A Jazzy Day!

I am currently, at this moment of writing, at work on Church Street. I have been here for about 3 hours, but it has been very quiet in the store. Only about 25 customers have walked in, and of them, just 4 have made purchases for a total of about $100. Pitiful! Is it because of the weather? Certainly not-it is beautifully sunny and 77 degrees outside-couldn't be nicer. There are hundreds of people milling about, enjoying------the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival! It has been going on for the past ten days. Now, I'm not one who would have said I enjoy jazz music. I would never listen to it on a regular basis. But I have LOVED this week. It has been wonderful mainly because the very nice restaurant right next door to us has provided live music daily from open to close. The stage is set up outside, right in front of our window, and they have a section of outdoor seating under a tent. It's been great. The performances last about 3 hours each, there's a brief break, then someone new comes on. The entire festival consists of many free performances scattered about the city, and down to the lake, but most of those aren't audible from our location. This has made us feel a true part of it all. Today is the last day of the festival, then life on Church Street will quiet down a bit for the next few weeks, until the town really comes to life with the tourists and state visitors.

So, am I still enjoying my "new job?" You bet I am! It's pretty relaxed and easy going for the most part. I know that will change when we get into the busier season, especially having a true holiday period in December again. The customers have been good, and I can find things to relate with many of them if they are visitors, or grandparents, or regulars. Of course, there are always the ones who want nothing to do with a sales person, and just want to graze their way thru the store, and that's fine, I'm often like that when I shop. Funny-as I'm writing about customers, I just had a woman in who remembered me from the maternity store! We had connected because she and her husband had moved up here recently from Baltimore. She had her new little guy with her. And this morning, before I headed into work, I talked with my granddaughter and daughter while sitting out on the patio. She wants to come up here and pick baby strawberries, and since she can't come, she asked if I would bring some with me when we go down there next month. How cute. So, all is going well, life is good, though I will always miss living close to "the girls and their babies." 

Mother's Day-a few days late!

I had a really nice Mother's Day. Nothing extra-special, no big brunch, towering gifts, or enormous bouquets of flowers. Just a nice day chatting with all three daughters, face-timing with the little granddaughters, an egg sandwich breakfast and our first creemee of the season (mine was german chocolate.) And we were planning on barbecuing steak for dinner, except for the mice who had taken up residence in our grill all winter forced us to reconsider this decision, and we broiled them inside with plans to thoroughly clean the grill before we use it! OK, wait, that sounds like we broiled the mice indoors! No, no, we broiled the steaks inside :-)

But what Mother's Day did make me think about was how hard it can be not being close to the rest of our family on special days. One daughter was pretty much alone all day with her daughters, and it was a little sad thinking that if we did live closer we could have spent some of the day together. She's also just recently told us that she is pregnant again, and due mid-December, so she is still in those early, pretty rotten feeling months. We are super excited about adding TWO grandchildren this year, but we just don't see each other nearly often enough. And it would have been nice to see how the other daughter who is 5 months pregnant is doing also. Funny, when we actually did live down there it always seemed like it was such an effort to be together on holidays because we were trying to coordinate around the other family, and their plans and it would end up being a rushed gathering just to fill the requirement. So, the days are really just whatever we make of them, or what we don't make of them, and in all my history of Mother's Days, there aren't many that stick out in my memory.

There is one other thinking that has come my way recently, and that also involves the lack of time we have to share with our grandchildren. We had our girls early in our lives, and early in our married life. It has always been great for us. In some ways we grew up with them, meaning that we didn't "have it all together" when we started our family, no big paying jobs, no large nest-egg for their expenses or college tuition, but it worked out being young as we attended parents days and games and activities. And we are still young enough to enjoy having grandchildren. But.....we still have years before we can retire, and live that kind of "not planning everything around my days off" schedule, and now, I can see how that could be a big benefit. Imagine sitting at the breakfast table one morning, looking at each other, and saying "hey, we don't have anything much going on this week. Why don't we drive down to Maryland and surprise the kids?" And taking off, just like that? Someday................................

Boy, oh BOY!

I have worked my first week at my new job, and it is going really well. "I think I'm going to like it here!" There are still a few things that I don't feel real confidant about, and I guess I will figure those out tomorrow when I work by myself all day. Things like getting in without setting off the alarm, opening the register-only once, rather than the two times I have become known for, placing the orders for cast and pewter and faxing over the time sheets so everyone gets paid. Little things...But so much less than I know the new manager of the maternity store has to deal with tomorrow. I'm sure I'll manage, and in no time it will feel like I was crazy to ever feel like it was a lot to learn. The little bit longer drive isn't too bad, I just have to plan about an extra 10 minutes, but now that I will be the first one in, I'm not quite as concerned. And I still have things like engraving and orders and all the products to completely grasp, but they'll come. At not point last week did I sit back and question my decision to change jobs, or wish I was back in the mall. Its all good, I know that much. Funny, yesterday I was reading some of the entries I had made in a journal I started nearly 10 years ago (I rarely write in it, only a few times a year) and nearly every one I wrote since March of 2009 commented on how unsure I was with the maternity job, how it was going and the conflicts with the assistant manager at the time, Jess. Most of that ended last year after she left, but I think there was still mention of doubts. So I think this is a much better fit for me. It would be great to keep this job for a very long time so I don't have to go thru all of these changes again, and I can see myself doing that. The only thing that would get me to change again would be for something fantastic right in Swanton or St. Albans again. But, for now, this is perfect.
And one more note, since this blog is supposed to be about being a distant grandparent...We have our first GRANDSON on his way! He should arrive sometime in early September, the due date is the 9th. We are so excited. It is funny to think of a little boy running around here. I'll have to keep a look-out for some trucks and trains to go with the pink balls and dolls we already have. But some things I have kept generic like puzzles and markers and such. It will be wonderful, and we are looking forward to meeting the little guy.

The Winds of Change

April can be a funny month. We can go from very cold, snowy days to sunny, warm spells in a fairly short period of time. We can go from the Easter season right into Mother's Day plans and summer vacation thoughts. We can go from feeling like the year has hardly begun, to realizing the whole first quarter of it is already over. I guess we can do the same thing in March, or May, but April certainly feels like more of a transition month to me, at least here in Vermont. And what else have these "Winds of Change" brought my way? Well, last week at this time I was barely beginning my third year managing my maternity store, struggling with all the changes that February had blown my way. Still loving what I did, my customers, and my interactions with them. Yet, feeling like I was slowly loosing my grip on what was important because of the way the company looked at number standards as the only criteria that meant anything. And where am I now? Into my 2 week's notice with that company and ready to venture into a new position with a new company in a new location. Everyone thinks it is great, and so do I. I will do my best with the time I have left with maternity, but I'm still feeling like I work and work and work and can't get ahead. I guess that's because all I've done for the past 8 weeks is interviewed, hired and trained while trying to run nearly the whole store myself because no one else knows how to do it. I will only feel bad about leaving because the store is in no condition to pass it on to someone else. Most of the staff is new, dreadfully young, not a team yet at all, and they know only the basics. It will be tough, like it was when I went in there, and I think the Plattsburg manager will have to hold it up until it gets running again. But enough of early April. I shall get thru these next 10 days, and then drive my little self a mile and a half further down the road to my new assignment, dig my heels in and enjoy every minute of it. I will be managing a family owned, Vermont pewter store, down on Church street in Burlington where I can look out the windows to the open air and watch as the days go by. I know it will be good, and the winds of change are bringing sunny, warm weather my way.

March Comes to an End

March looks like it will go out like a lamb. I think it came in like a lion for parts of the Northeast, but maybe that was a 3" snowfall for us here in Vermont. Come to think of it, most of the snowfalls this winter have been a mere 3 inches. Sugar season ended two weeks ago. My daughter and her husband came up from Maryland, and my brother-in-law came over from New Hampshire the weekend of St. Patrick's Day. It was warm. It was sunny. It was time to pull the taps from the trees! We couldn't believe the sap had stopped running. We made a meager 47 gallons this year, nothing compared to the over 100 gallons last year. But the warm weather had moths out, peeper frogs peeping, mosquitoes flying, and the buds beginning to appear on the trees. Did I mention warm? How about downright hot, 80 degrees the following week? On Sunday we all gathered for our breakfast at our favorite morning diner-My T Fine, ate, and headed our separate ways:me to work, my daughter and her husband on the road home (and did I mention they are carrying grandchild #3 due in September?) and my brother-in-law back to his house east. The temperatures slowly rose for the next 6 days from the 50's, to the 60's, 70's and into the 80's before cooling down and giving us more normal March weather this week. It was crazy. The snow melted everywhere, the ice vanished on our pond, even the ledge off the highway that normally has a chunk of melting snow/ice is completely clear. The birch trees and the willows are in bud, and ready to burst their leaves open. Spring is on its way!
In case you are wondering, I didn't get a chance to enjoy much of that beautiful weather last week. No sirree, I had the grand task of working every day last week, for a total of 58 and a half hours. I had a new lady all lined up to start working, but she decided it wasn't worth the pay for her drive, and just never came in. So, it was back to the drawing, or hiring, board. So, to add to last week's 7 days in a row, I also have completed another 6 days, with one more to go this week before I finally get Sunday (and Tuesday and Thursday) off. I did hire two new employees, and one started training on Wednesday, but wasn't ready to do it alone yet, and no one else was able to do any of the days or pick up time on Saturday. I will open tomorrow, and hope to head out no later than 3. It was bad around day 10/11, but then I started counting just a few more to go and it hasn't been too awful the last few. Plus I've been training, which makes the days go faster. And its been fairly slow in the store, especially today because President Obama came to Burlington. He is the first sitting president to visit the state in over 10 years, and the road closures and traffic nightmares kept people away from the area around the mall. But I will be soooo glad to be off 3 days next week. Except guess what needs to be done? Yup-grocery shopping, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, laundry-all the fun stuff we just love doing on our days off! But I think I'm having lunch with a friend Thursday, so that will be great. Now, we just have to hope we have a nice April, and we don't get dumped on by heavy snowstorms!

My 55th Birthday! February 24

I'm 4 days out from my birthday, so before I forget exactly what made this year's so special, let me reflect just a bit. It really was a wonderful day. I started out with a song from my granddaughter in Maryland singing Happy Birthday on Facetime with our phones. It was so cute. We chatted a bit, then began our days. I love seeing them act and have fun over the phone, even if they do get rather crazy and funny. A short time later I talked to my other daughter from Maryland also, and caught up on her recent jury duty, and what else is going on with her. She and her husband are planning on coming up here the middle of March for sugar season. It is always fun to have visitors during this time. And..............their big news? They are expecting their first baby on September 9th (and our 3rd grandchild!) We are so excited. I can hardly wait to see her. I have sent some clothes down her way already, but we will do some shopping while they are up here since I have direct access to maternity clothes! Shortly after I finished that phone conversation, my sister called me from Arizona. She was on her way to work, so we chatted until she got to her office, maybe about 20 minutes. It was nice to catch up with her.
We were planning on going out to eat for dinner, but ended up going about 2 o'clock for a late lunch instead. They were predicting some heavy snow starting in the late afternoon, and we decided to beat it by eating early. We had a delicious lunch at Chow Bella in St. Albans, soup, sandwich and dessert. I was so full! But that was good, because despite the snow coming down by the time we got home, the temperature was warm, and the sap was running. So we bundled up, and met the neighbor down the road, and 4 of us managed to empty the buckets and get back to the sugar house about 6. We had a glass of wine and they decided to wait to boil it down until Saturday. I had missed a call along the way from my sister in New Hampshire, but caught the call from my daughter down in Dallas shortly after we got back from the sugar house. She and her boyfriend had sent me beautiful flowers, from others I got perfectly needed shoes, a fun yogurt maker, wonderful smelling soap, yummy chocolate, and lots of cards and well-wishes. It really was a great birthday.
The next night we went over to our neighbors' for a get-together dinner to share with one who's mother had just passed away. Its always a special time with all of them, and we had a fantastic meal, and then a tiny little cake in honor of my birthday, plus a Burton knitted purple hat as a gift from one of them. It was cute. I feel very grateful to have all of these people in my life. And another year ahead of me to celebrate. Thank you everyone.

We tapped our maple trees today, and although the sky was just as blue today as it was in this photo from last year, the biggest difference was that there really isn't any snow on the ground! Out in the woods there is some ground cover, but nothing like the thigh-deep stuff we climbed thru in 2011. But the buckets are hanging, and some of the taps were even running as soon as they were pounded in, and we'll probably collect maybe tomorrow and Tuesday because the weather looks warm and sunny. Some of the nearby neighbors gathered yesterday and got thousands of gallons of sap! It should be an interesting season.

This is our old, mighty maple that sits on a hill across from the meadow. The first year we moved in he had 5 buckets hanging on his massive trunk. They didn't tap it at all this year. It is sad not to see it with even one bucket on it, but he needs his rest now, and the sap he produces he should keep to feed his weary branches. He will stand proudly and watch as the trees around him give forth their sap, as the children run and gather nearby, but from here out he will just be supervising all of the younger maples.