Parched

It is so hot and dry here that my grass is crunchy, we gave up on the veggie garden, and the lake is disappearing. It's sad that Mr. Plantfreak and I got really excited about the Tropical Disturbance out by Cuba.

And Oklahoma is getting drenched...dammit.

Let's Talk About...

...donating to Goodwill.

When we get donations we sort through the items to see what is worth selling and what is not. Electronic items that don't work get sent to the mother ship (main branch in Tyler) to be broken down by special needs workers for recycling. Clothing that has stains, fuzzballs, tears, or pulled seams also get sent to the mothership for a special needs crew to box up for recycling. Shoes that are too worn and gross (and most of them are!) get paired up and sent to a company that recycles them, and, in case of disasters sends them out for people who need them. Also, the cardboard boxes that donations come in get sent to the mothership to be recycled. That my friends is a great thing!

Other items that are broken, overly dirty, stinky, or wet...get thrown away! You would not believe how many people dump "donations" that are really just garbage. Because they are too cheap to take it to the dump.

I don't get too upset with the unusable clothing, although stained underwear (really?!) makes me gag. My first day at work I sorted clothes and opened a bag of nasty shoes...those who know me, know that I don't like feet and I almost threw up when the smell hit my nose.

It breaks my heart to see what gets thrown out. Even though we recycle the majority of what gets rejected, we still have to have 2 large dumpsters emptied every other day. That's a lot of garbage that Goodwill pays to have hauled away.

I'm not complaining, it's a necessary part of running a Goodwill store, but I could do without the obvious garbage, dirty underwear, and disgustingly stinky shoes.

Still, everyday is a treasure hunt!

Christmas in July

We met Grandpa Sute and Page in New Orleans this past Christmas and I just got a few more pics of the trip. These were taken in a restaurant called the Acme Oyster House...and no Wile E. Coyote wasn't there, but the oysters were awesome!

Cody doesn't believe me when I say he is going to look like Grandpa Sute when he gets older...except for the hair.

Not sure what this was all about.


Dad and Page make such a cute couple!

Aj has a beautiful smile.

Unfortunately, he's usually making faces like this!

Mr. Plantfreak might lose the mustache, but never the LSU hat!

We love the Big Easy.

It's Official

I've finally gotten word that I'm the manager at my little Goodwill. Why do I feel like there is a bullseye firmly planted on my back?

Did I Mention?

That the person who hit was an employee of the FBI?! I've already gotten a call from the Dallas office. I think this might be more painful than the wreck.

Goodbye My KIA

Yesterday was a wild ride! I got rear-ended going to the bank. All the years I bitched and complained about the traffic and idiot drivers in Tyler, and I get in a wreck in little ol' Mineola.

I got my little KIA in 2001. It's been paid off for forever! I had 160,000 miles and was looking forward to the 200k turnover and going for the 300k turnover.

Unfortunately, the frame is bent and it would cost more than it's worth to fix. I really liked that little car. If everything goes ok with the insurance I will try get another KIA. Any KIA dealerships out there listening?

BTW, I'm ok. It felt like I was at the beginning of a really wild roller coaster.

I Must Be Doing Something Right!

Because people are calling up left and right to complain about me. One person got mad because I wouldn't give him a deal. He called my boss to say that he saw me at an estate sale...so what. Did I mention that he owns an "antique" store (using the term loosely) and wanted his wife to work at Goodwill so she could buy stuff . That is considered a conflict of interest, not my addiction to garage sales and flea markets. I don't resell. He also accused me of hiding items so he couldn't buy them. Whatever. My working at Goodwill is Mr. Plantfreak's worst nightmare...a daily garage sale, so I tell myself it's just stuff . I have to wait 24 hours before I can buy an item anyway, and it usually sells before that. So there.

Now I have another person who says she is calling to complain that we have tripled our prices. And? Our job is to take donations and sell them at a price that is less than new but fair value for the condition of the item. Problem is, this particular store has a sketchy history, with sketchy employees. Some people were in on the hook ups and some were buying out the back door. Which is why we now have cameras everywhere. Those sketchy employees are looking for employment elsewhere.

At this rate, I figure I'll get promoted or fired. It's a toss-up.