Post Trashed/ The Day After

Posted on November 29, 2013November 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Good Morning Friends!

Anyone with a Turkey Hangover?

I had quite a post planned for today all about my thoughts on Black Friday. Comments and opinions about shopping on Thanksgiving. Those poor people who had to miss Thanksgiving with their families because the big, greedy retail stores wanted one more day to put their paws in our pockets.

Then I thought whoa! Until this year I was one of those “Poor people” who had to work and it wasn’t so bad. Before I worked in Plymouth I seldom worked alone and we all brought holiday food to work. Our workplace became a Thanksgiving meal and the folks working celebrated with each other. It was nice. I still celebrated on my own when I had my next day off. The extra money that I got by working the holiday certainly came in handy.

Once they moved the office to Plymouth and went “Virtual” I found I didn’t always have anyone working with me in my office. Oh I had co-workers, just not at my location but again, I didn’t mind. It was usually a quiet day and it was in Plymouth that some of the nicest things were done for me.

One Thanksgiving 2 different co-workers drove to the office to bring me Thanksgiving Dinner because they knew I was alone there! I was amazed and thankful to even be thought of once, but twice. That’s pretty special.

Another holiday when just 4 of us were working one of the 4 brought in a whole meal; ham, baked potatoes, veggies…for all of us. All home made. He got up early before work, cooked up the feast and surprised us all!

Come to think of it, I have more good memories of working holidays than bad.

And judging from the interviews on the news, these workers were happy too. They talked about earning extra money for Christmas, about break rooms overflowing with food, of happy friends that were shopping and saying hi; people they wouldn’t see if they were at home.

So I don’t know if opening on Thanksgiving is really so bad. I worked because a telecommunication company that offers phone service has to have people on in case of emergency . It’s the law in Massachusetts, maybe even Federal law but here were people working retail, laughing and singing the praises of their employers for being open and giving them the opportunity to earn a little extra for the upcoming holiday season.

Maybe having a retail store open on Thanksgiving isn’t as bad an idea as I first thought.

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 28, 2013November 28, 2013 by Dusty Roads

It’s Thanksgiving! This is the first time in years I haven’t had to work. My new company is a strong believer in a balanced work and personal life. To help us all achieve that balance the offices are closed today and tomorrow.

I am thankful for an employer that recognizes and supports quality of life. 🙂 (I’m watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in years!)

I am thankful for family and friends.

I am thankful for my furry family, Rocky, Smokey and Buddy. They give unconditional love and make me laugh.

I am happy for the professionals that help me keep my little world running…from my Doctor to the Vet and my Pet Sitter!

I am thankful for good health.

I am thankful for my home, humble though it may be.

I’m thankful for the job that pays the bills and gave me the means for a little celebration today, Turkey, stuffing and yams this afternoon!

I am Happy and Thankful for so much this year. But I need to get back to the Parade. 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Another Wordless Wednesday

Posted on November 27, 2013November 27, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Thanksgiving Secret

Posted on November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 by Dusty Roads

What would you say if I told you the first Thanksgiving wasn’t in Plymouth? I bet you’d ask me how many glasses of holiday wine I’d had! But I promise you, it’s true.

Long before the Pilgrims even set foot on Plymouth Rock the Spanish had settled parts of Florida. 55 years before the Mayflower the costal town of St. Augustine was established and the settlers came together to share a feast with the native Timucuans.

Now you may not want to let the children read the rest of this post. Because I’m going to tell you something else about Thanksgiving.

Back up north the Pilgrims were starving, that’s true, until they learned to cultivate the rocky soil and hunt the native game. Legend says that it was the Native Americans that helped them survive and that in gratitude the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to celebrate the harvest.

Once again, not quite true. The Wampanoag were actually invited to that Thanksgiving feast for the purpose of negotiating a treaty that would secure the lands of the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims. It should also be noted that the INDIANS, possibly out of a sense of charity toward their hosts, ended up bringing the majority of the food for the feast.

But even that story is disputed in some corners. Some say the Pilgrims weren’t expecting any Indians that day. If that’s true then the Wampanoag that came down the trail that morning were some of the first gate crashers!

The history of the White Puritan Settlers and the native tribes of America is complicated and punctuated with many wars and bloodshed. We were no kinder to the local population in the east than we were years later when we expanded to the West.

It’s a long, sad story but if you want to know about what really happened, here is a good resource for further reading. http://www.manataka.org/page269.html

Something to think about as Thanksgiving nears.

Mr. Crankypants

Posted on November 25, 2013November 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Have you ever seen a group of cats together? They roll around play fight, they butt heads to say hello and they groom each other. This behavior spreads the scent around and each cat then smells like the group. It gives them a sense of belonging.

When I brought the stray who became “Buddy” into my home there was the usual spitting and hissing but eventually Buddy worked his way into the group. He and Rocky roll around play fighting and race around the house .

They groom each other. Smokey will have no part of it and in the beginning I actually saw him acting like a prey animal, slinking away to hide under the couch. This made me very sad.

As time has gone on Smokey has gained more confidence around Buddy but he still won’t groom him or let himself be groomed. Rocky can groom both Smokey and Buddy and both will groom Rocky but Smokey gives Buddy a wide berth.

About a week ago things began to get interesting. Buddy came bouncing over to me meowing persistently. Now Rocky is the vocal cat, Buddy gives me little chirps and “merps” and Smokey just purrs so this was a little out of character. Clearly something had Buddy upset. At first I didn’t see anything to cause his distress but then my eyes went to the cat tree.

Rocky was stretched out under his heat lamp but Smokey was not on his usual perch. No Smokey was in the “Crow’s nest” at the very top. From the first day Buddy joined us this has been his place. And here was his sworn enemy sitting in his special place.

To make matters worse Smokey couldn’t get down. He start and his clawless paws would slip so he’d back off. I helped the miscreant down and Buddy climbed up and all was peaceful again.

A couple of days later I got a visit from a very agitated Rocky. In actions very reminiscent of Buddy, Rocky was meowing and pacing until I got up and followed him to…the cat tree. There, under his heat lamp was Smokey.

Rocky would stretch up and nose him and all Smokey would do is turn around and show him his butt. I had to laugh. As I stood there Rocky got up on the perch too and unceremoniously pushed Smokey off. I guess he just wanted “Back up”.

Poor Smokey. Buddy came over , ears up, whiskers forward, just being friendly and Smokey would have none of it. He flattened his ears and whacked Buddy’s nose with his clawless paws and stalked off. Ok Smokey. Clearly you have not learned to play well with others. I think we’ll just have to call you Mr. Crankypants from now on.