Xmas in July

That’s what I thought today as I stood at my demo at work putting samples out as fast as I could get them into cups and onto the trays.  I never saw this much traffic in the middle of summer.  Not everyone has left town to escape the heat. 

Speaking of heat, the desert has been in the triple digits for the past three weeks with no end in sight.  We have to wear so many clothes to work that I was practically sick from the heat by the time I got off today.  A penguin suit isn’t the coolest thing in the world.  And on top of that we have an apron, gloves, hairnets and hats and heavy duty shoes with socks.  I wasn’t made to wear this much clothing in the summer, but its part of the job and probably why I always have an athlete’s foot problem.

Costco

I knew it was going to be a rough day when I arrived at work and there were already about a hundred people there ready to rush in with shopping carts once they opened the doors.  Today most people weren’t the least bit interested in hearing anything about the product at all.  They wanted to eat and even announced they were there for lunch.  Of course this isn’t everyone that comes in shopping and eating, but probably ninety-five percent of them.  People can be the most impatient creatures I ever saw sometimes.  We have barrier screens up to give us a place to prepare the samples before we’re ready to put them out for the hoards that are waiting.

Sometimes these guards do no good.  People will reach over, or snake their hands and arms through a tiny crack to get a sample early since they have no intention of buying anything anyway.  Would you go into the kitchen of a restaurant and help yourself?  I don’t think so.  And then they look so aghast when we have to throw the whole tray away and start over.  They don’t even seem to care if we’ve just swept up the messes on the floor and need to change our gloves to serve them.  They want the food NOW.

Thank goodness for the understanding shoppers because they do make us feel better about doing our jobs the right way.  It’s really nice when those people come along because preparing food and cleaning up after people while I’m smiling and acting cheerful all day is a tough situation.  Just standing on my feet all day is hard enough and the sweat running down my back doesn’t help either.  So the friendly people can really make my day.

Have a wonderful July Fourth everyone.  Be safe out there and cherish family and friends.

Raven's ready for the holiday

Remembrances

I hope everyone enjoyed their fourth and had a happy and safe holiday.

July fourth is always a bittersweet day for me because my daddy died on this date in 1980.  The first few years were rough to watch and enjoy the fireworks.  Now I use the day as a remembrance day and think of old times.

Every fourth, our daddy would load all seven of us up in the station wagon and we’d drive into town to watch the fireworks at the fairgrounds.  Those were the days of sweat and slapping mosquitoes, as we ooohed and aaahed at the amazing sight overhead.  Each blast was more colorful and bigger than the last one. 

I bet my husband will also look at this holiday as I do from now on.  His ninety-six-year-old dad passed away yesterday morning.  I’m so struck by this and wondering if there’s some deeper meaning there, something I can’t see yet.  After all, what are the odds that this would happen, for our fathers to die on the same day?

When the nurse told my husband Friday that his dad had about two days left because his organs were shutting down, I knew at that moment that he would go on Saturday, July 4.

He’s very lucky he had his dad so long and the man was in good shape and rarely sick, but old age caught up with him and I think he was tired.  We could see a downhill slide from the moment he had to give up his driver’s license six months ago.  Since he couldn’t drive, he sold his big diesel truck shortly after.  His freedom had vanished.  He loved to go to garage sales every Saturday and look around the hardware store.  No longer able to jump in the truck and go, he watched a lot of TV because he’d lost the enthusiasm to tinker on things, which he’d done since I met him more than forty years ago.

He was a good man who lived a healthy, long life and was never judgmental of others.  I’m sure it about killed him to admit he finally needed a cane to steady himself.  Even then, he wouldn’t use it all the time.

I know, when I get that old, if I do, I’ll be the same way.  Somehow, it’s different to know you have a vehicle in the garage that can take you any place you want to go, even if you prefer to stay home most of the time.  It must hurt many older folks to lose that freedom and be dependent on others. 

I wish my daddy had lived so long, but somehow it was meant to be that, at age fifty-five, he would leave this world behind.

My husband will be in another state for a while sorting everything out.  I’ll be a bachelor girl for a couple of months.  We’ll see how things go and what adventures I’ll get into.  Stay tuned.

Independence Day in America

Independence Day

Be safe one and all as you gather with friends and family for picnics, cookouts, games, stories, and a good time while waiting for fireworks to begin.

Let’s not forget the importance of this day as we all are caught up in celebrations and camaraderie.

Today, in 2014, much to the dismay of some, we can still celebrate this day.  But the way things are going, who knows if this time will come around again.  The world is so unsure and becoming a dangerous place, although I think probably every generation has had something like that to say about the state of things.

As we’re giving thanks for freedom, family and friends, and watching the colorful display of fireworks overhead, let’s all remember our forefathers and the glorious things they had in store for our nation at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  These fellows were real men with a genuine concern for the country and its inhabitants, unlike the people we have in office today who make careers out of their political lives and many of them for personal gain.

Our ancestors were in another place and time and that’s behind us now and gone.  We must deal with all the current things going on in our nation.  I’m sure these great men never saw a future with a nation so big and full of chaos as we have today.  It makes you wonder how they would handle things if we could bring them back.  I’m sure there a few of you who’ve thought about this very thing.

I would like to point out that three of our former presidents, and signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on July 4.  That seems so strange, doesn’t it?  It makes you wonder of there’s any meaning there that we’re missing.  Three is quite a few with 365 days in a year.  I always wonder about oddball things like that.

I’d also like to say I guess my father is in good company, if you can say such a thing about a day of death, because this is his death date too.  I always think about him taking us to see the fireworks as kids, as I’m watching them on July 4.  I love and miss you, Daddy.  You’re not forgotten.

J is for Fourth of July

We never did much in the way of activities that took place off the farm as kids.  Growing up on the farm was about farm chores and going to school.  The fourth of July was a highlight in our lives, along with hunting Easter eggs in the hay meadow.

Back then, they had a fireworks extravaganza at the fairgrounds.  There’s no other word to describe this spectacle of color.  Daddy would buy bottle rockets and sparklers from the fireworks stand in town and we could enjoy them at home with his guidance, but once in awhile we’d talk him into taking us to the fairgrounds for the fourth of July show.

We would load up the old pink and white station wagon and head out for the Ft. Bend County Fair, which was on the far side of the little town we lived three miles away from.

All of us kids would be chattering away all the way there, so excited to go.

Once we arrived, we had to jockey for a position with all the other vehicles that had already arrived.  From what I remember of the fairgrounds, the ground was very uneven, a lot of dirt with a few grass sprigs and clumps here and there.  People would park anywhere they could find a spot.

Once that car came to a stop, we couldn’t get out fast enough.  We would climb on the hood, or the top of the car, and get in position before the show started.  Usually the bickering over spots went on until the show was under way.

Then all you could hear was “oooh’s” and “aaah’s” as we all got quiet to watch the display.  This was like magic with a crackle and pop and then the explosion of colors in different shapes that seemed like they were materializing right over our heads.

Each one that went up was prettier than the last.  They would flicker and twinkle until they disappeared, only to have another take its place.

While this was going on, we would be sweating in the summer heat and the mosquitoes would be eating us alive.  However, we paid no never mind to this, slapped the mosquitoes away and went on with our comments to each other about how beautiful the fireworks overhead were.

We relished the finale when they would fill the sky with all the colors of the rainbow.  At the same time, we were sad the display was about over and wished it would go on forever.

Once back in the car, we would talk about it all the way home as well as scratch our mosquito bites and complain how bad the bites were.  Yet, when the fourth rolled around the next year, we couldn’t wait to get in the car to go and watch another fireworks display.

The fourth of July today, as adults, is bittersweet because it’s also a time to remember our Daddy who died on this day in 1980, at the ripe old age of 55.  He had many health issues and definitely was gone too soon.

Sure, the fireworks are splendid with all the razzle-dazzle, but it’s also a time for reflection of those good times as innocent children.  I realize that Daddy was so tired all the time from the very long days of hard work he did in the fields, but he knew how certain things were so important to us that he didn’t want to disappoint us.  I know now that we probably couldn’t even afford the few fireworks he would bring home, but I think he wanted us to know that July Fourth was something to celebrate.

When I look back on those times today, it also reminds me that life on Earth is too short sometimes and not to take anybody for granted because tomorrow is always a new day and things can change in an instant.

Reblog from July 2012