Life Continues - Busy as Anything and ICE Is Still Lurking in the Cities

Yesterday was VERY busy, and I ended up spending almost all afternoon on stuff for Travis. But I did get my meals made for the next week, and my "Ogre Juice" for the next week as well. Today. after swimming, I have a dental checkup at 7:30 am, and then on to work. I have 14 items that I need to send to Travis in three days, so I'm pushing to get those finished and sent off. DH apparently has some of the information I need, but I don't think he's actually given it to me yet. *sigh*

I suspect Travis is a good 20 years older than this 
photo, but it's hard to say for sure. I haven't met 
him in person. I do hope if I get a chance to meet him, 
he won't be this wizened little old man - LOL. 

I ended up going to the grocery store closest to me THREE  times yesterday. Once for my regular shopping, a second time because I forgot something, and a third time because their shelves hadn't been restocked when I had been there earlier, and I needed two more items. It's a good thing the store is only a mile from my house! But it still was a major rush. 

This is my main grocery store - Lunds & Byerlys. The two 
stores merged in the late 70's or early 80's. It's only a mile 
from my house, which makes it very convenient. It's not 
the least expensive, but that's OK too - the quality is there. 

I spent a lot of time yesterday on the phone getting this or that changed or this or that notified about things regarding our upcoming sale or business closure. There's just SO much to do. But these first two weeks are the worst, at least in terms of things I need to check out and notify Travis about. Then we'll be getting things worked out, and, of course, we're also still in the middle of reorganizing, pulling items that we don't want to put into the clearance sale, and otherwise working on stuff. Stuff never truly ends. 

I'm not really much of a fan of to-do lists, 
but sometimes they have their place. When 
it comes to this store closing, they're 
essential. He's supplied us with a very 
detailed schedule, and we need to get everything 
on the schedule done on time. 

It's 25 degrees today, almost balmy (which will make going to my dental check-up appointment this morning much easier). Oh, and the government will be pulling 700 ICE agents out of Minnesota. Of course, that will still leave 2000 agents remaining! Can you say "Overkill"? Such bullshit! So, that's life in a war zone. It continues onward, but those "interesting" times that we would rather not be living in are continuing. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Bit Longer Post than Yesterday - LOL

I have a bit more time today, so we're back in business. Although, the dental appointment I thought was scheduled for Tuesday actually is scheduled for Thursday (calendar mixup on my part). So, I'll be tight on time again tomorrow. Still, I finally get a day off today, and I really need it. I have NOTHING to eat in my refrigerator, so grocery shopping, etc is essential, as well as a day in the kitchen. 

It's going to be a VERY busy "Day Off" and it's the only 
day I get this week, so I'll grab it by the horns and make 
the most of it. 

The store is starting to look really good - cleaned up, spruced up, and almost ready for whatever Travis will assign to me next. The basement, where DH has worked exclusively for more than two weeks, is looking better than it did when we moved in. Shocking! That was a TON of work on his part, and I really appreciate his efforts. 

Although it's not the holidays any more, this 
still looked like a good photo to add here - LOL. 

But we still have a lot to accomplish, and a lot to get ready. I probably won't take much of a breath, but Travis is guiding us along through this process, step-by-step. Although almost everything is also available in his book, being in daily email contact with him (and he's good with responding quickly to questions), is working out quite well. We're sticking to the detailed timetable that he provided to us, and if I had any hair, I would certainly have gained a few grey ones from this process. 

I strongly suspect that Travis is a bit older 
than this photo (although it's a great photo). 
Still, if he can help us get the store closed, 
his fees will be more than worth it. And he's 
in contact with me every day, or responding 
to questions I have for him every day. So I'm 
taking advantage of his experience and advice. 

Of course, having our internet at home crash last week wasn't a great thing either, but we're back up and running. I had a wonderful technician who was sent out by Xfinity, and after he isolated that it wasn't inside the house, he started looking at the lines and connections outside. Apparently there were some issues with connections at the rooftop level, so he was on a ladder dealing with that. But it really didn't take long, and we were up and running once again. Thank goodness! 

It seems like all of my days recently mirror this 
crazy cartoon. Things will get better, but we 
still have a LONG way to come. 

So, I hope your day runs smoothly. I'm going to be doing my absolute best to make sure that MY day is smooth today because only one day off in the week means everything has to click in like clockwork. Be kind, smile, Slava Ukraine, and ICE out!. 

No Time!

Sorry guys! I'm completely out of time today to post. I'll be back tomorrow with, hopefully, a bit more time to chat. Have an excellent Tuesday. 

Slava Ukraini. 

Our Clock is Ticking and We're Nowhere Near Ready

It was a very busy cleaning day yesterday. DH spent the entire day cleaning the storage and framing areas of the basement space. It probably hasn't had a serious clean since we first moved into the space almost 40 years ago. It's a lot of metal shelving and a LOT of boxes. We're still going to need boxes for items that people purchase that should be boxed up like pottery or katchinas, but we don't need hundreds of used boxes from this shipment or that one. We also don't need the rows and rows of empty product boxes for beads that we're clearing out and selling, but not reordering. We've been breaking down boxes for several weeks now and putting them into the recycling bins that are at the end of our parking lot. 

We have three 55 gallon and one HUGE metal 
recycling bin for the four tenants. We're using a 
lot of that space right now, and our landlord said 
if we needed to arrange for a non-scheduled 
pickup, he'd make it happen. I am apologizing 
to each of the other business owners for 
monopolizing the recycling bins as well. 
It's temporary, but absolutely necessary. 

Everything kicks into high gear on Monday. I have another phone call scheduled with Travis. I'll have to double-check the multi-page document that he sent to me. We've been working our way down the instructions in that document, pushing to get everything completed. I suspect we'll be spending Sunday at the shop as well, my plan is cleaning my front windows and the front window display. It's filthy and needs some serious love. The hard part about washing the front windows is two-fold" (1) They're BIG and very tall. It's a lot of cleaning, and (2) they are protected by decorative rod iron work that we commissioned when we first moved into the space. The ironwork features our Stormcloud logo and it's beautiful. We're bringing the iron home with us when we leave. We'll put it into our front garden area. 

Our storefront is pretty basic. It's the inside that's 
the fun part of the store. I need to clean the right-side 
window desperately. It's absolutely filthy. 

I have to film my walk-through which I need to submit to Travis no later than the 2nd. That means starting outside for a view from the street, then moving inside for a detailed look at the sales floor and finally moving downstairs to the warehouse area. The total length should be about 7 minutes, I figure about 30 seconds on the outside, 5 minutes on the main floor and 1 minute on the basement. I'll need to keep a close eye on the time, and make sure I provide a good view of everything - the artwork on the walls, the jewelry in the cases, and the beads everywhere on display cases and on shelving. We're an eclectic store, to say the least. 

I'm very grateful that Super Bowl isn't until next weekend. 
We'll be working and cleaning the shop this Sunday and 
wouldn't have any time to watch the game. Hopefully next 
Sunday will give us some time, although we'll still be at the 
shop for a while, I'm sure. 

I'm grateful that Super Bowl isn't until next week, because I'm quite sure we'll be working at the shop tomorrow as well. There's always something else that needs to be done, and we're giving this our best effort. But we're only two people (three if you count Chickie, but she's not cleaning, she's spending her time with customers and she hasn't been at her best, physically, so that's also not a good thing). 

OK, these AREN'T MY bulbs because I couldn't get the 
photo I took this morning to my computer in time to 
share it. But, both of my amaryllis bulbs from Sharon 
are blooming, and they have second blossoms almost 
ready to burst and third ones still coming. There's also a 
third stem sprouting from each bulb. BEST HOLIDAY 
GIFT EVER!!! DH is still astounded about how the waxed 
bulb can be enough food and water for the bulb, but he's 
very impressed. 

All in all, time progresses. If I have some short posts over the next couple of weeks, I hope you'll understand and cut me some slack. My immediate future is terrifying, my long term future is wonderful. I just need to get from one thing to the other. *Hugs* to all. Slava Ukraini and Melt the ICE. 

ICE Continues and So Do Our Closing Preparations

Today I'll take the headshot that is required (I really hate having my picture taken at the best of times, taking a "selfie" is most certainly NOT in my general wheelhouse). Nonetheless, despite my hatred of self-photos, it's required so I'll get that done. I'll also do a walkthrough for the store video, or maybe two if I have the time. Meanwhile, DH is busy at work in the warehouse, bringing up empty boxes for me to take flat, and waiting, impatiently, for our trash and recycling bins at the rear of the parking lot to be emptied so that we can use them again. I already have several boxes of flattened cardboard waiting for an open recycling bin. 

Sure, we could have been flattening boxes for months, or 
years now, but we didn't. So, we're packing it all into a 
quick decimation of shelves and shelves full of cardboard 
boxes that need to be flattened and recycled. It's a lot of 
work, but we're getting there. 

Of course, this is all stuff that we could have done more gradually over the past ten or so years, but we're not that forward looking in general. It will be a relief when I can walk into the basement and see all of the STC detritus gone. We still won't be cleaned up and ready to move out, but we'll be MUCH closer to that reality. All three of us are working extremely hard to make this possible. We know it's essential and that right now, time is NOT on our side. 

Time is not our friend right now. We're working on a very 
tight schedule to get things done on the list that Travis 
provided. We've spent a LOT of money to hire him, and I'm 
just hoping and praying that this turns out OK. 

As I recall, this weekend is a dead weekend for football, with the Super Bowl being held next weekend. That will make it much easier to spend another Sunday at the shop working hard. We actually can get a lot accomplished if we don't have to help customers. We love our customers - they pay our rent - LOL. But ... they can be very time-heavy and even though we love them, time is not our friend right now. 

This clever sign that's been making the rounds 
takes our standard "Snowplow Route" signs, 
but changes the text and the bottom to reflect 
our current reality. 

So I hope all of you have a fabulous Friday. We'll continue fighting our battle against ICE here in the Twin Cities, and continue to publicize the many illegal activities that Trump has acknowledged and allowed under his name. Those of you interested might be able to replay Mayor Jacob Fry's speech to the US Mayor's assembly yesterday. It was a phenomenal speech about exactly what's happening in his city, Minneapolis, right now - the fight that we are fighting against fascism. I'm quite sure it's out in the www somewhere now. Slava Ukraini & ICE Out! 

Vintage Clothing and Today's Agenda - No Rest For Me LOL

I spent three hours with my dress form and my mother's gowns yesterday,. photographing them to send to a few vintage stores around town who have expressed possible interest. I also collected the receipts from the cleaning and repairs that I had done to them - almost $600 that I spent getting them back into wearable condition. I adore them, however, so the cost wasn't a factor. I'm hoping that I can find a thrift store which will want one or more of them. The two St Paul stores I contacted are not accepting any items until April - it is the slow season, after all, and that's very understandable. The Minneapolis shop wanted a minimum of 10 items, and I only have six, but I'll still send the photos to them and see if they might be interested. 

The Golden Pearl vintage shop looks like a place I could 
get into some serious trouble in. They carry a lot of designer 
items but ... I'm hoping they'll take Mom's dresses, so we'll 
see if the photos elicit any interest. 

I'm going to continue working on the shop closing today, though. I'll try to do a walk-through of the video that I need to submit to Travis early next week. In all of the time I've had a cell phone, I've never made any videos to share - I've taken hundreds of photos, but never a video. So this is new ground for me. I'll re-read his instructions once again. I think the total length needs to be approximately 5 minutes, and he needs exterior and interior shots as a prospective customer would see. I also need to submit a head shot of myself. I don't photograph well, but I'll have to see how I can manage that. 

I've read a lot of hints and tricks for filming on my cell 
phone. I take a lot of still photos, but have never really 
done much with moving videos. Still, no time like the 
present to learn t new skill, right? LOL

Last night DH and I met with our accountant to give him all the information necessary for our business and personal taxes. DH is finally admitting that we're closing the store before next year's tax appointment, so that's an improvement over prior years. We discussed tax ramifications and any issues that might arise from that, but things seem pretty straightforward. Now to just make things happen. 

It's going to be a busy day, but I suspect they'll all be busy 
until we're finally able to close the place down at the end 
of May. It's a roller coaster of emotions along with a long 
list of tasks that MUST be accomplished before we can 
lock the doors for the final time. 

So, I have a lot of things on my personal agenda today. I hope all of you have an excellent Thursday, I'm off to the pool for my final swim of the week. Stay warm (or comfortable) and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Music - Because Someone Sent Me Something Online and I'm Passing it On

It's still cold, Trump is still trying to manhandle my state (and isn't getting very far with it), and a friend sent me a lovely clip of Mozart's Requiem from the movie. That really made my morning! I hadn't listen to the Requiem for quite a long time. It was wondrous to hear, even in the small clip from the film. It totally lifted my heart from the mundane and the cold into the hope that stunning music can bring. 

Mozart's "Requiem" is one of the great pieces of music. It's 
rarely performed - it requires a LOT of people - vocal as well 
as symphonic. Plus, it's funeral music - people don't always 
respond well to funeral music. But, given my feelings today 
and the fact that this was in my in-box and really struck a 
chord with me, today you get marvelous sound. 

I'm not often a Mozart fan - I acknowledge his immense talent and ability, but Mozart generally needs to be played with a lightness. I was a cellist - light comes harder on a larger string instrument like that as opposed to a violin or even a viola. I was always being scolded for not being "light" enough on Mozart pieces. I suppose, for my style of playing, Beethoven was the better choice. 

Classical music is a huge genre of its' own, just as 
popular or rock or country musical styles are. I've been 
a classical music junkie for most of my life, and also 
love rock so, I guess I'm versatile. 

But there is something magical about Mozart - the undeniable and incredible talent, the tones that blend together to carry you past the years and into a different dimension. That's what good music will do, and good music - truly good music - will still be played decades or millenia after it's original composition. Great music will cross the centuries, good music will cross the decades, pop music will last for a year, maybe five if it's really catchy. 

Classical music was what I was exposed to - opera, chamber 
orchestras and quartets, and full symphonies. It runs in my 
blood. I might listen to rock in the car, but my heart will 
always belong to Beethoven. 

Where do we put nursery rhymes into this? "Mary Had a Little Lamb" has been sung to children for a long time. It's a catchy, if somewhat boring tune, but I bet every one of you now has that running through your head. I wouldn't call it classic, I can't put it into the same boat as the great compositions, but still ... it holds on to a specific age group - the parents and their small children, who eventually outgrow the nursery songs and move on to the symphonies. So, I guess we all started our musical journeys with those songs that our mothers or caregivers sang or hummed to us to get us settled at night or during the day. Thank goodness for these people showing us the power of music before we could even speak. Have a glorious day and treat yourself to some exceptional music today. And thanks for the Mozart film link - it was a fabulous way to start my day. Slava Ukraini.