And the copier commits suicide…

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Today was busy at work. Pauline stopped by, as did John Carlson, Carol and her hubby as well as half a dozen people looking for work. At least Shirley was there to deal with them. Oh, and the phone rang. Most of it was hang up calls. Why on earth would anyone prank a Chamber of Commerce? Bored? Stupid? Oh well… I was trying to get two days work done in one so that I could have tomorrow off. Since I get paid by the hour, it doesn’t work to just take time off.

While trying to hunt down information on concealed carry permits, I told one of our businesswomen in town about the Open Source software we’ve been trying to make people aware of for weeks. She wanted a copy of the  disk and a chamber application. So, gathering my stuff, off I went. Dan covered the office. I dropped off the software, new brochures from the chamber, got invited to present this info at the next school board meeting and then stopped by the Huerfano Journal. I had paychecks! Wheee! I really enjoy working for the Journal. It helps that my cousin Gretchen and her hubby Brian own and operate the paper, but I actually enjoy writing the articles.  (hi Brian! hi Gretchen!) I’m starting a history column mid January. I already do three. I picked up a laptop they want Dan to work on as well.

I got back to work with lunch in hand. I was working on getting stuff caught up and almost had everything ready for the board meeting next week in between bites of french fries. Emphasis on almost. Dan went to go copy something and the printer made this noise. Sort of a cross between a cat being pulled apart and one of those really annoying party horns. He cussed and tried it again. Then the tool bag came out. First he threatened it and then he started pulling it apart. Dan worked on copiers and printers in another life, far away in Nashville. More cussing. Then he borrowed the phone. He talked to Gobins and discovered that while the parts needed were covered by our service contract, the labor  wasn’t. $380 worth of labor for a 14 year old copier. Hmm…. I don’t think so. However, that isn’t a decision that I can make. So, I added it to the agenda for the meeting.

It also meant a whole new flurry of emails to boardmembers to let them know what is going on. Wheeee……

Lawyers and paperwork and dogs Oh My!

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Here it is Saturday, and I finally have more than a few minutes to read my email and GASP!!! , write in my journal. I have been at the D.A.’s office for a week now. Technically, I don’t have a contract any more, but that is fine by me. Don’t like to sign contracts during Mercury in Retrograde. Lee, the D.A., said I’m to come to work on Tuesday, so that is fine by me. I guess that I will work the whole week and then find out if I have the full time job.

Everyone at the office thinks that Linda, the “HR person” is daft to hire me for a couple of weeks and then let me go. Stupid to re-train a totally new person. However, no one ever said she was intelligent. I like the job. There are some daft things about it though.

I know I was thrown in at the deep end of things, but I have managed to cope with it all. I know that there are still some bits of the job I’m a tad shaky on, but not surprising all considered. I’ve learned some crazy facts about this county. They’d probably be true of any small town…

  • 75-80% of the crimes are committed by 4 or 5 families. The same names keep popping up. Sometimes the same last name, other times the same exact name. Some of these people have 6-7 files all at the same time! Some people never learn!
  • Not all lawyers are as portrayed on TV…. (duh!) One of them plays solitaire instead of working. Another needs his ‘mommy’ to dress him! Came in with an unironed shirt on! All I could think of was no wonder things screw up in court if these are the people responsible for interpreting the law! I know that there have to be good ones out there, but OMHGS! One of them is also missing a can and the plastic ringy thing to hold the sixpack together!
  • Paperwork will eat you alive! I think in a week I personally went through 4 reams of paper. I probably handled 16 or 18 reams of paper. It’s everywhere and multiplies in the dark!
  • There are NO SECRETS IN SMALL TOWNS!!! I was trying to be polite and not mention names when talking about people when the other secretary said “oh yeah, you mean…..” and then filled me in on all the other bits I hadn’t known about that particular person. Gossip, thy name is the D.A. office and dispatch center!
  • Keystone cops don’t exist just in movies! We had cops trying to pull a suspect out from under a car, and couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t move! That’s when they discovered that two different cops had two different limbs and were pulling from two different sides of the car!
  • I have a very strong stomach. My fellow office mates were worried that I would be upset by pictures of dead bodies, dead animals or sexual case photos. I had to assure them that they don’t bother me. (which is true) I also learned that neither of them can cope with pictures of dead animals. sigh…. I guess I will be handling all the road kill pictures.

Last but not least, the person that hired me lost my application for the full time job. So, I frantically had to reassemble everything and fill out a new form for application on Wednesday during my lunch hour, because the Assistant D.A. was holding interviews that afternoon. In the middle of all of this, Daniel called and wanted me to be home at 5pm on the dot to meet his girlfriend’s mom. I told him I’d try, but that I was rather busy.

I had my interview, which I think went well, and made it home in time to find Daniel and Breanna waiting for me outside with her mom. Oh, and a very SMALL puppy. Breanna was sad that Daniel lost Oscar, and wanted to give him one of the puppies that her dog had had about 7 weeks ago. This puppy is a chihuahua miniture bulldog mix. Probably weighs 2 pounds. Which is really funny, because there has been a 7 week old puppy running around the sheriff’s office all week that we have been playing with. His name is Mongo. He weighs 25 pounds, is 7 weeks old and is a mastiff great dane mix.  Mongo’s head is bigger than the other puppy.

Of course, in light of Breanna wanting to give Daniel a puppy, I didn’t have the heart to say no. So, Daniel is now the proud “parent” of a dog named Fatty. He was the fattest in the litter. (omhgs!) John fumed, but gave in.

Today, I did sleep in a bit! Huzzah! Working 8 to 5 has been a challenge, as my system was set to non-school time! However, my parents came into town on Thursday and we are cleaning the sewers for 408, 520 and 203 today. Dan and I will be stinky!! ewwwww…..

Come Saturday morning,

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And I’m finally relaxing after a busy week. Oh my this has been a non-stop run from Sunday to today, and it isn’t going to get any quieter for a while. (ever?)

Yesterday was my regular ‘run to Pueblo’ shopping trip. We go up about every two weeks to get all the groceries needed for our crazy extended family. This includes the Harpers-Dan/Beth/Matt/Morgan, my eldest son and family- Erin/Morgan/Logan and us-John/Daniel & me. Oh, and you can’t forget the 3 dogs and 6 cats. I learned a long time ago that it was cheaper to shop in Pueblo for the majority of the groceries. Safeway in town is good for emergency things, milk and meat. Otherwise, they are just too expensive to buy all the day to day stuff. Yes, even with the gas prices at $3.39 a gallon. On an average trip, I go to Vitamin Cottage, Sam’s Club, Target, PetCo/Petsmart, and Walmart. I’d prefer to shop at just Target and Vitamin Cottage, but can’t afford the cost. Even Safeway, King Soopers, or City Market in Pueblo are even more expensive. Therefore, I compromise. In the summer, I hit the farmers markets and have a small garden when possible. Our high desert climate and the droughts we’ve had over the last 10 years have made that difficult at times.

This trip included a run to JCPenny’s. Last time it was Little Morgan who needed special clothing. This time it was Daniel. He told me on Thursday evening that he was taking Angela to Prom. You could have knocked me over with a stick! He and Angela have been friends since about 3rd grade. Never really dating per say, but always friends. Dan said that he had a double breasted suit jacket that Daniel could borrow. It fit like it was made for him. Therefore, all we had to get were the trews, tie and shirt.

Daniel is very muscular, and so it took 5 different styles of trews to find a pair to fit that he liked. Granted, it would have helped if he wore them around his waist instead of his hips, but….. that’s just me being old fashioned I guess! Finally found a pair to fit. Black, front pleats and satin finished with cuffs. Size 34/29’s. If he’d worn them at the waist, they’d have been 32/30’s. Oh well. On to the shirt and tie. I think we looked through 20 different shirts and half a dozen styles. To go with that waist of his, he has broad shoulders. We finally found a double back pleated shirt in sateen finish that he liked. Maroon. Size 16.5/34. We could have gone for a 17 collar, but that would have been just too much shirt around the waist. The tie he picked out was black silk with diagonal stripes in satin and matte finish. I was trying not to think what this would cost. Luckily, it was all on sale, so instead of spending nearly $200, I got out of there for $94. phew!

After that little adventure, we did the regular grocery run and had lunch at the Panda Buffet. It had been a while since I’d been in there and it was a nice change. I get tired of fast food, and there are only 3 or 4 nice sit down restaurants to go to nearby that I like. Being diabetic has made me a tad picky.

We got home at 5:30pm, unloaded groceries at 203 and then 520. Daniel couldn’t wait any longer and tried on the clothes we’d bought. When he came out to have me tie the tie, I wasn’t sure that it was my Daniel! Oh my! Then he put on the jacket and “struck a pose”. WoW! GQ watch out! Even Daniel was impressed with how he looked. When Dan got back to the office an hour or so later, Daniel dressed up again. Dan was gob smacked. When we showed John, Morgan and Erin after that, John and Morgan were also impressed. Erin just looked at his brother and asked when they were going to get back to the show we’d interrupted! LOL…..

I have promised to get pictures at Prom. It’s next Saturday, and true to form in a small town, everyone who is even slightly related to some kid at prom shows up for the grand march. It cracked me up the first time I got an invitation to Prom when I was on the local school board. I didn’t know that the invitation was to attend the grand march. Totally confused me! We never did that in Littleton. My graduating class was bigger than the entire school district here. It is fun though to see the kids all dressed up. You can tell the girls who haven’t worn a dress since 8th grade graduation or their Quinceaños. They walk so awkwardly in dresses and heels. And the boys…. most of them haven’t worn a suit since they were about 3 or 4. They clean up so nicely!

Today was catch-up day. I’m trying to do all the paperwork I should have gotten done on Friday. Dan and Karen are installing parts for the Aguilar wifi system. They did a run to Denver yesterday for parts. Catch-up day for all of us. I even caught up on a bit of sleep. I got up late today, and yet was falling asleep over my keyboard. Not wanting to wake up with QWERTY on my forehead, I laid down for a nap. I ended up with Tosoto and Princess Butterbutt curled up behind my legs. They were warm and comfy, and not happy that I got up. Oh well. Once Karen and Dan get back, I’ll be off to 203. Wheee…… More laundry and housework. I think I need a vacation!

Tempset Fugit!

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    Must be the wind or something, because every time I think I have five minutes to sit down and write, ***POOF*** it’s gone.  We’ve been trying to gear up for the T-1 coming into Aguilar for the WISP. Lots of antennas, computer bits and the like all arriving on the doorstep.  Trying to keep up with the paperwork is a bit daunting too. I have one big pile of receipts to deal with and I keep avoiding it. (sigh)

It’s also heading into the holiday season, and I am just not with it this year. Most things I think of that people want, they need now. Not it two-three weeks. Like Little Morgan. We took her to the drs. yesterday and then to the Mall in Pueblo. She needed a couple of pairs of jeans. Now, I could have gotten them without her knowing and not given them to her until Yule, but… she needs them now! Same way with the pair of sleep pants I made Dan. I have to re-hem them, but… I didn’t see the logic in making him wait.

I have stuff for Big Morgan, Erin, Logan, Little Morgan and that is about it. Stymied on the rest of the clan.  sigh…. Guess I’ll go looking on Friday when Dan and I head to the Springs. My mom’s fabric is in and we need to pick it up.

It snowed on the peaks and it looke beautiful this morning. Smelled nice too. Living in a desert, you notice the smell of moisture so acutely. We also had deer in the yard the other morning. Dan got pictures.

Deer next door!

We have also been dealing with a skunk under the house. Dan went under to do some wiring and came up so fast you’d have thought he was shot from a cannon.  He came almost nose to nose with a big skunk. We called Animal control and checked out a trap. So far the skunk is smart enough to leave it alone. sigh..

I’ve been working on knitting too when I have a chance. One sock to go before Yule. Hope I make it. Been reading some good books too. A Lick of Frost by L. K. Hamilton, and am working on Hood by Lawless. Very good. I have two more on hold at the library and am trying to find time to read. In fact, that’s what I really want to do today instead of working. Oh well…