My Weblog

In and out, in and out..........

Doing my watering thing again tonight. At least I've carried trash out and a bottle of water in. Did a little kitchen clean up and I've worked on the desk. Does the desk look any better? No. Does the kitchen look any better? Yes, some.

My son-in-law sent me to a link for a bunch of photos of youngest DGS at camp. I swear, the kid is getting better looking, LOL. 

My mouth bothered me a good bit today. It took some ibuprofen along the way, but I managed to wear those nasty things most of the day. 

I screwed up. My client was supposed to come by and pick up a letter I'd written on her behalf. However, I was supposed to leave it on the front porch. I forgot....... I called and left a message for her, letting her know I'd failed to leave the letter, but what time I'd make it home. Apparently she had just left home when I called (wouldn't you know?). So, she had to sit and wait for me. She brought me this "coconut walnut bread". I managed to eat some of it though the walnuts were tough going. It was delicious. I gave her a jar of the pineapple jelly I made a few weeks ago. I hope she likes it........

So, that's about it for today. I'm headed for bed. I work tomorrow, but, thankfully, a later start. It is just not a good idea to tell me to show up at 8AM. Obviously, balls get dropped when that happens. 

Full as a tick.........

It's gotten to be an unusual sensation--being "full". I don't eat that much under normal circumstances. But recently I've eaten even less. I bought some sweet taters at Smart & Final when I was there last. I don't remember my mother ever fixing these when I was home. I honestly never gave a thought to anything other than candying them or baking them into some sort of casserole dish. I don't think I knew there was any other way. Eventually I discovered I liked having a baked sweet potato, much like a baked white potato, with a little butter on it. But, oddly enough, it was eventually my mother who tipped me off to making "mashed sweet potatoes". I wouldn't be surprised if she picked the idea up from a friend somewhere after I'd already left home.

Anyway, easy to do. Simply do exactly what you'd do to make mashed potatoes (unless you are one of those who uses "potato flakes"). If you're one of "those", then mashed sweet potatoes may form a bit more of a challenge. 

They were yummy. And I got a few vitamins and minerals from them, no doubt. A plus in several categories..........

My client who was supposed to come by today called to say she was sick. She thought maybe she got food poisoning. Anyway, she'll pick up what I have for her tomorrow while I'm at work. That gave me the opportunity to take a nap which I really kind of needed. Yesterday was a long day at work but I only managed about 5 hours of sleep last night. No idea what that was about, but that's not enough sleep to put all the pieces of Marci back together again. 

Talked with my mother. It was probably time since it's been a week. She's still complaining about her TV. She can't get it to work and she's bored. I'm sure in the circumstances I would be too. I passed on the message to the appropriate person........ Other than that, things are pretty much the same with her other than she has a UTI. but, she's had a round of meds for that so she should be doing better. I keep preaching "drink more water". She has a zillion excuses why she "can't". One that makes me want to yell at her is when she tells me they don't bring her any water. The real translation here is that she doesn't ASK for any water and they don't think to offer it. I can't count the # of times I've said "you have to learn to tell people what you need". I can't imagine what she thinks a call button is for........ Yes, the woman frustrates me no end.........

I've worked a lot on kitchen clean up and the rest of the day has gone on tax stuff and working on the budget. Results for the month of June don't look too bad until you take into account that I've only gotten expenses recorded through June 12. Then it gets a little scary! Thinking "balancing the budget" may be out of the question for June........Sadly, that's no surprise.

Well, I have to tuck myself into bed very soon, so I'm signing off now. I hope you had a blessed day.

Memo to me (but you can read it if you want)

I HAVE to get this memorialized. On this date (June 29, 2017) I noticed that my timecard and my schedule were all screwy. I originally requested to be on vacation June 5-June 9 because of the dental thing. Then the "blessed one" refused everything but June 5 because he didn't/doesn't understand the vacation system at the store. When I spoke to him about it, very politely, he got angry and took his pencil and slashed through days he had scheduled me for, meaning no pay for me! I believe that was 3 days in a row, including the 7th, 8th, and 9th. I was told I did not request vacation time properly and referred to a head cashier for information on how to do that properly. I ended up discussing with K in Lumber and she assisted me in submitting a "proper" request for vacation time to replace the days he'd slashed through. He then refused the request, saying I had only accrued 4 hours of vacation and couldn't take any more than that. I went back to K and she assured me I was entitled to the vacation time. I then went and discussed the situation with the personnel person. I was again assured that I was entitled to the vacation I had requested. She helped me prepare another request for vacation on the 5th-8th (4 days). I had 5 hours of paid time that week and I knew I could skinny through on the 4 days of vacation time plus the 5 paid hours. 

The personnel person promised to discuss with the "blessed one", indicating that he had a totally incorrect idea about how the vacation system works at the store. I checked with her the next day but the "blessed one" was not there that day. I followed up with her again the following day (I was now butt up against the time involved) and she promised she'd talk to him that day. I had no opportunity to follow up again. I just had to go get it done and trust that either it was fixed and would stay fixed in spite of the "blessed one's" efforts or I'd have to fight for it later. 

Today I printed out my schedule for the week of the 8-14th of July. It comes in the form of a calendar. It happens this calendar begins with the week that includes the 5th-9th of June. It shows I wasn't scheduled for anything on the 5th (no work, no unavailable, no vacation). It further shows that I was only granted vacation on the 8th. But, I found another spot where I am shown as having used 20 hours of vacation time! Needless to say this is really confusing particularly since I only requested 16 hours, thinking to save 4 hours for later in the year.

So, I called the personnel person. She tells me "Don't worry about it. You still have 20 hours to use during the rest of the year." I was dumbfounded. All I have EVER been told was that a part-time was entitled to one week at 20 hours. Now she tells me, no, it's 2 weeks at 20 hours.........I even repeated that back to her several times and each time she affirmed that I had it right!

Then I asked her about a raise. I had thought my "original hire date" was June 9th. Turns out it was 6/6/16. She says no raise if you got one when you converted from seasonal to permanent part-time. That would be October, and no, I didn't get a raise at that time. Otherwise, I am supposedly entitled to a raise of some sort as of June 6th. Did I get a raise? No, I didn't. The computer shows me at the same pay rate I was hired at. (Does this mean I should have gotten a raise all the way back in October???? I dunno, but it sorta sounds like it, right?) So, anyway, as of now she is checking into a raise as of 6/6/16. 

So, is your head spinning yet? Mine sure is. 

I cannot believe how screwed up this all is. I worked for the US Government for 15 years in a time when computerization was much more primitive. The only time, in 15 years, that they ever screwed up my pay or my hours was the pay period when I moved from St. Louis to Las Vegas. They showed me as physically being on the books in LV but mailed my green paycheck to St. Louis. And then, the folks in LV went into petty cash and gave me an advance on that errant check. Honestly, if the US Government can't screw up like this, how come private industry can manage to make such a mess?

Edited to add: Oh, I almost forgot. I also learned that we are entitled to 16 hours a year of "Holiday Pay". Trust me, I was too flabbergasted to ask if that was straight time or something more.

 

staying home!

I do not work today. As far as I'm concerned, that's good news. Of course, I'd make myself available for extra hours if the phone rang........ I don't think that will happen though as I'm already scheduled to be on the clock 31.5 hours this week. 

So, today..........

I should have a client coming by this afternoon. I needed to put together a letter for her that she can submit to a bank. So, she'll come by and pick up the letter and maybe visit a few minutes.

Tomorrow is trash day and even though I did have enough sense to put the trash out Tuesday, I have more trash that I need to drag out of here for tomorrow's pick up. 

There's also still a bit of stuff in the van that I should bring in.

I have been working on a tax return for the state of CA for a client. I am lacking just a teeny bit of information and I think that can be printed out. I'd like to get that done today. 

Other than that, if I have an opportunity to do so, I should drive over to the dentist's office and drop off a payment on the remaining balance on these choppers. It would be nice if they'd take a look at them today as well. I just kind of stuck them in without the ooey gooey stuff. The surprise is that at this point, without that stuff, the bottom one feels reasonable and is kinda staying put. However, the upper, without the stickum are precarious at best. And the odd thing about that is I thought those fit better.......Hmmmmm. I wonder if I can get them to make some adjustments today? I think they said I had to come back on days the dentist is in the office and that's only Monday and Friday........I guess I can ask, right?

Beyond that, I'll be working in this house. I've decided decluttering needs a new standard. I am going to start asking myself if I'd actually move whatever object I am holding or eyeing or if I'd get rid of it in case of a move. If I'd get rid of it in case of a move, I think it's gone. I really want this place cleaned out..........So that's the plan for today.

My son-in-law e'mailed me this morning EARLY. It looks like I might get to "babysit" Monday for some period of time. Just lucky that I happen to have Monday and Tuesday off..........

Double checked my schedule this morning. It is SO GRAND to be able to do that from home! God bless the new Head Cashier who gave me the "key" to getting that done. This week's schedule has been all over the place. Next week I am back to being scheduled at the same time of day as he's been doing prior to this. Oh well, at least it's predictable and I don't have to be up at any undesirable time of the early morning. 

So, I'm gonna run for now. Maybe later with a progress report. YOU be BLESSED today.

gah gah goo gah ma ma da da

Baby food. If I'm gonna eat baby food maybe I might just as well talk baby talk? Whaddaya think? So, I got into the baby food today. I had a mix of pears, mangos, and spinach from Happy Baby Organics. Did it taste good? Not to me. But I sucked up every drop I could. Why? Well let me tell you: one serving contains 200 mg potassium, 30% of the MDR of Vitamin C, 100% of the MDR of Vitamin A, 40% of the MDR for folate and a smattering of calcium and iron,. Considering how I've been eating lately, that ought to help my body feel a bit better, right? This pack I got from Amazon contains 4 different mixtures so I figure the nutrition in each package will vary. But I have 16 of these things. The way my work schedule goes, that will probably cover me for 3 weeks. I'm hoping, surely, that my mouth will be in somewhat better shape by then.........

Do you remember this time last year, I referred to one of the head cashiers as "the tank" because that's kind of how she's built? Well come to find out she is a Dental Tech. She works for the store because they pay her better than she could make in the dental field. That just tells me that dentists are pigs. SUCH high bills and the staff is paid a pittance. They should be ashamed. Anyway, she says that some folks take up to 2 years to get it together after a procedure like I had done. I sure did not like getting that kind of news.......

Between the Lord and Poligrip, at least I seem to be able to "glue" the torture devices in place. That makes talking better and it reduces the pain. I'm still feeling it, though. The insides of my cheeks are sore. Seems the dentures protrude into the cheek area further than my own teeth did. So, my cheeks are being rubbed everytime I move my mouth. They are also needing to "stretch" a tiny bit. And, for 5-10 minutes after I stick 'em in, they aren't seated right so the exterior part of my gums hurts. Also, I am noticing soreness on the top of my mouth. So, it's no where near as bad as it was, but it's still a struggle. And chewing seems to pop them loose. What fun! 

Friends, I took a financial hit about a month ago. It was a significant hit and that situation has not been resolved. Now there is another something on the horizon. There's not much I can do about any of it. This is a God thing. I can see no human answer. I really need your prayers over my financial situation. To the human eye, this is pretty darned bad, something from which I could never recover without divine intervention. 

I'm really not going to go into any more detail than that. Not now, anyway. Perhaps when the battle is won........... So, pray and stay tuned for late breaking news, LOL. I'm signing off now. I want to get the kitchen cleaned up before I go to bed and it's getting late..........

 

Home again, home again!

It's good to be home. It's cooling off in here and I've got "dinner" cooking. "Dinner" tonight is mashed potatoes. More specifically, garlic mashed potatoes. it's hard to wait for the potatoes to get cooked. This is a time when having canned potatoes would come in handy!

The baby food arrived today. So, now I know, I will have something to "eat" that has some vitamins and minerals in it. 

I had no clue what to do about food today. i worked 8 hours. I did slice and cook some carrots. I took some string cheese and I took some raisins. I can eat the string cheese VERY CAREFULLY. I have to pull off a halfway fat string and then separate it into thirds. Then I can put one of those small portions in my mouth and maybe kinda chew it and get it swallowed. It sure is a slow process though. I didn't eat any of the carrots. I tried to eat some of the raisins. That went even slower than the string cheese. I could only put about 3 in my mouth at a time and then I had to park them there til they softened some. Finally, I could swallow them. This is not a fun way to exist! 

So, I just ate some of those mashed potatoes. I haven't lost my touch. I would bet you a good bit of money (if I had any) that I have not had mashed potatoes in at least 6 years. I used to make them occasionally for Joe, but he's been gone a long while now. He loved them, but he ate so much at one sitting, I knew it wasn't healthy to serve them often. But tonight's batch turned out really tasty. I think I managed to get just the right amount of garlic in 'em. I hope this doesn't cause all my customers to take a step back tomorrow after I greet them, LOL.

My feet, ankles, knees, and even my hips will testify that I spent a lot of time on my feet today. I also have an achy back. It'll all pass. It has to or I have to just ignore it because I'm scheduled for 6 tomorrow. It was slow this morning so I helped one of the other cashiers stock snacks and candy. She climbed the ladder and pulled out the boxes of the snacks we needed and handed them to me. I loaded them into a cart and then she distributed them. I couldn't help with that because I couldn't leave the register. About 2PM my favorite head cashier was off duty. We were left with the "blessed one" in charge. He pretty much ignored things to the point that I was almost an hour late getting my afternoon break. I was becoming pretty unhappy as the minutes ticked by. He mucked up the schedule to the point that we had 4 people due breaks or lunch simultaneously and not enough people to cover. What fun. Finally, I was released about 10 after 5. It was very welcome.

I had a convo with the water district today. Geez, as an entity, I dislike them a LOT. I really do. I really analyzed my bill this month. My current bill (not including payment on what I owe from the leaks) is about $29.50. Here's the fun part: "usage" (the charge for water I used) came to $2.38. Everything else on that bill is some sort of fee. So, I could totally cut my use of water for the entire month to the point of zero and I would still owe them in excess of $27 for that month. The very thought of this makes me want to hurt someone, LOL. I do have to give credit where credit is due though: The people with whom I have spoken have been great--patient and helpful.

So that, up there was last night's version, 6/27/17.

Below, is a blurb or two from today, 6/28/17.

I ate my mashed potatoes (as much as I could hold) and I went to bed for a "nap". FOUR hours later, I woke up. That's some nap! Anyway I stayed up for a while and then went back to bed. All in all, I got about 8 hours of sleep last night.

I've spent the morning on tax stuff. Part of what I've worked on, I'll get paid for. Part is just done for someone I care about..........

I work the "late shift" tonight, though I don't have to stay all the way to close. In a way, that's nice. But, that last hour is usually not too busy so no big deal. But I show up and work what they tell me to work. 

I have been looking at maybe buying some dehydrated foods. Several people that I trust have recommended them. I guess some folks think they're pricey, but I don't actually think that is true. First, unless you've dehydrated some things, you just don't know how much of veggies and fruit, etc., is water. It's hard to imagine til you see it. For example, I wanted to dehydrate some red bell peppers to use in cooking. Right now, they're more expensive than they will be later in the summer so I'm not going at this too hard. However, I did buy one, chop it up, and dehydrate it. I stored it in a 16 oz glass jar. With all the little bits and pieces, it does not cover the bottom of the jar!  At the market the other day, red bell peppers were going for $.99 each. So, while that teeny tiny bit of food in the bottom of the jar doesn't look like much, it is equivalent to a $1.00 investment. When you look at it that way, it's rather shocking. 

With the stuff I am looking at, you get 4 cups of dehydrated red bell pepper for $15 and change. Think about my $1 investment and what it got me v. 4 cups! I can't even imagine how many red bell peppers I'd have to dehydrate to end up with 4 cups!

Another thing that would be good with this stuff is that it doesn't spoil. I have often tried to integrate more fresh produce into my life. Almost invariably, I end up throwing stuff away because I can't use it fast enough. I do not have enough $$$ to throw $$$ in the trash........

The shelf life of this stuff is 1-2 years, and that is just what they say it is. You and I both know that stuff generally is still good long after those "use by" dates.

I am also thinking about the convenience of having food in chopped/diced/sliced format that I don't have to spend time messing with. Maybe I would eat better/more veggies, etc., if I didn't have to stand and chop for 20 minutes before I can cook......

So, anyway, it's something I'm considering. If I do this, I think I might start with "hard" stuff. For example, do YOU want to stand and peel and chop a butternut squash? Me neither. Yet it is a nutritious food and tasty when prepared properly. This may be the only way I ever eat some of this food.

Gotta get outta here in 15 minutes. Bye for now.

 

What's on your "plate"?

Last night I "amused" myself by running in and out to water the hedges out front. I also worked on paying bills. That is downright harrowing sometimes, but so far, so good. I'm still afloat.

I work a full 8 hours on the clock today. That means 9 hours away from home (including lunch) plus commute time. Well, it will save on power as I'll raise the thermostat before I leave and turn off as much electrical stuff as I can. I've been trying to live with the thermostat set higher. It's not easy. But, I know that every degree I give up, I save $$$. So, I'm doing the best I can. Sometimes I wish I had one of those new model thermostat's that I could control from my phone. But I do burn calories from the desk to the thermostat and back again. Not many calories but some.

I got a "revelation" this morning. When I think about working an 8-hour day, it seems daunting. It's never as bad as I think it might be, but I have the same reaction when I think about it nevertheless. It hit me that I work 2 hours and I get a break. Then I work 2 hours and I get lunch. Then I work 2 hours and I get another break. Then I work 2 hours and I go home. I need to concentrate on the fact that I "only" have to work 2 hours at a time. Really, you might not think so, but that short break or longer lunch period really is restorative............So, I am going to go to work for two hours, LOL, not 8 plus a lunch!

Alright, the truth is, that's all the time I have. I just needed to get my "revelation" recorded. YOU be BLESSED today.

 

still working..........

I did not go to the doctor's this morning. I just did not feel that a blood test anytime soon would give a true picture of what's going on with me right now, namely, that I can only eat what I can eat and if it raises my sugar level or my cholesterol level, well, there's nothing I can do about that. I do NOT want the doctor going off half cocked and ordering all sorts of additional meds. So, I'm now rescheduled for August 17, 2017...........

I did go back to bed and slept so soundly that I dreamed. You're not supposed to do that unless you hit REM sleep and that's not supposed to happen when you are only asleep for less than two hours. But it did........

I did go get my hair cut. I'm not sure if I'm going to like the cut or not. Right now it's just kinda hangin' out on my head, no particular style to it. 

I also ran into Trader Joe's. I was on the prowl for veggies I thought I could cook to death or "mash". I didn't find much, just some zucchini. I did buy a package of frozen ravioli and I learned that if you cook that enough and cut it into small enough pieces, it's edible. At least it was something different.........Oh, and I got some milk and string cheese. I also got some colby cheese in a block and that may have been a tremendous mistake. But, tomorrow, the baby food arrives. That should help some and it will be better nutritionally than M&M's...........

I ran out and got the van's tank filled up tonight. I managed to save $.18 per gallon! One of the places in my neighborhood, a Shell Station, is selling gas at $2.65 a gallon. I don't like this place I went to. It's on a main street, lots of traffic and is a convenience store. Lots of people in line inside the store and lots of traffic all around. But, for $.18 a gallon, I'll roll with it. 

One tiny bit of good news: Since February of 2014, I have been making payments of $50 a month to a local hospital. If I am reading their bills correctly, I will have them paid off in 3 months. Oh, Glory Hallelujah!

I spent the day working on a 2014 tax return. The client was contacted by the state of California saying they think he owed a CA return for 2014 due to a partnership interest. The 2014 Federal return has already been prepared and amended but the EASY way to do the Cali return is to work from the file that's already in the software. So, I've been slogging away at that. I will tell you that it's like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. When you just do a return, you are the artist, creating the picture. But what I'm doing is like a 6th grader trying to create a copy of a Master. No fun.

In the middle of all that, I got a call from a client. She owes me money but I'll never ask her for it. She just plain doesn't have it. She is fighting to keep her house and supporting two adult children who are disabled. Her son has maybe 5% hearing in one ear; her daughter has arthritis and countless other ailments. There was a time this lady was sitting pretty, but she is now drained. I feel for her. She's trying to get a loan through B of A. and they are playing games with her. My guess (remember Joe was a Loan Officer/Broker) is that they are just not wanting to make a decision. Anyway, she was all upset and wants documentation from me. The way the request is worded shows how very ignorant the lender's agent is. This loan officer is demanding documentation that my client would never have been given in the first place. When there is a partnership and a partner sells out, that causes the partnership to be dissolved and reformed. But the person selling out is never going to get notice of the dissolution because that person is no longer a partner! But that is what this dingbat is requesting. Well, I can't give her what we don't have and have no way of coming up with.......But, I can write her a very politely phrased letter that will give her an idea of just what I think of her mental capacities. It HAS to be polite though because I don't want to endanger any hope my client may have of getting this loan. (To be honest, I don't think there is any hope anyway, but I'm not going to tell my client that!) 

So, I'm going to be busy with tax work in my "spare" time the next few days.

I work an 8-hour day tomorrow. I have no clue what I am going to do about lunch. The best I can think of at the moment is going to Subway and getting a sub, then taking it apart and tearing the meat and cheese into tiny bits so that I can swallow them. I'm also not too sure about "snacks". I do have string cheese. And, I'm going to cook some sliced carrots, drain them, dry them off as best I can and drop them into a snack bag. I should probably have something else, but right now I am lost as to what it should be. I need inspiration of revelation shortly.

I've toted trash out and mail in. There was a big bunch of mail but once I sorted through all of it, only one bill (phew). Everything else is pretty much considered "junk mail" around here. I'm also working on watering my poor wilting hedges..........

So that's it for today. I'm working real hard on a blood pressure headache. Hopefully, it will back off soon.

 

Wasted..........

I am up, but I am SO tired I really don't know what to do with myself. I'm supposed to go to the doctor's at 8:15 and I think I am going to cancel. I don't know why I am so tired, but I can't even envision myself putting on shorts, let alone messing with hair and makeup. Besides, I know the doc is going to have a kitten because he wanted a blood test and I haven't gone in for that yet. He wants to monitor sugar and cholesterol. Here's the rub: For the last 3 weeks, I have not been able to pay any attention to what I am eating beyond the texture of it. I have put just about anything into my mouth if I thought there was SOME nutrition in it. Lots of stuff with cholesterol: Milk, Greek yogurt, ice cream, string cheese, eggs, anything that seemed to qualify as "soft" food. My fruit intake has been limited to blueberries and for veggies I have had to be content with cooked carrots and baked beans and the cooked carrots only happened recently. Yes, I haven't been able to eat much quantity, but I haven't been able to eat much quality either. Particularly not good quality for someone who is supposed to be lowering her cholesterol........... And I tried SO hard to monitor what I ate and to eat "good" food before all this happened. So, I think I am going to reschedule for a time when we have a better handle on what my diet may look like, according to what's happening in my bloodstream.........

Speaking of "my diet", I did order some of that baby food in the squeezable packs. I figure it certainly can't hurt. I suppose most "normal" grocery stores sell this stuff, but I haven't been to a "normal" grocery store in probably a year. I know Target sells this stuff in its infant department, but, while Target is probably the closest place to me, I don't go there and I have no plans to go there anytime soon. So, Amazon will fill this need. I think the squeezable pack will make this stuff something I can grab some of at work. I hope........... I figure right now, anything that vaguely resembles a vegetable is fair game in whatever form......

I bought some sweet potatoes and some regular potatoes at the store. I plan on making "mashed potatoes" with both. But, once I make that stuff, I have to be willing to eat it, which means the addition of milk and butter.......See the problem? I wanted to buy some zucchini. I figured I could shred it and make zucchini patties with egg and flour, etc. However at the place I shop, you really have to be careful of the prices of produce. You can probably afford their "loss leaders" but everything else is pricey. For example, they wanted about $1.20 per zucchini and you had to buy 5 of them prepackaged...... That kind of took care of that. 

So, anyway, the food quandry continues. I did decide I'm going to open a can of pumpkin and make some pumpkin custards (like what you put in a pie, but baked in a small bowl instead, without any crust). But, there again, you're looking at milk, egg, and sugar..........Vitamins and minerals a plenty though.......I have to take what I can where I can til I can eat normally again..........

Anyway, I'm staying vertical til the doc's office opens and then I'm going to call and reschedule. Then, I am just plain going back to bed. My only other main "task" for the day is to get a haircut. My hair has grown out to the point that I just can't stand it. I try to use the curling iron on it to give it some shape and the weight of it causes it to just fall flat unless I use a mountain of hairspray. So, something has to be done.

I've been congratulating myself on moving ahead on the budget a little. Silly woman. Then I remember that I still owe the dentist and I need to conjure up more than $600 "excess" between now and the end of the year for tax software. And, there is no doubt I am looking at outrageous power bills for the next 3 months..... And do you remember how badly my hours were cut last December and January? I am going to try to buy the dentist off with $100 today.......

I have tried a new trick the last few work days. When I leave for work, I've always closed the doors to the master bedroom. And the doors to the other bedrooms are always closed. However, the bedrooms are in that part of the house that gets morning sun. The last few days, I've  been closing the kitchen door and that makes the house a whole lot more comfortable when I get home in spite of the fact that I turn the thermostat way up when I go to work. In the kitchen, in one corner I have both the fridge and a water cooler. You can feel the heat coming off of those two refrigeration systems when you get near that corner. And there is also a west-facing "garden" window. And the kitchen is tiny and the only way for air to circulate around in there is through the door to the dining room. So, it gets ghastly hot out there. But I don't care how hot it gets out there when I'm at work. So, closing all that heat into the kitchen seems a good option. I do have a venetian blind across the "garden" window, but it's not enough.......

So, that's it for now. I am counting the minutes til I can call and cancel that doctor's appointment and reschedule. Then it's back to bed for me.

 

A Horse of a Different Color.........

This is the way I have it figured: God gave me a really good day yesterday to compensate for my day today. In the year I've worked at the store, I've had 2 cranky customers. Today I had 3! Someone said it's because of the heat. Well, it's not hot in the store! 

I got a call at 11:37 asking if I could come in early. I actually went in at 2 instead of 3 as I was previously scheduled. Apparently 2 people called saying they were sick or whatever. Well, I'm grateful for the extra hour. Additionally, the head cashier who has called me in the past called me today, but she had the "blessed one" actually make the call. I figure that puts him on some kind of notice that maybe she values me. I hope so. 

I had one female customer. She got herself involved in a conversation with a male customer. In addition, she was clutching her smart phone in her hand. So, when it came time to process her debit card, she inserted the chip. I don't know how it is at other stores in our company, but where I work, to do a debit, whether or not you have a chip card, you have to go at it the old fashioned way and swipe the card. And, it is plainly marked "swipe for debit" on the machine. She was mystified when her card wouldn't work. As I always do, I pointed to the labeling tape that is plastered across the front of the machine and explained to her that she would have to swipe her card. Now, most customers, when I point to the label, actually apologize to me. I think they feel embarrassed that they didn't bother to read what it says. Then I will usually say something like: "Don't feel lonely, nobody reads it! And it doesn't help that so many stores are processing cards differently." This woman got snarly with me. I responded with "Ma'am, I'm just trying to help you complete your transaction." However, that polite response kept me from saying something less polite, LOL. 

I had another middle aged lady who got nasty with me BECAUSE the system is set up the way it is. Well, she could have paid with cash, right? No, she took her mistake out on me.........

Most folks in the store start out staffing a register and then move on to other jobs within the store. So, most folks have SOME knowledge of how to process a sale. When I got there, They had called people forward from 3 or 4 different departments to act as cashiers. There was also an Assistant Store Manager running a machine off and on all day! I clocked in and the head cashier said " I am SO glad to see you"......

Physically, it wasn't a bad day though not quite as good as yesterday. Usually I will grab any chance I get to stretch my back muscles out. Today there flat out wasn't ANY chance to do that. So, my back was achy. I also had a few bad moments with the feet, but, whatever that was faded. I prayed over these silly "teeth" again. Sure enough He kept them in place for the whole 6.5 hours I was there. It HAS to be Him. According to the way it was explained to me, the swelling in the gums takes a long time to go down. But, it gets a little better day after day. So, as the days pass, they should be looser, not holding in place better. 

Now I am home. I doctored up a can of baked beans and ate some. I really couldn't eat much so there'll be plenty of leftovers of those for tomorrow. I may be ravenous in the morning, but I just wasn't very hungry tonight. I sliced up about 4 carrots and cooked them til they were soft. I took those to work for my "snack". Yesterday I had M&Ms. I think the carrots were a better choice......

So, I'm signing off for the night. I'm pretty worn out. See you sometime tomorrow........