I started by looking online for alternatives to regular household cleaners. Not only are common cleaners bad for the environment, but they are bad for us humans and our pets too. Lord knows at the times I've made the bathrooms sparkly clean only to have my husband come home and "fuss" at me for the horrible chemical smell. He wasn't fussing because he had to smell it, he was worried about my health; after all, I have been with those fumes while cleaning and even afterward as they linger in the house for hours (even with the windows open). The search was on for something safe...

The main list of great, SAFE (for us and the environment) cleaners is relatively short and much cheaper than those ready-mixed, unsafe cleaners (did I mention this is cheap?)

• white vinegar
• baking soda
• borax (20 mule team)
• hydrogen peroxide

WHITE VINEGAR

• removes carpet stains
• cuts lime deposits
• removes mildew
• cleans linoleum and wood floors
• cleans toilets (and all bathroom surfaces)
• drain cleaner (when mixed with baking soda)
• glass cleaner
• absorbs odors
• cuts grease

the thing about vinegar is that yes, your home will smell like you are dying eggs while the vinegar is still wet, but once it is dried your home will be very fresh smelling.

I have mixed borax and vinegar (2 tsp borax for every 1/2 cup of vinegar) into a spray bottle and this has taken the place of my old all-purpose cleaners (409, Mean Green, Greased lightning, etc).

BAKING SODA

• add a tsp or so in your hand with your shampoo - gives your hair more body
• sprinkle in carpets to remove odors
• toilet cleaner (by itself or mixed with vinegar for that "bubbly" action)
• add to washing machine along with your regular detergent to help clean and freshen "funky" clothing

BORAX

• add to laundry (same as the baking soda instructions)
• wash your fridge (inside and out) with mixture of 1 tbs per quart of water - will kill odors
• borax is a natural disinfectant
• clean garbage cans
• bathroom cleaning - it does not scratch fiberglass

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

• removes blood stains (ew)
• removes mildew/mold
• use as a mouthwash - it kills germs and brightens teeth

So far that is my list of cleaning products which will hopefully enable me to leave a smaller carbon footprint on this earth.