Takin' it Easy. (Not!)

 

That's probably a misnomer. I'm not sure it "taking it easy" is quite what's happening here!

 

Can I just say that when you own a hearth products store, FALL is a busy time of year for you? Like, the busiest. And we never complain about being busy, but it does kind of cut into your free time. Todd has worked late every night for at least the last two weeks, and some nights are later than others.

And when it gets cold, two things happen. First, people get irate. They really don't like being cold. (Neither do I, but in my case, I'm pretty much set for heat!) And when they get irate, they also get impatient. And they don't understand why you can't instantly solve their problem. And why we can't come service their unit on the same (or next) day that they call in.

My answer to that -- which I never say to their face, because it would be rude -- is that they should have contacted us a month or more ago, back when all the OTHER people on our calendar contacted us. What's the saying? A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Now, I give Todd (and our crew) credit, because they do try very hard to get people cared for at the earliest possible moment. It is not that we're unsympathetic. But for those in outlying areas, it usually falls to the next upcoming day that we're coming in their direction. We are too small a business, and we're doing the best we can.

And, really .... I know that we've really been blessed with work this fall, and I am so thankful for that!

The second thing that happens when it gets cold, is that it brings the bizarre people out.

The unusual ones.

The ones that think they know more than we do about our business. The ones with illegal installations that want us to "fix" their problem, for no cost or materials. The ones that want us to tell them what their problem is, over the phone, without seeing it. The ones that can't understand why we don't stock their unusual part (or size of pipe). Or, Todd's particular *favorite*..... the ones that want him to tell them how to run their 25-year-old pellet stove that "looks like it's brand new",  that "they got for $50.00--or free", and also tell them what's wrong with it, how to fix it, and how to install the replacement part that we already sent them. The thing about it, is that it takes our time on the phone, and often we don't net any sale off of a long conversation.

Oh, wait. Did that sound a little bit like a rant? Hmmm..... sorry about that.

So maybe you might understand why a Sunday afternoon of "taking it easy" is such a precious time to us!! Emma had a blast that day with her daddy on the trampoline:

 

(Those silver-toned poles leaning on the walnut tree are the pieces of the frame for the batting cage, which has been taken down for the winter now.)

Emma also loved showing off her "tricks" on the trampoline! Please overlook the drippy nose she had that day...

Jumping gave way to tickling...

Tickling gave way to tackling...

Which, in turn, gave way to a little bit of a snooze on the swing on the deck-off-our-bedroom:

Meanwhile, indoors, Alyssa was at the piano. One of the things that I smile to myself about, is that both of my teenaged girls have turned back to the piano. They took lessons when they were younger kids, and then we dropped piano lessons after a while -- probably because their lives just got too busy, and something had to give. Now, they don't play constantly, but they do play regularly, and it's songs of their own choice, usually. They remind me of me, as a teenager. (Except the "piano lessons" part..... my music lessons were on the violin, instead. Piano, I picked up on my own.)

I must confess..... I do love peaceful Sunday afternoons.