My Weblog

A valued blessing...........

I'll bet this is a blessing you haven't thought much about: how about the blessing of being able to stretch! I spend a lot of my time sitting at my desk. It is well known that sitting compresses the spine. Lately I have noticed that over and over during the course of the day, I lean back, stretch my arms over my head, interlock my fingers and just stretch, as if I'm trying to use those interlocked fingers to touch the ceiling. It is remarkable how much better I feel when I've done this. This morning, my back actually popped back in place in the middle of a stretch! 

Well, thankfully, there is not a whole lot going on around here. My cell phone hasn't rung with some telemarketer calling to tell me I need my carpets cleaned or I've won a timeshare vacation in Mazatlan. No political pollster has called to ask me if I really am a Republican. I love it!

In theory, the water cooler company is going to come today and drag their stuff outta here. I waited at home all day yesterday, but they no showed. So, today, I'll wait again. And, then, if they don't come today, tomorrow their machine goes out on the front porch. And if someone steals it, I won't care.

Speaking of water coolers, I am loving my new one. I long ago unplugged the old one, knowing that it was not energy star rated and it was probably costing me more than it should. It is so great to be able to drink cold water. The water is not extremely cold, just cold enough. I had forgotten how much I could enjoy a glass of water when it was cold! So, I'm sure I'm drinking more.

With regard to drinking water, this is something I am working at daily. For years I have used a Gatorade bottle (with the sport lid) as my drag-along water bottle. I was always careful not to leave it out in the car or exposed to high heat because I didn't want to drink plastic melt off stuff. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I left my precious Gatorade bottle sitting at work and it was thrown away. I've been using a bottle I like a lot less and that is less sturdy (and, thus, probably less healthy) since. Come next payday, I am ordering a decent water bottle. 

I laid down early this afternoon for a short snooze. I woke up dreaming that my phone was vibrating. At work, we must have the ringers turned off, so vibrate is the only alternative. What was funny was that Parker was lying next to me, snoring. And it was his breathing/snoring that was rattling against my hand, making what my sleeping psyche interpreted as my phone vibrating. That's the first time I've ever giggled at Parker's snoring, LOL.

When I woke up, I thought I must have slept a long time. When I went to sleep, it was sunny and bright, but it was "dark" when I woke up. I literally turned the overhead lights on a little after 3PM. I came wandering out to the office to find thick cloud cover. There were one or two claps of thunder and a few drops of rain. I don't think I got enough rain to thoroughly wet the concrete! But, with the sun hidden behind all those clouds, it cooled off nicely and I've been able to have the back door open for quite a while now, though I'm about to lock up.

Because it was cooler, I decided I could actually stand to be in the kitchen. Lately, it is so darned hot on the drive home and so darned hot in this house, that the very thought of standing in the kitchen, cooking and adding to the ambient heat is more than I can fathom. By the time it cools down, it's 8 or 9 PM and who wants to cook a dinner at that hour! I've been subsisting on next to nothing. But, tonight I made goulash. I added some traditional Hungarian spices to what should be a traditional Hungarian recipe and it turned out very well. Now, I will have something to eat when I come home from work the next couple of days. I needed onions, but I had none due to the fact that mine had spoiled in the heat of the kitchen cupboard. So, I made do with onion powder. I never ever used that stuff til Joe and I got married. He brought some with him and I think I am still working on the original bottle, LOL, unless he bought more while I wasn't looking. It works in a pinch! Goulash, as it was conceived by the Hungarians, is supposed to be more of a soup. However, I need to make my groceries stretch as much as possible, so I added more noodles to the mix. It's a forgiving recipe.

Even living on butterfly wings, my gut has been a mess. I have had a relentless case of diarrhea, night after night. I don't have a clue what is setting it off unless it's nerves. But, I think I am less nervous each day so it should be calmed down by now and it's not. Maybe I'm allergic to butterfly wings???? The funny thing is, it doesn't hit during work hours. I figure that's the favor of God!

So, I work tomorrow and Saturday. Then I have Sunday off and I work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I don't have any idea what I'm supposed to do after that. I SHOULD be able to check my schedule online from here. But I absolutely cannot get into that part of the website. I enter my username and password and it just takes me through a round robin of three security questions over and over. So, tomorrow I will try to check on my schedule so I know what's happening after that.

Well, I called Sunday and asked the water delivery people to come either yesterday or today and pick up the antique cooler, and the full and empty bottles. They were a no-show, no-call. So, tomorrow when I leave for work, if they haven't shown up, I'm going to put the cooler outside and hope for the best. 

I ordered a couple of small things from Amazon. Do you remember that I ordered a new blade for my blender? It arrived and it works perfectly. However, this was the second delivery I've received that is NOT delivered by BIG BROWN. The first was delivered by a guy driving something on the order of a white station wagon. I don't know what the second guy was driving, but he was wearing an orange shirt and a navy baseball cap. I almost didn't open the door for him. I am wondering what the deal is with that........... I'm not complaining. At least whoever is doing the delivering now actually knocks on the door or rings the bell to let me know the package has arrived. This rarely happened with UPS. Maybe this is their answer to the thievery that's been going on. They say the thieves have been following the UPS delivery trucks and as soon as the driver plops the package on the front porch, they run up and steal it. Well, I doubt they're following a guy wearing an orange shirt, a navy blue baseball cap, and driving a white station wagon............I am betting that in the middle of all this, Amazon has found a way to get its packages delivered at a lower cost. I wonder if they got the idea from Uber...........

Well, I'm going to go pour a bunch of Epsom Salts in the bathtub and take a good soak. I would like to soak all the soreness out of my body in preparation for tomorrow. Whaddaya think? Can I make that work? Well, it's worth a try. I hope YOU had a BLESSED day!

 

Parker is learning to be a dog!

My poor Parker. He is such a mild-mannered fellow, and, I think, not overly bright. When he first moved in, the dominant dog in our house was Max, the German Shepherd. Max never had too much to say nor did he throw his weight around, but he was the biggest and that counted for something. When Max died, Punkin took over. By this time, Parker was totally trained to be the 3rd wheel. Punkin was smaller than Parker, but brighter (I think) and she'd been initiated into the household by Indiana, undoubtedly the smartest dog I've ever known. So, she was in charge. She died a few months ago (I have yet to be able to write a tribute to her...........). So, it's just Parker and me now. 

The responsibilities of dog-ship are many. And Parker has never before had to face them. However, slowly, he's catching on. Maybe he's been waiting for Punkin to come back, I don't know. So I was in the bathroom this morning, brushing my teeth. I was thinking that I was sad because here I am at home, and because the blades on my Oster blender broke, I would not be able to enjoy my afternoon Mocha Frappuccino. Suddenly, Parker appears in the doorway of the bathroom acting very excited. Then he runs out. I was curious so I followed him. I don't know how far he got, but suddenly, just as I was about to turn the corner, he ran back to make sure I was coming. And he ran straight to the door! Then he started dancing around excitedly. I looked out the peep hole. There was a guy out there. I opened a door and he handed me a box from Amazon. And now I am drinking my Frappuccino.

The remarkable thing about this whole story was that Parker literally came and got me. I don't know if the guy rang the doorbell. I don't think so, as I'm fairly certain I would have heard that over the noise of the Sonicaire. He may well have knocked. I doubt I would have heard that. But Parker made sure I was going to answer that door! After all, Parker loves visitors. As far as he's concerned, they all come for only one purpose--to love on him! Who knew Parker could learn to be a dog?

I am working on design and I'm starting a load of laundry. I won't have two days off in a row for about a week and I don't much like trying to get laundry done in the evening. So, today's the day. 

Sucha day!

Oy! Sucha day! I went directly to being on a register. Oddly enough I was put on the register furthest from where the muckety mucks work. That is not the way it's supposed to go. I stayed there for more than 2 hours. Then I was moved to a register in the middle. 

Then came the big surprise! I was told I had to take a "cart" test. I had seen other people taking the test but it was discussed with them in very hushed tones so I learned nothing from their experiences. Somehow, since I am still wearing my "in training" badge, I thought I was being spared. Silly girl! Well, my time had come. 

They load up a huge cart with all sorts of things and then give you all sorts of circumstances surrounding the order. You are then supposed to ring up the order and match the total the muckety mucks have come up with. One assumes that since they are the muckety mucks/supervisors and they created the scenario, their total must be correct. My first challenge came when I faced a concrete block. We have a book in which to look up such things, but I have no idea how to tell a heavyweight concrete block from a lightweight concrete block just by looking. I picked lightweight--it was heavyweight. Oops. This mistake seemed to be treated as negligible. However then we got to a delivery problem. I got through it but she threw me a curve. The only item we had in the order that would require delivery was a pallet of concrete blocks. However she told me we were dealing with an appliance. What appliance, for heavens sake? Well, somehow the cashier is supposed to determine whether an item is supposed to be delivered by van or by flat bed truck. Well, you surely wouldn't deliver a pallet of concrete blocks in a van. So, I chose flat bed truck. And buzzer #2 went off. (Or something like that.) I was supposed to be arranging for delivery of a washer. And all appliances are delivered in a van........I have not encountered anything like that so I just absolutely had no clue. I also never knew the criteria for what should go in a van or a flatbed truck. I was trying to reason it out, thinking of the pallet of concrete blocks..... Finally, I did not know that there is a charge for the pallet when stuff is delivered on a pallet. I have not processed a sale of anything on a pallet until this "test".   I don't know how I would have known this........ She made it seem like it was no big deal, but I felt badly about it all. I would so have liked to know more about some of this stuff BEFORE the test. I did learn from taking the test and having the correct answers explained to me, but that's not my favorite way to learn, as you might imagine.........

In a way, I wish I had known I was going to have to take that test sooner. I would surely have tried to study up. However, the truth is, if I had known it was coming, I would have been nervous as a cat! And, I don't really have anything that would have helped me with the charge for pallets, the weight of a concrete block (as judged from a postage-stamp sized photo), or what vehicle to use when delivering an appliance. IF I had realized we were really delivering an appliance and not that darned pallet of blocks, I might have gotten that one right. With all the theft that is going on, common sense would say that an appliance should not be delivered in an open flatbed truck. 

Then I guess I blew another one. It was actually after I was trying to close down for the night. A guy came into my line just as I was being told to go home. But, he was standing there so I took him. He was Asian (in this particular case, that fact is kind of important). He also had a rather heavy accent, so he was not born in this country. He immediately pulled out his driver's license and waved it in front of me. He SAID nothing. However when I got the order rung up, he decided he was entitled to a military discount and somehow I was supposed to intuit that that was why he was waving his driver's license at me. Well, honestly, I don't think there are a whole lot of military people in this area who are not born in this country and are Asian. And it would have helped if he had said SOMETHING about why he was waving his driver's license at me. We get a lot of Asians who have moved here, mostly from California. I guess it is common practice in California to have to produce photo ID to use your credit card. That is not the case around here. So, I thought he was showing me his photo ID for that purpose. I ended up having to call the supervisor and send him over to customer service to get a refund of $3.22...........

I made it through another day without taking anything stronger than ibuprofen. But, I was one big ball of hurt by the time I walked away from the register. I wanted to get some switch plate covers but on the way to the electrical department, I figured out that even my hips hurt today! I could not wait to pay for those darned things and get out of the store and off those concrete floors!

When I left home this morning, I could see dark, heavy clouds to the west. I walked out the front door hoping for a break in temperatures and maybe some rain. Nope, the sky to the east was blue and sunny. But, along about 4:30 the wind kicked up. Then there was a VERY loud clap of thunder. And then, for just a few moments, rain was coming down so hard on the roof of the store that it might have passed for hail, given the sound effects. Then it all stopped! Coming home (downhill) I encountered a lot of water on the road, presumably from run off of rain at some higher elevation. You could tell it had rained here at the house, but not much. For example, most of the concrete appeared bone dry. So, who knows how much rain we got here. Last time it rained, there was a good bit of water accumulated in the kiddie pool, but not so today.........

It did cool down, however. When I left home this morning it was 107 degrees, per my car's thermometer. However, coming home it was 86! Even though I did set the thermostat up to 82 degrees, the house was tolerable and cooled down nicely. 

The capo di capos was there today. I don't think she looked directly at me even once. She walked past me several times and never once said hello or even just smiled. I have no idea what she might have against me or even, I guess, if she has anything at all against me. But it sure feels like she does. I will have to pray hard that God gives me favor with her..........

I've had about all I can stand for one day. I'm signing off now with the wish that you get a restful night's sleep and get up feeling fabulous in the morning.........

 

 

Getting ready...........

So, I checked out those pants I wore yesterday. I fought to keep them up all day long. The truth is, they've been washed so many times that the tag is just plain unreadable. They might be a larger size or they might be washed to the point that there's no stretch left in them. In any case they are a pain to wear. I can't see my way clear, based on my budget, to even think about replacing them for a solid two months. As I've noted, I also need some additional LARGE shirts. And truthfully, I can buy at least 3 shirts for what it would cost me for 1 pair of pants. So, that puts new pants pretty far out on the horizon. I guess next I will look at the to see if I can easily add some additional elastic.......... And I will scout out my various closets to see if a pair of pants is hiding in any of them but I don't hold much hope for that.......

Well, I can't help wondering what I'll be doing today. Will I be impersonating a full-fledged cashier today, like I was yesterday? Or, will I be back to "watching" or "being watched"? Got a coin? It seems to me we could flip it if it just had 3 sides....... Probably it depends on whether or not the HEAD CHEESE is around. She seems to be the one who wishes to relegate me to the "lower" status while her underlings seem to have the idea that I might learn better or that I might be capable of more if turned loose on my own. The "being watched" thing is hard on me. I find it nerve wracking, and even more so when the "watcher" mumbles all the computer commands before I have a chance to even think about it. 

Right now, I know I am solid on 2 commands. I can do a military discount. I can also deal with special pricing on stuff a department is clearing out. I can also process an employee discount. I can handle propane tank purchases and exchanges and purchases of salt for water softeners without fail. Given the opportunity, I can probably also look up a customer's loyalty card account. I think I've got a handle on sales where the scanner won't read the UPC code. I'm still shaky on BIG stuff (think all new kitchen cabinets) picked out in the various departments for later delivery and/or installation. And I'm sure there are other things that computer system can do that I haven't even thought of yet.......... But, the point here is that I am making progress. The things I've listed, along with just "normal" sales, whether cash or credit or debit, I can handle. Phew! And they make up a huge % of the sales I've seen. 

And, most of the things I can handle on my own come from practice without someone chanting computer commands in my ear. For example, on Saturday, I couldn't even begin to estimate how many propane-related transactions I processed. Seems to me that everyone was planning on grillin' at dinner time. I was tempted to drive home with the windows down just to get a whiff or two of the aroma. Also, I see a LOT of active duty and retired military customers. So, I've had a LOT of experience at handling those discounts. 

But, I may very well be watching or be "being watched" in spite of all this progress! I have yet to find any reasoning or rationale behind the whole process. 

I have been raising the temperature on the thermostat, turning off the computer screen, and turning off the oxygen concentrator when I leave for work. I have decided I am going to have to close my bedroom door as well. When I come home, Parker comes trotting from that direction to greet me. I KNOW, without a hidden camera, that he is napping on my bed while I'm gone. I ripped the bed apart last night to wash the sheets, etc., and they were a sight! Anyone who saw them would think I am a very DIRTY person. I am a messy person. I can't debate that. I work on that constantly. But, I am NOT a DIRTY person! And I don't want to sleep in a bed that looks like that! 

I was thinking last night what a vast variety of things I can buy at the store with my discount. You can't buy food there (with the exception of candy bars). But you can get cases of energy drinks if you're so disposed. You can buy an infinite variety of cleaning products. You can buy gardening stuff, charcoal and gas grills, appliances, carpet and other flooring, even laundry detergent! Yes, they stock my beloved Oxyclean! Today I want to go for something CHEAP--Electrical outlet covers and switchplate covers. Way back in 2008, Joe removed those from my livingroom and diningroom. I have no clue where he put them, and I'm tired of looking at the holes. So, today I will buy some of those little insulating thingies that go under the covers and some of the covers as well. And I'll smile when they process my discount! 

In the meantime, I have sheets to dry, a garden to water, and myself to make presentable. YOU be BLESSED today!

 

Today was a good day.........

The capo di capos was missing from work. Maybe it was her day off. But, that meant I was answering to the head cashiers who seem to have a bit more respect for me. So, I spent a bit of time in the early part of my shift being "watched" by a more senior cashier. After that, I was on my own register! 

I had a couple of grand mysteries which I did not manage to solve myself. Part of the problem was that one customer gave me bad information which I was supposed to use to find good information. Of course, when I did what SHOULD have worked, it didn't, because I was in the wrong part of the program (based on his bad information) to be able to access what he wanted me to find. However, I did manage to handle on my own a somewhat unusual transaction which I saw yesterday for the first time. So, I felt good about that. And, the male Head Cashier was on duty today and when I needed help, he was instantly available and very kind. It's a good thing that guy is young enough to be my son. If he weren't, I might be interested, LOL. He seems to be an all around decent human being and in a perpetually good mood. How could you beat that? Weil, I can think of a couple of ways, but I'm not going into all that tonight!

Towards the end of my shift, the store quieted down. And the cashier at the far end of the store in lumber was due a break. Oddly enough, I got sent to cover her break. So, there I was a good distance from any help, functioning on my own! How 'bout that!

I carted home 2 bottles of water for the new water cooler. I have asked the water delivery service to come and pick up their stuff either Wednesday or Thursday and I don't want to be without water when that happens. Those bottles are heavy! I think I am going to try carrying them differently. I watched a guy loading the bottles into the rack where they are stored, pending sale, and he was using both hands to get it done. I've been carrying the bottles hanging down at my side with one hand. I'm planning to try his method next time.

I will only have the two bottles once the other guys come and get their stuff. I'll pick up another bottle or two next pay period. They are pricey to buy the first time. From then on, the price goes down because you are exchanging the empties for full ones. 

A small tragedy struck tonight. My Oster blender broke. More correctly, the blades on my Oster blender broke. I was able to find the proper replacement blades on Amazon. I compared prices at Amazon with prices at Oster and one other place and Amazon won. And, using Amazon, I'll have the new blades in hand by Wednesday. With shipping, Oster worked out to about $2 more in price and I couldn't get a glimmer of when the new blade would be delivered. Anyway, I was momentarily afraid I'd have to buy a new blender, but I did not and it worked out to be just about $10 for the spare part. Phew!

Oh, another big deal at work today--are you ready for this???? I made it through the entire day without taking even a half a pain pill. Just Ibuprofen! Apparently I am getting my body in shape! I hurt, but it was tolerable so I went for it!

I may be ordering a new back brace. Mine is cinched in about as much as it can be cinched, I think. (I just thought of another possibility on making it smaller and I'll check that out in the AM.) The one given to me by the store fits better but it has these funky straps on it. I think that back brace is designed for guys. Those straps are probably supposed to keep the back brace from slipping down when your hips are super slim, slimmer than your waist. Well, my body isn't built like that. And I WANT that brace DOWN, not up. I want it positioned with the strongest support across the 3 or 4 inches just below my waist. So, those straps are positively useless and, in fact, counterproductive for me. IF that store belt is mine and won't have to be returned at some point in the future, I will simply cut the straps off. If I'm likely to have to give it back, I can't do that. The choice, however, is to have those funky straps hang down. They call attention to my hind quarters and they make many lumps and bumps under my shirts. So, in that case, I will be ordering a new back brace. I found one that looks to be really supportive, comes in sizes (instead of one size fits all like the one I have currently) and looks like it can be pulled in very well. 

In the meantime, I needed straps on my britches and underwear today. I spent half the day pulling my garments up and that brace down, LOL. I am shrinking out of my pants, underwear, and my back brace. I guess that's the good news........... I must have been wearing an older pair of pants with worn elastic or in a larger size. In any case, I felt like I spent way too much time trying to rearrange things! 

I am signing off now. I need sleep. YOU have a fabulous day tomorrow and walk in God's blessing.

 

Let's clear up a mystery, sort of..........

I did get paid. I don't understand it, but I did get paid. In fact, I have already pulled the cash out of the ATM to be used for my own purposes. When no check or bank card could be found for me at the store, they called the lady from HR (at home on a Saturday night!). She suggested I go ahead on line and register the card she a) gave me, b) told me to register, c) told me not to register. Well, I still cannot for the world figure out how, but somehow corporate managed to set up the same card for me. How did they get the card #? I dunno. And when I went online and registered it, what to my wondering eyes should appear but my paycheck! So, I am a happy camper. 

I am still confused about the training program. Saturday I was on a machine by myself with a more experienced cashier an aisle away. Yesterday I was back to having someone watch me all day. Does this mean I flunked the working alone thing? I don't know. It may just mean that yesterday I was being "managed" by the department boss whereas Saturday I was being "managed" by the head cashiers. I just have no clue. Nor, do I have a clue what awaits me when I go in today! I guess I will just view it as "never boring". 

I was surprised when I drove up yesterday a little before 1PM. The parking lot was really full. More cars there even than were there on Saturday! We weren't slammed yesterday, but we were certainly steadily busy. I had several HUGE orders to ring up. And a multitude of one or two item purchases as well. It seemed folks were either doing a massive shopping or picking up an item or two they'd forgotten for a project on which they were working. I rang up one order of odds 'n' ends that totaled over $600. I say odds 'n' ends because it was not like they were picking up gallons and gallons of paint to repaint the exterior of the house, or lumber to build a deck, or anything like that. And they just inserted their American Express card and went happily on their way. I don't think I could charge a $600 anything and be happy about it after! Must be nice to have $$$. But, while I don't have money, I also don't have as much "stuff" to take care of........ Thinking about that helps some..........

No cranky customers yesterday, hallelujah! In fact, I was able to talk and joke with a few customers. It was fun, having people to relate to again.......

I called on my way to work yesterday and told the water company I would no longer be using their service and to come and pick up their cooler and bottles (both empty and full). Today I am going to lug home my first water bottle from the store. I am doing my best to drain every single drop of paid-for water out of the old cooler. I want that stuff gone from my life before the end of the month. I asked them to come by Wednesday or Thursday to get everything because I'll be home Wednesday and Thursday.

At the store, they have a small propane-powered grill for about $100. I am hoping to have enough $$$ to buy that one of these days. I'll be watching the weekly ads, waiting to pounce on a deal. I'd love one of those big fancy grills, but I know I won't use it often enough to justify the expense. So, I'll get the little one and, when it dies, if we're all still here on planet earth, maybe I can get a larger fancier one. In the meantime, I will have enjoyed many a hamburger and/or chicken leg cooked on the little grill. I'm thinking those grills should go on a BIG markdown towards the end of summer...........

I am working away on a new kit. It's coming together slowly. Of course, I have less time to devote to design these days.

The garden is coming along. I am going to try tonight to get my tomato cages in place. The plants don't really need support yet, but I want the tomato cages in place before they get much bigger. And, maybe, just maybe, the tomato cages will protect the plants against Parker or whatever varmint is eating them. 

It is a thrill to think that not only did I get my first paycheck, but I have another one coming that will be even bigger! And another one after that, and so on. Life looks brighter these days. It will take a LONG time to see daylight, but I feel better about putting one foot in front of the other now. 

Yes, I am working today. I dug a tee shirt out of my closet. If you want to know the truth, I didn't even know I owned a solid pink tee shirt, LOL. I will be glad when I can get a few more polo shirts. Most of the clothes I have now are in colors appropriate to wear at the last two places I worked. But, I don't want folks to look at me and think they are in the wrong store, LOL. Besides, it will be fun to have different colors to wear. I plan to be wearing these shirts a LONG time! 

And now it is time for me to finish up some work around here and to get ready for work. I went back to work for a couple of hours this morning so I got some extra sleep beyond the 6 or so hours I usually get. My body clock goes off right around 7AM no matter what......... 

I'm outta here. YOU be blessed today! I'm planning on some blessing myself, LOL!

 

 

Surprise!

You've worked 3 weeks and payday for your first pay period was yesterday. BUT, we don't have a check for you........AND you'll have to wait til Monday and talk to HR about it.

That was not the news I expected to hear though I have to tell you it didn't shock me or surprise me. But, it sure did disappoint me..........

So, today I was "coverage". My assessment is that I didn't do too bad. I made a few mistakes and had a few mysteries which I needed help to solve, but, all in all, it went better than I might have expected. 

I started my morning by having a quick chat with the Head Cashier who was on duty. I explained how things went awry on Thursday........that I wanted someone nearby but I didn't want anyone just taking over or giving me the answers, how I wanted time to read the screen and fumble a bit, but I got exactly what I didn't want. So, I asked him if I could please watch someone for a few minutes and then have that someone watch me for a while. He agreed to that with no problem. And, so, I did that and when it got busy, my trainer moved to the register just across the aisle from me. And, if I needed help, she came and helped me out, but only if I asked her. That helped calm my nerves and helped me get my sea legs, so to speak. They pretty much kept someone in that position all day, though there were short periods when there was no one nearby. A couple of times I had to call for help. By that time, the gentleman who was working as Head Cashier had disappeared somewhere and the Head Cashier of the moment was not very useful. 

I had a transaction like one I'd never handled before. And, I somehow got more or less in the software of the register system. So, I called for help. She asked me what I needed help with, told me to "push F6" and hung up. But, I was not on the proper screen by that time for F6 to work! Finally the person at the next register freed up and I sent the poor customer (who was very patient) over there. Then I flagged someone down and got myself back to the right screen. Phew!

I also (almost first thing) got a snotty customer who wanted to use a Sherman Williams coupon on some paint. But, she did not have the coupon in hard copy, she had it on her phone. Well, I haven't encountered anything like that. I did not have a clue how to process a price match and I did not know how to deal with the phone thing. I asked the more senior cashier who was working close by and she said we could not do it. The woman persisted. So, we called the gentleman Head Cashier over and HE said we couldn't do it. Finally he took the lady to customer service where they managed to print out the coupon and process her discount that way. And the woman was pretty snotty! 

Another totally new to me thing: A guy showed up at my register with a hard piece of plastic that said he was entitled to some sort of wireless home security device. It didn't have a UPC on it, but there was an item # so I rung it up using the item #. And, all that went smoothly. I then sent him to customer service to have them unlock the secure area and give him his electronic device. I was informed, politely, more or less, that I should never have rung the item up without calling to have it pulled from the secure area first by the Head Cashier. The reason given was that it might be out of stock and then they'd have to process a refund. Well, that makes sense, sort of, if you don't take into account the level of sophistication of the computer software. I'd be shocked if that system would really let me ring up a sale on an item that was out of stock. But, I will do as I was told from now on........ And to think I thought I was being efficient and pretty smart for a newbie to ring up the sale using the item number..............

So, all 3 of those transactions were transactions which were entirely new to me. I can't really feel too bad about not knowing how to handle them. I will know more next time I am confronted with them. 

Most of the customers were very patient, helpful, friendly, and kind. I really appreciated their attitudes toward me, particularly since my name badge still advertises "in training". 

My back held up pretty well for about the first 3 1/2 hours. After that, it was giving me trouble. But 3.5 hours is better than it's been so I am believing that this thing is going to keep on improving til I can once again work a 5 hour shift and finished tired and achy but without significant pain. 

I came home with a water cooler. I have to tell you about God's provision. That thing was much heavier than I thought it would be. In fact, I waited for a male employee to lift it into my cart and my new favorite Head Cashier loaded it into my van for me. I was in a quandry as to how I was going to get it out of the van and into the house. I decided if I had to, I would open the box in the van and make multiple trips with pieces of the thing. Or, I would take an old blanket or towel out and somehow get the thing out of the van and laid down onto the blanket and drag it in. I pulled into my driveway and when I got out of my van, there was my neighbor, asking if I had any ant killer. Well, I don't. It's one of the things I need to buy at the store as money comes in. But, he lifted that thing out of my van and carried it to my front door. He offered to bring it on in, but I knew I could take it from there. I tell you, THAT's the favor of God!

I tugged the thing up over the little step coming into my house. Then I got it onto the tile entryway floor. I got it out of the box and laid the few excess pieces and all the packing materials to the side and "rocked" it into the kitchen. Then I drained every drop of water I could from the old machine and dragged it out of place. And, to make a long story short, my new water cooler is in place and appears to be working just fine. And, I even found a coupon for $5 off my first purchase of water inside the packing materials for the new one. Love it! Now I can call the vendor who has been delivering water to me for about 18 years but can't seem to deliver it where I want it and tell them to come and pick up their machine and 2 unused bottles of water! So there! AND, I'll be saving money along the way! 

I'm gonna give this up for tonight. If you were one of the folks who prayed for me today, my profound thanks. I was a nervous wreck when I climbed into my van early this afternoon. I prayed the whole way.......... It worked and I made it through my very own "fiery trial" and emerged not even smelling of smoke. Just call me Abednego or something like that, LOL. G'night!

 

No rest for the weary..........

I am working today. My angels, Goodness and Mercy (who follow me everywhere I go) and I are getting ready for work. I would love a day off, but instead I have the blessing of earning some money. It's all good.

I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping an extra couple of hours. However, I woke up with my blood pressure doing its "up" thing again. It has not climbed as high as it did yesterday, but it's higher than it should be. I have license from the doctor to take 2 a day of one of my meds, so I will exercise that license today. In that it is to be my first day on the register without a "trainer" breathing down my neck and prompting me along the way, it could be a stressful day. My prayer is that uppermost in my mind will be the thought that God is not going to let me fail at this job He's given me. 

Speaking of trainers breathing down my neck, I had one Thursday that REALLY aggravated me. I was supposed to be on the register and she was supposed to be watching me. Every other trainer I've had has acted as a bagger and stood at the end of the counter. She was right up on top of me. Several times she reached past me to operate the register herself. And she talked to the customer over me. The problem with that is that I am the one logged into the system and I am the one responsible for any errors. In one instance I was explaining to a customer that at our store, you need to slide your card for debit and use the chip only for credit. She basically talked right over me, loudly, telling the customer what I had just said as though I'd never even spoken. I very carefully held my tongue. She really embarrassed me and made me appear like a blithering idiot in front of the customer, which I would think is not too great for customer relations.  I knew, even though I'd prayed to walk in love, that anything I said was going to be less than pleasant. I have been the victim too many times of "things said in love". So I just clamped my mouth shut and averted my eyes which I was afraid would shoot daggers at her if I actually looked straight at her........... I hope to do better than that today, please God. 

I have noted a number of the older male employees buzzing around and going out of their way to welcome me to the store. Now maybe they are just being friendly. And maybe it's a bit more than that. I am truly not interested. I have set certain criteria for any man that might seek to come into my life. If such a man presents himself, he will be a walking miracle of God's grace and the Holy Spirit's influence in his life. Short of that, I'm NOT interested. They should go buzz around somebody else............

I think I told you that I bought myself a new shirt off of amazon.com. It arrived yesterday and I am wearing it today. I like it a lot. The fabric is nice--a mix of 60% cotton and 40% polyester. This should help it to look good when it's hung to dry. Many of my all cotton shirts look like I slept in them when they are dried on the drying rack instead of the dryer. The reviews on this shirt said it ran large and to order a size smaller. I think I could have done with two sizes smaller, but, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a shirt that's too big. What's under my shirt is my business and God's and nobody else's. So, I'll just hide my treasures under this BIG shirt. I purposely bought it big so that I could hide my back brace under it, so big is even better! I will probably try to order another one, in a different color next pay period. I definitely need more BIG shirts because of the back brace. And, I just really do feel that a collared shirt (polo style) looks more "professional" than a tee shirt. This one is royal blue and such a pretty color......

I have had to do some additional decision making and some additional mathematics with regard to purchasing a water cooler. I read the reviews on the one I intended to purchase. Whoa! Yes, I was going to purchase it at the store. And, yes, they have a money back guarantee. However there were a number of reviews indicating the model I was looking at is prone to leaks. I do not want to come home from work or wake up in the morning to find 3 gallons of water have leaked all over my kitchen floor. And some of the reviewers said they had had to return their original model, get a replacement, and then turn around and return that one too. I don't want to go through that. So, I'm going to go with a pricier model. I hate that, but I sincerely believe it will save me money in the long run, even if it IS pricier. 

It occurred to me that I cannot finish my window shades til I acquire some velcro. And I need two kinds--one roll of the stick on kind for around the window, and one roll of the sew on kind for attachment to the shade itself. So, I think I will go ahead and purchase that stuff and not buy a new hose this pay period. I can live without a new hose, and buying a new hose will not save me any money. Getting this window shade finished and in place seems more and more of a MUST and will save me money. This way of looking at things makes sense to me..... Besides, if I tried to buy everything I NEED to make this house function better, I'd be broke before I started (as if I am not broke now, LOL). So, I need to stick with my budget. 

There should be a paycheck waiting for me at the store today. I SURE hope so. I have paid most of the "regular" bills for the month, but I have pending medical bills, and when all the checks I've written clear, I will have a bank balance around $16. That's pretty darn low and won't allow any purchase of food or any other necessities. So, yes, I do need that money........ Can you begin to see how grateful I am for the blessing of this job?!! 

Well, speaking of bills, I want to call one doctor and give her the good news that, yes, I do intend to pay her, but it will probably be about 2 weeks til I can manage that. However, hopefully, she will keep the faith! Anyway, I need to sign off here and get on that. YOU be BLESSED today and please pray for me! I will need a lot of divine help today! 

 

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord..........

I have no idea what set it off, but my blood pressure went on a rip, way high, and it has taken me more than 8 hours to get it back down into "normal" territory. So, I guess I'm gonna stick around a while longer. I think I have many more people to smile at and encourage and many more prayers to pray.........

For the last couple of weeks, I have worked Monday-Thursday and had Friday off. I had Friday off again today. I stopped and looked really closely at my printed schedule, and, by George, I have to work four days in a row starting tomorrow! I am certainly glad I caught that even if it was a "fluke". I was thinking I worked 4 days in a row starting Monday, not starting Saturday. Can you imagine how pissed my bosses would have been if I had no-showed for two days? Thanks be to God for saving me from that one. 

As a result of the crazy blood pressure, I have not accomplished what I had hoped today. However, I did launder my woobie and it's in the dryer now. And I made a large batch of potato salad (which turned out pretty darned well, if I do say so myself). I was actually planning on making macaroni salad, but then I remembered I am the proud owner of 10 pounds of potatoes that I've barely touched. So, the macaroni salad morphed into potato salad. I figure a nice cold dish of potato salad will hit the spot tomorrow night at dinner time.

Do you remember a while back I told you that I'd moved the potatoes to the hall coat closet? I'd had a number of potatoes go bad and I thought it was the heat in the kitchen, with its west facing window that was partly responsible. So, I moved the potatoes and they have held up well, there in that closet which is located in a very cool part of the house. The aggravating thing is that now I've lost a bunch of onions that were stored in the kitchen! I've read that if you store potatoes and onions in the same area, the onions will cause the potatoes to go bad more quickly. So, the big question is, when I get some more onions, where in heck shall I store them? If this keeps up, I may end up having to store veggies in my bedroom, just to keep them from spoiling. That doesn't sound like a good idea, though it is kind of an amusing one, LOL.

In my high blood pressure haze, I did manage to get my kit of the week uploaded to the store's server. So, in the morning, I'll have to get it into the store's software.

I work from 1-6 tomorrow. In that I was home all day today, I did not play games with the thermostat. It was nice being here and being only moderately uncomfortable, compared to how hot it is here and how long it takes the a/c to recover on work days when I set the thermostat up. 

I got the power bill a few days ago. This bill covers about 9 days of HOT weather before I started working. I'm guessing, but I think it cost me about $5 a day just to keep the house livable for those 9 days. Phew! That could get pricey over a whole month! So, tomorrow, I'll set the thermostat up again. But, I'll be coming home just a couple of hours before it gets dark, and once it gets dark, it cools off outside. Maybe I can tolerate that a little better........

I've been watching the videos of some of the Shoah Foundation testimonies. I remember an Iranian friend of mine telling me, years ago, that the holocaust never happened. I wish I could tell him now he needs to watch these videos. It really is an amazing body of evidence and cannot be disregarded by anyone who watches it. I stumbled into the testimony of one of the Schindler Jews, Leonard Pfefferberg. I say "stumbled" because he changed his last name when he came to America. I thought I was going to listen to the story of Leonard Page. It was only after he began talking and disclosed his real name that I realized his experiences are highlighted in the movie "Schindler's List". 

The story of Oskar Schindler is an interesting one. He failed at several businesses before the war. And, he failed at several businesses after the war. The only time in his life he was ever financially "successful" was during the war. He made millions and millions of dollars selling mess kits and other metal products to the German war ministry. It was those millions, all completely expended in supporting "his" Jews, that saved the lives of 1000 Jews. I could not help thinking of how we are told that God does not choose those who are the best qualified; rather He qualifies those He chooses. Surely Schindler was born for one purpose. He served that purpose well, though he was a German and a member of the Nazi Party. God knew what he was doing when Oskar Schindler was created in his mother's womb...........

I am reminded of the story of Gideon. God found him hiding on the floor of a mill, afraid the Philistines were coming to get him. He made God "pass" two tests before he would believe he really was supposed to lead Israel's men into battle. But, with God's help, his little "army" of 300 men, armed with clay pots, routed the enemy. Another case of God qualifying the man He chose.

Well, it's about my bedtime. The kitchen is pretty well wrecked and, frankly, I don't care. I'm going to bed. Sleep well, my friends. I heard a pastor say the other day that we have two angels following us around, one named Goodness, and one named Mercy. So, tell Goodness and Mercy to watch over you and keep you safe through the night! 

Sometimes it pays to be the newbie..........

I have to tell you, this place I'm working has a language all its own. And, those who've been there any length of time seem to have lost sight of that fact. But, when you're the newbie, you have to work hard to decipher what in the world they are talking about. First, there are acronyms for everything! I'm utterly floored at the number of acronyms. I think they're meant to help us newbies remember certain things, but when you are hearing them with fresh ears, they just boggle the mind. Maybe, just maybe, once someone actually tells you what they stand for, they begin to make sense. So, for example, you may think that Bob, Lisa, and Sam are the names of my coworkers. But, you'd be wrong. Those are acronyms for some basic procedures that are needed as a cashier. Picture this: you are working away at scanning customer's stuff and someone says to you "Don't forget Bob." And you are thinking, "Who the heck is Bob?"..........

Today, I was getting ready to leave for the day. I've forged through all but one lesson and some testing and I will have finally gotten finished with all the mind numbing computerized training. The area supervisor was working in the training room as I was packing up. She asked me how I thought I was doing. I told her I thought I was doing pretty well. She said she'd been observing me and she thought so too and that was good because "next week you are coverage". Now, I thought I could guess at the meaning of that, but I was feeling tired and a bit cranky and mischievous. So, I said "What's that?" I think she thought I didn't hear her and was saying "What's that you said?" So, she repeated herself. "Next week you are coverage." Once again I said "What's that?" She repeated herself again. Finally I said, yes, I hear what you are saying but what does "coverage" mean? Well, she finally got it and explained that she would be using me as a regular cashier, not as a trainee double-teamed with someone else. That's what I thought "coverage" meant, but you never know...........

So, I guess I'm about to "graduate". I did tell her, quite carefully, that for me the folks with whom she has placed me with have been a bit too helpful. I would feel more confident about being "coverage" if I'd been allowed to fumble just a little bit while I tried to find my own answers rather than being prompted immediately. I quickly emphasized that I was not complaining, just explaining how I learn best. The truth is that MOST of the answers are right there on the screen, through screen prompts, but I haven't had time to read the screen prompts to FIND the answers. Oh, well, it is what it is. I will do my best to cover myself with prayer.......

I found out today that I will be working the 4th of July. I would think that will mean extra pay though I don't remember if that's time and a half or double time. Either way, I'll celebrate every extra nickel in my paycheck! I did have the opportunity to let the supervisor know that I will work any holiday so that others can have the day to spend with their families. Working in the store will be far more entertaining than sitting here watching the fan blades circle.

Today was difficult. I did not get to sleep last night til several hours after I went to bed. So, I was on short sleep. I was really struggling to stay awake. I thought I might have problems so I even took coffee with me to work, but it certainly didn't work any magic. 

My back has been popping in and out like crazy. The upshot of this is that it is just continuously achy and sore. Not the stabbing pains of a muscle spasm, just a nagging "I wish it would go away" ache. I must have tried to stretch those aching muscles out at least 15 times today, to no avail. Even though I sat all day, I wore the back brace though I'm not sure it helped. I was thinking this morning, as I put it on, of the corsets ladies used to wear in the late 1800's. I was actually kind of wishing for one as I thought it might give me better support. Then I realized that I would have no one to lace it up for me so it would do me NO good, LOL. 

I think I lost a hundred dollar bill today. I am very sad at the thought. I went to work, having stuffed a hundred dollar bill in my pocket. My intention was to buy that water cooler today. As I was getting ready to clock out, I discovered there was no hundred dollar bill in my pocket and, believe me, I checked numerous times. I had no occasion to pull out anything from that pocket during the day so I can't really explain how it could be gone. Once I got home I checked all around the house just in case I had mindlessly pulled it out and left it lying somewhere. But, no, that doesn't seem to be the case. Well, I just hope that whoever found it needed it more than I. Perhaps someone was praying for some extra money and found that bill and thanked God for His provision. I sincerely hope so. 

I didn't get any design work done today. This morning I had a list of tasks I wanted to get done before I left for work. By the time I was awake enough to function, got myself pulled together enough to get myself ready, and did those tasks, I was out of time. In the evenings, I am coming home to an unspeakably hot house. I don't really keep the house "cool" anyway. But it takes hours and hours for the a/c to cool the house down after I've set the thermostat up during the day. At first, I was setting it up by 6 degrees. Today I set it up by 5 degrees and it still did not reach regular temperature for 5 hours. It seems to take about one hour to lower the temperature in the house by one degree. And, that's the temperature in the hall. It's always hotter out here. So, I've been crawling into bed for an hour or so after I get home just because there is nowhere else in the house I can stand to be! That doesn't help me get a lot accomplished in the evenings either!

I did get the dark clothes washed this morning and got them all arranged on the drying rack this evening. And I nuked some left over rice for Parker from that disastrous chicken recipe I tried last week. He was happy. And I cut up a cantaloupe, watered the big hedges in the front yard and watered the garden. I also managed to call my mother before she went to bed. She goes to bed so early that with me getting off work at 4PM and not getting home til 4:30 or so, it's hard to work in a time to call her. I already warned her that next week will be even harder as next week I'll be working 1PM-6PM. So, by the time I get home from work, she'll have been asleep for hours..... I always try to spend about an hour on the phone with her when I call because I only call about once a week........

I had hoped I'd be able to buy the materials to do a beginning raised bed garden for the second growing season this year. I think now, having analyzed my finances, that I won't be able to do that. I'm disappointed, but........... I was not able to buy the seeds in time for what will grow best around here. I should have bought them by now and have baby plants just waiting to go in the ground. And, I don't have the money yet to buy wood, etc., to make the raised bed. So......... I will see what I can plant in containers and then work on getting a raised bed ready for the spring/summer season. 

The store has bags of mulch on sale this week 3 for $10. My discount brings that down to $9 plus tax. I am thinking maybe I could plant the moringa trees soon and, if so, I will need mulch. Even if I can't plant those trees soon, some of what I have growing now would definitely benefit from some mulch and I'll need mulch when I get a raised bed going. So, I may invest in that.

Well, enough. I still have a couple of things that have to be done before lights out. So, good night. May the angels watch over you.............