Italics mine

The Source of Kindness

Anyone who genuinely and constantly with both hands
looks for something, will find it.

Though you are lame and bent over, keep moving
toward the Friend.

With speech, with silence,
with sniffing about, stay on track.

Whenever some kindness comes to you,
turn that way,
toward the source of kindness.

Love-things originate in the ocean.
Restlessness leads to rest.

~ Rumi ~

Hard times in the Bell Dept

Spamming Poetry inspired by OSM

Sir Spam-a-lot I love you so.

Just how much? I think you know!

Your shiny can with key replete

Is such a lovely visual treat.

But when I open up your can,

I admit I hate the taste of Spam.

No eggy dish can ever hide

The salty horror of what's inside.

 

But someone enjoys it (I wonder who?)

Because I must keep ordering you.

My Awesomely Attired Feet, A Mole's Life Revealed, and Other Miscellaneous Snowy Things

You see just to the left in the upper corner? 

That is a Mole's Life Revealed!

I saw the mole!

He was scurrying away in a fright as I crunched up the trail.

 There was a mind-boggling thaw last week -- 50 degrees and raining -- then a spate of below zero and powdery cold flurries. It left the things which live in the woods exposed and confused.

  I hiked to this beautiful lean-to on a beautiful remote pond in a beautiful remote spot in the Adirondacks.

 Ahhhh, lunch time shelter.

 It was a bit to cold to linger long.

 But the cold made my little meal seem feast-like and tantalizingly yummy.

 And there was a lovely view of the pond. It was snowy and blowing.

 But the NEXT day? WOW-ZERS! The sky was a bright Adirondack blue.

Another Interesting Employee

Meet Got Dinner.
He is a direct descendent of Old Dan, who was Whit's partner.

My Dan, Boss Dan, is Old Dan's grandson.

George is Old Dan's son and Boss Dan's Dad.

Got Dinner is Boss Dan's brother.

He is sort of a Verne substitute. I say that because he threw a paint roller at me today.

Got Dinner thinks that Spam and yogurt smoothies are a good idea.

I told him to use Low Sodium Spam and he could then call it a health drink.

Plus, I am in charge of Spam and could order cases of it for him.

Historic Dust

Products to suit your lifestyle

My friend, the Hot Sauce Expert, stopped in the store yesterday. He called my attention to an interesting health related product out back in hardware:

The Low Sodium Salt Shaker

Then he noticed we also stock a High Sodium Salt Shaker

 Clearly the Hot Sauce Expert has an insightful grasp of the Hardware inventory.

Mad Dolly Skills

I enjoy sorting and rotating beverage deliveries.
Who needs Verne anyway?

These piles have to be moved.

Using this.

The beer goes here, right behind me.

But the wine goes to the wine cellar, which is complicated...

...because the wine cellar is stuck behind the Unmoving Ramp, so when you get there you have to duck under the ramp with your full dolly.

Plus, you have to squeeze past Mr. Do Not Use...

...then negotiate the tight corner by those red crates to get under the ramp.

Is it any wonder I can claim Mad Dolly Skills on my resume?

Still thinking about what a great day Friday was

It was a kick ass day at the store on Friday from start to finish. 

3:45 pm as I was leaving I saw this.

Those are fun people.

And look at their fun toys!

Scenes From The Lost Underground World

This is the dead end where I discovered the J. R. Liggett's Old Fashioned Bar Shampoo.

I keep trying to remember what I was doing there anyway.

I guess I was there becuase I had never been there before?
Because my forebears were intrepid explorers and my DNA is programmed to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life?

The Hock Thing

Last week's False Hock Emergency  got me interested in the downstairs hock box again but I still haven't opened it.





This is where the ham hocks live upstairs.







This is where they live downstairs.


SCARY!!



They've not been touched since I came on the scene. If we ever sell all those jars of hocks wedged between Rice-a-Roni and Prego Sauce Comma Huge then I suppose I will HAVE to open that box. I am confident that I will never have to open the box of pig feet.

Dan told me we used to have lamb's tongues in a jar as well. Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!! He said this guy from Connecticut would come once a year and buy the whole case. I guess he died becuase no one has ever been in asking me if we carry lamb's tongues in a jar. Which is a good thing becuase I ain't orderin' no lamb tongue. Unless, um, Dan tells me to.

The disgusting jars 'o feet.

Miscellaneous Gratitude Moment

Yesterday at about 7:20 AM I had a gratitude moment right here. It has been a looooooong time since I had one of those. I felt that THING. That LOVE THING. That OH MY GOD I AM SOOOOOO FUCKING LUCKY thing. I shouted to my son, "Get my camera out of my blue bag! Quick! Take a pic out of the windshield!"

J. & P. Coats

Next to the thread, almost buried in miscellaneous hats, is embroidery floss.

Stoking Sam Daniels

First, rake the coals.

Then throw in a couple of logs.

HG In Action

It was a kick ass day from start to finish. It started out kick ass when, first thing, I caught HG stoking the little stove in the basement.

He told me about this old stove sitting off to the side. Funny I had never noticed it before.
He said he stoked this stove in the store for about 30 years. But it was cracked and they had to replace it. He said he always thought that he would throw a log in the front and it would come out the back though the crack. He said the stove was old when it came to the store from the train station at Lewiston. Lewiston was spittin' distance from Norwich but doesn't exit anymore. It was wiped out when the highway went through in the 1960's. The train station building is still there. It is an architect's office now.

When it is cold in the store I love to walk past this stove. It is always warm and inviting and you want to pull up a chair and sit and pass the time in idle conversation with people like HG.