Friday, July 5, 2024

Right Now: July 2024

I couldn't think of anything to post about until I remembered that it might be time for what's going on Right Now. I'm still not sure I have enough to say, but maybe if I just start typing, some words of wisdom will flow from my brain to my fingers and keyboard. 

A red-spotted newt I saw in the woods
(but he doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the post.)

Making -  A few things with garden produce. We've frozen 20 quarts of snow peas, and I have two small zucchini and two lonely cherry tomatoes. I'm going to make air-fried zucchini tonight. I love eating fried zucchini but I hate making it and the breading doesn't stick well. Hopefully, the air fryer is the answer. 

Drinking - This chai. I drink a cup (or two) of tea every morning but it's getting a little boring. I like chai but don't like making a big production out of it by making it myself with milk and spices, so these tea bags make a delicious and easy cup of chai. 

Watching - The Repair Shop. This is kinder, gentler, old-person TV, but it's pretty much the kind of thing I want to watch now. It's a British show where a bunch of different craftspeople repair family heirlooms. They really do remarkable work, especially with ceramics, clocks, woodworking, and even teddy bears. You can watch it on Britbox and there are some full-length episodes on YouTube

Keeping Up With - Riding my stationary bike. It's nothing fancy, but I started riding it about six weeks ago, working up to 30 minutes a day. I got really lazy when John went on his fishing trip and didn't ride at all for 10 days, but the nice thing about exercise is that you can always begin again. There's an added bonus that I can also read while I'm doing this, so sometimes I get involved in the book and forget about watching the clock.

Wishing For - A good soaking rain followed by a week with low humidity. That doesn't sound much like summer in the east, but I can wish! 

Slightly Disgruntled About - My perceived lack of customer service at Lowe's. I went to get water softener salt and I usually get six 40 lb. bags at a time. There were no cashiers, just self-service checkouts with three Lowe's employees standing around chatting near the salt. I asked one of them if he could help me and he said "No, he was only helping self-service checkout customers." I said that's what I was and could he please use his scanning gun to help me purchase six bags of salt. He said he couldn't do that; I would need to take one bag to the checkout myself and then I could change the quantity to six and pick up the other five bags on my way out. That's what I did, but I figured that three men that looked to be about half my age could have helped by helping me lift at least one bag to take it to the checkout. Am I just an old curmudgeon who expects special treatment based on her age and gender? Feel free to let me know!

Wondering - What happened to my black-eyed susans and poppies. I used to have a whole bed full of them, but that was back when we had an above-ground pool. We took that out long ago, but I'm left wondering where my flowers have gone. They seem to have disappeared over the last few years, and I'm wondering if John mowed them off since they were no longer contained with a fence. 

Considering - A haircut. I always wear my hair up in the summer, but am wondering if I should give in and just get it cut short. The last time I thought about this seriously was nine years ago, and the only time I've actually done it is when we moved to FL 44 years ago. I was so unhappy then that I cried, so that is certainly entering into the decision process. I have started a folder on my laptop with photos of short hair that I like, so maybe someday ...

Planning - Some painting. Last year we had our enclosed box gutters fixed and this year it's time to paint them. This is all high second-story and roof-level work and John does not feel secure enough on a ladder to attempt it. I don't think he should be up on a ladder either, so I put together a list of 10 painters and told him that he could make the calls now that he's retired. The score so far stands at 10 painters called, five calls were returned, four have shown up to do estimates, and two have actually submitted estimates. One of them looks good so we'll probably go with him, and now John has a better understanding of why I used to complain so much when I was the person in charge of procuring electricians, roofers, plumbers, etc. 

Laughing At - This skateboarding turtle chasing a cat. (I'm tempted to see what Nugget might think of a turtle on a skateboard, but I don't have access to a turtle or a little skateboard.)



What's going on in your world right now?

14 comments:

  1. No you are not an old curmudgeon; you are a customer. If it were me I would never shop at Lowe's again and I would write a letter to the manager with cc to the CEO of Lowe's. What the hell is wrong with these people!?
    Oh, and this is just me but I did cut my hair about 10 years ago thinking long hair made me look old. I hated it. Finally said well hell, I AM old, and let it grow again. It was 102 degrees here yesterday and I didn't even care that my hair made me hot. In other words, my opinion is, keep it long.

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    1. If I can do something, I should, but I will admit that I was surprised when the Lowes employee said he couldn't help me. I grumbled that I was going to Home Depot next time. It was 95 here yesterday and hotter today, but there's only one picture in my short haircut folder, so I'm probably not cutting it anytime soon. Thanks for the feedback!

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  2. I am sharing your disgruntlement at Lowes... a word sprung to mind (and perhaps a better use that originally intended) VergoƱa!!

    No tomatoes here yet... but boy do I have lots of little green ones! And my advice on the haircut... a couple inches can soon grow back, but lots of inches = a long time with no hair.

    We had a fortuitous sudden rain storm last night... about 30 minutes of insanely hard rain just as the neighborhood fireworks was kicking off!

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  3. That video was delightful!

    I am sorry you could get no help at Lowe's. It used to be that people would offer to help you; it's terrible that they wouldn't even when you asked for help. I would contact corporate about it or at least the management of that store. I'm fairly confident that is not how the company wants its employees to act.

    I am also wishing for rain and lower humidity! I don't know that we'll get either for a while, though. We had some rain last night, but we're still at a deficit.

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  4. I think that's terrible customer service from Lowe's and I would submit a formal complaint about it if that happened to me. We bought local tomatoes and corn this week from our favorite farm stand and both were so good! I miss growing our own tomatoes and cukes but I don't miss the heartbreak of losing produce to pests. It's rainy here today and cool but muggy so I only have part of your weather wish!

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  5. I had a lot to say but I forget it all once I saw that turtle. We have a yard full of turtles but none of them know how to skateboard. That is just so darn cute.

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    1. But maybe they'd surprise you if you gave them little skateboards!

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  6. I love these kind of posts!! That newt is adorable, I've never seen one like that. I've been debating in my head whether to join a community center gym so I can walk a treadmill (then I can read and walk!! and be in AC). I just keep thinking because I walk Frodo in the muggy outside and deal with it. But I love to daydream of AC.

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  7. Love that little turtle video! And I think the music is the same tune as the sea shanty that was viral a year or two ago.

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  8. Well, for someone who thought she didn't know what to post, you posted a lot of very interesting things, Bonny. The video was hilarious, and I would never have guessed that a turtle would want to chase a cat. Maybe that is how I would act if suddenly had been given a superpower, because he was! Customer service is nonexistent in my experience, but you should certainly complain. Employees anywhere should do what a customer requests within reason, and that was a very reasonable request. You would think that men would certainly want to help a women with those heavy bags! As to the rest of your post, it was all delightful, and you have been a busy bee. I have never seen a newt that color. I would have been excited about that if I saw it on a walk. Have a great weekend.

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  9. What a great newsy post. That Customer Service stinks. The small local stores are more expensive but often offer better shopping experience. I think we all want the hair we don't have. If I could go straight to long hair and skip the growing out phase I'd do it. I just think it would be a mess for so long that I keep getting it cut. Have a good weekend and I hope you can plant and grow some flowers that won't go missing or meet the fate of the lawnmower. That happens around here.

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  10. What a great/hysterical video. I might have made a loud stink in Lowes...or just walked out and left everything there (for those guys to clean up). Customer Service certainly seems to be missing in most places these days. I'm one who constantly changes my hair from long to short (sometimes ultra short), but my hair also grows very quickly. I'm debating now about an ultra short cut or growing it a bit more so that I can pull it into a ponytail again.

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  11. The Repair Shop was one of the regulars in rotation during Covid (and after) -- it's a WONDERFUL show!! I think the management at Lowe's would be very interested in your feedback about their customer service... and your willingness (?) to take your business elsewhere. (I would.) Also, that's an item they should have a "look up" button for so you don't have to physically move anything until you're checked out. (My opinion.) HAIR! My hair has been short in my adult life only once, and that was in my early 30s... what I remember most is how often I had to go to the salon for "maintenance," or it looked like crap. I didn't have that hairstyle for long, and it hasn't been shorter than shoulder length (ponytail-able) since. I still remember crying over a short haircut in 3rd grade, too. It is nestled in my core & I always think of it whenever I even consider going short.

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  12. I always love reading these posts. Huge fans of The Repair Shop here, too! and reading about the haircut pondering. I've had short hair ALL my life, so never something I've experienced personally. Good luck!

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