Norms Bait and Tackle

Marilyne · June 26, 2025, 11:48:08 AM

"Wars are terrible. Why can't humans live in peace worldwide?
Religion wars? Greed? Power fight? I am so tired of it all".

It's been that way since the beginning of time, and will continue on after we are are no longer here to witness. Maybe then we'll have an answer?

patricia19 · June 26, 2025, 12:33:32 PM

There will never be enough, those narcissistic parasites greedy for power and money will never stop. The idea of religion is only one tool in their arsenal.

Ciaobella · June 26, 2025, 01:06:57 PM

Bubble, I am so glad to see you post and that you are okay. I've been keeping up with the happenings and I pray this cease fire will last. How sad for the deaths of the soldiers and families. Yes, we have had wars since the beginning of time, and I am certain we will til the end of times. All I know to do is pray without ceasing for world leaders to care more for their people than they do for power, money, territory and possessions.

OLM, I am sure the quietness with all the family gone is difficult but keeping busy sounds like the perfect way to deal with their absence.

Patricia, thank you for the sweet pic and link. I am such a visual person that when I am at the dentist, I close my eyes and imagine being back on Clearwater Beach in Florida where I first saw the Gulf of America (Mexico).

Marilyne, I had to laugh out loud when you said you found it in the bedroom closet still in the box never opened. lol I was just searching for some valuable items this morning and was so anxious because the boxes were not where I thought I had put them. I little prayer to St. Anthony always works: Alas! I found them safe and sound.

Tony, Tony look around something is lost and must be found.

We have been into the high 90s for the past few days and so I have hunkered down in the AC. The pool is finally finished and refilled so I may lounge a bit in it later today. It's unbelievable July 4th is just 8 days away. I feel like I blink, and a new month has begun.

Y'all take care and stay cool.

MarsGal · June 26, 2025, 01:26:31 PM

What a relief it is to see you back online, Bubble, and doing okay.

It is yet another hot day today, "only" 90^o. Rain TK later this afternoon and evening with a flood watch in effect this evening and overnight.

My new bedroom furniture and mattress are being delivered on Sunday. The apartment maintenance guys are going to take the old bed out either this afternoon or tomorrow, so I will be sofa sleeping for a day or two. Meanwhile, I have more stuff to move out of the way after I hand wash some dishes.

OnLonelyMountain · June 26, 2025, 04:23:55 PM

Hi Ciaobella,
Your pool sounds heavenly!

My current "take my mind off it" project is the hearth for my wood cookstove. I have to get a head start on it because everything has to be non-toxic. Normal building materials don't always measure up. Ron isn't even at the build the platform stage yet. I'm currently working on finding non-toxic grout in the color I want. The wood cookstove I inherited is olive green! Oh dear😆 But I searched until I found a beautiful tile with various shades of blue and green. I finally opened the pallet and looked at one last week. Its beautiful! So what I'm thinking is a 1/8" light, slightly bluer, olive green grout should tie them together nicely. I've been searching; there are a couple of nodes on our patrols where I can get 2 bars of internet. While the dogs complete their business I run searches. Though after questioning manufacturers I'm switching to mixing my own color. I have a bag of white sanded grout from years ago at home. I've seen bags of grout colorant online. Problem solving is a great way to keep one's mind healthy.🤪

MG, ooh new furniture! How fun!

RAMMEL · June 26, 2025, 06:52:31 PM

Quote from: OnLonelyMountain on June 26, 2025, 04:23:55 PMProblem solving is a great way to keep one's mind healthy.

My career was shooting electro mechanical and electronic problems (Phone Company). Now that I'm retired I sort of miss that. It certainly keeps the brain in shape.

OnLonelyMountain · June 26, 2025, 07:33:00 PM

Rick, I can always find something that needs fixing or solving

patricia19 · June 26, 2025, 08:12:06 PM

You want problem-solving...try splitting 200 hours between 12 sales clerks for the two-week pay period. Keeping in mind that the amount of hours given is determined by admin assigned sales quotas, most added on purchases and sign-ups for customer credit cards, achieved.

Have there been any issue between a sales associate and customers or other associates? You also take into mind, the number of callouts and tardies on the last schedule.

The sales associates don't take in the fact that you, as a manager, are following rules set out across the board. They believe that you have it in for them, or you've been bribed. All you can say is that it's store rules and leave it at that.

RAMMEL · June 26, 2025, 11:38:47 PM

Quote from: patricia19 on June 26, 2025, 08:12:06 PMThe sales associates don't take in the fact that you, as a manager, are following rules set out across the board. They believe that you have it in for them, or you've been bribed. All you can say is that it's store rules and leave it at that.

Ohhhhh, I do believe that. I found scheduling impossible to make most workers happy. No matter how you did it, it was wrong.

OnLonelyMountain · June 27, 2025, 09:11:43 AM

Good comment Rick! I was so flabbergasted and its so far outside my experiences I couldn't think of anything useful to say. I just had naughty thoughts, like making comments to those reps that might seem to confirm their suspicions. I wouldn't have lasted a minute in that job! Kudos to you personnel managers for your incredible tact, perseverance and patience.

RAMMEL · June 27, 2025, 09:29:57 AM

Assigning was especially "fun" when you had to assign someone to a Holiday, like Christmas.

patricia19 · June 27, 2025, 02:57:15 PM

I worked in middle management, a thankless job, in both retail and hospitality. In hotel management, I preferred nights because of the amount of paperwork.

Holidays are no fun, even with time and a half or more. Then there were some who volunteered for every holiday and that caused resentment as well, if others wanted a pay boost. You had to set limits there too.

One of the worst behavioral situation I had was when I found out that one of the owner's sons, early-twenties, would bring a "friend," to the hotel, overnight. Putting a stop to that endeared me to no one. I soon moved to a different hotel.

patricia19 · June 27, 2025, 11:16:42 PM

This is an old puzzle graphic. The more you look, the more you see...

Marilyne · June 28, 2025, 11:00:35 AM

Patricia, Hmmmmm . . . So far I'm seeing four things, but still studying the picture for more?

Ciaobella, I had to laugh at . . . Tony, Tony look around something is lost and must be found. I don't think I've ever heard one of the Saints, referred to by a nickname! I remember wearing a St. Christopher medal around my neck on a chain, to keep me safe when I traveled. Then through the years, always making sure that I had it in my purse whenever I went anywhere on bus, train or car. Wasn't there also a Patron Saint of Lost Causes? I think I need to refer to him now!

Patricia, I worked in retail a couple of times when I was young. Both times at different Sears stores, and I don't remember much about how things were set up there? More recently, my younger daughter worked at J.C. Penney for about four or five years, so I remember how the "chain of command", was there. She always worked in either the Lingerie, or Petite department. The same middle-manager in charge of both. Then there was a Manager, who had an office, who was in charge of all the departments dealing in womens clothes. Everyone was in fear of her, because that was where you were sent if you got "written up".

MarsGal - Looks like you only have one day to wait for your new bedroom furniture. Did you decide on the twin or double bed? Let us know how Shan and Oscar react, and which one takes charge of the bed!

OLM, I agree - the olive green cookstove sounds a little drab, but finding the tile in various shades of blue and green, will be beautiful.
Sorry to hear that your family members might not be returning again for the rest of the Summer? (except for Ron). It's good that he comes every weekend to work on his projects.
We're supposed to get a warm-up starting today, in all three coastal States, so you may be getting some hot weather ahead. Is your mountain climate cooler, like Portland, or Hot, like then Tri-Cities, in WA?

Bubble, hoping we hear from you again, as to how things are recovering in your town and throughout Israel? Was there any damage near you from the missiles? It will take a long long time for things to return to what they were before, but Israel will recover, if only the cease fire will continue indefinitely.

MarsGal · June 28, 2025, 01:01:10 PM

Marilyne, I am getting a twin. The cats are a bit befuddled with all the furniture being moved about temporarily, but for the most part, they are taking it in stride.

Looks like the sun is just now trying to peak out, but that won't last.

Ciaobella · June 28, 2025, 01:48:21 PM

Marilyne, yes, the Patron Saint of lost causes is St. Jude. He was my mother-in-law's favorite saint. She kept a statue of him on her bedside table. When she passed, I asked if anyone wanted it and his siblings said no, so I asked if I could have it. My mother-in-law is the person who taught me the prayer to St. Anthony (Tony) when we were first married, and we were at our lake cottage, and she had lost her car keys. Hubby, her and I were searching everywhere, and she said let's say the prayer to St. Anthony the patron saint of lost articles and she proceeded to repeat "Tony, Tony look around something is lost and must be found." Minutes later we found her keys is the grass near her car. lol

Patricia, is there a certain number of things to see? I love these types of pics.

MarsGal, pets the nosiest when you are changing something. My hubby and I have been working a new flower bed, and our Australian Silky Terrier Brinkley has been in our way all morning as if he is the Supervisor. At one point he plopped down right in the center on the hot black plastic and laid there in the hot sun! I love their curiosity.

Rick, I have to say I have a sister who was head of the lab in a small-town hospital, and she was in charge of scheduling and boy did she create enemies. In all fairness she did target certain people she didn't care for and one went over her head and won the claim. I suppose as Patricia points out most companies have a method that would prevent such cases like my sister taking her prejudice and power to use in such a way.

Okay I took a little break out of the sun but must get back to finishing the flower bed so you all have a nice weekend.

OnLonelyMountain · June 29, 2025, 10:23:15 AM

Good morning all!
Lots of activity this morning. 😀

MG, today is the day! How exciting! I imagine the final clean up and reorganizing will be tiring. Take plenty of breaks. 🙂 The kitties are going to love it. You bought them a brand new bed😂

Ciaobella, nosey? 😆 You meant to say "helpful," right? I always pray for help finding lost things. Even things I didn't lose. My husband, while multi-talented, is notorious for not putting things away. It was manageable before we bought our farm. I could keep it all picked up and organised. We bought the 20 acre farm and it became a lot harder. He'd leave tools, etc all over the place. One day, during a foundation rebuild project on oru old farm house finding things became critical. The back 1/4 of the house had been built on a slab. We were putting in foundation footings and stem walls on 2 sides. We'd dug out around it, framed and poured the footings and were working t'ward the stem walls. Our soil there is sand. The exposed sand had to be misted to keep it from sloughing off several times a day. There had been enough sloughing that one corner was hanging out there unsupported. While Ron was misting one morning, suddenly it cracked and the whole corner of the house began to settle and collapse. He jumped in and grabbed it to try to support it (like that was going to work!). He started yelling for tools. Luckily I knew where some were. Some I had no clue and I was praying hard. And I walked right to them! Prayer works!

O.k., Kato's giving me the look; gotta go. 😳

Ciaobella · June 29, 2025, 04:55:02 PM

OLM, no don't worry about being nosey just not sure what you are asking about "helpful." Did I make a mistake? lol I'm visualizing your hubby attempting to hold up the wall. Thank heavens you saved the day by finding the tools he needed.

I grew up working side by side with my stepfather repairing everything around our house while my ONLY brother was out playing with his friends or fishing. At the time I thought it was so unfair out of six girls and one boy I had to be the helper, but the day my hubby and I bought our first home and needed to do repairs I was ready and willing to tackle anything. He thought I was crazy considering he was the baby of the family of six and never had to help repair anything growing up. I told him Well if we want to save money, he has to have faith in knowing I can do lots of things with his help. We tore out our kitchen cupboards, countertops, floor and old backsplash tile and I ordered all the things we needed to complete a makeover kitchen. Then onto the bathroom where I said we needed a linen closet so after busting up our cast iron tub, removing our sink and busting into a wall we managed to replace everything and ended up with a perfect linen closet! He's learned over the years to just trust me...although when I decided we could patch, sand, power wash, grout and repaint our inground gunite pool this year I know he thought I had lost my mind. Well, it is completed and looks fantastic, and we spent the day in it today after church! We laughed and I said, "Aren't you happy we saved at least $5,000 doing it ourselves?" He just shook his head

Hopefully that is the last of our big projects in this house. Now to decide what's for dinner.

OnLonelyMountain · June 29, 2025, 07:09:35 PM

Good afternoon Ciaobella! No you did not make a mistake. I was trying to making a "joke." As in, the pets would prefer we labeled them "helpful" as opposed to nosey.😁 I should have included the emoji for clarity.

I was the 3rd of 6. My only brother was the eldest. My parents had a vicious divorce and my mother took the money as opposed to the kids. My brother sadly got chewed up in the divorce and ran away from home. My father never fixed, or replaced, anything and often was away on business trips out of the country. We lived 7 miles out in the country with no other family support. Fixing things fell to me. From the well pump to vehicles, to appliances. If I couldn't fix it, we did without. I took the auto shop series in high school. I was blessed to get my grandfather's mechanical aptitude, who could fix or fabricate anything. When my father built his house, I was 13. I and my sisters did a lot of the work: wiring, insulating, painting, staining. Basic stuff. I've done a lot more, especially tile work at our farm house. It is a great feeling to be able to do it oneself.😀

I'm imagining your beautiful, sparkling pool!

Ciaobella · Reply #24349 - Re: Norms Bait and Tackle

OLM, thanks for the clarity of the intended humor. Pets are truly the best companions and can be so comical. Reading your response gave me chill bumps in seeing so many similarities. I lost my father to a train accident when I was 3 yrs. old so my mother was a widow with 7 children and an unfinished small house my father was in the process of building. He worked for the railroad repairing tracks etc. and he and a truckful of coworkers were hit by an oncoming train on their way to work. Only a couple of men survived. My mother married my stepfather who was Mr. Fix it and finished the small house with inside plumbing...hooray NO more outhouse! Then they bought the large two-story next door with acres of land, and it was an ongoing repair and fix things. Their marriage ended in divorce with him cheating and becoming very abusive. I learned a lot working alongside him as far as repairs, but I also learned a lot in his behavior and vowed I would never choose a husband with his character traits. I've been happily married for 54 yrs. to the kindest, loving, gentle man who everyone says is the same as my biological Dad. Losing a parent through divorce or death has a lasting effect on children, some survive it, and others don't. Your brother sounds similar to my brother. I'm so glad you and I were survivors!! I always say I have a book to write, have begun it a few times, I think timing is the key.

Hubby and I spent a few hours in our brand-new sparkling pool yesterday after we got home from church. Brinkley stayed in the shade, refused to be left inside. He is my shadow, and must be wherever I am.

Woke up to a light drizzle this morning so it's inside til it clears up. The flowers need the rain so I'm not complaining!

OnLonelyMountain · Reply #24350 - Re: Norms Bait and Tackle

Hi Ciaobella, Brinkley and very nice, exceptional hubby!😁

We do have similar childhoods. My dad was a serial adulterer. Thats what lead to my parents divorce as well. Even though it was so far in your past, I'm sorry for your loss of your father, and in such a tragic way. Loss of a parent or family member, does effect children. I am so happy for you that your hubby is like your dad! You have certainly developed some amazing skills and survived admirably! You should write that book!

Glad you were blessed with rain! I'm inside for awhile. Resting after morning labor. For fun I took Rosie (14 yr old standard poodle and "retired" Service Dog (though she doesn't think she's retired) into the woods to pick huckleberries. If we get enough I'll make syrup. 12 is not yet enough😆 Its already 87°F in the full sun.

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