Category: Blogging

Stupid Questions

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Brought to you by Reena’s Xploration Challenge #294

  • The dividing line
  • Threshold
  • Twilight Zone

As many of you know I work in a Dollar Store. Well, actually that isn’t quite right anymore since our base price is now $1.25. This brings me to the first Stupid Question of the day. When is the Dollar Tree going to change its name to the Dollar And A Quarter Tree? Well, I don’t know I answer. You still spend dollars here right? I call this question the dividing line because I can still get people to wrap their heads around the concept that inflation doesn’t equate to changing a thirty-year-old name of a business, afterall it would take so many lawyers and dollars to change all of the ownership papers, stock documents not to mention we might never get paid again.

Now this next question has met my threshold for the stupidity question of the day. When are they going to change the name of the store to More Than A Dollar Tree? It is at this point that I smile with gritted teeth and as nicely as I can explain the same concept as above and then deal with the indignant response that the name of the company is promoting false advertising. I then smile, hand them their change, and wish them a good day.

But, then sure as it’s almost closing I arrive at the Twilight Zone. In walks, a guy who is about 75 and he starts complaining about the fact that you can’t get anything for a dollar anymore. Now, this gentleman shops at my store every night between 8:30 and closing and he goes through the same routine. One item totaling 1.33 because of the tax, wants his receipt, no bag and he rings the bell on the counter announcing he can’t just spend a dollar anymore.

All of a sudden, you got it, the music starts…

At this point, I asked him when he ever spend just a dollar at the Dollar Tree. He says before they raised the price. I look him square in the eye and tell him he never just spent a dollar since there has been a tax on that dollar for 30 years! At that, he looks at me as if I just solved the mystery of the universe.

In the meantime, every other person in the store is in hysterical laughter. One woman has tears streaming down her face. My fellow employees are hiding in the back because they are not sure if this is the day I will finally lose it screaming wildly as I walk out the door.

Yup, I work in the Twilight Zone.

Catching Up

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pensitivity101Three Things Challenge #M289

The three words for today are SECRET, HIDDEN, and STASH.

Work has been busy the past few months. More and more responsibility has been transferred to me. So I have been offline for over a month, which I can’t believe. Time passes so quickly as we get older.

As the full-time assistant manager, I train new people, recover the store, return the collected products to the shelves, clean the bathrooms, take the trash out, give exceptional customer service, pack away seasonal products not sold, process damaged products, accept deliveries, respond to the cashier’s call for backup, process exchanges, check large bills, and many other issues that come up including working by myself until closing if my cashier calls out.

The thing is, I like my job, and have no problem with doing hard work. I do, however, have a problem with the hidden agenda the company has adopted to get more work completed with fewer people to do it. It sets up a situation for failure. Know what I mean?

I have also been busy at home going through the fabric stash I have accumulated over the years. I have not had much time to quilt. So I have decided to part with much of it. I have contacted the guilds to donate some fabric to their outreach projects. Once I clear out some of it, I will feel more like sewing again. Right now, in my apartment, it just seems overwhelming.

I have also had some health issues arise. I have had trouble with my hands and have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. My physician is being aggressive with my treatment to help slow its progress. The only problem is I have to go to her office for injections. She is about two hours away. It gets complicated with my work schedule. But I have been with this rheumatologist since 2002, and am more than pleased with her care, so I have no desire to start over with a new doctor.

My secret desire is to sell everything I have, buy a small travel trailer and become a nomad. There is so much of this country I would love to see. I keep watching the reviews on the teardrop trailers on your tube. If I only had the nerve to pack Gracie and me up and take off. When I mention this to my son, he just laughs and says “You are not going to live in a teardrop.”

I can dream!

Song Lyric Sunday 22nd January

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Song Lyric Sunday 22nd January

This week’s theme is Country.

I love Country music. I think I always have. I have so many favorites it’s hard for me to pick one. But this is definitely a good one.

I chose George Strait who has had 50 No.1 hits in his career and is still going strong. The song I chose for this Sunday is “I Cross My Heart”.

“I Cross My Heart” is a song written by Steve Dorff and Eric Kaz, and performed by American country music artist George Strait. It was released in September 1992 as the first single to his album “Pure Country“, which is also the soundtrack to the movie of the same title. It reached number one in both the United States and Canada. The song is featured as the movie’s finale.

“I Cross My Heart” is widely regarded as one of Strait’s best songs. Billboard and American Songwriter ranked the song number five and number four, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest George Strait songs. from Wikipedia

I hope you enjoy it.

I Cross My Heart
Lyrics

Our love is unconditional
We knew it from the start
I see it in your eyes
You can feel it from my heart

From here on after
Let's stay the way we are right now
And share all the love and laughter
That a lifetime will allow

I cross my heart
And promise to
Give all I've got to give
To make all your dreams come true
In all the world
You'll never find
A love as true as mine

You will always be the miracle
That makes my life complete
And as long as there's a breath in me
I'll make yours just as sweet

As we look into the future
It's as far as we can see
So let's make each tomorrow
Be the best that it can be

I cross my heart
And promise to
Give all I've got to give
To make all your dreams come true
In all the world
You'll never find
A love as true as mine

And if along the way, we find a day
It starts to storm
You've got the promise of my love
To keep you warm

In all the world
You'll never find
A love as true as mine
A love as true as mine

No Nonsense – Saturday Mix, 21 January 2023

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The nonsense word this week is “polershmett”

Polershmett: (n) bad luck, misfortune, bad karma

Image from Opencllipart
The store was so crowded
It figures I thought 
I was late getting started 
What polershmett! I thought. 

How I hate big crowds 
It's always so loud. 
You can't find a thing! 
Because of the crowd. 

I glanced at my list 
Devising a plan 
To obtain all the things 
I had written down. 

The aisles I traveled
Grabbing this and that 
Weaved out and in 
Between carts laden with kids, food, and gin.

Oh polershmett! Why today? 
My cell phone ringing 
I answer and shout 
I'm on my way!
 
I felt a little guilty 
For telling a lie. 
Not sure why I did it 
Wishful thinking I guess. 

I started thinking
About the gin
I will need a drink after 
this shopping nightmare I'm in!

When finally I arrived 
At the end of my quest 
I got in line to settle my debt. 

What did I forget? I wondered
I went over my list reassured after checking 
I had gotten it all 
I'm done. 

What polershmett I'm having 
His register had just broken. 
Sorry, ma'am, he said to me 
You'll have to move to another line, please. I'm closing
 
I scowled at the guy that 
was making me move 
to another long line 
which one should I choose? 
With the luck, 
I am having I'll be here all day. 

What's this I see? A new line opening.
Oh good, I think.  I'll be set free.
Then a crowd of shoppers came rushing up to the front
Before I could move a new line had formed. 

And here I still stand Losing my mind.
What did I do to deserve this bad luck?

Meet Gracie and Dixie

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Friday Faithfuls

I love animals and over the years I have had dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, turtles, tortoises, fish, lizards, and a baby opossum who didn’t have sense enough to stay out of our garage. Ok, so the opossum wasn’t actually a pet, but he spent a summer with us feasting on Purina cat chow.

After my husband passed away in 2016 I adopted Gracie. She was two years old, very sweet, very well-trained and just a joy to have around. She acted as if she had always been my dog. Her favorite thing to do was to sit against my arm while we rocked watching TV.

This past March a customer came into the store with the cutest puppy. He indicated that he had to place this last puppy or he was going to have to just let it go. I just couldn’t let that happen so that night Dixie came home with me. Now, it’s been many years since I had a puppy. There is a big difference between a trained, older dog joining your family and bringing an untrained, rambunctious puppy home.

Needless to say, she has been a challenge. She will turn 1 year old on January 24th and I am still not sure I will let her live to see her first birthday. She is wild, hates to go to the bathroom outside, likes to chew paper, especially paper towels, and has made me fall several times. She is cute and I love her to death, but she’s going to be the death of me.

She wrapped her leash around me after it rained one afternoon and pulled me down a hill with wet grass. I landed on my belly and slid down the hill landing with my head under the bushes. When I got up my glasses fell off of my face in four pieces. With that, she danced around me wagging her tail as if to say do it again mommy! All the time Gracie just looked at her, then at me and I swear I could hear her thinking to herself why did you bring that pest home with you?

Here are my girls. Gracie in the front and Dixie in the back. They bring a lot of joy into my life. I just can’t imagine living without a pet.

Laundry Day

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Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is our hostess for the Friday Fictioneers for January 20, 2023 and our PHOTO PROMPT is provided by Na’ama Yehuda.

PHOTO PROMPT © Na’ama Yehuda

It’s laundry day Barbie thought with her outstretched arms over her head then climbed out of her tiny bed. She loaded the washer with her skimpy threads, turned it on, and stared up at the window. She could not believe her fate…she was living inside the fantasy of a child. How could this be? Then a smile crossed her face…maybe the child is living inside my fantasy?

Fibbing Friday

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Fibbing Friday 20th January by pensitivity101

1. What is boisterous? A support group for the timid.

2. What is a womanizer? An over-the-shoulder boulder holder.


3. What is a faux pas? An unexpected career move.


4. Define plumber. One who speaks softly and carries a big stick.


5. What is a sous chef? The Veggie man.


6. What is antisocial? Peace and quiet.


7. Why did they call the wind Maria? She wouldn’t answer to Sue.


8. Where would you find a kettle drum? Banging in the pantry.


9. What is a kango drill? A line dance in the bush.


10. What makes bread rise? It doesn’t like to be flat.

The Photo Shoot

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Word Of The Day: Cheater, Futility, Ragtag Daily Prompt Thursday: Disposable, Mischief,  K.L Caley weekly #writephoto prompt Arrowslit, JusJoJan 19, 2023, Complaint

Walking through the ruins with my husband I was in awe of the peacefulness there. I couldn’t get enough shots of them with my camera. I was still learning how to use all of the settings. What a good time I was having with each picture I took. Hubby chuckled at me saying I was just taking the same images over and over.

Gary just thought the disposable instant camera he clung to was sufficient to record our day. I hated to say it, but I told him he was using a cheater camera that didn’t require any talent. LOL Gary was usually such an easy person to get along with, but for some reason this day he just had one complaint after another. Too many pictures, it’s dark inside of here, I am ready to leave, when is lunch?

Trying to explain how the light in each of my shots was different due to the tunnels and the reflection of the water proved to be an exercise in futility. He just didn’t get it. Have you ever wondered if someone doesn’t get it, or if they don’t want to get it? I was beginning to think I should have gone on my little photo shoot alone.

We finally rounded the last corner of the ruins. It was certainly a breathtaking site. I looked at the love of my life and he had a look of pure mischief about him. I looked back at the ruins and before I was a lovely little table set with china and crystal and the most scrumptious looking luncheon. What a wonderful surprise.

As we sat down to enjoy our meal, he confided in me that he thought that I was taking so long taking pictures that our lunch was going to be spoiled.

I miss this man every day. I lost him suddenly on August 16th, 2016. He was good and kind and…ok just a bit annoying and could drive me crazy, but we knew we had each other’s back and I thank God every day for him being in my life.