notes from the checkout

On my last shift the weather outside was wonderful. As our local newspaper said, the thermometer finally caught up with the season. I frequently work in the afternoons so I can walk Lady in the morning and catch some sun. My customers tell me how sorry they feel for me to be stuck inside on a beautiful day. I tell them that it's much better to be employed and inside instead of unemployed and outside. Trust me, people, we know the weather outside; we have windows.
Our union is in the midst of negotiations with the big grocery chains. The independents will settle for whatever the chains and the union agree upon. It's a disconcerting time. We have extended the contract to June but right now both sides are pretty far away on the issues. It would be nice to get some of the extra things that we are asking for but I just hope we don't lose anything. Some of our members do not get paid until the third day they are sick. lWhere I work we can get sick pay the first day with a doctor's note. Management wants to increase our deductible and make it so that new hires have to wait 24 months to get their families insured. We need fair health care for all of our employees.

Lent

I always seem to begin Lent reluctantly but yesterday was Ash Wednesday and here I am. I went to mass at 7am yesterday morning. Father John traced an ash cross on my forehead and I received Eucharist. I didn't have to start work until almost 10am so I spent some time at Hotwire Coffee eating breakfast and wasting time. All through the day I would see customers who had ashes on their foreheads and hear from others who said that they would be going to mass or church later in the day. One woman told me I had a smudge on my forehead and I explained Ash Wednesday. She knew about Fat Tuesday but didn't know what Ash Wednesday was for. I explained that Fat Tuesday was the prelude to Ash Wednesday, a feast before the fast. I'm glad I went to mass early yesterday. It meant that I wore my ashes all day and for a brief time I was a sign.
Now I am on day 2 of Lent. I've given up alcohol for the duration and I signed up for the Days of Deepening Friendship retreat. It's a good way to keep praying and to spend special time in prayer and meditation during this special season. I don't like the fasting part of Lent but I do like the praying. May this Lent bring you closer to God.

notes from the checkout: The I hate coupons rant

I have advice for all consumers. Get a magnifying glass and read the stupid fine print. Of course the manufacturer or the store puts FREE in giant letters but it puts the requirements for redemption in teeny tiny fine print. Some say you must spend $50 or some other fixed amount in the store before becoming eligible and didn't you know that that $50 can't be liquor, cigarettes, or heaven forbid, fluid milk? The sale price is in large letters but in fine print it says must buy four for the sale price, all people with no storage space must pay regular price. The consumer knows none of until they come to the cash register. When the coupon doesn't work who gets grumped at? Why it's me, the cashier. I suppose it's somewhat justified since I wear the logo of my company on my apron. After all, I'm the most convenient. As a consumer myself I hate clipping coupons because I often forget to use them or they are on something I never use. I feel your pain.

A holy moment with a cat

I took our cat Hazzard to the vet today. He is 15 years-old and has been due for his rabies shot since he likes to go outside and sit in the sun from time to time. He also had his fully dilated swollen eye looked at. I usually don't take him to the vet because we have a deal. He doesn't pee in my car or run away from home and I don't take him to the vet.

The doctor was running late so while we were waiting we sat on the exam-room floor. I wanted to be as nervous as Hazzard but that would only upset him more. I've found that the way to have a calm pet is to be calm myself. I knew that he was blind in his eye so that it must be something bad. So, there we were on the floor and I prayed my centering prayer word, Jesus, over and over again. While Hazzard and I waited we sat with God together, breathing slowly.

Hazzard has to have his eye removed. He either has glaucoma or cancer. The surgery is scheduled next week. He is already avoiding me. I'm not letting him outside until he feels safe with me again. Next week I will be in real trouble with him. He's really mad at my but I know that I did the right thing. Doing nothing was not an option. I just wish that he knew that.

notes from the checkout

It's really cold out here in Seattle. The temperature was somewhere in the teens this morning. There is possible snow in the forecast for Friday. Here in the Emerald City that means it's time to buy groceries. We never know whether a snow forecast will mean no snow, a dusting, or a foot of snow. We get laughed at for our snow driving but it doesn't snow here often and we have very steep hilly streets to slide on. The city doesn't invest a lot of money in snow removal either. A lot of us just park our cars outside our houses and wait for the snow to melt before we venture out. I even picked up a few things after work just in case.

Notes from the checkout ( aka raves from the checkout)

'Twas the weekend before Thanksgiving and hordes of shoppers descended upon the grocery store. I worked as fast as I could typing in codes, scanning items, bagging groceries, and handling money, all while fighting back pain--when whom to my wondering eyes did appear, an auditor with no case of beer. She had me ring up a basket of groceries and when it was time to pay she told me, "I'm an auditor, just void the items and put them back." She had also hidden some items that I didn't catch in a spot I'd never think to look and had never been told to look. I'm not telling what because I don't want to give anyone any ideas. Growl, way to ruin my already stressful day! Fortunately after that it was lunch time and I ran into the boss. He said not to worry about it; it wasn't on her report. Hmmm, maybe she was messing with my mind.

I had several nice customers and then came a lady with her school-age daughter. The daughter was unloading the shopping cart and I told her she didn't have to unload the giant box of heavy logs. I could get the code. The lady snapped, "I'll handle my daughter." I replied that I had just spoken to her daughter the same way I would speak to any adult. I don't want them to hurt their back or mine. Growl! I was in trouble for treating a child like a human being.
It's going to be a long holiday season. Thanks to Clement C. Moore, I think. There's a controversy over who wrote the lines I borrowed from Night Before Christmas.

Retreat time

It is time for my yearly three-day retreat close to the anniversary of my father's death. It is a time to mourn and remember, a time to pray and to write. The sky darkens early and the light from the sun is muted. Here in Seattle the rainy season arrives. I went to church today and sat before the crucifix where God has answered my impossible cause prayers many times. He has brought me healing in both mind and relationships, impossible causes. Now I remember my father and pray about my current intentions. They seem hopeless to me but God has helped me time and time again. I'm not going to go in detail here because I don't want the family I am worried about to be easily identifiable. Suffice it to say that there is a young family in deep trouble and I cannot by my love carry them out of danger. I wish that love would be enough but I can change no one. I can't believe for anyone else. I can't seek mental health help for anyone else. I cannot take the father of this family and rock him and make it all better like I could when he was a baby and I watched him while his parents were at work. He is an adult now with adult choices. He has to live with the consequences of his own behavior. But then...there is the cross and the one who hears my prayer.