Inventory time

It is that time of year...time to take inventory at the flower shops.  So today I took stock of the vases.  After, I tallied a box of greeting cards by price point, thankfully not by occasion and price point.  Moving on to the wall, I tallied, let me see 9 pockets down 36 across with 1-14 cards in a pocket.  Tally and count.  And so it goes.  Tomorrow I should be able to bring it to closure, by tallying the last two card boxes.  The big boss, the president of the company stopped by to check out two leaks in the new cooler.  Actually he was on his way to purchase a vacuum cleaner for the main store.  But as long as he was there, he helped me market.  He lowered a wreath on the wall.  Situated Bridgewater candles on several shelves, placed red vases in the window, as Valentine's Day is six weeks from today.  He had me order 3-4 arrangements and we got six.  "How many did you order?" he asked.  "Three or four,"  I told him.  On the way home, I stopped to put two big bags of clothing in a drop box.  The little door wouldn't close, so I got the windshield scraper out of the car and gave them a little push.  Success, the door closed!

A French Truffle Kind of Day

This afternoon, my daughter and her fiance left for a new adventure some 1200 miles away.    My daughter had ambivalent feelings of course...sad to leave but happy to start a new life. Her two sisters shed tears for this sister who will live so far away and is to be married in August.  My husband and I are depressed and saddened too, but doesn't a parent hope that their child will soar up in the sky as if she were a kite.  I took down the Christmas decorations to keep busy and distracted, and because with everyone gone, but my youngest daughter, Christmas is truly over.  I am worried too about my father who will have some tests.  And so, it is a French truffle kind of day.  I sat down at the computer, brought the gift from my son to the table, and have now munched down my fourth chocolate truffle.

Chocolate Fountain!

Wishing you a healthy, happy 2013!

Happy New Year to all!  I've thought about New Year Resolutions for a couple minutes.  Of course, there is the weight thing.  I could stand to exercise more and lose 25 lbs!  I could practice hapkido for 20 minutes every day!  However, these are old and boring!  So, this year, I am going to try to be a "gentler, kinder" person and to think of others.  I will keep you apprised of my endeavors.

Mail Gone Awry

On Thursday morning, I put three letters in our mailbox.  I wrote a thank you note to my mother and dad for the wonderful Christmas dinner and generous gifts that they gave us.  Now, my parents live two miles away, but I know my mother enjoys pretty cards and reading letters.  It brightens her day.  So I trusted the postal service to deliver this special note.  And while I was at it, I found a Blue Mountain Card for my sister, "The Story of Two Different Sisters."  For whatever reason or reasons, my sister has been having a bad time of it, has alienated me, and it made me feel better to send her the card.  And since I didn't want my brother to feel left out, decided to send him a special Blue Mountain card too.  Imagine my horror, when I came home and found that my parents card had been returned to me, "unable to forward.'  They have lived in the house my dad built since I was in 6th grade!  I called my father and told him, and he said, "Maybe they didn't know I died!"  I answered,, "Yes, they couldn't deliver it in Heaven!"  How exasperating!  So tomorrow, I will drive the 2 miles and hand the card to my mother and pick up some oranges.  I received a thank you from my sister who told me she loved the "Story of Two Different Sister" card.  Yes, I am different from her....my hair is dark, she is blonde, I am shorter than she, the views from our windows are different, and our life challenges are not the same.  But through it all our lives have always been and will always be entwined as is the trunk of a money tree.

New Year's Day Birthday

My son will be 27 years old on New Year's Day.  On a cold day, we ran up to the hospital three times to try to get labor started.  When finally it did start, I knocked on the tv room at the hospital, "having a baby here...need a bit of help", as everyone was watching the Rose Bowl.  I suppose that is why my son is such an avid sports fan.  It doesn't matter which sport--football, baseball, soccer, hockey--ask him, and he can tell you percentages, statistics, who is picked to win.  My husband has planned a wonderful birthday dinner.  We will start with shrimp and cocktail sauce, chips and dip.  Then grill steaks and have baked potatoes.  Later we will try out the new chocolate fountain that I got from my daughter for Christmas.  We will melt chocolate and dip pretzels and strawberries.  My husband is making  a gift too.  He is assembling a driver with a new shaft and grip.

Worries

I just got off the phone with my dad.  He has a urinary tract infection and is on antibiotics.  More worrisome is his weight loss and the possible cause.  Blood work to see if his liver is functioning properly.  There is no use  researching liver problems until the test comes back, when we know what the issue is.  At work, I have been packing Christmas ornaments and other decor to put into storage.  I have tried to position merchandise so that the store looks attractive.  Actually I enjoy the neatness of the store with less clutter.  Today, I emptied the trash from the wastebasket into the dumpster.  I couldn't get the cellophane wrappers out, so gave the basket a good shake, which promptly caused the basket to fall out of my hand into the dumpster.  Today was garbage pickup day, so the wastebasket fell way down.  I went into the flower shop to get the broom.  I put the handle of the broom in the basket and steered it out of the dumpster so that I could reach it.  A very intricate maneuver worthy of a surgeon.  I drove my son to the bus and he is on his way to Chicago.  It was nice to see the bus waiting and on time!  I sent my parents a thank you for the fabulous Christmas dinner and gifts, and a card to my brother and sister.  I found two Blue Mountain cards with appropriate messages.  Though it might not change either siblings perception of me, it changed my feelings toward them.