Hey! Believe me, I've been around. What have I done this week?
Monday- Gardening and picnic foods with my people. Through the week, we have found a few more to add to the obituary list of plants. The dwarf bee balm didn't make it and I'm almost certain that we are to add headstones where the butterfly bushes used to reside. A lot of Asiatic lilies didn't come back. My asters seem to be ailing.
Tuesday- Work. I can't remember what else, but I definitely worked.
Wednesday- I worked. I scored some concert tickets. Life is good. :)
Thursday- Garden Fair with 530 kiddos at the school. I bought plastic drinking cups that we filled with dirt, put their names on the outside and allowed them to pick between a veggie seed table or a flower seed table. We labeled the type of seed that they planted and sent them off and away. We cycled through 22 classrooms. It took all 4 of us to get the job done, but it worked well. Right after I got that handled with the ladies, we switched gears and got ready to serve 300+ children ice cream sundaes that they earned from all of their reading throughout the year.
Friday- Today was Field Day. K and I were up, out and at school by 7:07 AM to meet up with the inflatable company. I was on float today. I ran for 600 popsicles, helped to set up the picnic area, dragged tables and chairs and ran in and out and, oh my-- I'm so very tired. K and I hung out in the end, manned ourselves with plastic bags and went trolling for garbage. I swooped back by the inflatables and thanked the gentlepeople for bringing them (we rented, but they are still a great company), helped the gym teacher pick up and bring in all of his gym gear, locked everything up, talked to a few more people, got K to help her teacher take some things out, stopped by the bank with reimbursement checks and off to home.
We're eating pizza tonight. No, I don't feel bad about it. Little Caesars, here we come!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Pre-garden report: There's a lot of death out there.
I'm sad to report that this last year's winter wreaked havoc on my gardens. Truly, the list of death is long. I have a few on the MIA list, in hopes that some warmth and sun will coax them from their nap.
The obituaries:
Tickseed- Surprisingly this one is an Ohio native. It was the only new perennial in the new front beds that didn't make it.
Soapwort- Near the front bed. I've had it out there for years. Not anymore. :(
Lavender x 2- In the herb garden, under the windows. The herb garden seems like it took the brunt.
Thyme (regular)- Herb garden death.
Lemon thyme- Ditto.
Parsley- It didn't return for its second year. Again, herb garden.
Oregano- I always have a ton of that stuff. Another herb garden fatality.
Sage- Toasted in the herb garden.
Rose of Sharon- An enormous chunk appears to be dead on the "tree" that I've spent years pruning.
The MIA's-
Butterfly bushes x 2- In the back butterfly gardens. These are the enormous butterfly bushes. One stood at about 11' tall and the other at 9'. I'm hoping that they just died back to the ground. Rare are the times that they do that, but I'm seeing no signs of life, though I have a few little leaves on my third one.
Butterfly weed- Again, the butterfly gardens. No shoots.
Black Eyed Susans- Still, more butterfly garden MIAs. I see no sign of them in one particular bed, whereas they are getting larger in another bed.
Midnight Sage- Under one of the suspected dead butterfly bushes. I've seen nothing.
I'm going through on Monday and clearing out the known carcasses. I do have some lavender that reseeded, so I need to see if it is one plant, or a few different plants. I may be able to dig those up and transplant.
I have one remaining thyme plant. I'll have to replace the lemon thyme.
On the other hand, I'm blanketed in Lily of the Valley. Started with just a few shoots, and it is taking over. I use it as a ground cover, as well as periwinkle.
I'm sad. If those butterfly bushes didn't make it, we'll replace them. I admit that it will be no easy task. They are so large that the stumps would benefit from being pulled out. I don't know if our backyard could support that with the lack of space. Hubs and K bought those for me when she was just a year or two old. They've hosted a great variety of butterflies. We've had butterflies through that weren't even native or even close. :deep breath: I'll have to reconstruct a lot. There is a mom & pop tiny little nursery down the road. They aren't pretty from the outside. They are pretty basic, but I purchased a lot of perennials for the front beds there last year. They sell coal during the winter and plants during the spring and summer. The combo makes me chuckle. :)
Here's to hoping that God himself resurrects the MIAs. I'm kind of sad. We'll see if we see more this weekend.
Here's to hoping that your gardens came through better than what I'm finding here.
The obituaries:
Tickseed- Surprisingly this one is an Ohio native. It was the only new perennial in the new front beds that didn't make it.
Soapwort- Near the front bed. I've had it out there for years. Not anymore. :(
Lavender x 2- In the herb garden, under the windows. The herb garden seems like it took the brunt.
Thyme (regular)- Herb garden death.
Lemon thyme- Ditto.
Parsley- It didn't return for its second year. Again, herb garden.
Oregano- I always have a ton of that stuff. Another herb garden fatality.
Sage- Toasted in the herb garden.
Rose of Sharon- An enormous chunk appears to be dead on the "tree" that I've spent years pruning.
The MIA's-
Butterfly bushes x 2- In the back butterfly gardens. These are the enormous butterfly bushes. One stood at about 11' tall and the other at 9'. I'm hoping that they just died back to the ground. Rare are the times that they do that, but I'm seeing no signs of life, though I have a few little leaves on my third one.
Butterfly weed- Again, the butterfly gardens. No shoots.
Black Eyed Susans- Still, more butterfly garden MIAs. I see no sign of them in one particular bed, whereas they are getting larger in another bed.
Midnight Sage- Under one of the suspected dead butterfly bushes. I've seen nothing.
I'm going through on Monday and clearing out the known carcasses. I do have some lavender that reseeded, so I need to see if it is one plant, or a few different plants. I may be able to dig those up and transplant.
I have one remaining thyme plant. I'll have to replace the lemon thyme.
On the other hand, I'm blanketed in Lily of the Valley. Started with just a few shoots, and it is taking over. I use it as a ground cover, as well as periwinkle.
I'm sad. If those butterfly bushes didn't make it, we'll replace them. I admit that it will be no easy task. They are so large that the stumps would benefit from being pulled out. I don't know if our backyard could support that with the lack of space. Hubs and K bought those for me when she was just a year or two old. They've hosted a great variety of butterflies. We've had butterflies through that weren't even native or even close. :deep breath: I'll have to reconstruct a lot. There is a mom & pop tiny little nursery down the road. They aren't pretty from the outside. They are pretty basic, but I purchased a lot of perennials for the front beds there last year. They sell coal during the winter and plants during the spring and summer. The combo makes me chuckle. :)
Here's to hoping that God himself resurrects the MIAs. I'm kind of sad. We'll see if we see more this weekend.
Here's to hoping that your gardens came through better than what I'm finding here.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Would you find your own behavior excusable?
I work at an art gallery. I've discussed this before. Sometimes I've discussed customer behavior. Guess what we'll be talking about today?
Behavior that I encountered at work today and out in public can be rather horrible. People don't care about people a lot anymore. People fight to get in lines. People feel that their child didn't get an evenly cut piece of cake and that Jimmy's was bigger than theirs . . .
First we'll discuss what my mom encountered. My mom is pretty polite. She really doesn't intentionally do anything to cause harm. Mom still looks at the world through rose-ish colored glasses. She really tries to do nice things for people. I'm not saying that my mother is perfect, but she's a nice lady. This weekend was the big soccer travel tournament down south where they have property on the river. They've had issues with said tournament visitors in the past. My parents rope off the edge of their property, have signs up all year that say that it is private property and so forth. There is a dock, a boat launch a couple of trailers, a port-o-loo during the summer for JUST them and a beautiful picnic pavilion. Folks don't care, tend to treat it as the public park and help themselves. They have great neighbors who shoo the people away. As my mom and dad were politely asking people not to park on their property, a woman blew a gasket on Mom. They went on about how my mother needs mental help . . . because she asked them to park somewhere else. They asked what gave her the right, she said that the deed to the property in her name did. The guy went on to tell her that they "misappropriated funds as it was clear that she should have spent it on mental health." The woman was going on about how the lawn needed mowed and how she should have Chem(ical)Lawn come because she does and her grass is perfect. (It had rained and my parents were waiting for the grass to dry to mow it. It had been mowed the previous week.) The people were horrible. They did move, though. Later, a woman came over and apologized profusely. This couple has the habit of doing this everywhere the travel soccer goes. The lady asked my mom's forgiveness and said that she heard the whole thing. Poor mom.
Today I had a woman ask for something with fish on it. She gave me no other details. I showed her earrings. "Those are infantile." Okay then. I kept showing her other things and finally after the 4th snide remark, I asked if she had been to our store next door. "No, not yet." "I do believe that they will have a better selection more in line with what you are looking for."
I had another lady come in, needed the bathroom but proceeded to first tell me, "I'm making a HUGE purchase next door and needed to use the restroom." "We're happy to have you use it even if you are just looking around." I checked later, her HUGE purchase was $700. Now yes, that is a lot of money, but HUGE for us involves multiple thousands. The last person I had pull that same line on me spent a HUGE sum of $24. Yes, if y'all are snotty to me and tell me that you are spending HUGE amounts, I'm going to be nosey to see what you spent. She did come back in later to tell me that she either drank a lot of water or got very nervous about all of the money that she was spending and had to use the ladies again. "Water is wonderful for you to drink," was my response.
I had a guy make me chuckle. Not a rudeness thing, but he had asked what kind of deal I could give him. "Oh, I can't do that, but if you put the hat on, I'll pay you a compliment." Later on, my coworker complimented my quick thinking.
I chant to K all the time, "Do you find your behavior excusable?" I wonder if people out in public switched roles, would they treat the one helping them as badly as they do? Let's think about that the next time we interact with people. We all have a behavioral glitch from time to time. I'll be the first to admit that I have. I try not to. Customer service operators aren't to blame because the phone doesn't work. Sales people aren't to blame if the store ran out of what you needed. Often, they are the ones who take the brunt for something that is not their fault.
Let's be gentle with one another, okay?
Behavior that I encountered at work today and out in public can be rather horrible. People don't care about people a lot anymore. People fight to get in lines. People feel that their child didn't get an evenly cut piece of cake and that Jimmy's was bigger than theirs . . .
First we'll discuss what my mom encountered. My mom is pretty polite. She really doesn't intentionally do anything to cause harm. Mom still looks at the world through rose-ish colored glasses. She really tries to do nice things for people. I'm not saying that my mother is perfect, but she's a nice lady. This weekend was the big soccer travel tournament down south where they have property on the river. They've had issues with said tournament visitors in the past. My parents rope off the edge of their property, have signs up all year that say that it is private property and so forth. There is a dock, a boat launch a couple of trailers, a port-o-loo during the summer for JUST them and a beautiful picnic pavilion. Folks don't care, tend to treat it as the public park and help themselves. They have great neighbors who shoo the people away. As my mom and dad were politely asking people not to park on their property, a woman blew a gasket on Mom. They went on about how my mother needs mental help . . . because she asked them to park somewhere else. They asked what gave her the right, she said that the deed to the property in her name did. The guy went on to tell her that they "misappropriated funds as it was clear that she should have spent it on mental health." The woman was going on about how the lawn needed mowed and how she should have Chem(ical)Lawn come because she does and her grass is perfect. (It had rained and my parents were waiting for the grass to dry to mow it. It had been mowed the previous week.) The people were horrible. They did move, though. Later, a woman came over and apologized profusely. This couple has the habit of doing this everywhere the travel soccer goes. The lady asked my mom's forgiveness and said that she heard the whole thing. Poor mom.
Today I had a woman ask for something with fish on it. She gave me no other details. I showed her earrings. "Those are infantile." Okay then. I kept showing her other things and finally after the 4th snide remark, I asked if she had been to our store next door. "No, not yet." "I do believe that they will have a better selection more in line with what you are looking for."
I had another lady come in, needed the bathroom but proceeded to first tell me, "I'm making a HUGE purchase next door and needed to use the restroom." "We're happy to have you use it even if you are just looking around." I checked later, her HUGE purchase was $700. Now yes, that is a lot of money, but HUGE for us involves multiple thousands. The last person I had pull that same line on me spent a HUGE sum of $24. Yes, if y'all are snotty to me and tell me that you are spending HUGE amounts, I'm going to be nosey to see what you spent. She did come back in later to tell me that she either drank a lot of water or got very nervous about all of the money that she was spending and had to use the ladies again. "Water is wonderful for you to drink," was my response.
I had a guy make me chuckle. Not a rudeness thing, but he had asked what kind of deal I could give him. "Oh, I can't do that, but if you put the hat on, I'll pay you a compliment." Later on, my coworker complimented my quick thinking.
I chant to K all the time, "Do you find your behavior excusable?" I wonder if people out in public switched roles, would they treat the one helping them as badly as they do? Let's think about that the next time we interact with people. We all have a behavioral glitch from time to time. I'll be the first to admit that I have. I try not to. Customer service operators aren't to blame because the phone doesn't work. Sales people aren't to blame if the store ran out of what you needed. Often, they are the ones who take the brunt for something that is not their fault.
Let's be gentle with one another, okay?
Sunday, May 18, 2014
She ran and she ran.
I've discussed how my SIL is a marathon runner. Today, she ran her 8th (if I'm counting right) marathon. We've been to 6 of 8, only missing Disney and Paris. We've seen her run Chicago twice, Boston (2007), NYC, Marine Corps in DC and now Cleveland. She is an amazing runner and we are very proud of her.
She fell slightly short of her goal today. She wanted to run 3:45 or less to qualify for Boston in the spring. She was running 3:43 right until the last bit that required her to run on bridges that had a pretty incredible incline AT THE END. Poor thing. She missed Boston qualifying by 1:50. UGH!
She just ran Paris 40 days ago. She ran 3:49 there. In Washington DC/Marine Corps Marathon, she ran 4:09 (thanks to an 8 minute line at the loo.) Since October, she has shaved some significant time from her run.
Bless her heart. Run, Kristin, run!
Friday, May 16, 2014
The nice people at Poison Control.
I was so tired last night that I accidentally took my 24 hour allergy medicine again and it wasn't even close to the 24 hour allergy med taking point. I read the back of the bottle. It said, "Don't take more than 1 in 24 hours. Call POISON CONTROL if you take more than one." I checked online. They said the same thing. Off to Poison Control I went.
George was a kind man. He checked into everything. What I took ended up being something that would make me hella sleepy, despite being non-drowsy when you take it regularly. He also told me to drink a ton of water, which I did but is difficult to do when sleeping. It's morning and I woke up -- hooray for being awake. (Though I didn't think that would happen, but heart palpitations . . . who knew?) I have one crapload of a headache though. My guess is all that made my sponge dry (my brain) and it's crying.
Always call the Poison Control Center if you need to. They were kind, lovely and calm. Told me what I needed to know.
And yes, I'm skipping my allergy meds until tomorrow morning. Oy with the headache. Must. function. today.
George was a kind man. He checked into everything. What I took ended up being something that would make me hella sleepy, despite being non-drowsy when you take it regularly. He also told me to drink a ton of water, which I did but is difficult to do when sleeping. It's morning and I woke up -- hooray for being awake. (Though I didn't think that would happen, but heart palpitations . . . who knew?) I have one crapload of a headache though. My guess is all that made my sponge dry (my brain) and it's crying.
Always call the Poison Control Center if you need to. They were kind, lovely and calm. Told me what I needed to know.
And yes, I'm skipping my allergy meds until tomorrow morning. Oy with the headache. Must. function. today.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Retainers, the all day book fair, Mumford & Sons, return denial and theft.
Retainers: We had a 7:30 AM appointment to free K from her palate expander and to have a less mechanical retainer installed on top along with a crescent retainer for the bottom. We left our house at 7:10 AM. Ouch. She's delighted to feel the roof of her mouth once again.
The All Day Book Fair: The book fair started at 8:30 AM, but I knew how it would go. I blew into the door at 8:05 AM with $400 in change and found a room full of kids. We were backed up with kids since the registers weren't actually assembled yet. So much for starting at 8:30 AM. We went from 8:30 AM until 6:30 PM. We had customers until the very last minute. I ate a school breakfast (ack, but it was free) and packed myself a Garden burger and was able to eat an apple muffin that I packed. I was so tired once I got home that I ate cereal for dinner. K was there until 5:30 PM. Bless her heart. Hubs came to pick her up. It was a really long day for him, but for a variety of other reasons.
I've been at the book fair previews M-W at 7:30 AM each morning. Because the new book fair rep sent me half of what she was supposed to send, Kay and I have been scrambling to get enough product sent to sell. So far, we're down about $1200 in sales from what we typically sell. She didn't do her job properly and was trying to blame me. Finally, I very bluntly informed her that, "I don't get paid to do this. Unfortunately, I'm not curing cancer or resolving world peace issues. I'll sell what I have and won't what I don't, but I do have to go back to work." I had to go back to my job that actually pays the bills.
Mumford & Sons: Because I need to wash the day away and they seemed to be the perfect fit. Fugazi worked for a while, but 13 songs ran through and I needed a change. I'm playing Sigh No More for anyone interested. Dust Bowl Dance has me swaying in my seat. What wonderfully calming tunes. :sigh:
Return denial: Today was return day at the book fair. I will accept no more returns unless a book is falling apart or a pen doesn't work. A child bought a book, read it during school and came after to exchange it. "Why?" "Because I want the other one." "Did you read this one?" "Yeah. I read it today, so now I want to return this one to get the other one." It was only owned for a few hours, but looked owned for weeks. I told him no. I told him that it was read and used and I couldn't sell it. I had a kid who had given me a hard time during his book fair visit. He ran after me during the release bell to tell me, "I want to return this poster!" "Why?" "Because I don't like it anymore." I picked it up and it was rumbled and limp. I might add that Scholastic's posters are about the weight of the average cereal box. I told him no. I couldn't sell it and he would have to keep it. I explained both of these to the principal and he backed me on it. Tomorrow and now forever I will have a sign hanging on the register that says, "No returns, exchanges or refunds."
Theft: We did run into one incident of theft. A 4th grader stole a classmate's book from their locker. He was showing it to everyone and acting as if it was his. The teacher sent the student down to us. There was nothing I could do other than to keep an eye out. I sent her to the office to report it to them. My super sleuth friend remembered that we give a receipt with each purchase. The child couldn't produce a receipt and then kept changing his story. He'll probably be suspended over a $6 Minecraft book. I talked to his teacher later. She was so upset. I did confirm that I hadn't seen him at all in the book fair. I told her that I'm aware of who he is and would definitely know if he had been there. So very sad.
'Night! Zzzzz.
The All Day Book Fair: The book fair started at 8:30 AM, but I knew how it would go. I blew into the door at 8:05 AM with $400 in change and found a room full of kids. We were backed up with kids since the registers weren't actually assembled yet. So much for starting at 8:30 AM. We went from 8:30 AM until 6:30 PM. We had customers until the very last minute. I ate a school breakfast (ack, but it was free) and packed myself a Garden burger and was able to eat an apple muffin that I packed. I was so tired once I got home that I ate cereal for dinner. K was there until 5:30 PM. Bless her heart. Hubs came to pick her up. It was a really long day for him, but for a variety of other reasons.
I've been at the book fair previews M-W at 7:30 AM each morning. Because the new book fair rep sent me half of what she was supposed to send, Kay and I have been scrambling to get enough product sent to sell. So far, we're down about $1200 in sales from what we typically sell. She didn't do her job properly and was trying to blame me. Finally, I very bluntly informed her that, "I don't get paid to do this. Unfortunately, I'm not curing cancer or resolving world peace issues. I'll sell what I have and won't what I don't, but I do have to go back to work." I had to go back to my job that actually pays the bills.
Mumford & Sons: Because I need to wash the day away and they seemed to be the perfect fit. Fugazi worked for a while, but 13 songs ran through and I needed a change. I'm playing Sigh No More for anyone interested. Dust Bowl Dance has me swaying in my seat. What wonderfully calming tunes. :sigh:
Return denial: Today was return day at the book fair. I will accept no more returns unless a book is falling apart or a pen doesn't work. A child bought a book, read it during school and came after to exchange it. "Why?" "Because I want the other one." "Did you read this one?" "Yeah. I read it today, so now I want to return this one to get the other one." It was only owned for a few hours, but looked owned for weeks. I told him no. I told him that it was read and used and I couldn't sell it. I had a kid who had given me a hard time during his book fair visit. He ran after me during the release bell to tell me, "I want to return this poster!" "Why?" "Because I don't like it anymore." I picked it up and it was rumbled and limp. I might add that Scholastic's posters are about the weight of the average cereal box. I told him no. I couldn't sell it and he would have to keep it. I explained both of these to the principal and he backed me on it. Tomorrow and now forever I will have a sign hanging on the register that says, "No returns, exchanges or refunds."
Theft: We did run into one incident of theft. A 4th grader stole a classmate's book from their locker. He was showing it to everyone and acting as if it was his. The teacher sent the student down to us. There was nothing I could do other than to keep an eye out. I sent her to the office to report it to them. My super sleuth friend remembered that we give a receipt with each purchase. The child couldn't produce a receipt and then kept changing his story. He'll probably be suspended over a $6 Minecraft book. I talked to his teacher later. She was so upset. I did confirm that I hadn't seen him at all in the book fair. I told her that I'm aware of who he is and would definitely know if he had been there. So very sad.
'Night! Zzzzz.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
A Sponsor's Perk: A run down the Soap Box Derby hill.
Because our school PTA helped to sponsor our school Gravity Racing Team, we were told that 2 of the board members could go for a run down the hill. I pulled the President of the PTA card and said that I was going to take one slot. It was a beautiful day. Sunny, 88 F and a lovely breeze. At first, they were declining a ride to the sponsors, but because I told them that I'm practically a little human, I'd have no problem fitting into the car.
Hooray for shortness!
My husband did a video on our camera. He has some mad recording skillz, but Blogger doesn't like it and I can't post it here. Bummer.
K is yelling in the background, "That's my MOM!" She yells it over and over. It makes me happy.
It's a weird thing, but how often do you get an opportunity to take a soap box car down the hill?
1. The car confirms that you are larger than you think that you are.
2. It's little in there.
3. You have tiny steering triangles to use. There is no wheel.
4. The brake is at your right foot and since even being 5'1" was pushing the comfort space, I felt like my knee was going to go up my nose.
5. It goes faster than you'd think.
6. It doesn't go as fast as you'd like it to.
7. It is easier to steer than you'd think.
8. The brakes worked!
:)
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