Saturday, January 28, 2023

I was watching a training video at HD when the fellow next to me switched off his monitor, smiled, and said he’d be returning to the plumbing area. I removed my headphones and listened. He explained that he’s been employed at HD for one week, and is a licensed contractor. He couldn’t find enough work to carry him through winter and will be with HD until spring. I asked if he could do repair work at my home. “Sure,” he said.

Central Oregon, where I live, is bustling with new construction. I’m on the opposite end of the tradespeople spectrum. I can’t find qualified individuals unbusy enough to address my home needs, a little electrical, plumbing, and repairing. Working at HD will be a plus, as some will pop up who routinely handle general repairs.

Plus, I can seek advice from those I work with to address some repair needs myself. I am handy with basic tools and usually encouraged by a source of good information. I will be bold with a sense of direction, and sometimes surprise myself by accomplishing something that seemed impossible.

Dear Friends: Now off to sit through more hours of mind-numbing training videos. Diana

Maxwell

Friday, January 27, 2023

Another day of sitting through online videos at Home Depot, orienting to my new job. This will continue for four hours daily for two weeks, which is how HD trains new employees. I have sat through worse orientations, but this one takes the cake for length.

I am a former corporate trainer and am very familiar with informational videos. The Home Depot’s are among the best I’ve seen, but a person can absorb only so much at a sitting. Several instructional videos, one after another, result in a brain freeze.

I got up, walked around, found coffee, and hung out until my energy renewed. Interestingly as I tromped through the store’s aisles, some employees I had met briefly the day before recognized me and engaged me in conversation. The chats were cool and hinted that new friends are ahead. Yes, for me, Home Depot could become a fine working environment.

On another note, my kind neighbor, Frank, texted that he could see my fence sagging in a couple of spots and offered to fix things. He did a masterful job and introduced me to a new style of post-junction stabilizer.

That got me thinking. For most of last year, I was venturing out, seeking part-time work. Learning new skills had me neglecting some property care. Yesterday, I worked off some guilt for having neglected the fence line. I did some needed cleaning and repairing in the horse area. The horses followed me around, and Sunni was after my gloves. Those animals are dear.

Kudos again, Frank, for helping.

Dear Friends: Today’s header is my Maxwell, a very cool kitty about to turn fourteen. Diana

Sunni

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Yesterday, at Home Depot I attended a New Employee Orientation. I figured it would last a couple of hours. Ha! How about it lasted five hours and ended unfinished. I watched training videos and online indoctrinations, to rules and regulations, toxic material handling, etc. I will return this morning to complete the process.

We new hires toured the facility and found all employees pleasant and welcoming. The attitudes were encouraging. Men and women alike and representing all age groups worked in the aisles. My new position might avoid the aggressive ageism that frustrated me where previously I was a part-time cashier.

I learned that working behind a cash register made me very vulnerable to spontaneous opinions. I worked in a busy store where people, lined up and waiting to check out, had the time and permission to study their cashier, to assess speed, capability, and temperament. By the time, I was checking them out, many voiced opinions about me. I was shocked by how many customers, mostly around my age whom I’d never before met, openly scolded me for still working. None were joking, some were cruel. I didn’t respond, ignored criticisms, and unable to speak back as I wished, swallowed anger.

A new cycle begins. I have another employee I.D. and passwords and user codes. This time I’ll be on the store’s sales team, moving around and less vulnerable to being studied. Interactions will be on-the-spot, spontaneous and better for my peace of mind.

Dear Friends: Now, I’ll be off to finish the orientation. Diana

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Yesterday, my friend, Julie, came for lunch. We had egg salad wraps and a side of polish sausage, and caught up with each other. We are thoughtful readers and Julie is about to start reading a book I’m enjoying, Listening Still, by Anne Griffin.

There’s more about “starting”. Today, I’ll start a new part-time job by attending an employee orientation. I’ll be working at Home Depot, in its Garden Department. The Garden Department expands beyond the store’s outside area; it includes the three inside aisles nearest the outside area.

My new role will let me move around. That’s so welcome. My previous work as a cashier required being in one small place; too restrictive. Now I’ll move around and will learn to drive a forklift. Yes! I understand, driving a forklift is a job requirement. Well, that will increase my marketable skills.

I’ll like working at HD. Historically, its aisle employees have been mostly men and some were older. These days, among them are more women employees and some of them older. That’s smart hiring, for the store appears well-staffed. Shoppers there can find assistance, a noteworthy value in this overall environment of fewer willing workers.

Since the pandemic years, worker shortages have been a huge issue for employers. Along with others, I try to understand why. People spout a popular notion that many “live too well” on doles from the government. I witnessed in my cashier’s role many not appearing needy purchasing with food stamps. Certainly, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but worker shortages are weird.

I’m fascinated by how so many successfully are avoiding salaried positions in today’s economy. While among HD’s many employees and customers, I might gain understanding about how so many may choose not to work.

Dear Friends: I’m excited about getting to those forklift lessons! Diana

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

I’m a single person who does relatively little grocery shopping. A visit to Costco sets me up for weeks. I rarely “do supermarkets” but did recently. The prices of almost everything have risen and set me into shock.

Costco isn’t a cheap destination. Its customers usually carry out more than they need. Those who do the math say that on average bulk buying is cheaper. I’m not a math person and shrug off excess as an economic advantage. In reality, my overbuys often become discards. They age out or I need to clear shelf space.

In Costco aisles all’s bright and shiny, and shoppers are suckers. Checkout totals may tally to hundreds of dollars. Few shoppers break down totals to learn actual costs of individual cans or packaged pounds. Those who do the math say that Costco is a most thrifty destination for large families.

We know that, but enjoy the bright and shiny, and the surprises that pop on aisle shelves.

Recently and in a hurry, I shopped in a regular supermarket. Current prices blew me away, especially eggs! They’re in short supply and priced out of sight. My little flock of chickens lay too many, and I give away fresh eggs to anyone who requests them.

If I pause to think, however, those daily eggs are costing more. As grocery prices have risen so have animal feed and equipment. I’ll give away eggs, anyway, for my chickens are young, happy, and high producers. Each fresh egg seems special and deserves a caring end user.

My supermarket shock lasted way beyond eggs. A quart of cream costs triple what it used to, and meat prices for good old pot roast, hamburger, and seafood were incredibly high. Fresh produce produced more tag shocks.

I used to work behind a cash register in a discount supermarket. Some customers demonstrated how best to shop. The most efficient consistently worked from a list, carefully avoided impulsive buys, and always paid with cash for their items. When I wondered how they could be so efficient, they said, they simply needed something, or didn’t, and could afford it, or not. Period.

That’s not a method for we who are less highly organized. Those who are demonstrate how best to shop, especially during weird economics, like now, with unreliable food chain systems, short supplies on shelves, and awful disease episodes, like Covid and Bird Flu.

Dear Friends: Most shoppers by switching to cash would impact commerce in mind-boggling ways. Diana

Monday, January 23, 2023

Yesterday’s late afternoon turned beautiful on this town’s eastside where I live. The overcast, cloudy sky gave way to sunshine, which popped. Suddenly our horizon’s snow-topped Cascade Mountains became highly visible. I was in the process of filling watering troughs and the light had me grinning. How lovely, to rediscover a bright world.

Earlier, I stayed inside and read as much as possible. My book is, Listening Still, by Anne Griffin, an Irish novelist. I was prepared to scan, and quickly, the story because its heroine “can hear the dead”. This theme isn’t my cup of tea, but it’s for a book club.

Barely into chapter one, I found myself hooked completely, slowed, and carefully followed the story. I’m about two-thirds through. Griffin is a skillful storyteller and writer. The reader shares her characters’ emotions, well expressed without falling overboard.

The lead character is Jeanie, who’s in her early thirties. Her parents surprise her by suddenly explaining their decision to retire soon from the family business. They intend to leave the small community and the family’s established mortuary business. Jeanie will run the business. She’s the only person besides her father who can hear the dead. Both have the unique gene that enables a “listening skill”.

Jeanie is upset by her parents’ decision and struggles with whether to continue the mortuary business. Her marriage of several years is good but not perfect. She has solid relationships with her family, long-time friends, and with many in the larger community.

The proposed change while forcing her to consider pros and cons, simultaneously has her mind escaping to memories and regrets. We begin learning that Jeanie has a back story. Especially, that years ago she was involved a long passionate love affair with “a man she didn’t marry”. That past and its wild emotions linger.

Griffin writes with insight and awareness without being heavy-handed. She communicates humor, tension, love, and anger. A reader easily identifies with Jeanie and experiences as she does. Griffin’s skillful writing has me anticipating an appropriate resolution.

I give this story a high “like”. Anne Griffin has two other published books and I will explore.

Dear Friends: Unless forced to read this story, I’d have dissed it to avoid its “hearing” theme. Diana

Sunday, January 22, 2023

I was moving a large storage chest from a closet to open space so the floor guy could work. On removing a too-stuffed drawer, I discovered beneath some items an unopened bottle of Azzaro 9 Parfum. A brand-new bottle, 1/4 oz., in its original packaging.

Oh, the memories! Way back, before I ever worked out at a gym, I occasionally wore perfume. Azzaro was my favorite. After entering the world of the gym, I grew increasingly sensitive to scent. Those who work out among others understand why one begins to dislike perfumes.

I stood in that closet staring at my find, and remembering. I tried to calculate how long the bottle might have been stashed. No less than forty years, if a minute, and no kidding. I can recall wearing the scent while working as a secretary at Hughes Aircraft. So, yes, possibly forty years.

Why had I never opened this bottle? Was it purchased as a gift? For whom, and why didn’t I give it?

The wondering increased my curiosity about the brand. I turned to the internet and searched for Azzaro 9 Parfum. Well, it’s still around and like the old days not cheap. Currently, a one-quarter ounce bottle in a vintage box sells for around $60.00. Originally, I might have paid $19 or maybe $27, certainly no more. That purchase would have been bold and pricy on my office salary.

I sat at the computer and thought while my curiosity grew. I wrote to Azzaro, sending my package’s registration and identification numbers and requesting a bottling date. It’s interesting, a vintage perfume’s monetary value can double over time.

I’m just saying. About perfumes who knew?

That triggered my thoughts about Peaches, my Cockatoo. This year he will turn 18 and could live well into his seventies. Someday he needs a new home with someone younger than me. If the future will double the value of an unopened French Parfum, mine might need rehoming.

Dear Friends: The powerful surprise of rediscovering past significant moments. Diana

Saturday, January 21, 2023

My flooring expert is coming today for what should be the last time. He will replace the carpeting with manufactured vinyl in the master bedroom’s closet. This closet was left undone before Christmas; today, he’ll do that and attend to some previously identified fix-up spots.

The whole process from the beginning, until now, has taken nearly a year. I faced the problem of living with dogs and over time with increasingly unattractive, dog-damaged carpeting. I learned about vinyl flooring, its pros, and cons, and became reassured of its waterproof and damage-proof characteristics. I learned that vinyl can be scratched, and so, moving heavy objects needs proper padding. Colored markers can repair minor scratches. A capable flooring person knows ways to repair larger challenges if they occur.

My flooring specialist, a friend by the way, helped me select a flooring pattern. I wanted one that mimics wood planks. We experimented with samples and selected one. He explained how he would arrange the pattern in my home, and why, and I felt satisfied.

As it promises, the vinyl makes doggie accidents easy to clean and leaves spots residue-free. Vinyl is easier than carpeting to clean but it doesn’t absorb dust as the carpeting will. My horses create dust in their dry lot, it’s straight west and their dust invades my house. Additionally, my pet birds release feathers and dander. A wireless vacuum and a dust mop make routine cleaning quick and easy.

Today, I’ll be clearing a big closet and later will move everything back into it. Last time for all such work.

Dear Friends: Innovations springing up everywhere are altering traditional tastes and preferences. Diana

Friday, January 20, 2023

Recently, in our email exchange, an old acquaintance described an emotional part of her past as having “lasted for a minute [and then disappearing]”. That struck me, because a key learning in my life has been the concept of “lasting a moment”.

Now in my senior years and reflecting back, I recall relationships and events that while happening (and for long afterward) felt incredibly important. Each major episode consumed lots of energy, commitment, and involvement. Took up much time! My dreams, being, and goals were influenced by caring and striving. Regardless of whether an episode became a personal win or loss, each held significant learnings that helped to shape me.

In memory now, each seems to have happened in only a moment of time. Mentally, I can conjure up old calendars and identify an approximate amount of time that an important event covered. As each event ended, sometimes I thought “here, too, my life could end”, but ahead were new adventures.

I often succeeded, I often failed. Today, after cycling through a lifetime of mixed delight and trauma, I feel okay with the individual who evolved. I’ve learned we can have hopes for our futures but can’t predict what might really happen. We adapt, roll with the punches, and later reflect on everything that happened.

In retrospect, realizing that each life event seems to have occurred in one minute of the past amazes me. Moreover, finding the past is easy to summarize is calming.

Dear Friends: You couldn’t pay me enough to be at an earlier age again. Diana    

Thursday, January 19, 2023

After years of disuse, I fired up my barely used sewing machine yesterday. Restarting it needed lots of time with high focus. I’ve never been one to sew, but when new the shiny machine offered a world of electronic features that supposedly enabled easy, creative sewing.

I tried using the electronics and sewing but became overwhelmed, and afterward, the machine sat unused. Recently, while having my home’s flooring replaced, I emptied each room of furnishings. Later, while deciding whether to refurbish my “sewing area” and realizing I’d misplaced or lost its instruction book, I almost tossed the machine.

But deciding forced me to consider the problem that I’m a short person. Often, I can’t reach high enough to replace or retrieve shelved items. And always my pants’ legs are too long. Unless cuffed they drag on the ground.

Too-long pants’ legs especially are problems on cold winter days. While caring for outside animals, I wear snow pants over sweats. My snow pants are kids’ sizes, but still too long and must be cuffed. The cuffs capture loose hay and dirt, that later fall onto my house floors. Through years, I’ve had to clean dropped hay and dirt.

I decided to place the sewing machine into its old space and ordered a replacement instruction book. I checked the internet site, “Ifixit”, for steps to hem snow pants. Its demonstration was more elaborate than I needed, but reassuring.         

Yesterday, I sat before my sewing machine with three pairs of snow pants and the replaced machine instructions. I allowed plenty of time to relearn: how to thread a bobbin, thread the upper machine, and how electronically to make it self-thread the needle. By late afternoon, I had adjusted the pants’ legs to a perfect length for me.

Afterwards, it seemed almost exciting, heading to the barn and anticipating no dirty cuffs. Later, it was grand, entering the house with pants’ legs as clean as a whistle.

Dear Friends: Electronic challenges aside, I’ve become reinspired. Diana