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.

October Day in Paradise

Sitting in a sunbeam
on a sofa
sipping tea.
Kitty on my lap,
purring.

Contemplating seasons

Each day as I walk with Lady the tree colors are different. There is more orange and red intermingled with the green. The days grow colder and the last hot days of summer have come and gone. I hear a lot of complaints about it from my customers but there are others who like the cool crisp days of fall. There are the smells of hot apple cider and pumpkin pie or the newer scent of pumpkin spice lattes. There is something to be said about the rhythm of seasons. They give me a sense of the continuity of life. Leaves turn red then fall. Barren leaves of winter give way to the buds of spring. The lush foliage of summer changes back to red and the cycle begins again.