Deep Freeze

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

This is the last day of this year’s first dark month. And it’s still cold!

Yesterday at Home Depot, instead of watching videos, I spent hours receiving real-time training in the Garden Department. I’d been prepped by my previous job at Wilco, which carries garden and hardware products. So I knew a little about customer needs, the importance of providing service, and how to tidy shelves.

At HD, I will shadow a crew member for a couple of weeks and then follow the department manager for a while. My first day was interesting because we discovered four Traeger Grills mislabeled and “lost” somewhere. My team had to find them, so we walked every aisle. Looking at possible locations meant staring straight upward at aisle shelves’ high tops. A couple of hours gave me a stiff neck but got me near achieving that day’s 10,000 steps. My coworker said that some days while working, she walks 18,000 steps!

As I walked the aisles, employees in all departments voluntarily introduced themselves and welcomed me to the team. The women workers represent all age groups, and most told me they love working at HD. That big store is kind of homey.

Speaking of home, since yesterday was freezing, I let my dogs stay inside when I left for work. Later when I returned, little Mitzvah was first to notice someone entering; her racket woke the other dogs. After letting them outside, I inspected the house; it was clean as a whistle. Great pups!

Mitzvah is as quick as Osix, and sometimes faster, to notice bark-worthy events. Osix has been our earliest town crier, but Mitzvah is an equal. As to the other pups, Miles is our best watchdog, and Ranger is pretty good. And to now, the no-Chiweenie, Chase, is useless, but O so sweet.

Dear Friends: I will give, for free, fresh (and unwashed) eggs to anyone who’ll pick them up. Diana