Make the world go away

clip art

Sometimes it’s hard to keep your lips zipped shut when working in the world of product demos.  I wonder how some of the people where I work have been there ten years.  The customers really pull so much crap that you’d love to reach out and bop them on the head, but all we can do is smile and offer them samples.

All of us are abused by the “shoppers” on a daily basis and no one seems to think anything of it except all of us doing the demos.  It’s the normal life of the demo person to let customers abuse us and say outlandish things all day.  I’ve only been there a year and a half and I already have plenty of stories for a book. 

Sometimes I wish things were different and we had people to back us up, but they say the customer is always right.  The only time that goes out the window is if another customer is taking on a fellow customer.

Not only do we have to cook and prepare samples to hand out, we have to clean up all the spills and messes left by the customers during the day.  We don’t want a mishap to come along so everything stops until we sweep or wipe up a spill, change gloves and resume our duties behind our food cart.

I’m always amazed at how oblivious the customers are if they spill something.  They simply walk away and leave it, or step on it.  I know half of them know they dropped something.  Do they expect us to clean up after them?  What do their houses look like?  Do they leave things there that they drop on the floor?

And sometimes this is deliberate as was the case the other week when one of my coworkers was doing a demo for popcorn, which we all call “drop corn.”  Once that cup is picked up half of it immediately falls on the floor.  It’s stepped on, rolled over with shopping carts and kicked down the isle while we’re trying to sweep it up.  One gentleman deliberately spilled his entire sample cup on the floor in front of the demo person.  I guess he wasn’t a gentleman after all.

Not long ago, another gal was cooking shrimp and an older man took the entire sample tray and ran down the isle when she put it out for the crowd waiting.  We’ve had people come up behind us and use our spatula to remove things off the grill because they were tired of waiting and wanted to eat.

People always make smart remarks daily.  A guy asked if a cheese stick was a suppository.  The demo person told him to let him know how it works out for him.  That was great thinking.  Usually I’m not that fast with a comeback, but maybe someday I will be if I stay at this job much longer.

Most of the time when the day is over I’m driving home thinking make the world go away if we have to wait on anymore stupid and inconsiderate people.  There are always exceptions to this, thank goodness, but they’re few and far between.

The nothing post

My Bradford Pear Tree in bloom

Well I don’t know if I’m at a loss for words this time, just too darn tired, or there’s nothing extraordinary going on at the moment.  But I wanted to post something.  Maybe the nothing post isn’t a good name.  That reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode.

Mostly my days are taken up with work lately and that wears me out standing up all day and putting up with the crazy people we get in the store.  You honestly wouldn’t believe some of the things that people do—or maybe you would.  When I get home I just want to chill out and not talk to anyone.

Plus, I’m beat on top of it all but I know we’ve all been there.  I should really get to bed earlier, but I never do somehow.  Life is more than just work, cooking and cleaning—or it should be in my mind, so I feel I have to read or write something at night.  Otherwise I find myself in the rut of sleeping, working, eating and cleaning and then repeating the whole list again.  Maybe that’s fine for some people, but not for me.

On the good side, the days are warming up and the sun is out so things are really looking up in that department.  I’m ready for summer.  Bring it on. 

We went out and trimmed the palm trees last week and my arms are in shreds from those thorns.  They can be quite wicked, but the wounds are gradually healing up.  The sty in my eye is still there too (three weeks today) but I’m hoping that goes away soon so I can get a consult with a doctor for cataract surgery.  As you get older in life, there are so many obstacles to overcome all the time.  I didn’t find out I even had cataracts until I had my eye exam two weeks ago.  No wonder I can’t see a thing.  I’m just wondering how they got there.

All my fur babies are fine.  Sometimes they leave me a gift of a throw up to clean up when I get home, but that’s just life with a cat.  I love them to pieces and they’re always happy to see me. That makes up for it all.

Other than all that, I’m trying to get ready for the A to Z Challenge this year, but only have half of my posts written so far because I have no extra time to get my head into that.  I hope it all comes together in time.  I am optimistic it will.  I also have the added pressure of getting our taxes done on top of all that.  So you can see there’s never a lack of things for my mind to think about.

I hope all of you are enjoying a nice spring.

My Birthday Boy

Raven - two years old

Okay, this a few days late.  I don’t know where the time goes and can’t believe he’s two already!  Raven’s birthday was the first, but I didn’t get my camera card downloaded until last night and then had 167 pics on it.  That took a while, especially when I need a new computer.  But that will have to wait for now.  There’s a few things wrong with this one, but so far, I’m managing as is.  I have to because my car needs a few repairs too, unfortunately.

Also hubby is back so it’s harder to get an hour or two to get on the computer.  That’s destroying my NaNo project, but it’s coming along.  I’m not too far behind yet.

We had to move the tropical plants into the garage tonight because were expecting the first cold front of the year tomorrow.  After work, it will be too cold and dark to mess with that.  I’m so NOT looking forward to winter.  Ugh! 

But I spent all day Monday in the garage rearranging things out there and throwing stuff out and generally cleaning it up.  What a mess!  Now I have cracks on my feet and fingers because it’s so dry here.  I guess I shouldn’t have done the job in flip-flops though, so that was my fault.  It was just so nice.  I couldn’t help it, knowing it would be one of the last days for a while. 

 Raven birthday dinner

 

Raven had a great time on his birthday.  But I think this cat is never unhappy about anything.  Enjoy the pics.

Playtime

Useful Products

This one is to make cleaning easier.  I recently found this product and I’m amazed with what it can do.  I’m not very domestic and hate cleaning and cooking, which is an oddity, I guess, because I’m female.  I’m always looking for something to make the job quicker so I can get back to doing what I’d really like to do, writing, reading, sewing, crafting, playing with the cats, etc.

Unfortunately, I live in a dust bowl called the desert.  Red sand surrounds me.  I can dust and in two days, the red sand is back.  I still like to leave my windows open because there aren’t that many days you can do that in the desert.  Face it I love fresh air, but usually it’s too cold or too hot around here for open windows.  Regardless, the sand finds a way into the house.

This is a new dusting cloth by Clorox.  Don’t worry it isn’t smelly like bleach and is safe to use on just about any surface, including electronics.  It’s a dry duster similar to the refill cloths for the swifter, but this is thinner and a bit stickier (not the sticky you’re thinking of.) 

This cloth is about 8” by 8” and is designed for dry dusting.  Unbelievably, one cloth can dust an entire room.  That’s what the company advertizes and they don’t lie.  I tried it in the dustiest spot in the entire house, my husband’s office.  I wanted to put this to the test and I wasn’t disappointed.

The wipe picks up dust and cat hair (I have plenty of that) and it stays on the cloth because of the tacky texture.  You actually remove it and not just move it around as you dust.  When finished you just toss the rag in the trash.  The dust cloth starts out as a light yellow color.  By the time you’re finished, it will be brown.

Handy dispenser box

It only took me about an hour to dust the entire house, which is 3300 square feet.  If you need to do a quick job, this is for you.  On the days I use this new product, I can eliminate my use of glass cleaner and furniture polish.  Yes, these wipes will clean glass too. 

Normally I carry around a cleaning basket loaded with paper towels, half a dozen different cleaners, dust rags, scrubbing sponges, etc.  I think Clorox Dust Cloths is a marvelous find.

Ketchup for cleaning

Yes, ketchup is a great cleaner for tarnished stainless or silver, copper pot bottoms, or brass.  Squirt on and use a damp cloth or plastic scrub sponge to move around in a circular motion and then wash with warm water.

We all know vinegar and lemons can be used around the house, but here a few items in your kitchen that can double as cleaners, as well as food.

Coffee grounds are 1.45% nitrogen and contain traces of calcium, potassium and magnesium.  They are great to sprinkle in the garden, or to steep in water like tea and use as a fertilizer on plants.  Coffee grounds may save your plants from slugs and other pests if you create a barrier around the prone plants.  Coffee grounds are also good for scrubbing pots because they’re abrasive and acidic.

No bottlebrush?  No problem, use white rice instead to get into bottles and containers that are hard to reach, such as thin necked vases and bottles like a salad cruet.  You’ll need warm water and uncooked rice.  Fill the container about half full of water and add about two tablespoons of uncooked rice.  Shake vigorously, stopping the end up with your fingers.  Dump out, rinse, and repeat if necessary.

Use tea to mop the floor.  If you have old hardwood floors that need sprucing up, try mopping them with black tea.  Boil water and let five-six teabags steep for ten minutes.  Pour this solution into your mop bucket, along with warm water, and mop the floors as you normally would.  Don’t use on wood laminate.  Use green tea to deodorize your fridge by placing some leaves in a bowl to absorb onion and garlic odors.

Olive oil can be used to make your own furniture polish.  Simply use a clean spray bottle and add one cup of olive oil and half a cup of lemon juice.  Shake well before each use.  This is a natural chemical-free cleaner, less expensive brands of olive oil will work, and it leaves no scent for people with allergies.  You can make a smaller batch by keeping the same ratio of ingredients.  Spray on furniture, rub it in with a clean cloth, and wipe it dry with another clean cloth.  You can also make furniture polish with white vinegar and lemon juice in equal parts.

If you’d like more tips, you can sign up for the FrugalLiving Newsletter.

Greetings from the desert

Desert sunrise at my house

Look at this gorgeous sunrise we had this morning.  I’m not up this early very often.  My husband was stranded in the airport overnight because his plane was two hours late.  He was catching the first shuttle this morning, hence me being up way early when I didn’t go to bed until after 3 AM.  Better that though than stranded in an airport for several hours.

I cleaned like a mad woman yesterday and wore myself up.  I could hardly move once I crawled into bed.  The cats piled on me and I didn’t even care they were pinning me to the mattress.  I probably could have slept on a bed of nails at that point anyway.  I knew that would be a fast two or three hours of rest.  And it was.

 Koki and Raven playing in one of the best toys I ever got for them

Today was leisurely compared to yesterday, but I got no writing done at all.

A roadrunner sunning itself in the backyard.

The cats did their usual routine, bird watching in the morning after breakfast.  We have lots of roadrunners and raptors coming by along with the usual varied array of birds.  Once the birds fly on, it’s onto chasing each other through the house before finding a sunny spot for nap time.

 Koki

Poor Koki started sneezing yesterday and I think she may be catching a cold.  She always crawls on top of the modem soaking up the heat coming from it when I’m on the computer.  I pulled out a kitty blanket for her.

 Raven

Tootie

It was about 68 here today, which was a delight.  I always feel hopeful that spring is right around the corner.  I can hardly wait, even though it will mean lots of hard work in the garage and yard.

I feel for the poor people living in the northeast.  A blizzard is headed their way with hurricane force winds.  I can’t imagine living in that cold.  I guess there’s no choice but to hunker down and hope the power stays on.

Here are a few recent pics of my darlings.

Raven "It's time for a nap."

Raven "I know I can squish my body into his box."

Raven "Maybe I'll take a nap with Tootie instead."

Sometimes my life gets crazy!

To start the day, I got a crazy hoax phone call from a man with am Asian accent warning me there was a bomb in the house and I needed to evacuate immediately.  Of course I thought what a bunch of malarkey this is.  “Good grief!” was all I said, thinking he was full of s***.

Mu husband called the number back and the guy on the other end denied making the phone call, so he called the FBI and they told him they get hundreds of calls like this a week.  The best thing to do is not engage the guy and act scared or they will call back and demand money in exchange for something.  The FBI agent said more than likely the Asian guy’s phone was hijacked by someone from overseas.  He did say this was only the second report of a bomb call they’ve received.  This is a first for us.  It sounded like the extortionist callers are usually telling the recipients of the calls that their grandchild is missing, etc., or things of that nature.

He chatted with my husband a bit longer and then agreed that being on the do not call list doesn’t work.

On anther note, we’ve been cleaning house for several days to get everything perfect for a real estate lady who had an appointment today to come and video tape the house for one of her clients.  The potential buyer saw the pics and loves the house.  Well at ten minutes after the time she was supposed to be here, we called her and she told us she had forgotten to cancel. Her father had a stroke and she was on her way to Vegas and would call to reschedule when she returns.

Now, we have no reason not to believe her, so for now we are taking her at her word.  Things like this do happen all the time, so we’ll see if she shows up in a couple of weeks.  She assured us her client loves the house.

This was disappointing because both of us could hardly move to get out of bed today to finish the job.  At that point, we just wanted to get it over with.

 This is the resident lizard

To top things off, if you follow my blog, you know we’ve had a lizard living in the fireplace.  This afternoon it’s front left foot got caught in between the frame and the glass.  I have no idea how this happened because he’s been coming and going for a year.  At first my husband didn’t believe me, but Raven and I knew he was trapped.  So once my husband saw him squirm and couldn’t get out, he knew it was true.

We had to take the fireplace apart to get the little guy out.  So I shut Raven up in our bedroom and we took the pieces off one by one.  My husband nudged him, but instead of going the other way, he jumped out into the room and ran at full tilt toward the couch.  I knew we had to catch him because the cats would have a field day chasing him all over and breaking things along the way. 

I grabbed a cotton dishtowel to throw over him, but he scooted out and underneath couch.  So we moved tables and then the couch and there he was, but ran back under the couch again.  This went on a few more times with us moving furniture and him eluding us. 

He headed toward the kitchen eventually and got under the cupboard at the kick plate.  My husband opened up the patio door nearby, but he ran under it and back into the family room.  Finally, realizing the door to freedom was open; he bolted out, stopping near the water dish to catch his breath.  Then he got on the wall of the house outside.  My husband could walk up to him.  Either he was worn out from trying to escape with his life, or he trusted us.  I guess time will tell if he shows back up in the fireplace again.

We got everything back in place just in time for my husband to pick a neighbor up and have his men’s night out at a friend’s house in the neighborhood.  They are barbequing and telling stories.  I know this will be a fun evening after the east few days of non-stop work and these guys haven’t gotten together this year because everyone’s been out of town and not all here at the same time.

 Unwinding before dinner

I was going to the neighbors for a girl’s night, but she just got home from a trip and has to clean house, so we’re doing our thing tomorrow.  I have the whole house to myself tonight for a couple of hours.  I guess I’ll kick back, enjoy this peace and quiet, and read or maybe get some writing done.

We have big thunderheads rising over the mountains again

Sunni's Photo's 

 

It has really rained this summer, much more than in the ten years that we’ve lived here.  Of course that means it’s been more humid too.  I’m okay sitting under a fan, but cooking and cleaning up is hell.

We have storms coming in for Sunday though next Wednesday unless they change the forecast.  At least the temperature is going down this time to the low eighties and upper seventies.

 Koki

Tootie

Raven

The cats don’t like this weather much either and lie about like limp rags all day.  I know some of this is due to the fact we try to open the windows around here as much as possible.  There’s only a short window in the spring and fall when you can actually do that in the desert.  I always hope for some breeze or air circulation.  However, this doesn’t always happen.  But I honestly have to say that it still feels cooler outside at times, even when it’s ninety degrees.  In my opinion, we keep this house way to warm in the summer.

When we do turn the A/C on later in the evening, Raven goes crazy jumping for joy that it’s cooler.  He’s been playing with Koki more, but only if Koki is in the mood.  Raven’s always in the mood to play and have a good romp about the house.

Raven

Workers are still working on the pool area of the new house they’re building down the street.  Installation of the rain gutter happened last Thurs. and just in time for a downpour that lasted ten minutes.  We’re not sure where that came from, but the water was pouring out of the rain gutters and pounding on the patio, splashing up because it was hitting so hard.  It even knocked the Dish out for a few minutes.  That didn’t go over well because my husband was watching one of his political shows at the time.

My work in the garage is on hold until I get over my earache and it gets a bit cooler out there.  Maybe all this muggy weather is just a trial for the next stage of life if we move south.

My neighbor’s back from Wyoming, so I’m off cat and garden duty for a few days.  She has three more trips planned before winter sets in here, although she hasn’t told me about them yet.  I saw her calendar while she was gone.  I guess she didn’t want to lay that news on me right away.

I’m really getting in the mood to write so maybe somehow I can find time to get back to the edits on my mystery book.

Life keeps me busy

My neighbor’s back from her hiking trip so I’m relieved of my cat and garden duty for now.  Raven is happy to have me home, but runs to the door if I’m stepping outside a minute.  He doesn’t want me to leave him home.  He really enjoyed his visits across the street.

Raven

We held an open house for agents last week because we were inundated by calls from them wanting to preview the house for possible clients.  My husband is nicer than I am, I guess, because he wanted to do it.  I have no warm fuzzy feeling when it comes to real estate people.  I guess time will tell if they really have a client or not.  I’m always skeptical.

I’ve been back in the garage and doing house repairs.  The laundry faucet sprung a leak and flooded the cabinet below and under the washer and dryer, so we had quite a mess to clean up.  Why does all this kind of stuff happen around midnight?  My husband wasn’t a happy camper because the last thing he wants to do at that time of night is pull out the washer and dryer and take stuff out from under the sink to clean up the mess.  Plus, we were both upset at having to replace the faucet.

Yesterday, on the way back from lunch with some friends, we stopped at Home Depot and bought a new faucet, so we put it in today.  Naturally, with the two of us doing the repair, it took half the day.

I’m not sure where the weekend went, but here we are almost facing Monday again.  Have a great week everyone.

A Lizard in the Fireplace

This was the biggest event at my house today.  I didn’t get a lot accomplished toward the moving project because going after the lizard took quite some time.

Somehow, cats always know everything that’s going on in the house, even if we think they’re fast asleep.

 My baby Koki

This morning, Koki alerted us to the little rascal because she was pawing on the glass trying to get at it.  She loves the lizards.  My husband looks at it and tells me its dead, tucked in behind the glass.  I didn’t think so because I was dusting in that room yesterday and I would have noticed it.

Lizard from our photos

 This little fella was about half-grown.  I wish I’d gotten a picture, but of course, there was no time for that.  The picture posted here I got from our photos of past years, but it was this type of lizard.  We have lots of them around here in the summer.

After some debate on how to accomplish the task, whether it’s a rescue operation or something for the burial ground out back, we decided to take the fireplace apart.  At first, I tried to reach it with a paper towel as my husband tilted the glass out.  This didn’t work, as it wasn’t far enough out for me to reach the lizard, even with my skinny arm.  So I got the yardstick and we discovered that it was very much alive – only playing possum.  It runs under the fake logs in there as soon as I touch it.

So we started dismantling the fireplace, setting the pieces aside on the tile floor.  Once we got the logs out the lizard scrambled through a small hole in the side that I assume is the way he got in.  Or he could still be in there, between the rocks that circle the fireplace and the outside wall.  I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.  For now, he’s still in there as far as I know.

Once he vanished, we set out to clean up all the parts that were dusty and that you can’t get to once the fireplace is intact.  After that, we had to figure out how to put everything back the way it came out.  This wasn’t as easy as taking it apart.  I think everything is that way, don’t you?

I wonder why this guy is even out of bed.  Why isn’t he hibernating, as the lizards do in the winter here?  It makes me think he’s hiding out in there this winter.  If that’s the case, I’m sure he’ll find his way out because he’s probably been in and out a dozen times already.

By the time this project was all done, it was too late to go back and tackle my sewing/craft room, which is what I had in mind when I got out of bed today.

Well there’s always tomorrow.

Nostalgia

This is me at Stowe Lake in Golden Gate Park - San Francisco

Yes, the water really is that color

For some reason I drug out some very old clothes “my hippie duds” and put them on today.  Looking at old stuff from my past must have inspired me.  As some of you know, I’m going through possessions getting ready to move.  I’m finding it hard to get rid of some things, but I knew I would.

It’s not so much about material possessions as the fact that I like to keep busy with some creative project.  I feel I’m stretching my mind when I create something, so much more so than sitting in front of the TV.  I’m always up for learning something new, or practicing what I have learned.  Hopefully, I’ll be this way for a long while yet, but it all takes up space because I can’t see getting rid of things that I may use at a later date, especially now since I’m living on a fixed income.

Part of my Sewing Room disaster

I’m still working in the sewing room and of course, now my mind is going all kinds of places instead of where it ought to be going, which is clearing out bits and pieces and thinking about my NaNo project.  I’ve been working on that in the evenings and have added about 16,000 words in the last three days.  I seem to have no problem in that area and am thankful for that.

The weather here is still cooperating and it’s not too cold yet, but we have cooler days coming by the end of the week.  The birds are using the “pool” again, so we have to refill that birdbath several times a day.  They have so much fun splashing all the water out.  I even saw some yesterday splashing around in the gutter across the street.

My birdbath in the backyard

My youngest cat, Koki, is into everything I drag out thinking it’s so much fun to grab stuff and run through the house with it.  One little cat can make a lot of noise.  She’s my shadow and follows me everywhere.  The other two stay downstairs and sleep a lot. 

Koki - Sunni's Photos

We’re still dosing Comet, the oldest one, with meds for her heart and she gets a water pill daily.  She’s never a happy camper about that and hides under the bed to get away from us.  I’m not sure how I’m going to handle this when the end of December gets here and my husband makes a trip to CA.  I’d like to go along, but I can’t have my neighbor trying to give this wild cat her meds twice a day.

Comet - Sunni's Photos

Other than that, there isn’t much going on in my life at present.

Despite it all, I Can’t Live Without a Cat!

Free Clipart



Naturally, I have to write about my favorite critters. Although there can be a downside with anything. I love cats because they are quiet, aloof, independent, self sufficient, stealthy, and know when you’re working and are good not to disturb you. Contrary to what some may think, they know if you’ve had a rough day, or are not feeling well and are there to lend their support.


It’s a little tough to travel with them and usually we have to find a sitter if we want to go on an extended stay anywhere. We did own a cabin in the mountains at one time and would take all six of them up there with us for the summer to escape the desert heat. You can imagine what that trip was like every time. Inevitably, somebody would get carsick. Tootie always gets so nervous she has to pee, so the first thing we have is a mess to clean up when we arrive. Other than that, the trip wasn’t bad once you get past the yowling stage.

The worst thing of all is when they throw up a hairball on the bed and I am the one who has to wake up and get up to clean it up in the middle of the night. My husband will hear it and wake me up from a dead sleep. The awful thing about this is that it is tough for me to sleep anyway, so it takes another two hours to go back to sleep. But once I finally do, I am usually so tired I think a bomb could drop beside the bed and I’d never know it.