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In the Library…

 

Yesterday it was hot, today it is hot. I personally, would prefer to be home in my Doctor Who themed office with my puppies Peekaboo and Cooper aka Ken Howard. A few years ago my rear spoiler on our car, The Tardis, took a hit from what I assume was a boulder flying off a rock hauler on 270 in Columbus. The paint was damaged and it needed to be repainted. It went to Service King and they did a nice job. But it didn’t keep. Maybe a smudge of oil or grease under the paint, maybe something else. I’m not a car painter so it’s hard to say much about the why but the what is pretty clear. The paint is peeling off and it needs to have warranty work. So back to Service King for warranty work and a rental on them. Wow, that is service!

From our home to Columbus it can take anywhere from thirty-five minutes to what seems like forever depending on traffic and of course how fast I am going. So, I was up at 5:09 am, I snoozed it. Hopped in the shower, got dressed, dried my hair, made breakfast, gave Boo her medicine and made sure they went out to potty. Circled the house making sure that I have everything I may need at least three times. You know that when I write this it sounds like a well-oiled machine except for the circling three times. But it really isn’t. Between each of these tasks I often get distracted. My brain says “Oh look something shiny! Oooo wait over there, that’s pretty. Boy, music would be nice, let me go turn on the TV. Shit! I can’t find my glasses.” So while John, wakes up, takes a shower, gets dressed, makes coffee, eats breakfast, lets the dogs out again, I have basically run a half marathon without ever leaving my house. John is very well organized, I am not.

I go from that flurry of pre-journey activity to driving John to work, which I enjoy. It is my quiet time except with lots of talking with John and singing. Yes, I sing off-key, loud and make up my own words. Yes, John loves me anyway. I drop him off, then drop the car off to get fixed. Since I have some work to do, but I really don’t want to do it, I decide to go shopping before I pick John up for lunch. Target, Marshall’s, then over to Tim Horton’s for a cup of coffee and a bit of free wifi and work. After lunch with John, I decided I would head over to the mall.

Now I haven’t been to the mall in about a year. I knew it would be crowded but it was hot out and I decided to brave it. Recently, John said he heard that Amazon was killing the mall, I am here to say that it is not just Amazon. Expecting a lot of people at the mall, I was shocked to find that there was hardly anyone there. Skeleton crews of employees at the big stores like JCPenney and Macy’s, and at the smaller stores only one or two employees. Most are stocking shelves or having conversations about something or other with someone or other and can not be bothered to acknowledge a customer. I noticed that racks are often over-stuffed, crowded and in general disarray. Messy over packed stores with just one customer is bad, but imagine now with a lot of customers. Like maybe Christmas time. It would be a nightmare.

Prices are high and clearance racks are overflowing. It is hard to find your size or any assistance whatsoever. I actually found a cute purse, it was about five or six inches across and I like small purses. It was $199.00. Not on sale and not on clearance. Seriously, I put that purse back where I found it quicker than dropping a hot potato. At Target I found a purse I liked that was $34.99, not on sale or on clearance. Hmmm. That is a big difference. I could get a whole outfit plus shoes that match the purse for less than just one purse at the mall.

But, the main reason I went there was to be cool on a hot day. Nope. Should have stayed at Target where it was nice and cool. The mall was hot. Why? We are having a small heat wave and the mall is not able to keep us cool. I left and went to a different Target. They might have different stuff. They did. It was good.

So today it is still hot and I have to go back to Columbus. Repeat morning routine. But the difference is that today, I decided to go to the library. I found out that they have free wifi and thought it would be quiet and I could get a lot of work done.  So off I go.

When I was growing up and went to the Ida Public Library in Belvidere, Illinois, it was always the perfect temperature and it smelled like books. There was always a librarian that said “Shh!” if there was too much noise. Food or drink was not allowed in the building; there was a water fountain if you were thirsty. A large central card catalog which was supposed to tell you exactly where the books were exactly located according to the Dewey Decimal System, I often would just roam the aisles and find a book that looked interesting. There were stacks of books that seemed to go right up to the ceiling on every floor, except the basement, that is where the children’s books were and kids were unable to reach that high. There were no cell phones or computers at that time. All you could do was do your work or read a book in the quiet, in the solitude. Old school. Word.

I arrived at the Hilliard branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library about fifteen minutes after it opened at 9:00 am, let me tell you I was surprised. The parking lot which is large enough by my rough estimate able to hold about 150 or more cars, was almost half full. I walk in expecting that soft smell of books worn by touch and soft light. Instead, there is a row of computers to use for self-checkout and to use to locate a book. There are even baskets for you to hold the books you want to check out. I look around for a place to sit and realize the first floor is really busy. There is even a cafe where you can have coffee and a bagel or get a sandwich for lunch. But not chips you are not allowed chips. You can have vegetable straws instead. I notice the cafe even sells souvenir t-shirts, pins, shopping bags, and travel coffee mugs.

I head upstairs. Most of the second floor is really quiet, as people are in the meeting and study rooms. I locate a spot near a window and an outlet for my laptop. I felt that I scored a good one on this location. Others soon follow as this really is a good spot. Ugh. I also realize that the library is a very noisy place. Children are no longer excited to just go look at the books and pick one that their mommy will read to them later, computers for toddlers are where it’s at now. Children still like story time at the library, but story time is announced over the intercom system for everyone to hear.

After a short while, a woman with three large designer tote bags and an extremely large purse and a computer bag sits at a table next to me. She is loud. From her brightly colored shirt to the way she bangs on her keyboard, I think maybe I should move. Then her phone rings. I thought for about a half of a second that she would put the phone on silent and let it go to voicemail or at the very least whisper a “hello?” and run to get outside or step into a room not being used. No such luck. This woman proceeds to have a very loud conversation for about five minutes. The thing is voices carry really well in a building that is as open as this one is. I am sure that everyone on the first floor, as well as those of us on the second floor, heard this conversation. I had hopes the librarian would swoop in and tell her “Shh!” It didn’t happen. I left for a bit of lunch in the cafe without potato chips only vegetable straws (I have never had one, they may or may not be good for you, but at my age, I think I will stick with potato chips. They are a vegetable too.) Luckily when I came back she was gone.

When I used to go to the mall one of the best things to do was people watch. Today at the library, sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a window, enjoying really amazing air conditioning, I am people watching… and working. There seems to be a never-ending stream of people wanting to come to the library. I realize that the library is taking the place of the mall. The mall was a place of social interaction, where you could enjoy time perusing the aisles and finding a movie to watch. Someone once told me that libraries are a thing of the past. This truly saddened me. How sad is it that children will no longer learn the love of a good story, students not able to find the research for their essay and adults just wanting to find a good book. However, today I learned that the library from my past has grown and met the 21st-century head-on. It did not shrink and quietly die in the darkest corner, it has bloomed and become more than most would have thought possible.

So, please visit your local library, get your library card and remember “Shh!”

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A Creature of Unknown Origin

Our master bedroom has a doggy door that leads to the three season porch, and the porch has a doggy door that leads to the outside.  We knew when we moved into this house that having doggy doors and a fence was essential as we have an older dog who was on congestive heart failure medicine which included a diuretic. The diuretic caused Max to go to the bathroom every two or three hours. For months after we moved into our house, Max would wake me and I would put his leash on him and take him outside several times a night. I functioned on very little sleep until our fence and doggy doors were installed.  

Today, however, I found out the downside of having those wonderful doggy doors that have allowed me to get sleep and have given my dogs freedom to play outside when they feel like it. My youngest dog Cooper (aka Ken Howard), a Jack Russell terrier, went outside while I was in the laundry room. That is not a problem they are always in and out all day. But as I was walking into the bedroom, I see Cooper walking into the bedroom from the doggy door with something grey in his mouth. He stops mid step next to the bed and looks at me when I ask “What do you have?” Then very gently he opens his mouth and lets it drop. I run over to see what it is, when really what I want to is curl up into a little ball and cry. I drop to my hands and knees and look where Cooper dropped it. Nothing is there.

OMG!!!! This is where I die. I know it. A Creature of Unknown Origin is loose in my house. I run around the bed to see if I could find it on the other side. Nope. I look in the fireplace, closet, I ask Max, who is nearly blind and deaf and was asleep outside the bathroom door if he has seen anything. Nope. Nothing. I run and find Peek-A-Boo our middle dog who is a rat terrier. She, slowly follows me to the bedroom and found a scent, but just did not feel like finding anything else right now. She has allergies and is just not up to dealing with any shenanigans of Cooper.

I sent John a text, and let him know that Cooper brought an Alien Life Force into the house and it was loose and that I might be dead, when this Being attacks me, by the time he gets home this evening. I put the phone in my back pocket while I continued to search. My phone is set to vibrate when I receive a text, and it about gave me a heart attack when John sent a text back, I seriously thought the Creature of Unknown Origin bit my butt. He said he thinks the dogs will find it at some point. What he is basically saying is don’t worry I know you’re nuts and I still like you. Men. Sometimes they are no help and yet at the same time they are really trying to help. He is trying to keep me calm while he is at work forty-five minutes away and he still has several hours of work left. I know he will search the house when he is able to come home. I also know that I will not sleep well tonight if that Alien Creature is not found.

Cooper Ken Howard: Alien Creature Finder

Meanwhile, I am in barricaded in my office with Boo at my feet for protection, Cooper walks in with those sad eyes he wants to apologize for having a friend over that we can not find. I love that dog and I tell him so…but I tell him that he needs to find that thing. So off he goes in search of a Creature of Unknown Origin.

UPDATE:

Before John came home, Cooper had continuously come to me crying. He really wanted to play with his new friend (Creature of Unknown Origin) but could not find him. He would just whine and cry while staring dolefully in my eyes. This dog has a gentle nature, he walks around with his Baby (teddy bear) in his mouth and sleeps with him every night.  Just last year he made friends with a Praying Mantis that he kept alive unharmed for hours playing and rolling in front of him but never on him.

When John arrived the hunt was on. I told him that I thought it had been under his night stand, as that is where Boo found the scent, but when I moved it I didn’t find it. Of course when John moved it, there laying on the carpet was the Creature of Unknown Origin. John proudly exclaimed, “It’s a bunny!” The Alien Being has been identified and is definitely a bunny. Now we just had to catch it. That bunny decided to hop under the bed and when I went around to the other side it darted into the bathroom that was no longer guarded by Max. Boo was no help. Shenanigans.

Creature of Unknown Origin, aka Baby Bunny

In the bathroom, Bunny was cornered under a shelving unit, I ran to get a container to hold him. John noticed that the bunny was wet, Cooper had after all been able to get a hold of the bunny during his time in searching and must have been sleeping with him in his mouth. While I kept the poor bunny in my sights Cooper comes and sits next to me and softly whines in my ear. He wanted his new real life baby. John was able to reach the bunny using tongs and he was put in the container. He was released scared, but otherwise unharmed, under the tree where we saw his mother the other day.

I shall sleep tonight.

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Our Move(s): The Chronicles, part 1

So, around 3:30 in the morning (give or take) on some random day somewhere around a holiday, could be Halloween or Thanksgiving, you pick, my husband hears “I want to sell the house.” He mumbles “ok” as he rolls over and immediately starts his deep sleep again. The next morning he awakes as if nothing has happened, but the wheels in my head have been turning for hours. I almost feel sorry for him, but no. This has been a long time coming. My sweet husband and I bought our house around five maybe six years before. Honestly, I do not know or really care, all I wanted was a place to call my own. So now starts the flashback.

Back in the year 2000, when dinosaurs roamed (ha ha ha), my husband and I sold our house in northern Illinois and moved to Texas with our two children, Joshua and Jack, (those are their real names as I birthed them and named them, thus I have copyright over them). Living in Texas had its ups and downs, and never a dull moment or should I say “never a dull moment except for those moments that come between the not dull moments.” Texas really had those moments, just like being unceremoniously relieved of your job and left looking for a new job, when those in power owe their jobs to you. Seriously, I’m not bitter.

So John, my husband, found himself looking for a new job while our son, Jack, was a senior in high school. John found a job, but it was in Ohio and not in Texas and that meant a split. So, there was a decision to be made, we could either leave our youngest son with others and move together or we could make him move and finish his last year in a strange school with people he did not know, or we could separate and let him graduate with his friends. John and I chose number three. John and I were separated for almost six months. Jack graduated, and John and I moved the same weekend. I love my son but I missed my husband who I had not seen or been within around six months. My son, Jack did not want to move to Ohio so he stayed behind to be with his girlfriend, to work and go to college. As parents of newly graduated teens who know that they no longer have to do as we say or want because they are now adults and do not have to live with us anymore, we did not argue. Basically, as parents, we do not matter, unless we are deemed necessary. I am not bitter, not at all.

Columbus, Ohio here we come. Now that first year here entailed a whole new life, one that I never thought I would have to live. We were technically squatters. Our realtor, Lori Lynn (yes, this too is her real name, I asked and she said I could use it plus this is not Dragnet the names have not been changed to protect anyone who is innocent. Though I may change names to protect the guilty. They know who they are and therefore should be ashamed of themselves.) had put John in a house to live in temporarily to make it feel lived in but with the full knowledge that he would have to leave at a moment’s notice if anyone wanted to view it or if it sold. We kept it clean, neat and tidy and it sold in a couple of weeks of me being there. Great now we are homeless. Our realtor found another townhouse that was empty and we could live there month to month. I call it the Crap Shack. The Crap Shack was gross. It smelled and had not been cleaned in months. It was crappy. I cleaned it and we stayed there for about 30 days and then we moved to a really nice townhouse. Finally, after about six months our house in Texas finally sold. After a year in the townhouse, we knew that living there and walking the dogs five or more times a day rain or snow was not the life for us. Regrettably, we had to leave our cute townhouse.

The problem with buying a house in Columbus is that it is a seller’s market. Houses do not stay on the market long. We would look at a house, like it and offer to buy it and the reply would be, “NO!” I cannot tell you how many times we tried to purchase a house just to be rejected. It is like walking around with a bucket of money and saying to anyone who passes “Here is my Bucket O’ Money. May I please purchase your lovely home?” and get a response of “Your Bucket O’ Money is not good enough.” Finally, when all hope is lost a house is found and Bucket O’ Money is then accepted. Whoo Hoo!!! You move in and find out that your husband does not like the house and only bought it to make you happy. I love my husband and that was a very sweet thing to do for me.

So for the next five years or so John and I slowly worked on the house. It was a good house but had a really small yard and the house was in a nice neighborhood and the neighbors were not friendly and the houses were really close together. I finally had the house done just the way I wanted it. The last bathroom was painted. I had nothing to work on. So, this brings us back to that fateful morning. End flashback. 

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On Getting a Website

Today I received an email from my husband, John, that he got me “something to play with”, and to “go here on your computer”. Even though I was thinking that this could be someone pretending to be John wanting me to send money to that poor desolate Nigerian prince who has approval from the director of the FBI for me to send him money, and even though John has told me several times under no uncertain terms do not click the link in an email (could be a virus) – like a child wanting to touch the breakable even though mom said don’t  – I clicked it.

So, what is it you ask? A website.  Please read following with a cheesy 1970’s game show announcer voice:

Hello! My Name is Shari and Welcome To My WorkKrue!

Why did my husband get me a website? Seriously is that a gift? If it is, is it a good gift? He may regret this endeavour. He thinks I can write and should be a freelance writer, so he sent me an article containing the best websites for freelance jobs. I have been scouring these websites, I have found that I have no real-world experience to be a writer as I do not have a Bachelors or Masters degree. I also have to compete with people that will “write an academical essay” for $5.00 as well as guaranteeing an “A+ for grade”.  I actually saw a freelancer offering to sell “original” pictures of her feet. Yep. You can get 50 for $5.00. It is hard to compete when so many talented people are out there. People with journalism degrees, and professional writers and people with nice feet make it difficult to get a word in edgewise.

So, here I am. Not getting paid, but writing what I want. Talent or no, you can judge for yourself. This is going to be fun for me. After all, it’s all about me.