Whew .... the humidity would drop an elephant!

O.K., so now it's summer, it's hot, sticky and the temperature is hovering around 90...good Lord, I'm like a fish out of water down here and feel like I'm drowning half the time...and I'm sitting in a/c. But I do have to emerge from my den like office and when I do...oh, my...I can't move these fat legs fast enough to get to the next a/c room. And to add insult to this weather, we have had a couple of those horrendous thunderstorms which has stopped business dead in it's tracks..and I do mean dead. We're not happy campers right now. I remember those great days in Paradise where the days were sunny and each day was delightful, but lately it is not so Paradise like. Last week we had hail...hail in the summer, what the hell is that about? Well, today's another day and I'll try to remain hopeful. You would think my stitchers would be getting their projects to hunker down and stitch during this rain....but I haven't seen many of them either. UPDATE: You remember the incident in June with the person stealing a van and running it into my building (thank you so much). This resulted in my court summons (although I didn't actually know what the case was) and my subsequent failure to show (O.K. I forgot about the damn summons...I'm busy). I've already told you I called the State's Attorney and his secretary informed me I was alright since she could find nowhere where they had issued a summons for my arrest (thank God)...well the Burtonsville man faced over 25 charges from the incident...O.K. he stole the van from the Harrison Group who were at the time cleaning carpet with the hoses running out of the van, drove the stolen van dragging the cleaning hoses (Gee, how would anyone know it was stolen?) which were connected to the equipment inside, behind the vehicle. He then got to 15th street and Baltimore Ave., driving south (meanwhile its oneway north bound traffic) with cars trying to dodge this fool and he made it to my house where he turned and drove through a driveway next door, broke through their fence and then hit my building. (Of all the streets he found mine). He actually jumped out of the van while it was moving so technically he wasn't in control of the moving vehicle when it hit my building (even cars have it out for me this year). In any event, he was sentenced to three years in jail, and also found guilty of driving under the influence and received an additional year in jail for that. So, it was a good day and justice was received so that's a good thing. Did he learn his lesson...I doubt it, but at least I wasn't arrested as a result of my "no show" so we consider that a good day. I'm still dealing with MOSHA and the new freight lift...well this is a continuing sore spot for all of us. The lift is in, but not connected...each time they bother to appear they are called off for an emergency (which they are going to have here the next time they leave). Then the final insult was I received the final bill for the private elevator going to my father's old apartment, now Sara's apartment, which MOSHA said was a commercial elevator even though it is keyed and the size of a postage stamp. Which explains why we are headed for court. Anyway, I called them and said, "There were 6 things on the contract that were suppose to be taken care of...you have done only 2 so I'm not going to be paying this final bill." To which the lady said, "O.K." While I wish everyone felt it was O.K. to not pay the bill, I questioned why they bothered to send the bill in the first place and this is what she said, "They said they would be done by the end of July and to send you the bill." The bill which stated they were completely done and they had notarized that. Notarized a bill...what the hell and it was a lie to begin with. Is it me or have people gone completely nuts. And then on the news I hear that the banks which got our tax dollars in bail out money are back to giving millions of dollars in compensation to their ceo's once again. Is it me? Come on people...our generosity is too much. I am so pissed that they have used my tax dollars in this way. Do they not think the small mom and pop companies could use a little bail out? And I wouldn't give myself a golden parachute either when I retired. There is something wrong here...our government is so completely out of whack. Telling us that giving the bail out would turn things around just doesn't work for me. I say, give the bail out to the citizens, not companies and we would go out and spend it and thus get the economy moving again. Forget the major corporations who have screwed us already...GIVE ME THE MONEY! And folks, I feel better even if that didn't make a whole lot of sense....so it was worth saying. I'm feeling better physically also...my cold is gone, I still have the hacking at times, but I'm learning to live with it. Other than that the excitement is gone...I have nothing further to report....at least for today. So folks, have a great day and thanks for checking in with me. Oh, yea, I finished one more stocking...not sure if I reported this already...can't remember what I said 5 minutes ago and at 61 well, let's just say I'm not as intelligent as I once thought I was. So hopefully I'm back on the stocking train...hope it keeps chugging along. I hope you are having a wonderful summer with lots of sun, plenty of stitching, and a lot of ice tea. Talk to you soon.

I may not make it through the summer...

I realize this has been blank, and I'm pretty sure I had something to say, but it's obviously over now. So go down one which is the newest blog written today which is so past the date this was started so I've had a glitch in the system somewhere. I may feel I won't make it through the summer, but somehow I always do. I hope your summer is going better than mine. But there's always tomorrow. But please go down one to July 19th as I just posted that today, the 23rd. Thanks so much for hanging in there with me. I'm feeling a little better tonight and feel I may have this summer cold beaten yet once again.

My day in hell....

Usually a day in the needlework shop is a good day...except when you have a summer cold and you are working from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Connie wasn't busy on her morning shift yesterday so I was figuring I would cruise through the morning shift...WRONG! I arrived to find them waiting to get in which means I was on the go instantly from the time I opened the door....wow!!! But I still held out hope I would sit for a major part of the day...WRONG! Pat and I worked to get out the cartons which arrived yesterday and just as we finished them here came UPS with 6-8 more cartons...are you kidding me? I just looked at Pat and wanted to cry. So then she and I started on the new stuff, with 1/2 the energy that we worked on the first cartons. I was losing ground fast...Pat is like the energizer bunny...honestly she works from sun up to sun down and never loses her pace. I on the other hand, had to stop to drink water, hack all over myself, and then get back in the swing of things. At least we did have stitchers in today so that made things easier. Having to deal with the cartons and stupid questions would have put me over the top so I was glad to have stitchers here. I swear I did a blog since this one which I wrote on Tuesday, but in any event...it's now Thursday and I have to tell you...I'm not getting any better at handling the tourist season. Fortunately for me I had some of my "peeps" in yesterday when Molly L., Sandy G., and Joan D. came in. We had fun chatting, comparing projects or at least talking about what we were or were not working on and as they were about the leave, in fact they were walking to the door...Joan did the unimaginable. She stopped at the front rack, pulled the Carousel Charm display out and asked if I had any more. I was a little slow on the uptake and thought she meant the kit so I answered sure, they are on the rack right beside you. And then she uttered the words I have come to dread, "Oh, you mean I have to make it." And the worst part, she wasn't kidding. Molly and Sandy looked at me, and I just was in shock that a stitcher would walk in this shop and say those words. Needless to say, Joan was a good sport as we gave her a 5 minute lecture on what she did wrong. I'm sure she won't ever ask that again, especially not in front of me. Luckily, she's one of my "peeps" and we allow them faux pas. Unfortunately today I had many non-stitchers in..."Oh, I don't do needling." What the hell is needling, but believe me I wasn't about to ask that woman. But with the weather on the overcast side...it was a full day of shopping for people and they really, as usual, didn't even look at which shop they were going in so I spent the day explaining that we sold the kits not the finished pictures and prayed that Connie came in early to get me out of here. I went from the shop to my little room to get a nap before the night shift and when I came back into the office all hell had broken loose. I'm telling you it's dangerous to leave this place for more than 10 minutes. Sara was at my desk having a hissy fit and trying to print a paycheck (a final paycheck) and was so upset she was unable to do it. So I took over while she explained what prompted it. Apparently one of the foreign students, who she caught sleeping in a room she was suppose to be cleaning last week, thought it was approxpriate to lay her head down on the counter in the Bikini Shoppe and take a little snooze. Needless to say, today was Val's last day. Gone ... one down, God knows how many to go. But this should straighten up the attitude of the other foreign workers...well actually we have a good group, perhaps a couple of bad apples, but basically a good group this year. Anyway, I'm alive and almost well in Ocean City and looking forward to fall.

It just doesn't get any easier....

We thought we had a well oiled machine here this summer, things going relatively smoothly....we thought. We're still without the freight lift...this was suppose to be done by the 4th of July...it's apparent that men never estimate time correctly. Anyway, we've been dealing with that, well at least the men in the laundry room who take turns hauling the mountainous amounts of luggage and crap people bring on vacation have been taking care of it. I've been hiding in the office. We'd had a few complaints from some of the foreign workers about 2 of the housekeepers who never seemed to help anyone else, and I noticed they worked much later than anyone else and while I brought it up to Sara...we decided they were doing such a bang up job. WRONG!!! We needed a room right away in their building and no one could find them, so Sara went on the hunt and the first suite she looked in she found them asleep in the beds. Yes, our housekeepers were the last ones done each day because they slept the morning away and then got up and did their rooms. Sara about blew a fuse...and believe it or not they are still employed, pay docked, but employed. Yes, it's amusing running a little hotel in a sea side resort. It brought back the years my parent were running the hotel. We had one housekeeper we were unsure of (back then the housekeepers were from around here), and there had been rumors of a slight drinking problem, but she did really well for a time and then one Saturday (the worst day to have an issue with housekeeping) my mother went over to the Lodge and called me and said, "Tell your father and everyone else to get over here now." I couldn't get there fast enough knowing it had to be awful for her to call in the troops...and sure enough, she arrived in the room to find the housekeeper "3 sheets to the wind" and hanging over the toilet. She had put bedspreads on sideways, left pillow cases off, and God only knows what else. So Mother and I spent that day going back over everything she did and fixing it. My mother wasn't nearly as charitable about it as Sara...that woman was fired on the spot. I found the entire episode amusing until I had to clean up the mess she had created. I'm with mother on these issues...fire them...of course then Sara, Mary or I would have to take over the housekeeping duties in that building...I think I see why we didn't fire her. Good Lord, we have 2 more months of this...I'm not sure we're going to make it this year. Good news...the lift should be ready by the 1st of August...just when we start to slow down again. Isn't that par for the course. Then today, I turned around and saw the Summons for court....July 13th, which I forgot I had. Oh, well, the cops haven't shown up to arrest me yet, so that's a good thing. I don't have a clue why I was summoned by the state as a witness to something...I initially thought it had to do with the person that ran into the house...but I didn't witness anything except the policeman who kept banging on my door... But Mary thinks it has something to do with someone who got in an accident and then said he lived at our address. Again, what the hell does this have to do with me. Well, anyway, I'm calling the state's attorney tomorrow to tell him I forgot (for God's sake I'm 61..he's lucky I remember to get dressed before going outside)...what are they going to do..lock me up? I could use the vacation so bring it on. Just let me take my stitching with me because I am way behind! On the plus side...we didn't have any drama over the weekend. The weather has been hot, hot, hot...just the way the visitors like it and the way I hate it...but I'm willing to put up with it for the visitors. Vernon tells me it's suppose to go down to the 60's tonight...can't wait to open my windows. Got to run...talk to you soon. Have a great week....

I made it, I made it....

You might think I made something spectacular, but no...I just mean I made the walk. Michael (my dear sweet grandson), is in boogie board camp this week, so he asked if I'd come watch him. Of course I said, absolutely. I knew there would be sand, sun, perhaps water, but I was willing to throw myself into the mix for Michael. When his mother heard she said, "I don't think that's such a good idea." When I asked why, here is what she said," Mom, do you realize you park your car about 2 blocks from the beach and then you have to walk on the beach about a block." I know I drive the 2 blocks to work, but it isn't that I can't walk...I just choose not to walk. So I said, "I'm going and I'll walk it and be fine, however, please have a beach chair waiting for me as I have the attention span of a gnat and once I've watched him ride one wave I'm over it and I'm going to read." Next thing I knew Vernon is standing over me. That usually means he needs a lot of money for something so when I barked, "What is it now?" He said, "Sara said you were going to watch Michael at Boogie Board Camp, and I didn't know if you realized you would have about a 2 block walk from where you park the car to the beach, and then you have another block on the beach." What the hell...apparently I've given everyone the impression that I can't walk 3 blocks. So I thanked Vernon for his concern but said I was still going and I'd be just fine. So at 1:45 p.m. I said to Mary, "I'm leaving for Boogie Board Camp." Then Mary says, "Mom, I don't know if you realize it's a 2 block walk to the beach and then another block on the beach. It's also really hot so I'm not sure if you will be able to make it." O.K., I'm starting to see a pattern here...no one thinks I can walk 3 blocks....so even if I'm dying I'm going to have to pull this fat butt up those dunes and get to the water as if I am dying of thirst...which I may be since I don't dare drink water for fear I'd then have to pee and that would be the mile hike to a bathroom and back. So I decided to forgo the water and just hike. So I arrive and Sara starts mothering immediately. "Get out so I can park the car..the chair is on the sidewalk so just sit there until I get back." No darn wonder I'm so big...no one lets me walk or stand! But I pull the chair into position and sit. After about 15 minutes the hike begins. I should have timed it since I was on duty at 4:00 p.m. and that only left me 2 hours on the beach, but of course I was just thrilled to make it to the beach, over the dunes and down to the water. The hell with timing it. Now I'm not sure what I expected to see...tricks, kids flying through the air...I'm not sure, but what I actually saw was my Michael along with the 25 other kids just laying on the boogie boards and catching waves. Not there's anything wrong with that, but couldn't he have done that in front of the hotel? I think so. But I watched him ride the surf and at 3:15 I decided to start the trek back across the dunes. Now I have to say the sand was really, really hot so I had to wear my sandals, so that slowed me down somewhat, and the sand was hard to walk in, but I was not going to show fear. I walked with a mission...Please God, let me make it without passing out and proving everyone else right. I kept my eye on the prize...my car waiting in the Convention Hall parking lot and 8 minutes later I was sitting in the air conditioning, thanking God that I'd make it. I've suggested to Michael he find a friend and just boggie board in front of the hotel...it would be a lot easier on all of us, and then I wouldn't have to park 2 blocks from the beach. Uh, Oh...if your child is old enough to put the sentence together..."Can I have it now?" and not in baby talk...and it's over 3 feet tall and at least in 1st or 2nd grade...he's too old to breast feed or have a pacifier out in public. Notice I didn't say he was too old for one period...which I may be thinking but God forbid I say it... It may be the heat from this afternoon trek along the beach, but I don't think so...this kid is just too damn old to have a pacifier. Period. But if you have to let them have it keep it home... Of course to have this child in this store while you shop is also ridiculous since it's 10:00 p.m....yes I should be closed, but God forbid this woman should take this child home and put him to bed. His poor little eyes look like they are on fire...I'm still not in favor of the pacifier...I'm in favor of thinking about your children first and shopping tomorrow during the day while they are splashing around in the water under the watchful eyes of his adult sister. But God forbide I should say anything. Oh, Brother...I better close because I'm about done in and this kid with the pacifier is about to push me over the edge....well I shouldn't blame him...it's his mother. And you know I was such a perfect mother I can criticize all I want. (at least in my mind...God only knows the Mommy Dearest tell all my girls will be writing after I'm gone...at least I hope it's after I'm gone.) Have a great night stitchers...talk to you later.

Opps..what was my point

O.K., I forgot my point (there were so many) with the woman who bought the sock yarn for her daughter. I mentioned she plunked my quaker band Nantucket basket on the counter. When all was said and done she said, well I take this. I said, "This is a sample and not for sale" even though the sticker on the bottom was still on it showing that the basket was $100. Believe me the way this night was playing out, in my mind I was thinking "I could always stitch the Quaker Band over again and put it on another basket," but the thought of doing that was just too much to I said, "No, I'm sorry not for sale." That's when she picked up the knitting yarn because God Bless her, she was determined not to leave without buying something. Now that's a customer I can tolerate in the end. Crazy but loyal! Have a great day stitchers. Enjoy the little moments.

Sunday...the Lord's Day...Let us Rejoice and Be Glad

And I am...first it's a gorgeous day here...temperatures are rising so I'm not going to be as comfortable tonight and may have to go to air conditioning. I'm sure the neighbors would prefer it as I snore like a man and I'm sure they are wondering what that horrendous noise is coming out my window. But it's been lovely going to sleep with the breeze from the ocean coming in my window. I took tablets to help me sleep for the last few days, but last night decided to do without because they make me sleep later and I so enjoy the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 9 a.m. It's usually still quiet and I get to stitch before heading off to work. Last night I finished my 12th Blackbird Stocking and am happy to be back on track once again. Of course I'm still behind, but perhaps now I'll get further along. This morning I worked on the Christmas Quaker piece and it's coming right along and hopefully it will be done by this fall. And I went to the stash this morning just for fun...a bit depressing actually because I found 3 or 4 things started and not finished....but I've moved them up in the stash pile so I'm ever hopeful. I want to also thank Rachael for her wonderful comments regarding the shop and our customer service. And all the ladies who have called, left e-mails, and left comments on the blog relating to the "crack whore" issue. While attorneys are now in the mix, we are ever hopeful that a sober judge, or perhaps a sober district attorney will see there isn't much merit in this case and when we give our side (which has happened yet) and show all the evidence (like the crack whores bag full of her personal items...which in actuality were our rolls of toilet paper and paper towels...along with the tool she used to break into the closets...not the brightest bulb in the package)...this will come to an end. Let's hope so anyway! Well, I went into the shop to work at 4:00 p.m. happy since I'd had 2 days off, and by the end of the night I was ready to kill. First thing I had was Nicholas, his sister and his mother in. The daughter took up residence on the chair in front of the counter (I'm rethinking having the chair there..) so she could whine every 5 minutes about what time it was and how long her mother was in the store. Her brother,Nicholas, found the friggin tape measures in the lamb, bee, etc. and continued to see how far he could pull them out, regardless of my continually saying, "Please don't yank on them like that because you may rip them out of the case." Of course, without turning around his mother would say, "Nicholas stop it." His sister whined incestantly "You're going to break them." And I, well I got a headache from this plus the fact that his mother's first question after looking in the showcase was "Where is that little pillow?" Knowing I had no pillows in the showcase I got my big butt out of my comfortable chair and tried to give customer service in a big way. But when I saw what she was talking about...hanging from a hook was Debbie L.' s Prairie Moon Americana scissor fob, I just knew we had less than an accomplished stitcher in the shop. So I said, "That's right here, it's a scissor fob." To which I got the usual question, "What's a scissor fob." Oh, I just knew this night was not starting out well. As it turned out, however, she spent over $100 so I was pleased with that, but still not sure I ever want Nicholas back in the shop. And then I got the usual spattering of people who didn't have a clue what the shop was and wanted to know how much the pictures on the wall were (I hate those questions because they are always followed with "Oh, I can't do it, I don't have time.) I just love people who think stitchers have endless hours to sit and stitch...like we're all retired or taken care of by wealthy husbands or wives (I said this just for Greg)...instead of the truth, that we're busier than they are and find the few moments in our day when we can sit and stitch even if it means we stay up later than we'd normally like to. And then I got a woman who was on a mission. She comes in, picks up my Nantucket basket with the quaker band, plunks it on the counter and says, "I need some fabric"...needless to say, I didn't have the first one she asked for, although she seemed to know nothing about what she was asking. Then she mentioned a second fabric, which we did have, and when I asked how much she needed she didn't know because she didn't know what was going on it. After a few questions, I discovered that she didn't stitch at all, but would buy the supplies and hand them off to a friend, so I suggested she find the pattern first and then we'd get the fabric. So then she see's the 40 ct. white pumpkins that Pat W. stitched for me for Christmas and asked about it. I asked what count her friend stitched on and she answered 28. I suggested she not take a 40 ct. over one project to her friend as they wouldn't remain friends. Then she tells me she also uses Ghost Stitchers. Then she got desparate to buy something, anything apparently (I usually love this type shopper...desparate that is)...she then went to yarn. She bought sock yarn with a child's sweater pattern which she was handing off to her daughter to do...at that point I gave up, sold it to her and waved good bye. Then a woman came in to return a wooden needlecase because she couldn't read the numbers on the diagram. I didn't have my glasses on and asked what numbers. They were so small I swear without glasses you wouldn't be able to see them. She complained about it continually until I said, "You know, I think they figure that you will take it to be enlarged." I thought this would shut her up while I happily refunded her money, except she got me so flustered with her constant complaining I charged her card instead of giving her a credit. I realized that, but then I had to explain to her what I did and once again, she was very pleasant about it and said that wasn't a problem. (thank God!) I felt that perhaps by this time I was out of the woods and to make sure I was I decided to close...it was after all 9:55 p.m. and close enough to 10. It was such an exhausting night I went home without doing any of the paperwork. I'm hoping for a better day today....please! Give me true stitchers....or at least one.