My Weblog

NOT having fun.........

My gut has gone a bit crazy tonight and I am not having fun. I am, however, adding steps to the pedometer, LOL. It sure is interfering with work though. So, I've been struggling to get things done for hours.........

I decluttered some today. Third day in a row. No great strides. I added an adding machine, a set of hair clippers, and a pair of slacks to the stack. I also re-homed a bunch of things.

I got the HVAC filter changed. I had a hard time with that. I've been using a chair to climb up to do this task. I thought I was doing a good thing when I switched today to using a step stool. It didn't go all that well. Next time, it's back to using the chair! But, now I'm breathing cleaner air so that's good.

I have spent quite a while on filing tonight. I don't feel like I made a lot of progress. I look for the "to file" pile to go down. It doesn't seem to have done so, but the reality is that I've added stray bits of paper from other parts of the house today so maybe it's better after all. I had some items I needed to reprint and that's been done. I also had to make some new folders and that's been done.

I've also worked on updating the budget. Progress..........I'm almost caught up!

I did not run the vacuum today. I wanted to, but, feeling unwell, I let that go. I also didn't take the trash out. I didn't want to get that far from the bathroom, LOL. Trash day isn't til Friday, so I can deal with that tomorrow when I get home from work.

The kitchen is better than it was, but I should do more in there tonight. I just don't think I can. I'd love to go to bed with it in good shape, but I'm not in good shape! I found a few things that need to go in the dishwasher. I think I'll load that up and get it going and that will be the extent of it...........

So, that's most of my day. That and a thorough study of the flooring and walls of the bathrooms. Not what I'd like to brag about, but there ya go. I'll try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to get up at 4 so I need to head down the hall and hope for a little sleep between now and then............

Oh, an a neighbor from the next street over stopped by today and asked if he could haul away some of the wood from the front yard. You betcha! 

 

 

The last day...........

This is my last day. My last day off. Tomorrow I work an 8-hour shift. I also work Friday. 

So, today, I have tasks that I haven't gotten to over yesterday and the day before that need to be accomplished. Ugh!

And last night I cooked and when it was done, I didn't clean up. I actually bought "special stuff"--ingredients I didn't have--to make potato soup when I went to Smart & Final. And the stuff is yucky. I ate part of one bowl and fed the rest to the dog. I don't like kitchen clean up at all. But, it seems to me that I mind it less if I actually produce something edible. I had sworn that I wouldn't cook anything more from the internet. You know, those random recipes you run across on people's blogs. And I didn't. I actually went to a bona fide recipe site. And still I got a dud. I did not use anywhere near the amount of salt the recipe called for. I can't begin to imagine how anyone would eat it if they used all that salt. But, it doesn't matter because it's yucky no matter what. BUT, none of that really matters (though I mourn the cost of the ingredients that will be going down my garbage disposal today). What matters is that I have to clean up the mess I made creating yucky soup..........

It is time to change out the HVAC filter. Actually, it's past time to do that. I don't like doing it because I am none too thrilled to be "climbing" to do anything. But, it has to be done.......

Friday is trash day. I have two FULL trash cans under my desk again. Yes, I DID work on the desk again. No, I didn't get rid of as much stuff as I did the day before, but I still made substantial progress. The full trash cans are evidence of that. 

I was thinking I should make the trek to the Vacuum repair shop today. However, there goes an hour out of my day. Tomorrow, after work, I'll already be west of that place and can just go a bit out of my way to pick up the vacuum. I'm not sure which way I'll swing on this one. In any case, I did do some vacuuming yesterday with the vacuum that's here. I need to push on through the house today. 

I have picked up some more donation stuff along the way. I need to get that listed and bagged. Tomorrow is the first day of December and that stuff HAS to leave this house before the end of December in order for me to get a tax deduction for it. I have at least 3 large bags full of it.............

I am thinking about culling some books from the book shelves. I've done this before. I'm going to "lower the blade" this time, like one does on the mower to cut the grass shorter. There are books on there that I kept because I thought I should. They were good books. However, I now think I will probably NEVER re-read them. There are still some of Joe's books on there. Joe read HEAVY theological doctrinal stuff. I just know I'm not going to read those, even though maybe I should. I'm pretty well satisfied with where I am doctrinally. My big challenge is to live what I believe, KWIM? So, those will go as well..............

Anyway, there's a rough idea of what's on my mind right now. I may discover other things I should work on as I go along. It will be a full day, no matter what I choose to occupy myself. Oh, and the desk sorting and filing and trashing will continue, lest I forget to mention that. I'm making progress and I am beginning to smell victory.......

So, YOU be BLESSED today. I'm going to make a start on this stuff.............

 

I tried, I really tried........

There is a reason why some people repair vacuum cleaners and others are neurosurgeons. Yes, indeed there is. So, here is the saga of my vacuum cleaner repair story so far.......

When I took the Dyson in to be worked on, it had been sitting, unused for a LONG time. I know that the "new" carpet was installed in December, 2014. And I know that vacuum has not been functional for at least that long. What was wrong with it? Nothing "major", I assure you. It was not that the motor quit, or anything like that. Rather some sort of hinge/lock on the machine broke and it was not possible to lower the handle to vacuuming position. 

Well, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I do not have a closet in which to hide away vacuum cleaners not in use. So, the Dyson sat out, near the pet door from then til now, almost 2 years. I live in the desert. The desert is dusty. Think about those dust storms you saw in old movies. Yeah, those were in the desert. So the Dyson sat out and the pups ran in and out and wind blew the flaps on the pet door and it all conspired to make the Dyson REALLY dusty.

I loaded it into the van and took it to the shop. The guy took one look at it and tried to sell me a replacement. Over some dust! No, just wipe it down and fix the darned broken hinge-thingy. He told me that they would service it which included changing out filters, etc. However, it would have to be transported to another store for the hinge-thingy to be fixed. I told him that was okay, because I live between the two stores and I could easily pick it up there.

Several days later he called me and tried again to sell me a different vacuum cleaner. It was a Dyson animal, like mine, but refurbished. But, of course, it cost an additional $100 more than I had agreed to pay to have mine fixed up. No, I want mine fixed. Why? Because I know it has been used for something less than 2.5 years. It should be fine with new filters and a new hinge-thingy. Of course, this conversation led me to believe they had NOT done what they were supposed to do in the meantime.

Finally, late Saturday afternoon, I got an e-mail from their east location (the location from which I had agreed to pick the machine up) telling me it was fixed. They were closed on Sunday. Yesterday the non-neurosurgeon called to tell me it was done. 

So, today, I drive 1/2 an hour east of here, through countless red lights and city traffic, to the location where I'm supposed to pick up the vacuum. And, another non-neurosurgeon searches high and low for my vacuum. Finally he comes and tells me that it is now at their west location. Grrrrrrrrr.

I was SO angry. Today is 3 weeks since I took it in. In my opinion, it should have been "fixed" 2 weeks ago, but they piddled around going "ooh-eee, look at the dust" and trying to sell me another vacuum before they even started on it. And, in total violation of our up-front agreement, they have now shipped the machine where it didn't need to go (and wasn't supposed to go). I REALLY did not want to spend my day chasing that vacuum cleaner. So, I swung by Smart & Final and picked up some grocery items I forgot to get and some stuff for a recipe I'm going to make this afternoon. And I went to the bank (not the one I usually go to--which is west, not east) and by then I needed to use the restroom so I came home. 

This means I'll have to spend another hour tomorrow driving in the opposite direction to get the vacuum cleaner and then I can stop on my way home and get gasoline. And maybe there will be enough left of my day to actually USE the vacuum cleaner.

And to think the non-neurosurgeon tried to talk me into bringing my OTHER vacuum cleaner in at the same time. Now wouldn't that have just made my life extra special!

 

Maybe I can do today.........

Yesterday I didn't do too bad on the achievements score. And I had not had quite enough sleep. And my left knee was voicing a strong opinion that I should not do anything that required it to move. Today, however, I have had all the sleep I should require. And now both knees are talking back, but they're mumbling, not shouting. So, maybe I can do today........

At least, it's sunny. Uh-oh, there's wind. I'll just have to be brave.

Well, I started a counter patrol in the kitchen yesterday. You know, look at each individual thing on the counter and put it where it belongs. I will continue on with this today as well as scrubbing down the stove top. I think I might finally have enough dirty dishes to justify a load.

I washed the light colored load yesterday. It needs to be hung on the indoor drying rack.

I didn't vacuum yesterday. I didn't want to go out to the vacuum cleaner repair store and I really wanted to vacuum with the newly repaired vacuum. So, I just waited. Well, I will probably have to do something about that..........

I "re-homed" a bunch of stuff yesterday. I've spotted some more things that need to find their way back to their homes. I'll work on that today.

I pushed through about an inch of filing yesterday evening and "mostly" got the budget updated. I will do more filing today and push through what's left of the budget stuff. What's left of the budget stuff is those pesky charges from Amazon. I buy any number of things from Amazon and I want those purchases slotted into the correct categories in the budget. That means I have to try to match up what appears on the "your orders" screen at Amazon with the debits from my bank account. That's a PITA but I have to do it. 

The budget is looking pretty good. As far as I know everyone who is on my "pay me" list for the month has been paid. Some of the payments haven't cleared the bank yet, though. I actually paid a tiny bit extra on the mortgage which caused me to go over in that category. And medical expenses will go over the budgeted amount, but, hopefully, this will be the last month for that because my new insurance kicks in next month. Of course, this will only work if I get my butt in gear and go see the new doc............ The only other category that is over, so far, is household expenses. I bought the new bedspread/dust ruffle/pillow shams/sheets/pillow cases for my room. They're beautiful, truly beautiful and I'm not sorry I exceeded my budget in buying them. They were a remarkable bargain.

I have decided that one of the major problems in this house is the dearth of closets. And, generally, where there are closets, they're small. My coat closet, for example, is about half the size you see in newer homes. This leaves me for no legitimate "home" for vacuum cleaners, brooms, mops, etc. I have a screw idea. And one that for sure cannot be implemented any time soon. However, I'm sitting in a room that occupies 1/4 of the square footage of this room. I have office furniture in here I no longer need. I would like to ditch a bunch of stuff and then build a large closet across the other end of this room. That would vastly increase my storage space AND would enable this room to be listed as a "bedroom" when the house is sold. But, like I said, that is many many moons in the future.......... In the meantime, the more stuff I can truck out of here, the less severe the problem will be, right?

So there are the bare bones of my plans for the day. I'm sure I'll get into more mischief as the day wears on. I'll try to update you later. YOU be BLESSED today!

Counting my achievements for the day........

Well, let's see........... What have I accomplished today?

Most notable is most likely that I actually DID deal with some of the "security system" that is still spread around my front yard. I took one bundle of branches to the curb fairly easily. I got a second one to the curb about 4 inches at a time--it was HEAVY and I had to drag it. I filled one outdoor bin with some stray branches--the most I could manage to stuff in there........

I carried in the last full water bottle from the van. Then I took one of those grocery bags we all despise and gathered up trash from the van. Then I brought some of the "useful" things in from the van. Mostly this was receipts and the like which got piled on the top of the pile on the desk.

I loaded every dirty dish I could find into the dishwasher.

I restarted the dehydrator. (I just checked on that. Bananas that have been in there for 27 hours run time are still not REALLY dry............... 

I cleared all the dry clothes off the indoor drying rack and put everything away.

I started a load of light colored clothes. 

I filed a good inch of paper from the pile on the desk. Some of it went into the "round file". (They're really rectangular, but you get the idea.)

I lugged two big bags of trash to the curb together with the two outdoor bins.

I've worked on updating the budget. 

I picked up and put away some random things in the living room and dining room. 

I cleared all sorts of bottles and such off the top of the washer/dryer and put away a few articles of clothing that I found there. It's all shiny white now except for the Oxiclean spray, the Oxiclean laundry detergent, and the VERY fragrant fabric softener. 

And, I did sundry other little tasks along the way. For example, I "fixed" a loose pot handle. 

Of course, there's still more to be done. There is always more to be done. There will ALWAYS be more to be done......... 

But, I do feel that progress has been made today. Shortly, I'll run the dishwasher. I also hope to vacuum the hall and the hall bath yet tonight. I might even get up the energy to run the steam mop in the hall bath. We'll see about that.

In the meantime, I am having joint problems. Off and on all day, I have had pain in my knees and pain in my wrists. NOT liking that at all. In fact, I just had a convo with the Lord about the knees. 

Oh, and speaking of conversations, I spoke at length with my mother which ate up a good bit of "working" time, but which has to be done nonetheless. I had tried to call her this morning and her phone just rang....... But, this afternoon, she called me which is a rare thing. It's okay that it's rare--my work schedule being SO erratic. A large % of the time, if she called me, I'd be at work and unable to even answer the call..........

So, for now, that's it. I'm going to find something to watch on Netflix between periods of getting up and working on the house. 

 

Home Alone.........

Home Alone is a good thing. It's quiet here. I don't have to go stand outside in the cold for hours at a time. I also have things to do and things with which to amuse myself. I like Home Alone!

I thought I might have enough oomph to accomplish something last night. Honestly, that was a pipe dream. I ended up going to bed at 10:00. So, today I can do stuff.......

I SHOULD go get the Dyson at the repair shop. I got an e-mail saying the machine was fixed on Saturday, but, of course, I worked Saturday. Sundays they are closed. So today would be the first day we are all available for me to pick up that vacuum. The big question will be whether or not I can talk myself into going out into the big wide wonderful (cold) world. Maybe I'll just sit here next to the heater and enjoy the quiet.

IF I do go out, I will probably swing by Smart & Final. I decided that one thing with nutrition that I could eat for snacks at work is nuts. We're told that eating a handful of these has all sorts of benefits nutritionally. However, they aren't the cheapest thing in the store so I generally avoid buying them. BUT, I am sick of living on "crap"--Doritos, Potato Chips, the kind of thing that's made to be transported. Well, nuts can be put into a ziploc snack bag and transported too. I know they will have some sort of (incredibly pricey yet among the lowest prices in town) jar of assorted nuts. 

I think I will pick up another BIG cup while I'm there. The last one increased my stash from 2 to 3 and I thought that might be enough. But I'm using the 3rd one now and I have no "go to" and the dishwasher is nowhere near full. I pretty much never eat or drink anywhere else in the house so there's no hope of rounding up enough dirty dishes "left behind" to fill out a load......

I have the food dehydrator running. I have apple slices and banana slices in there now. These are intended for snacks while at work. Much cheaper than Cheetos!

I am really having my doubts about the fabric softener I bought. It is really STRONGLY scented. I had hopes that the fact that my work clothes hang in the open on the shower rod in the hall bath would cause some of the scent to "air out". But, still, if I get within a foot of that stuff, I smell the fabric softener. And that is even with me cutting the amount I use significantly. I am really hoping that, when I put one of those pieces of clothing on, the smell won't overwhelm me or bring on an asthma attack.

I have a history with strong smells. My mother is a little psychotic when it comes to bathroom smells. She sprays air freshener like her life depends on it. She does not seem to realize that when she does that, I frequently have difficulty breathing. So, you see, I really DO have reason to worry about that scented fabric softener..........

She (my mother) used to make both my father and I gasp for air anytime she went to a department store. She would ALWAYS visit the perfume counter and spray on whatever she could lay her hands on--multiple varieties and too much of each. Riding home with her in the car was no fun, particularly if it was winter or a very hot summer day when you needed air conditioning. SHE, however, thought she smelled just grand............ Maybe there's something wrong with her olfactory senses......

Well, it doesn't look like I'm going to be inspired to go to the Vacuum Cleaner repair place today. It turns out that tomorrow is trash day. And, there are piles and piles of branches from cut down or partially cut down trees all over my front yard. The guy who has done all this work made some smaller piles with the idea that I could get some of that to the curb for the trash guys to haul away. I have given it due consideration and come to the conclusion that he has a right to expect that I can accomplish at least that much in this whole process. So, any extra time I have will be spent on bundle(s) of tree branches. Of course, I also have inside trash to carry out..........

Yesterday I "installed" one of those desk lamps. I think I really need 3 but I only ordered one for now. I wanted to test it out and spread out the expenditure some. I put this one so that it illuminates the area around my desk where I perch much of the time. It seems to work well. Now to think about ordering more.........

I need lamps. Actually, I need additional/better lighting throughout the house. Sometimes ideas are SO SLOW in coming to me. As it turns out, I have 4 lamps that I could paint and use. These are actually 2 sets of 2 matching lamps. One set was custom made by me to match a sofa I used to own. Another set was custom made by me to match the bedspread/shams/curtains in a stepdaughter's room. I see no reason why I couldn't spray paint them and use them! So, I will probably be watching you tube videos on how to spray paint lamps (yes, there are you tube videos on EVERY possible subject) and doing something with these lamps. That will take care of some of the "clutter" in the garage........... They've been sitting out there since we moved here. Too pretty to get rid of, but not the right colors for anything I now own........

Okay, I need to go play a rousing game of "pick up sticks" in my front yard. YOU be BLESSED today!

 

Oh, what a night!

(Hey, that might make a good song lyric...........) 

Yeah. The weather turned cold and windy. So, just stepping outside the store was an adventure. And, guess who got sent to outside lawn & garden.............. Theoretically it was only for half an hour, but in reality it was more like 45-50 minutes. It was almost bearable today. The lady who usually works out there has had back problems for years. Diagnosed back problems. So, they let her sit. Well, when I went out there, the person I replaced was sitting in her chair. I figured if he could, so could I! This enabled me to get pretty much all of me warm. Standing up, you only get warm on one side of your legs from mid calf to hip level, but sitting down, it's a whole different story. When he relieved her, she had given him permission to use her gloves. So, he told me he didn't think she'd mind if I used them. They were great gloves, gloves on the inside, leather like mittens on the outside. Wish I had some of those! 

Then I got sent to Lumber again. I asked about the lady who collapsed yesterday. The Department Manager had called her but she hadn't returned his call. So, no news. 

It was relatively quiet down there though definitely busier than it has been lately. According to a couple of folks, it was B-U-S-Y up in the main part of the store. I would have liked some of that........ I found out it is possible to get to a few sites on the internet from down there. I didn't want to get too crazy with it so I just went to Google News to try to see what was going on in the world. Primarily I was concerned about Israel. According to what I read, the many many fires are "contained". They've arrested 30 persons suspected of arson as a means of terrorism. The amount of property damage is going to be staggering. Of course, buildings, homes, etc. I'm also wondering about Israel's carefully developed farmland. For example, they are the main supplier of flowers for all of Europe. I wonder how many flowers survived....... Or, maybe, that "season" is finished.

There are any number of young men in the store that I like. I mean guys say 25 and younger. One is a guy who transferred to us from the East Coast. He has a great way of imparting knowledge/information to me without making me think he's talking down. It was he who showed me how to get to the internet from the store. I thanked him for the times he has helped me and told him how much I appreciated his manner in that he is never condescending as he explains. Anyway, he came back by later, asking me if he could beg a cigarette. Seems he lost everything (including his wallet, all his ID, etc.) somewhere. I think he didn't have any $$$ to buy cigs. Anyway, I handed him my car keys and he went out to the van and got himself one. This kid has earned a share of most things I might have! 

I was scheduled to work 2-8. Funny thing: the store closes now on Sunday nights at 7! So, my 6 hour shift turned into a 5 hour shift, except I didn't find out til around 6 when I was expecting to be relieved for my second break. Of course, a 5 hour shift doesn't get you a second break..........

Mr. Fixit2 is essentially out of business. Someone complained and he was told that what he was doing was a conflict of interest. He was also told his job was in danger if he continued his side work. His wife is not well and is not able to work. That extra money he earned was very important to them. I feel bad for them as well as feeling bad for me!

I was pretty amazed at how full the parking lot was again. However, while I was on break, I figured out a small part of it. Our parking lot adjoins Costco's side lot except that our lot is elevated about 12 feet above the level of Costco's. I saw people parking on the edge of our lot and then trying to get down the 12 foot "hill" to Costco. That might account for some of the cars on the fringes of our lot, LOL. I'll bet Costco was a zoo today............

So, that's about it for now. I think maybe I have enough oomph left to accomplish a little something this evening. I'm gonna try...........

Can it get any colder?

Yes, I'm sure it can! It was 67 degrees around 1:30PM when I left home to head to work. But, as it darkened toward nightfall, the wind swept in and with it some mighty chilly temperatures. 

I spent my WHOLE 6 hours in Lumber yesterday. Here's the good parts of that: I got paid for doing practically nothing. I had access to a computer so I was able to print out my new schedule and several pay slips that I've not been able to print til now. MUCH of the world was prayed for. 

I was hoping to get to spend SOME time in my usual space. BUT, when I got sent back to Lumber after my second break, I decided just to view it as the Lord wanting me to spend more time with Him. So, I did! 

The woman who normally works Lumber has been sickly lately. Most recently she had stomach surgery, the kind that is supposed to help you lose weight. Yesterday, she came to work and she collapsed! The manager in Lumber caught her as she was headed for the deck! Then he took her to Urgent Care. I have no idea what the deal is but I was told last night that she'd been admitted to Desert Springs Hospital........She got a prayer or two or twelve.........

I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot yesterday. I think it was as full yesterday around 2PM as it was at any time on Black Friday. Maybe not, but it seemed so. Of course, in Lumber you don't feel any of that. The biggest challenge there is to amuse yourself. I do my best. I clean out my e-mail on my company account. I check my upcoming schedule. I straighten the snacky stuff around the register. I assist a customer now and then. And I pray.......

I had great intentions for what I was going to accomplish when I got home. Silly me. I pulled into the driveway at 8:22. My plan was to allow myself to sit and recuperate til 9PM and then try to get some things done around here. Well, I was so tired I kept nodding off right here in my chair. So, I decided before I got myself a dandy stiff neck, the best course was just to go to bed. I was in bed by just a few minutes after 10PM and nothing, not one darned thing, was done in this house. I'm so glad I was somewhat productive yesterday morning!

I work again today. I HOPE they won't send me to Lumber again, but it IS a very low stress atmosphere, LOL. 

I did NOT check the forecast yesterday and I paid for it last night. Stepping outside for breaks as well as leaving for the night, it was COLD. The temp was in the low 50's, high 40's, but the wind was blowing like crazy. That made it feel that much colder! I had layered up a short sleeve polo over a long sleeve tee. It wasn't enough! So, today, one layer will be a sweatshirt! 

I have been fighting the urge to buy stuff this weekend. I have had my eye on an InstaPot for a while now. And Amazon REALLY dropped the price. It was actually about a 50% drop. However, I convinced myself that I may want one but I don't need one. I barely eat on work days. And, if I'm off for the day, why do I need to cook in a hurry? So, I saved that money.

I also desperately want a Roomba. With Parker shedding the way he does, the idea of something automatically vacuuming and clearing out the dog hair really appeals to me. The store has one model on sale for $100 off. It, I think, is the best buy available anywhere on this particular model. I WANT that thing. I might even need that thing. BUT, I really need to be saving money not spending it so I'm trying hard not to buy it! 

Speaking of vacuums, yesterday, 19 days later, the vacuum cleaner repair place notified me that the Dyson is ready for pick up. Of course, they are closed on Sunday. So tomorrow I'll retrieve that and pay the piper. Let me just say, the piper is EXPENSIVE! Sheesh! It aggravates me that it takes them SO LONG to do what's needed. And to think they wanted me to bring my other vacuum in at the same time! Can you imagine how much dog hair there'd be all over this place if I had NO functional vacuum cleaner in this house for 19 days? Wow, that's a scary thought. Besides, who could afford to pay TWO excessive bills for vacuum cleaner service at the same time? Not me!

The other vacuum cleaner needs work, no doubt. BUT, it will be a while til I accumulate the $$$ to get that done. Meanwhile, hopefully the Dyson will do the job quite well.

So, I need to get started on the day. I'm awake, so I should be considering what I can get done this morning before it's time to run out the door. I think one thing I'll try to do is to get the dehydrator running again. So far, I dehydrated some spinach that was about to go round the bend. It will be an okay addition to soups, etc. I have also dehydrated some apples, some cranberries and some bananas for snacks at work. I still have some apples and some bananas that I can get going today. 

So, anyway, I'm outta here. YOU be BLESSED today!

Keep on going or starting over?

This house. I despair of this house. And, yet, I know it's NOT the house. It's me. Bits of it have improved. Some parts have improved a lot. Some parts have improved, but only I would know it--not because of small improvement but because no one else could imagine how bad it WAS. So I am going to try something new. I am going to try to actually establish a routine. Ugh. I don't do well with this. I've tried before. It seems to work for a little while and then it vanishes. And the little while it works doesn't seem to be long enough to make much difference. I think for a daily routine to work, maybe you have to do it for more than a week or two.

So, I'm going to try again. 

Most folks start with resolving to make their bed. "Experts" have all sorts of reasons to start with this. I'm only an expert on ME. I seem to need about 10 hours of sleep these days. That would probably be less without the job, but the job is totally necessary unless I want to move to a studio apartment which I don't! The trouble is that on average I get about 7 hours or less sleep per night. This means I have to have a nap. And I LIKE naps! It's a fabulous thing, when you are totally spent, to lie down for a few hours and get up with a new store of energy. So, at this point I can't see what good beating myself up over not making my bed will do.

Some folks would suggest going to bed earlier. Hey, that's a fine idea. However, yesterday I needed to be up at 3AM in order to be functional and fit to associate with other humans at work by 6AM. In order to get a "full ration" of sleep, this would have necessitated going to sleep by 5PM. Now, I ask you, could YOU go to bed for the night at 5PM and actually go to sleep? Me neither!

So, no, not bed-making. That will not be first on the list. I decided first on the list will be walking through the house and trying to put away random items I've left lying around. I'm allocating around 15 minutes to this for now. And, it's not necessarily just walking through the house. I spent 15 minutes last night. I did some work on the dining room table. But I also retrieved the mail from the mailbox, sorted it, threw a bunch of it away, and put the stuff that really needed my attention on the pile on my desk in my office. 

My thinking is that if I can force myself to do this consistently, sooner or later, the house will begin to look "neat" or at least "neater". 

Truly, I still have mountains of things to declutter. I will even need to go back through areas where I've previously spent time decluttering and get rid of more stuff. I think, when the time comes for me to launch into THAT exercise, I will have harsher rules about what I will allow to live here in this space with me.

BUT, this is not so much decluttering but rather just dealing with random items that are lying about that never made it to wherever they go. For example, a few work-days back, I had to work in Outside Lawn & Garden for HOURS. It was 53 degrees with a 20mph wind which translate to something like 37-45 degrees when wind chill is taken into account. This occasioned me to think I have to have something warm to wear at work and ready to go when times like this happen. First, I thought I'd have to buy something. And in many ways, I wish I had. I WANTED a hip-length jacket with a hood. However, in an effort to save money, I opted to pull a 3/4 length coat out with an attached hood out of the closet. That coat is now in my locker at work. BUT, on the same hanger with the coat I had a scarf and a hat. I thought it would be a little excessive to take those to the store. Last night I put the scarf back on the shelf in the closet. The hat is still on the couch. It's stuff like the had and scarf I am targeting at this point. Random items that are lying about that never made it to wherever they belong. See?

I work 6 hours today. I'm dressed for work but I haven't done makeup and hair yet. Soon......

So, I told you yesterday that we were swamped for hours yesterday. I even told you that we had able bodies from all over the store standing at cash registers. I also told you that one of the Assistant Store Managers was actually manning a machine! What I didn't tell you was that he was manning the machine next to me! I mean maybe a foot away from me (maybe less, he's a BIG guy!). The reason I bring that up again is to say this: I did NOT freeze up! He has cut me slack a couple of times when I didn't deserve it and I get the feeling he has my best interest at heart. So, I was able to operate as efficiently with him standing 12 inches of less from me as I would have if he'd not been there. That's something of a minor miracle, folks. I am so grateful for that! WOW! 

In general, I certainly have my flaws with regard to this job. However, through prayer, I think I do an excellent job of relating to customers. Although I often move from machine to machine, there are customers who seek me out. I've even seen them leave other lines and move over to mine. And not because my line has fewer bodies either! I am almost always able to get folks to laugh or engage in conversation. And, if they don't want to be bothered (like the guys who come in for one thing they need to finish a project and are in a hurry to go home and finish it), I am usually pretty quick to pick up on that. Well, here's the interesting part: I was listening to the Assistant Manager as he was doing his thing. It stands to reason he heard me as I was doing my thing. And my thing is relating to the customers. I am glad he heard that. Perhaps it will cause my "stock" to go up........

Well, I have mountains of other stuff to do so I'm gonna wish YOU a BLESSED day today and get on with it. 

 

 

What a day!

First, there was the problem of being up at 3AM. Then, I kinda lost track of time. I don't know what happened between 4:30 and 5:30. But, I was late leaving so I was late arriving at work. I really expected to have to fight my way through a line of people to report for work, but that didn't happen. In fact, we were dead til about 10:30 or so. Then all of a sudden it was like a dam broke. There are a total of 17 registers in the store. Most of the time these days, 4 registers are open. If it gets busy AND we have staff, sometimes we have 5 registers open. There were parts of today where we had 14 registers open. We had draftees from the paint department, electrical, lumber and a few other areas. We had a draftee from HR. For quite a while, we even had the Assistant Store Manager (for our department) manning a register! He's actually pretty good at it..........

Anyway, yes, we were slammed. I was told that even outside lawn and garden was busy with folks buying real Christmas trees. Lord knows, inside, we sold boxes and boxes of lights, ornaments, and various lawn decorations as well as pre-lit trees which were marked 25% off. We also had very nice poinsettias in various sized pots marked down. The 1 gallon pots were only $.99. I'd bet I personally sold 5 or 6 dozen of those. 

So, we were slammed and I came home totally exhausted. And the guy who was here the other week taking down a tree (for free, as a favor) was in my front yard chopping bits of "tree" into smaller bits and tieing them up in bundles, etc. I SO appreciate his faithfulness in doing all this. However, you cannot begin to know how much I just wanted to go lie down for a while........

I tried to call my mother because it's Thanksgiving weekend. And, with the 3 hour time difference, these calls have to be carefully timed. However, my daughter is there visiting her, so it made for a short phone call which was okay with me for a change. Grandma got to go shopping today. That was always one of her favorite things, even if she bought little or nothing. I don't know what she bought today, but she did buy some things. 

Now, I've eaten some more of my spaghetti with clam sauce. And, I think I'm going to go try to take that nap. I work tomorrow but not til 2PM so that will be just fine with me. Maybe later..........