Sights, Scenes and Travel of an everyday person

Category Archives: Blog

šŸ¾ A Trip Down Kitty Chaos Memory Lane

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Every now and then my blog stats take a little stroll through the archives, and today they dug up this gem from 2013. I had completely forgotten about it ā€” back when the household was ruled by Buddy, Smoky, and Rocky.

If you think Banner and Balboa invented chaos, mischief, and dramatic flairā€¦ oh no. Theyā€™re simply carrying on a proud family tradition with great enthusiasm.

Enjoy this blast from the past ā€” proof that my life has always been run by cats.

What are these cats thinking? Part 1

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Morning Rituals and Demanding Cats

Itā€™s just another day in the life here at the old homestead. 3 cats, 1 human.

Stepping out of the shower Iā€™m greeted by my ā€œBudā€. Buddy has figured out that after the shower comes the hair dryer and he loves to haveĀ a blow dryĀ to start the day.Ā  A handsome fellow like Buddy has to look his best.

Senior Cat Smokey, aka Mr. Cranky Pants continues his demanding ways. Iā€™m working, Buddy and Rocky are sleeping but whatā€™s that sound? A soft pitiful meow! Looking around I see a small bundle of gray fur curled at my feet, big eyes staring intently, ā€œmeowā€.

Only the tiniest of sounds. I ask whatā€™s wrong and a paw reaches out to tap my leg. I stand and he uncurls, heading for the feeding station. Oh my, his bowl is only half full. Surely he will starve to death before itā€™s time for dinner.

Chaos on the Staircase

The laundry is on the first level. My condo, on the 2nd. As I open my door, arms full of clean clothes fresh from the dryer, a black and white streak nearly bowls me over and scoots down the stairs.

Dry laundry gets tossed onto the couch as the chase begins. A black tail with a white tip darts around the bottom of the stairs and disappears around the corner. Hitting the last step, the turn is sharp ā€” just in time to see that tail vanish again at the far end of the hall.

I race down there. I donā€™t want Buddy running into one of the dogs that live here or being let outside. As I round the last corner I see ā€¦nothing!

My heart starts to pound. Slowly I begin climbing the stairs on that end of the hall. First flight, nothing, 2nd flight and there he is, sitting there on the landing, waiting for me.

I pick up his Majesty and cradle him in my arms. Back down the 2 flights of stairs, back down the long hall and back up the last flight to my unit.

I open the door, set the errant one on the floor and close the door very fast.

Laundry Folding: A Fullā€‘Contact Sport

I return to the couch to start folding the nice , warm, cleanĀ clothes only to find Rocky has made a nest and is curled up on top of the pile. Now every time I try to pull out a towel or shirt or sock I have to unhook his possessive claw. I try to shoo him away but he only digs in harder. He doesnā€™t give up until the last item is folded. Then he stalks away, annoyed that his warm bed was ā€œstolenā€ from him.

The Basket Bandit Strikes Again

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I turn to put the folded clothes in my basket to carry them all to be put away and come face to face with his Majesty again. This time heā€™s taken up residence in the clothes basket.

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I give up leaving him to play jail bird in the basket while I carry the Ā stacks of folded clothes to the bedroom. Finally, everything is put away but they arenā€™t done with me yet.

Some things changeā€¦ but cats being cats? Thatā€™s forever.

Confessions of a Huntā€‘andā€‘Peck Typist

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Owl on a computer keyboard humorously admitting to huntā€‘andā€‘peck typing, perfect visual for a post about typing mishaps.

A love story between me, my keyboard, and the typos that betray me

I Type Like Iā€™m Defusing a Bomb

Letā€™s get this out of the way:
I am a huntā€‘andā€‘peck typist.
Not a casual one.
Not an occasional one.
A lifelong, committed, twoā€‘fingered warrior of the keyboard.

My typing style is 10% accuracy, 90% determination, and 100% ā€œplease donā€™t look at me while Iā€™m doing this.ā€

If I keep my eyes glued to the keyboard, I can produce something that resembles English.
But the moment ā€” the moment ā€” I glance at the screen?

My sentence transforms into a ransom note assembled by squirrels.

My Typos Have Typos

I donā€™t just mistype words.
No, no.
My typos are so bold, so creative, so aggressively wrong that autocorrect just throws its hands up and walks away.

I try to type ā€œaffiliate program.ā€
My fingers: affilaue progeam
Which sounds less like a business opportunity and more like a medieval plague.

I try to type ā€œinvited.ā€
My fingers: incited
Suddenly the email isnā€™t welcoming me ā€” itā€™s starting a riot.

I try to type ā€œwrong answer.ā€
My fingers: wring answer
Which isā€¦ ironically correct.

Honestly, my keyboard should qualify for hazard pay.

The Keyboard Is My Frenemy

We have a complicated relationship.

I rely on it.
>I fear it.
>I suspect it judges me.

Every time I sit down to type, the keyboard sighs like, ā€œOh great, here she comes. The woman who types like sheā€™s playing Whacā€‘Aā€‘Mole.ā€

And yetā€¦ we continue.
Together.
In chaos.

Looking Away Is a Crime

Touch typists can look at the screen while typing.
They can even carry on a conversation.
Some of them can type without looking at all.

Meanwhile, if I look away for one second ā€” ONE ā€” my sentence becomes:

ā€œThsi si a greta idae adn Iā€™m suer it wlil mkae snese.ā€

I donā€™t type words.
I type word scrambles.

But Hereā€™s the Thingā€¦

Despite all this, I still write blog posts, emails, stories, and entire volcanic rants.
>I still show up.
>I still type.
>I still create.

Iā€™m not a bad typist.
Iā€™m an adventure typist.

And adventure typists have the BEST stories ā€” because half the time, we have no idea what we just typed until we scroll back and gasp.

So if youā€™re a fellow huntā€‘andā€‘peck typist out there, squinting at your keyboard like itā€™s a treasure mapā€¦
Welcome.
Youā€™re among friends.

 

Introducing Haven Highlights

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šŸŒŸ A New Chapter for Welcoming Haven

You all know how much I enjoy writing blog postsā€”especially when a topic sparks my curiosity. And youā€™ve probably heard that Iā€™ve launched a new online store: WelcomingHaven.com. Well, Iā€™ve found a way to blend these two passions into something special Iā€™m excited to share with you.

šŸŽ‰ Say hello to Haven Highlights!
Itā€™s a brand-new tab on my store dedicated entirely to Welcoming Haven. These posts will spotlight products I love, announce sales and seasonal events, and offer behind-the-scenes peeks into the journey of building my store. Think of it as a cozy corner where commerce meets creativity.

Iā€™ve been practicing behind the scenesā€”there were a few hiccups getting the blog posts to display properly (tech gremlins, anyone?), but I think Iā€™ve finally got it sorted. Iā€™d love for you to check out Haven Highlights and let me know what you think!

šŸ›ļø Welcoming Haven: My E-Commerce Adventure

Starting an online store has been a wild ride. Iā€™ve probably made every rookie mistake in the bookā€”but Iā€™m learning, growing, and genuinely enjoying the process. Even if youā€™re just browsing, I hope youā€™ll help spread the word.

If thereā€™s a product youā€™re curious about, let me know! Iā€™ll check with my suppliers to see if itā€™s available. I aim to offer items with solid reviews, reasonable prices, andā€”when possibleā€”free shipping. Thatā€™s getting trickier lately, as new tariffs have nudged some suppliers to tack on shipping fees. So if you donā€™t see certain items, that might be why.

šŸ–¤ Black Friday Sale Alert!

Yes, itā€™s that time of year againā€”Black Friday is here! I know itā€™s a bit mainstream, but in retail, youā€™ve got to keep pace with the season. Iā€™m rolling out special deals this week, and youā€™ll find all the juicy details in Haven Highlights.

So stop by, explore the blog, and maybe discover something delightful for yourself or a loved one. Whether youā€™re shopping or simply cheering me on, Iā€™m grateful for your support.

 

 

 

 

 

Somethings Coming!

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Coming Soon

I told you there’d be more info coming. There’s so much to do to get ready.Ā  I keep thinking of more and more details that have to be addressed before I can make the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. But I am really excited and , truth time, kind of scared. I’ve dabbled with self employment in the past. The biggest attempt was 7 years with my own Arthur Murray Dance Studio. That was both the best and worst of times as the saying goes. In the end I had to sell at a loss. Long story and one I don’t feel like sharing today.Ā 

 

 

Free coming soon Clipart Images | FreeImages

I’ve tried other things too from selling Mary Kay Cosmetics to candles, most recently Door Dash,Ā  with varying degrees of success.

A year or so before I was laid off at Redfin I took a e-commerce course online. It was expensive but it went into a lot of detail and I felt I got my money’s worth until I got to the last unit.Ā  The question for that chapter was What are you going to sell? But it didn’t give any guidance as to how to find a product. So after all the time effort and expense, that course didn’t get me where I wanted to go.Ā 

E-Commerce

Since I’ve been retired I’ve kept hearing about e-commerce so I’ve been digging into that. How can your average Joe make money online? One way is to order a bunch of products, lets say T-Shirts with sayings. Have a bunch printed and send them to Amazon who will warehouse them and fill your orders. That had me wondering how much do I order, how many different sayings and what sizes?Ā  I’ve met people that have done it but it’s a lot of work and when starting up a lot of it is guesswork.Ā 

An Online Store

Ecommerce Clipart Images | Free Download | PNG Transparent ...

Recently I came across several testimonials from people that were running online businesses without having to purchase their product stock up front. So I started researching. Now I’m finally ready to share what I’ve been working on even if I’m not ready for the BIG REVEAL.

I’m planning an online store. I’m working on the web design now and selecting the products I want to offer. I bit the bullet and hired and advertising company to put together a small (its all I could afford) campaign for the grand opening. After all, if no one can find my store I won’t get any sales.Ā Ā 

I’m planning a Home Goods store to start out. I expect the store will evolve as we go along. I have a name and I think we’re headed into the home stretch. A couple more weeks and I can unveilĀ  the site and open my doors. So stay tuned for more info as I get closer to launch.Ā 

36,400+ Man Looking To The Future Stock Illustrations ...

Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into

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Here’s Another Nice Mess

Or How I lost my Domain Name. Yes I’m going to share my tale of woe. It is a cautionary tale.Ā  It begins with a bank that tried to do the right thing.Ā 

Once Upon a TimeWell, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into

Once upon a time there was a bank. In a world besiegedĀ by hacking and bank fraud this little bank installed safety and security checks to protect it’s customers.Ā 

One day it saw a strange charge on one of it’s customers’ credit cards.Ā  The bank’s security team sprang into action!

A fraud alert was sent to the customer! The credit card in question was frozen to any more charges. The customer called the bank. Let me check this before you cancel my card, pleaded the customer. The customer then called the number for the questioned charge. It was legit. The customer called the bank back with the good news. “Unfreeze my card please, that was really my charge. The company just changed it’s name so I didn’t recognize it at first.” But the bank’s security team said “Oh so sorry, we’ve already canceled your card. A replacement one is on its way” The NOoooooo was heard for miles but the damage was done.

6 months later

It was a long and painful process. So many automatic renewals had been set up to charge to that credit card. The customer couldn’t even remember all of them. Some were found because the renewals were kicked back as declined but it looked like most had been located and accounts updated to the new card number. Then the renewal for the domain for aroundustyroads.com came due. Low and behold the company holding the domain sent a receipt showing the renewal was paid through April 2024. There were no red flags. A few notices came along in emails without identifying accounts saying the payment needed to be updated but when unidentified they were ignored as spam.

February 2022

Fast forward to February 2022. Dusty felt terrible. She was coughing and sneezing and just felt miserable. Covid had shut down travel so she missed her February Hawaii Break. This girl needed sun and warm but all that was available was snow, sleet and rain. No sun in sight. Needless to say there wasn’t much to write about and aroundustyroads was neglected.Ā Ā 

May 2022

Dusty has been lazy too long. Time to check in with her friends, family and fellow bloggers but wait! What’s this? I can’t locate aroundustyroads.com. It’s just gone! Oh my heart and soul! 10+ years of my life wiped out- just gone!

 

My hosting company was so nice. They helped me trace what happened. Those unidentified emails I thought were spam? They were notices of the problem with my renewal. I’d missed this one account when I tried to update my credit card. That receipt had given me a false sense of security.Ā  My domain had expired!

The Result

Ā A big domain company wasted no time in snapping up my little blog.Ā  They offered to sell me back my domain for a measly $2338.00.Ā  As much as aroundustyroads is a part of me, I couldn’t justify spending that much money. Maybe if my blog was a money maker but not just for an online diary of sorts. Once again my hosting company came to my rescue.Ā  They suggested Arounddustyroads.com and transferred all of my old content over.

I admit, it looks strange to me to have the “Double D” in theĀ  middle but it’s close enough so that I hope I’ll get back any followers that I may have lost. I suppose I will get used to the new name. I’m thinking that maybe I should give it a new look to go with the new name? But in any caseĀ 

Welcome to Arounddustyroads.com