It's a Wintery World

I claim that we live in the Helcaraxe during most winters, but this one is SO living up to the name.  We did get our expected 3"-5" snowfall overnight, and we are expected to get 1"-2" hourly from 6am through noon and then small flurries until Sunday morning.  This is WAY more than I bargained for when I moved up here 31 years ago.  I am SO NOT looking forward to shoveling my way through the world today and tomorrow.  And, even though we probably won't have much, if any, business today, I still will have to shovel out and try to get to the shop.  The next problem will come with the parking lot.  If the landlord hasn't brought out his Bobcat and plowed the lot, we'll have some problems.  I am VERY tempted to put a "Closed Due to Weather" sign on the door and call the day a loss.  But it is the holiday season and we need the sales. 

Bobcat tractors are small but powerful.  Our landlord has one and
it is one of his favorite toys. 

I hope that my Italian restaurant is open tonight.  I have a feeling that many places will be closed today because of the storm.  We are actually used to snow up here, but a storm of this magnitude takes a little bit of time to get one's balance back after a punch like this.  It would have been so much better if it had waited another 24 hours before hitting us....

Snow's A'Comin'

It's been one hell of a winter so far.  We normally don't have this much snow this early.  In fact, we've had more snow this winter so far for the first time in more than 20 years.  And more is coming.  Tonight we'll start an overnight fall of three inches.  And then, on Saturday, we are supposed to get another nine to twelve inches.  And here I am ... no snow blower because my DH looked at them, couldn't make up his mind, and decided that we don't need one for another season.  If I didn't love him so much, I would have divorced his indecisive ass SO many years ago!  It's a bet that I'll be awakening him so that he can participate in the wonderful experience of shoveling snow so that I can get to work tomorrow. 

Of course these storms also cut into our sales numbers in a year when we need every dollar.  The fact that it impacts every business in our area is a given, but, of course, we are also impacted.  So I'm hoping that we'll have a busy day today from customers trying to get in before the snow hits.  It's been a slow week and we want to be busy and talk to lots of customers because customers are really why we exist.  In the meantime, though, we'll wait for the snow - again. 

Oops and Success

I started today off with a big "OOPS". My alarm went off, and I turned it off - I thought. Apparently I hit the snooze instead, and I did't check the lights on the face of the alarm as I usually do. So, with each bit later, it gets louder, and my poor DH came down at 4am complaining that my alarm was blaring. Since he was still playing LOTRO when I went to sleep last night, he might have only had about 4 hours of sleep when my alarm awakened him. Poor DH. I tucked him in with an apology and let him go back to his complaining sleep.

I didn't accomplish anything at all on holiday gifts yesterday, although I met with my broker and got all things mailed except for seven cards that I will address at work today. I just had a tough time getting in the mood. I'll have to do some shopping for the holidays. I can do some next Wednesday.

Yesterday was a magic day, though. And I knew it would be a good one beginning in the early morning. I had my meeting with my broker scheduled for 9am and he is across town, so it is a drive to get there during rush hour traffic. But I had enough time to mail my packages on the way out, and looking to the southeast as I was driving, there was a beautiful rainbow sun dog around the sun - totally magical. Then the meeting went well, and my friend at my box store gave me the one box that I needed at no charge for Solstice - so sweet! I had a nice lunch, got the groceries and a couple of small holiday gifts, and then went home, did some computer work and finally played LOTRO for a few hours. All in all, I had a wonderful day. I hope you did also.

Shipping Day

Well, I've been working for several weeks to get my Solstice gifts made and my holiday cards made.  Today is shipping day for all of my cards and gifts that are going out of town.  I ran short by less than 10 cards, so I will break down and buy one box of cards to send since I really don't have the time to make any additional ones and those will be mailed by the end of the week.  So, those of you who are getting gifts from me (and you know who you are), keep your eyes open for the mail.  My domestic shipments should be received by the weekend, and my overseas shipments should be received in 7-10 days.  Please let me know that you've received your boxes so that I know they got to their new homes. 

 Wrapped gift boxes - what fun!  Go ahead and open your cards first,

the inserts in the cards explain your gifts.

My timeline for gifts is winding down.  I have my DH and Chickie left and I will be working on those gifts today and the rest of the month.  I am not as far along as I wanted to be - not for lack of trying, just for lack of time. 

I am meeting with my stockbroker today to see what, if anything, can be done to massage my portfolio so that it can actually generate the income that I need.  Don't think that I've got some huge amounts of money, here.  I have the money that I inherited when my Mother died several years ago.  I've been investing that in CD's so that the money was safe and I got a small amount of interest that I could use to live on.  But in these days of 0% interest, it's not generating any money and I need some.  So my broker says he has some ideas to present to me and I will listen and make some decisions that I sincerely hope I will not regret.  All I know is that I must have some income coming in.  I have bills to pay and I am responsible for several $1000 payments throughout the year.  I can't afford those just by putting $1 bills into my cash jar, so I need some miracles.  So, I'm off to see the Wizard....

Remembering Irby

The notice is sparse: 

Irby Leroy Hand



PINE RIDGE - Irby Leroy Hand, 62, Pine Ridge, died Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, at Rapid City Regional Hospital in Rapid City.


Arrangements are pending with Sioux Funeral Home.
 
I assume...indeed, I know that more information will be available closer to the date of the memorial and funeral.  Irby, a giant of a man with a heart as large as this world, will be receiving a full funeral - three days of memories, gifts, food, and ceremonies.  And will finally be buried somewhere on Pine Ridge Reservation.  I can't be there because I can't leave the shop at this time of the year.  My nephew, Barry, dropped by the shop yesterday to tell me the news and tell me that he was heading out there.  The rest of the family will also be gathered.  I met Irby many years ago.  I was in my brother Floyd's kitchen - the gathering point of the house he had in Saint Paul, when Irby and his wife Wendy walked in.  Irby was a big man in a family of big men - think Hagrid and you're close.  But he was softspoken and gentle.  Over the years I got to know Wendy and Irby and their ever-expanding family.  Because of their large hearts, they fostered many children, some for a short time, others for many years.  Wendy died unexpectedly in 2004 and I felt that I had lost a sister.  I know that Irby is together with her once again and that they are probably gathering any orphans who need love around them in the next world - whatever world that may be.  What I know is that I will miss him and the world is much poorer without his presence. 
 

Cemeteries on the Rez are not this large or built-up, but they
serve the same purpose...a remembrance of those who now
dwell there. 

I tried to find a picture of him, but there were none on my hard drive or the internet.  That doesn't really surprise me.  When I go back to the Rez to visit friends and relations, I don't bring a camera.  The majority of times I am there is for ceremony and pictures are forbidden.  I simply got out of the habit of carrying a camera with me.  Even though I haven't been back to the Rezs since my Grandmother died in 2001, it has been a slow process to automatically carry a camera with me again, and relatively recent.  So, no pictures of Irby, or anyone else from the Rez for that matter, except for some treasured photos of my Grandmother and Auntie. 

 

This is closer to reality - the graves are
tended by relatives and regulations that exist in
city cemeteries are quite different that these rural ones. 

 

Now, people who know that I am an orphan and an only child will wonder at the sudden brother and uncle and other relations that are cropping up here.  My Rez family is, in essence, my second family.  I certainly don't look Indian - my light blonde hair and blue eyes just don't blend into the dark hair and brown eyes of Pine Ridge (I refer to myself as the white sheep of the family).  But family is more than physical appearance - family is heart, family is soul, and family is love.  All of those things I did get from my second family and they will always be my family in my heart.  So, on Sunday I lost an Uncle - an irreplaceable person in my life.  And so I have shared him, a little bit, with all of you on this Pearl Harbor Day.  Take a moment to remember all of those who have been important in your own life and he will have accomplished one more good thing in his.  Mitakuye oyasin. 

Stepping Through Lightly

So, yesterday was Day 5 of my seven working Sundays leaving me two more Sundays to work.  It was quiet, although I did have customers so it wasn't a complete waste of my time.  But I'm still falling below my personal minimum dollar amount for each of the Sundays except for the first one.  It's frustrating, but it is a customer service that I provide for the holidays and I will probably continue to do it while I have the shop in operation.  Anything for customer service. 

I'm trying really hard to not be an Ebeneezer Scrooge
(although I love his story) 

In any rate, at least it was time not wasted.  I got my holiday cards to progress one more step towards being mailed.  I'll do the final part today and, with luck, have everything ready to send by Wednesday.  I am still getting a few last-minute addresses from some of my author E-friends to add to my final list.  I will start entering addresses today and figure out how many additional cards I may need.  I'm not sure if I will make any additional cards or break down and purchase a box or two.  It is much easier to just buy some cards, and actually would be less expensive also, it's just not as much fun.  But this Wednesday has to be focused on making gifts, not working on cards or other paper-type creative projects.  I also need a new blade for my Silhouette, so I need to get that ordered.  I think I still have a coupon that I can use to help reduce the cost for that.  I really thought that the original blade would last a lot longer, but I'm getting too many miscuts and I'll blame my blade for those. 

Holiday letters can be a bore.  Time to make
them environmentally friendly and use my blog instead.

I have always included a holiday letter with most of my cards.  Not with all of them because my family really don't need to know what I've been up to artistically, etc.  But for many of my friends who are in contact with me once a year, and for my acquaintences, it can be fun.  My DH has always hated that I included holiday letters with my cards.  So this year I have decided to post my annual holiday letter as my blog for Christmas Eve.  That will give people the opportunity to read it if they want, and ignore it if they prefer.  Choice - it's a wonderful thing.