Listen To Your Intuition

Kate is my grandson's significant other. They have a brilliant two year old daughter. They both work very hard at their jobs and their work ethic is extremely strong.

Kate, as you know, works at a credit union. She is a teller and she loves, loves, loves her job.

Tuesday afternoon she looked up from her paperwork to see two people walk through the door. The one in front walked straight to a teller, the one in back sat in one of the waiting chairs.

Her thoughts were that he was probably going to sit while the first person got his transaction done, so she continued her work.

The 1st person finished up, walked out and the young man was still sitting. Kate took a little time to study him and found a huge knot building up in her gut. "Something is wrong," she thought.

She left her station and walked over to him and asked him if there was something she can help him with. He stood up, answering, "I'm waiting for a teller."

"I'm a teller," she replied. "I can help you."

"No, not yet. In five minutes." he replied.

The knot in Kate is growing but knowing that something was seriously wrong, she studied him. Height, haircut, facial features, black jeans, black hooded sweatshirt (in 88 degree temps) and a black handkerchief around his neck.

She went back to the bank manager. Shared her feeling of impending trouble. The manager walked over to the stranger, asking again, "May we help you?"

"I'm waiting for a teller."

"There is a teller open at that station," he said, pointing at Kate.

"No, I am waiting for her." The man in black points to the older teller who has a customer.

"Okay! She should be available soon."

The manager walks back to Kate to tell her that the guy must know one of the other teller's older kids and is specifically waiting for her.

Kate doesn't buy it! She takes all but the minimum amount of cash from her drawer to the vault. As she is starting to walk out of the vault, she sees the stranger walk to the older teller and say, "I'm sorry for what's about to go down!"

Kate stops in the doorway and takes a step back into the vault. As she was telling us the story she says, "I've watched enough cop shows to know that the phrase, "I'm sorry for what's about to go down" is almost always followed by bodies and blood. Well, it wasn't going to be mine, I have a two year old who needs me."

She stayed in the vault the whole two minutes the robbery took place. Robber didn't even put his hankie over his face as he had been siting in the back for at least 10 minutes, so cameras had a good record of his features.

Panic buttons hit, police showed up within 3 minutes. They searched the area around bank but could not find the 'bad guy'! He actually took the money her had stolen and handed it out to homeless people in town. He turned himself in the next morning.

Kate was rewarded for her intuition and perception with a $10 Starbucks gift card! (Nice job trying to save our butts, go have some coffee!)

I tell you, there is nothing like the intuition of a young mom with a kid to live for. Not one other person in the credit union had any clue that something was wrong, even after her warning.

The saddest part of the whole story is that for the past two days, customers at the credit union have been abusive, rude and cruel.  They accuse the tellers of not standing their ground and refusing to hand over the money, accuse them of being cowards, etc, etc.

One aggressive woman customer "He didn't even have a gun, you should have just told him 'NO!'"
"We didn't know that he didn't have a gun." was Kate's answer.
"Well, you should have been able to tell!"

So, the 'bad guy' steals $800 and gives it away to homeless people on the streets and the upstanding 'good' citizens are being nasty.

What a world!

Bad News and More Bad News!

OMG!

Bad News #1:

Our grandson's girlfriend's bank was held up yesterday!

What a story!

Bad News #2:

I don't have time to write it down today....dang gum!

But tomorrow, am I going to have a story for you!!!!

Canadian Friends

"The end of the Republican party...."

After last week's Primary results, I read on one of the blogs that Trump's nomination was going to be the end of the Republican Party.

Normally, that wouldn't sound too bad! The extreme religious conservatives have tweaked my butt, if you know what I mean. Also, the party drawing a line in the sand, crossing their arms across their heartless chests and refusing to play Operation Government is foul! Everyone of those jerks needs a red card and to be thrown off of the playing field.

Yet, the thought of no Republicans is also very scary.

I am a Democrat (like you didn't know!). I would say I'm halfway between moderate and woo-woo! I probably even stand on the conservative side on some issues (but none come to mind!).

Many of my friends, including my husband and two of my children lean towards conservative thinking. Actually, my hubby is very conservative, even though he is a registered Democrat. (Boy, some of our 'discussions' have been doozies!).

Most of my closest friends are liberal, very liberal, in fact.

In spite of our differences, together, we know how to communicate, collaborate, cooperate! Even when we agree to disagree, there is (for the most part) a peacefulness about it. 

We need at least two political parties, though I wish the people of this nation were more open to allowing some of the other parties on the playing field instead of just running up and down the sidelines.

We need a Republican party. We need a Democratic party. We need people with conservative thoughts and ideas and we also need liberal thinkers.

Most important is the need for balance, integrity, for cooperation.

We, also, need to climb out of the labeled boxes we have stuffed ourselves into, release the egotistical desire to be called the 'Winner' and just be people who want the world to work for the betterment of people, animals, and earth.

Sidenote: If any of you sight the Mother ship, let them know I am packed and waiting. 

From Paulo Coehlo

An excerpt from the book Like The Flowing River, posted on Coehlo's blog today:

"I was talking to a Catholic priest and a young Muslim man over lunch. When the waiter came by with a tray, we all helped ourselves, except the Muslim, who was keeping the annual fast prescribed by the Koran.

When lunch was over, and people were leaving, one of the other guests couldn’t resist saying:

“You see how fanatical these Muslims are! I’m glad to see you Catholics aren’t like them.”

“But we are,” said the priest. “He is trying to serve God just as I am. We merely follow different laws.”

And he concluded: “Its a shame that people only see the differences that separates them. If you were to look with more love, you would mainly see what we have in common, then half the world’s problems will be solved.”

Have you ever met someone of a different religion, ethnicity, culture, region or nation and made an instant judgement about them only to find that they were more like you than different from you?

It's Tuesday and that means It's Okay!

Over at Airing My Laundry, it is Hey, It's Okay Tuesday! That's a good thing and it comes just in time because there are a whole bunch of things that are NOT OKAY on Mondays!

Here's what's okay at Wondering and Wandering today:


The city we live in is offering rebates to pull out our lawn (drought) and replace our old toilets (drought)! Yeah, no watering except for drip tips here and there and I get to toss the bricks in the toilet tank away!

My car needs to get a smog certificate this year before registration but low smog prevents global dimming.

I get to go shop for toilets and rocks! Hmm, I wonder what one wears for such auspicious events! I suppose heels are out.

Thunder clouds are moving in....was that a rumble I just heard? Yummy!

There are five gum drops in a bag on the counter and I am going to eat them, every last one of them! I might even drink a soda because I am the boss of me and I do what I want, especially on Tuesdays!!!!

Short list for this Tuesday, though there is a host of Okay stuff. Mostly, It's Okay not to have to share it all.

Wish me luck on the toilet hunt! Oh, and, just for the record....oval or round?

Lovin' D'Agostino

May 2nd! Yeah, it is. It is a new month and I had no clue.

Early onset Alzheimer's or just too dang busy, but thank goodness for Michael D'Agostino at A Life Examined and his Question of the Month. I happened across a couple of posts, shook my head that April had stumbled out the back door and let May in.

First of the month, May is here! Meaning? Pay the mortgage, pay utilities, get oil changed, get tires rotated, put the sheers up on the pergola, get chlorine tablets for pool and see if last years swim suit still fits (or is fit to wear). Mostly, it means a Question of the Month....Yay!

Chronological Query: "What are three pieces of advice you'd give to people starting their own blog?"

#1. Do It!  Don't put it off for another minute. Stop reading this and do it right now.

#2. Don't worry when you discover that you've abandoned your blog, haven't posted for six months or a year and all your links are bad. Cyber dust is invisible and won't make you sneeze.  Just get back to it. The second time around, your commitment will have sharper teeth. When you return, your ideas for what you want to say, and how to say, it will have be a tuned up a little. 

#3. Build relationships. Visit other blogs, comment, get to know your fellow bloggers. When you find a site you love, share it.  Post a link to their site on your pages.  Respond to their comments on your posts. Go back and read their replies, if any, to your comments. 

When you've built relationships, you have people you want to communicate with, an audience to write to. On the days you have nothing to say, or after you've had your say, you can stroll around Blogville.  Visit your friends and acquaintances, read what they have to share, respond, support and maybe be inspired!

Who knows, you might end up having a Question of the Month to look forward to or an It's Okay Tuesday!

p.s. #3.5 getting your oil changed and tires rotated are probably not the most newsworthy item to share!

If You Were...

Have you ever asked yourself....and my guess is that you haven't....have you ever asked yourself, if you were a piece of furniture, what item would you be?

In one of HGTV's property hunting programs, a sleek, red sofa was in one of the rooms. The couple doing the hunting were seeking a home for a woman who couldn't do the search herself. I can't remember the reason she was unable to accompany them.

When their eyes spotted the sleek red leather sofa, they both "oohed" and said, "Whoa, she'll love that couch. If she were a piece of furniture, that's what she would be!"

One the "searchers" was the woman's husband and, frankly, the sofa was pretty damn sexy. The design was contemporary with a low tufted red leather back, sleek edges and wide chaise off one side. Can you imagine someone comparing you to a sleek sexy item, even if it was a sofa?

Made me wonder what kind of furniture I would be.

The first picture to pop into my head was a window seat built into a bay window on the south side of a house. Warm sun streaming in, bookshelf built into sides; the seat able to be lifted up to hide and discover whimsical and magical items and books. Cushioned seat, lots of pillows, well-padded, comfy.

I realized I was visualizing a design element of a building. Thinking "Home Goods" and "Stickley" I returned to pieces of furniture!


I would be a comfy over-stuffed chair with high winged back and tall, well-rounded arms for snuggling into. I know in my heart that I would not be a single color nor would I be a buffalo plaid.

The deep seat cushion would be a bright purple, turquoise and sea green in swirls and capricious geometric shapes. The edges of the cushions would be vertical stripes in the same colors. The overstuffed wings would be covered in purple polka dot on a turquoise background, the arms in a reverse pattern with the turquoise dots of different sizes. There would be 3 pillows; one a bright orange, one a deep purple and one with stars and moons in a dark purple night sky.

I'm thinking there should be a skirt on the chair (to hide dust bunnies and books that don't fit on the two side tables. The skirt should probably be the same vertical stripes as the cushion edges; there should be some control, right?

Do I have any volunteers to be a puffy square ottoman with tufted top matching my chair cushion and the full skirting in vertical stripes though you could choose piping in the polka dot purple and turquoise textile!

Fabric? Now that is a little bit of a dilemma...let's see, cotton vs microfiber! 

Cotton is a natural fiber, it is soft and durable (sound like me) but it is not fade resistant, will wrinkle and is actually flammable (again, me!) I am already imaging some wrinkles in the cushion and a little natural wear on the arms.

Microfiber, on the other hand, is super comfy, forgiving, long-lasting and easy to clean (me!) Down side to microfiber; it is a synthetic!

I guess I'm going with cotton!

I asked my husband, "Honey,"    (you've always got to use sweet words or you won't get a response) "Honey, if I were a piece of furniture, what would I be?" He immediately got that scared, "Do-these- pants-make-my-butt-look-big trick question look on his face. I smiled and tried to look as non-threatening as I could.

Wavering just the tiniest bit, he ventured, "A rocking chair!"

"Upholstered or wood?" I asked.

"Yes!" he responded.

I think I'm okay with his answer. Let's be honest, I am not a sleek, sexy, red leather couch!!!

What piece of furniture are you? Are you a seven piece sectional with several layout options? Could you be a stately four-poster bed with a pillow-top mattress and silk canopy? Maybe you are a stained-glass lamp with gilded base and a purple-toned metal pull chain with a peacock on the chain's end.