My Late Summer What's Up

My schedule has been turned upside down.  I'm still trying to figure out where, when, and what I'm doing.

I haven't written anything, fiction, memoir, Random Rant, for a month.  I'd like to get back to my stories and the characters growing before they just up and leave.  Thoughts pop in and out of my head, and I let them get away.

So I figure I'll write what little is in my head over here in the Rants.  Maybe something will click.  Again.

The Restaurant

We just lost a key employee.  This happens in the restaurant business.  People move on.
So now, I'm on a seven day week.  4 am.  Every day.  Whoopee.

Just before she left, we'd begun a new specials adventure.  Stepping outside the box and trying lots of new stuff.  Mostly a lot less deep fried stuff.

Of course the biggest accomplishment was making more work for myself.  But, I'm enjoying it just the same. I've been making new side salads, using fresh veggies and making dressing.  And trying new dessert recipes that I've found on the Internet and Pinterest.

So by the time I go shopping, fix the daily goodies, and finish the bookwork, I'm on my way home by 3pm on most days.  Noon on good days.

Hopefully we'll find some new help with ambition and new ideas soon.


The Spider

During my off time, I can usually be found loafing in my recliner.  With yarn, the TV remote, or the iPod.  And most likely at least one cat.

The husband was reading his mail or the news on the other side of the room.  Suddenly, he says "Wow, that's a big spider!"

I don't look because he finds it amusing to lie about large insects just to see me squirm.

Okay, I take a sneaky look.

OMG!  This thing was the size of a baseball.  And WALKING TOWARD MY CHAIR!!!

Now I have a contract with spiders, because I understand they are "good" insects.  The contract states they may not be in my space.  The floor is part of my space.

I say calmly to the husband, "KILL IT!"

He did.  He stomped it.  Crunch.  Ewww.  I told him to dispose of it outside.

He flushed it.  Now, I saw that episode of Night Gallery.  I haven't flushed a spider or washed one down a sink drain since.

He thinks I'm nuts.


The Grandkids

I still have my once a week day with the grandson and granddaughter.  And since I haven't been writing I've spent my free time crocheting.  We now have a set of Winnie the Pooh and Friends.  Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet.  Each pattern came with an accessory.  Hunny pot, butterfly, dragonfly and flower.

The grandson was adamant that each project was incomplete until its accessory was finished.  I was starting Eeyore before I made the Hunny Pot for Pooh.  This was a mistake.  The Hunny Pot was finished quickly under the watchful eye of a three year old.  Then I was told I could return to the donkey, and don't forget his butterfly.

The granddaughter likes when I'm crocheting because she can get into more trouble before I catch her.  She has emptied the dog's water dish, gotten into the basket of empty K-cups from the Keurig and thrown the used coffee grounds around, played in the toilet, used the cats' litter box as a sandbox, spilled two cans of pop and a cup of coffee.  That was all in one five hour visit.  I can't wait until next week.


The Daughter

Is expecting her third child around Thanksgiving!!

That is all.


The New Litter Box (skip if you don't care)

I had heard of this new litter box system.  Tidy Cat Breeze  I have to say I am impressed.  Litter boxes are the one thing I dislike about my cats. This system works just like they say, and my cats are starting to use it.

The Plumbing

I was crocheting happily and sort of watching TV when I became aware of water running.  I removed the cat and peeked into the bathroom.

The floor was half an inch deep in water.  Only, thank goodness.

So I got the plunger and plunged.

Nothing.

I got the mop and cleaned up the water.  Then plunged some more.

Nothing.

Husband came home.  Got it working.  Yay!

He ran a load of laundry.

The toilet began to burble.

The wash water backed up into the shower cabinet.

Three bottles of drain cleaner later, all is well.  Maybe.

I told him not to flush that spider...

Random Rambles from a Day Off

I should be ashamed.  I haven't posted here since February.  I have been writing.  Sort of.  On my other blog. Elsetime & Otherwhen, where I practice my writing.  Cause I am a writer.  There.  I said it, or wrote it.

Now, from the more mundane world of me.  I was going to do this yesterday, but just didn't get it done.

Yesterday was my day off.  And it was a good one.  I managed to get the kitchen cleaned, again.  Get a roast in the crockpot and write a couple hundred words on a story I'm playing with.  All by noon.  Go Me!!

Then I did a lot of nothing.  Isn't that what days off are for?

Yes.  I thought so.

I have been busy though.  The restaurant takes a lot of my time.  Worrying about the restaurant takes a lot of my time.  Although things have been going a lot better than this time last year.

And the garden is doing well.  Already harvested radishes and peas.  The green beans look good, and the tomatoes are blossoming already.

I canned some peas and froze some.  I've eaten most of the radishes.  I have this awesome recipe for cooking them. 

Just take some radishes, small can be left whole, halve or quarter larger ones, add some green onion, saute in browned butter for a bit.  Then add about a half cup of water, salt and pepper to taste, cover and simmer until fork tender.   MMMMM!

I've also been obsessively been spinning yarn.  I have a drop spindle and apparently way to much time to waste.

Next I want to save for a ridiculously expensive loom so I can weave my yarn into something useful.  I had the opportunity to play with a loom a couple weeks ago.  So much fun!

What else can I babble about?

Hmm.  Oh yes.  Grandchildren. (You knew that was coming, right?)  The grandson is my great love, he's so smart and quite the character besides.  The granddaughter, (yes I love her too) is such a handful!  Very independent and headstrong.  She has to be watched all the time or she's into something.

That's about all the excitement in my world.  How about yours?

Missing in Action

It's been forever since I've posted here.  I am so bad.

However, I have been busy.
No, really.  Busy.  BUSY!

Anyone who follows my twitter feed knows I've been whining, stressing and just Ranting about the big changes we've made at the restaurant the daughter and I own.

We had a menu update, translate price increase.  Which always causes unhappiness. But is necessary to keep up with the rising cost of product.
We finally began accepting credit cards.  Yes, we are slow on the technological thingies.

And? 
In a county and state that has no mandated smoking ordinance, we opted to become a smoke-free restaurant.  This has not been popular with everyone.  We have a lot of loyal (until today) smoking customers.  We still have a lot of loyal smoking customers.  The majority of them understand our decision and like the food and service well enough to still want to come and see us.
 
And we appreciate every one of them.

There are haters of course.  We are trying hard not to take it personally.  Being a smoker myself, (yes I'm still working on that) I understand that side of the controversy.  This was a decision that we made purely as a business entity. 

So.
Our target date to implement the changes was today.
We closed early Sunday to start painting and cleaning.
We were closed Monday to finish painting and cleaning.  Also to go over any new menu questions and to train credit card processing with the employees.
Of course we had planned on having menus and a credit card processing unit  to work with.

Menus showed up Sunday morning.
Credit card unit was delivered 3:30 Monday afternoon.
Painting took longer than we thought it would.

Train Wreck.  Wait.  That was me. After an 18 hour day Monday, and 3 hours of sleep last night. I was at work at just after 4am today.

We opened today at the specified time.
Technologically updated: credit card capable.
Menus on the tables.
And smoke-free.


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sigh