This and that...

It is a rainy Monday. I don't mind though. I think a rainy, cloudy day is way under rated. There is something about fiddling around the house when it is raining outside that is very productive. I even managed to put the weekends laundry away and clean the toilet (that's not to say I did the laundry in the toilet, mind you).

This past weekend was fairly quiet - dined out with some friends Friday night. We picked them up and they gave us a tour of their backyard garden before we left. After seeing their lovely adornments I plan to copy one thing in particular for my own yard. A bottle tree. I don't know what rock I have been living under but I didn't know they even existed. My friend made her own (some of them you can use a dead tree). She put a long wooden pole in the ground and then attached bottles to it using long screws and white lights throughout. Very neat. My bottle search has begun.

The previous weekend we went to a "Fly In" breakfast in a town close by. We had pancakes and then for $15 we took a plane ride around NE Iowa. The pilot even flew us over our house. It was a little 3 seater and I was proud to sit in the co-pilot seat. As we took off, the wheel in front of me began to move and lights came on. It was then I let the pilot know I could take over whenever he wanted. LOL Yeah - picture Karen Black (I think that's her name) in the Airport '77 film. Only I had my hair in a pony tail which would be much less dramatic...

Anyway - all I can say about the ride is that it was like floating. Amazing. I have never been in a small plane - only the cantankerous jets that I used to need a gallon of beer to be able to even consider boarding. I have come a long way. I have no fear these days and it is lovely.

My husband started a rather amusing project yesterday. He plans to erect a 30 ' pole within eye shot of the kitchen window. To the top of that he is going to place an old satellite dish - hanging down so that it looks kind of like a tall skinny mushroom. This will be a bird feeder, apparently. He has all the plans drawn out to where each little feeder will hang from the large dish. He will make a long pole that he will use to reach each feeder from the ground to refill. He considered a pulley system - but that might be treacherous in these Iowa winters. I will try to follow the project with a few pictures on a future post. The pole is in the ground now - I have not asked him how he plans to get the dish on top. This will most certainly be a Kodak moment.

So - now I owe you a couple pictures. The Redneck Crossing has down sized a little, I see. They have removed the caped dog and wild boar. Perhaps they went to market. Well, the boar anyway. I have not seen much activity there in the recent days. Maybe I can resurrect him if I take a few more pictures. Perhaps it is an ego boost and he will get busy again!

One last little update - I have a real job now and I never even applied for it! Long story short, the Pet Hospital where we take our animals has been looking for another staff person all summer. They tanked on the interview process so they decided to think of people they knew that might be a good fit and - thought of me! So, I trained a little last week and start for real this week (tomorrow). I have seen a couple surgeries so far and lots of puppies! It is such a calm and kind environment I cannot help but think I am just meant to be there.

Well, I am off for today. I have a Mystery Shop to do at a fast food place today. I am to park discreetly where I can see the drive through. I am to time the cars going through during the lunch hour and then eventually go through myself and order a burger with specific items left off. I wonder how bad they will screw that up. I have never had much luck with special requests in a drive thru. I hope I have enough paper.

Happy Monday!

Shop 'til you drop!

Okay. So it's time to talk about the toilet, but first a Readers Digest version of the last year of my life (it's relevant): I resigned my position of 16 years in May '07, decided to take the summer off and regroup. I did work that summer at a fun job at a store some friends of ours own. It was a good experience to clean the career pallet you might say. Just when I was beginning to shed my mental baggage of the past 16 years at "adult daycare" - I faced a health crisis in August. I had surgery to remove a portion of my intestine that was possessed by diverticulitus. I never knew I had this. In fact, I have never had ONE health issue in my entire life. So, I guess getting the mother load all at once seemed fitting to the powers that be! The surgery went okay - but there were major problems early and I narrowly escaped with my life a month later! Thank you, Mayo Clinic. I am doing fine now and will have one more surgery later this summer to make me completely right with the world again.

My recovery was snail pace slow and I was warned it would be. I got to a point, though, where I was stronger and feeling good (and restless with so much TIME). Working full time or even part time was not really in the cards for me yet - but I wanted to find something to fill up a few of my days!

I became a Mystery Shopper! What an amusing way to fill a day! It felt alot like working for the FBI. I would get my "packet" in the mail. "Smith & Co." wants to find out how their employees are stacking up. They want to know if the customer is really having the experience they had hoped it would be! And is the "product at said establishment" up to snuff? You study the packet and then continue the remainder of the requirements online. Some shops can be quite involved - even testing your knowledge on the establishment before you are allowed to shop it.

Each "shop" (thats the lingo ;-) is different. My last particular string was for a chain gas station, where after making some purchases and buying some gas - I had to retreat secretly to my vehicle and fill out a rather lengthy critique (they must even have the correct color of paint on their curbs and logo's displayed to specification.) Once that is complete, with this particular string (more lingo there) you have to go back in, meet the manager and basically tell him/her THE JIG IS UP! "I am grading you today... on you, your business and how clean you are! BUSTED!" Well, not really! LOL

It's all quite professional and you explain your purpose and then give them the horrific news you will be taking an assigned number of photos to be sent back to their headquarters. That usually makes people groan like their lunch is coming up. I felt bad doing this part of it, really. To have people look at you like you have the power over space and time to flick their livelihood from them like a fly on your shoulder. So I tried to be pretty nice.

Most shops are just following the instructions on what you are to buy and questions you are to ask of the employees. You don't normally reveal yourself, so those I really like. My next string is a chain restaurant and I have to order carry-out on a few days and and dine in on a few. I have to order what they tell me to order which sometimes is NOT what I would normally get - and then come home, get online and complete the critique on their website (and I usually eat some of what I had to buy about here!) I have no clue what happens to anything or anyone after that. So, I get paid for my time, reimbursed for gas and reimbursed for my purchase. I will probably keep doing it even after I go back to work. I have read some people actually make a living doing this. While I don't know if I could support myself on it - it is a fun way to make a little extra cash.

So, the toilet. When I began this blog, I wanted to load a picture to see how easy or hard it would be. When I opened up my PIC folder, there it was in all of its glory. A toilet at one of my shops. I thought, now there is a conversation piece. Turns out I was right!

footnote: ...the toilet didn't make out too well on my critique...