Skip to main content

Sulfur daze and sore gams


(Sing this to the tune of Purple Haze)

Crater haze, all in my yard,
Lately fumes, we're suckin' hard,
Either vog, or rain galore,
'Scuse me, while I choke some more....

(Insert raging ukulele interlude here)

I've decide to change Pippie's name to Alvin.  I think.  He is always in trouble, with a propensity for climbing up my legs, whether or not I'm wearing long pants.  So Alvin seems to suit him better, even though he's not a chipmunk.  Al-vin!

Work sucks.  Yesterday we were actually very busy, but we are so short staffed that it was just two of us scrambling all afternoon without a moment to breath.  My co-worker tells me that on Tuesday we had three small tour groups descend upon the place within a half hour's time and again, with only two people working, it was impossible.  So other carloads of people who were unlucky enough to come at the same time simply left.  She said six people walked out.  We once prided ourselves on our presentations - shows really - and gave people full explanations of how the wine was made.  Now, we are so short staffed we don't have time, so it's quick and dirty.  The owner will not allow us to hire.  He is rumored to have said, "If they walk out, they walk out."  It's one thing to work your tail off  and feel good about the day.  It's quite another to do it knowing that customers are being short changed and you will get nothing in reward for your efforts other than the privilege of coming back tomorrow to exhaust yourself again.  I suspect the winery will survive this recession and will go on to do some fun, interesting things.  But I also suspect it will take longer than I have the patience to wait and longer than my tired feet and legs can hold out.  So, I'm actively combing the want ads for a part time desk job.  The veins in my legs are telling me it's time. 

I thought it was only Mr. Sox who had escalated his spraying since the babies arrived.  Then yesterday, my angelic Abby, who has until now seemed mostly unperturbed by their presence, backed up against a tarp (outside, luckily) and let out a stream that would alleviate any drought in the southwest.  Who knew cats could pee horizontally?  It's really quite something, the way it defies gravity.  I immediately did my best to clean off the tarp.  It's time for drastic action, but I don't know what that should be.  I've heard that a product called Feliway works by emitting calming, pleasurable pheromones that make cats feel peaceful and content and want to take up macrame.  I'll report back on that.

Gotta go to work.  Another day, another dollar.  Literally.

A hui hou.  Aloha! 





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom

This is my beautiful mom. She died last Sunday. For those who knew her, my heart breaks with you. For those who did not, here's an introduction to the best confidante, role model and mother a girl could hope for in life. This is the obituary I'd planned to submit to the local paper, but have opted instead to publish here. Obituary: Beverly Todd Bev -- my mom -- was a longtime caregiver, advocate, and dear friend to countless elderly in South Salem. Hers was a kind and generous spirit. She devoted much of her life to the welfare of others, giving wholly of herself and doing so always with great affection and humor. She was born Beverly Marie Steinberger in Silverton, July 23, 1938, the first child and only daughter of Art and Marie Steinberger. Her brothers called her Bevvy Buns, a nickname she grew fond of and wore proudly within the family circle as an adult. Bev attended St. Paul’s Elementary School in Silverton, Silverton High School and Marylhurst Co...
2 comments
Read more

Back at it

It's been some time since I've written. My mom died in February, and I haven't had the gumption to write much, other than a couple of feature stories for the paper and the occasional pithy email to a friend. Tonight, sitting in my favorite burger joint with a pile of fries in front of me, I dunk them into a deep pool of ketchup mixed with a hot sauce. That's how Mom liked 'em. My burger? The Spicy Hawaiian, a nod to my 808 connections. It's a brilliant combination of peppers and pineapple, a favorite on the Power Stop menu. I'm sure she'd have loved it, too. There's a bubbly beer with a lime in it. That's not a homage to anything. I just like beer. These past months, I've done little but work, search and apply for jobs. Two rejection letters have landed in my email this week. Search-and-apply has become a futile obsession. It's time for a break, at least until I hear back from all those applications still floating around out there. I am...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fruity booty

It was a long drive from Glenwood to the northern tip of the island -- three hours -- so for sustenance, we stopped at Baker Tom's for malasadas on the way. My pal Kathy and I were headed to Kapa'au for a hike, one we'd read about in the local newspaper. The couple who run Baker Tom's (not sure if the husband is actually Tom or not) are delightful, with enduring stamina. They're as old as radio, yet they're always on duty, ready to serve behind the counter, as they have for many years, frying, baking, brewing and smiling, there in Papaikou , gateway to the Hamakua Coast. The malasadas are enormous, cheap and delicious, the coffee OK, the tourists all happy to have discovered this place, buzzing with sugar and caffeine. They make a killer pumpkin cheesecake at Baker Tom's, too. It's always a pleasant stop. Ahapua'a . It's a Hawaiian land division, usually a strip or wedge, stretching from mountain to sea. Hawaiians lived in villages wit...
3 comments
Read more