Join The Rebellion!

 There was much to do today, and there was only one of me.   So I had to choose where I wanted to spend my time this hot and humid Saturday.    I had an opportunity to enter a  sidewalk chalk contest at Jerry Smiths Farm.   But it was supposed to rain today...  And I tried several times to register and it kept booting me out.  I take things as signs that perhaps I was not meant to take that path this year.  

The other thing was to visit Simmon's Island and watch a reenactment of the Revolutionary war battle.  Complete with live fire muskets!   Who wouldn't want that?!

I had to wait a bit for the good part to actually start.   In the mean time,  the motley crew of soldiers marched around the fiend and called off orders, looking rather silly or like first week basic trainees!  ( "Montalto!  Don't you know your right from your left???!") Watching solders march up and down the square is rather boring.. unless they are actually good and in sync.  

So I had an hour to kill along the shore of Lake Michigan.   Wonder what I could do with the new found time...

A little beach combing is always fun.  (Even without Cheryl)  I found a handful of Beach glass and some feathers from Sea Gulls.   ( To be used for later projects.)    Funny how the beach combing makes the times fly by.  

Before I knew it,  the battle had started!   I had a front row seat in the shade. ( Good thing too!  'Cause it was 80 degrees!)  I captured a bit of the action.   And have almost a minute of Video.  (The announcer was rather annoying, but some people do not know history and she was there to explain things.)  In the end,  the Brits lost....  At least this battle.  And ultimately, the WAR!   But that is for the history books to explain... Not this Blog. 

It was then on to cleaning up the Garage!   I had cleaned up and organized the basement,  only to pull the loose thread of the Garage project to totally unravel that beast!   It took me and Dave two days of cleaning and organizing to make the garage unrecognizable!   And by "unrecognizable"   I mean CLEAN!  And Organized!   You can now actually find stuff and walk through it with room to spare.   

It is a common fate of many garages:   to gain clutter over the years.   Dave had many things that actually came with the house that he simply did not have time to sort out and throw away.   But!  With a little help from me,   we got it done.   I will have to post "after" pics.   I'm particularly proud of the fishing pose holders I made out of Pool Noodles.  

Currently, the Boat is back in there and that takes up a majority of the room.  But it still looks so much better.  

I had some time to get ready for Church and afterwards,  go to "Ron's Place" to meet up with some friends.   They didn't show up in the time I had available,  but I did manage to enjoy one of Ron's Mushroom and Swiss Burgers.   And Can I say it was one of the best versions of Mushroom and Swiss I have had yet!   A little messy. ( I would recommend eating it with a fork and knife rather than your hands.)  But the sauce they put the mushrooms in was awesome.   It reminded me of Hardee's Mushroom and Swiss burger back in the 90's.   ( I don't know if Hardees has Mushroom and swiss on the menu anymore. ) 

And finally,  I linked up with Dave to put the boat back into the Garage.   Now small task!  At least not for anyone alone!   The boat is HUGE and takes up every inch of the space.  And it is HEAVY!   So two people pushing it up the driveway is almost a requirement.  But we managed to get it in and now I can peacefully prepare to retire for the evening.    A busy days without chalking or Mushroom hunting.   How was I ever going to fit those activities into an already booked Saturday?

So the weekend is almost over and Now the basement is trashed again, since we cluttered it back up trying to clear up the garage.  Ah well,  I have all day to organize it again.   It should go a little quicker this time around.   And I can always take a break and look for more mushrooms at the Pets.  Next week I have a couple days of meetings with the Shoreland High school folks.   Time is really moving fast!   And it can sometimes be a challenge to make every second count.

MUSHROOMS!

 Finally!  Some Mushrooms!   The constant rain we have been having seems to be deterring the mushrooms from their normal schedule.  But the last two days have finally produced a few of the summer mushrooms that I have been looking for.   Boletes and Chanterelles! 

I also found a number of Fawn Mushrooms. ( Or Scaly Shield Deer Mushrooms)  but did not eat them since my basket was overflowing with Chanterelles and Boletes.   I even found a small cluster of Crowned Corals.  

I left a bunch of Chanterelles in the woods since they were still pinning and needed to grow up.   The ones I left yesterday turned out to grow 3 inches across the top. My only hope in leaving them out there is that the deer, squirrels, bugs or "German people" don't collect and eat them before I get back out there. 

 I'm afraid that the constant rain might trigger all of them to pop up at the same time.   However, it could also be the opposite!  Meaning:  each small section where I have found them in the past, bloom at a slightly different time... so I can collect them all without them spoiling.   It's had to know.   But I do know that I can't eat them all by myself if I hit the Mother lode! 

 In the mean time... It is just me at the house ( currently)   Dave will be checking in sometime later this week and Sara, ( Who I have not really talked about until now...)  Had some car trouble and will be moving to a closer location near her job.  Bad luck on her Ford..Apparently the oil pump went out and destroyed the engine.   ( The oil pump was on recall....  Now they know why!) Best of luck to her that they fix that issue and her car in the process. ( I believe a new engine is the cure!)  

All that to explain why I won't be able to eat all of the mushrooms I find.  Currently, I have been trying.  I put them in my omelette and my soft tacos. Heck!  I would put them on Breakfast Cereal if I thought I could eat them faster.  ( Coffee?  Maybe...)  But I hate wasting those beauties... so I will find a way.   I guess it means I will have to continue to run further each day to keep up with the extra calorie intake.  

Other than that...  I have been fairly productive on my days off.   I recently got my Wisconsin Driver's license and registered to vote in this state.  I also got a fishing license so now I can be kicked off other lakes and not just the private one that we frequented last year.  

 I picked up my School Computer and it fits nicely in the canvas briefcase that Joan got me.  Now I almost look official! They also gave me my keys and a brief run down on the orientation.   Next week begins the main, two-day, orientation.  I can hardly wait!

And finally,  I got Dave's truck running again and fixed the spare tire to the boat.   It appears we will be moving the boat back to the house after not taking it out for over two years.   In that time,  the tires have deflated and we will be changing them again.   The Dodge truck that pulls the boat has a slow drain on the battery that we can not figure out.   So the best I can do at the moment is charge up the battery and keep starting it up periodically to keep the battery charged.  ( Maybe a done light or radio issue?   Don't know.) 

So that is all.   Tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday with the Zebra folks.  ( John and maybe some others.)  John will be joining me in my exit from Zebra at the end of this Month... So I have to take advantage of the Thursday meetings as much as I can.  Then he is off to Texas!    Forever! 

I have found this week to be very peaceful.   I have been running in the heat and I actually enjoy the suffering.   ( I know that is weird to say, but true!)  I listen to music in the house and am not afraid of offending or annoying anyone.  And I still have to clean up the basement as one of the tasks I have set for myself.   "Clean" is not the right word.   I have already swept up the dust bunnies and scraps of paper from the last projects.   I really need to organize the areas once again.   Mostly the Fishing area, since I now plan to use that fishing license before the school year kicks off and I find myself chained to a desk or classroom.  

So much to do and so little time.    But taking things at my pace has been therapeutic, actually.    And sometimes you can't put a price on free time.  And rest....  Because every second counts. 

The 4th Of July.

A quick post on the holiday activities.   Made even shorter due to my lack of pictures.   ( Oh!  I Took pics, but none of them seemed to make much sense or turn out.)  The highlight of the day for me was the crashing of the Sommer's Parade.  Something that I can now say is somewhat of a tradition.  ( Three years in a row now!)  Basically, I was invited by Dave to attend as a guest.  And since that time, Dave has managed to be gone over the 4th for the last two years now.   Forcing me to "attend" and an uninvited, un chaperoned visitor!   Like Wedding-Crashers!  Only for a 4th of July Parade.  (Does Owen Wilson have to be in it?)  

Not really a wild and crazy party that Hollywood would have you believe.  It was incredibly hot and humid!   I had a pulled pork sandwich and played with some chalk on the driveway.   ( Same thing I did last year.)   There were more kids involved this year, and they seemed to enjoy the same activity.  I left my chalk there so the kids could continue playing... AND so I would not have to lug it back to the car after the parade. 

The parade was fun.  I didn't get any candy or produce this year.   And there was only one marching band. ( The highlight of the parade, in my opinion.)  It was fun and a great way to spend several hours on a holiday where I had nothing else planned.  I even met a number of people that I actually knew here in Kenosha!   ( Lidia and Vicky from the Clubhouse!) 

I failed to see any fireworks. Not that big of a deal... I have seen them before.   And I'm sure they would not have been as much fun or as exciting as all of those times back in Wellman. ( Where the fireworks could be viewed from our back yard.)  Ah well,  there is always next year.  

Tomorrow will be laundry and catch up time.  I have some stuff to clean, bills to pay, and activities to perform before I get to drop in on Shoreland on Tuesday.  Perhaps I will have soemthing to blog about then.   Until then... Every second counts

My Farewell To Zebra.

 Yesterday, I said "Goodbye" to the Zebra Warehouse.  It appears I have been saying goodbye to a lot of things lately...   But, as with every play you watch or book you read,  the actors must exit the stage as the story ends.  And yesterday was my final curtain call.... 

I can hardly believe two years have flown by so quickly!   It seems like yesterday when my hired "class" came into the unfinished warehouse and began working for GXO.  Many of us had no experience with warehouse work and had no idea what to do or how things were "Supposed" to work.  But the few that survived those initial months ended up being a tight group  of folks.   Good friends.   Dare I even say... Family!  

And that is what it felt like after the GXO to Zebra transition.   Those employees that made the cut were even tighter and it was a great place to work!   We all had struggled with the same issues and made it to the other side.   Every day was an adventure with your best friends!

I was fortunate to have been  one of those few employees who had the opportunity to do everything in the warehouse.   I once sat down and thought about how I had handled just about every product that came through those inbound doors.   Either when doing DIMS, receiving, serial capture, or any number of other projects along the way.  I also got to do just about every job on both sides of the building.   From pulling it off the truck and loading it onto the docks;  receiving the items; putting them away; picking them; packing them; manifesting them; and even loading them onto a truck that was outgoing!   

As a joke,  I created badges for my vest.   At some point,  the "Certification patches" got a little out of hand and I ran out of room!  And I'm sure there were other jobs and small things that I simply did not have time to create.   ( Probably a good thing!)   It earned me the nickname "Patches" and everyone in V.A.S. was constantly threatening to take my badges away whenever I screwed up.  ( Which I did far to often.) Those V.A.S. people....

The face of V.A.S.

Speaking of V.A.S....   The last stronghold of job titles I had yet to achieve. A tough nut to crack since they reside in the middle of the building... Surrounded by a cage!

Jim and Jeremy in the Cage!

  ( To keep others out?  Or to keep them IN?  The verdict is still in the air.) I was there only for a brief few months and tried to learn as much as I could.  And in the process... as a By-product...  I managed to learn all of their names!  (Mostly... There were only 12 of us and I still forget "What's-her-name"....) It was like learning to swim  for the first time in a pool filled with Sharks!  

The "Twins" (actually cousins)

But once you are in... you're IN!  Like a pod of Dolphins or Orcas  (That's Killer Whales, for those who do not watch Animal planet) ...  You are now family.  A Family within the larger Zebra Family.    And they did things that not everyone in the facility could do.  ( More technical and assembly, rather than just sorting, counting and packing.)  It was a challenge.   Perhaps that was one of the reasons I accepted their offer to join their team.  I was running out of challenges and wanted one last hill to climb before I left Zebra for good.   And to that end,   they delivered and exceeded my expectations.

But now that chapter has come to an end.   Having familiarized myself with the entire building,  it was hard to say goodbye to everyone in every department.   And I unfortunately forgot to take many pictures.   A handful of us managed to meet up at the Clubhouse to reminisce and share our stories over a beer. ( I didn't get any pictures of that either...   Baaa!) Joan, John, Marion, and Francisco...  But I did get some contact info from a number of people and hopefully we can still stay in touch.   

What Will I Miss Most?  The job was easy enough.   As Jay from Outbound once told me: "There is nothing in this entire building that is difficult to do."    A good attitude from the right person.  

And he was right.  Many of the jobs were easy, though tedious.   And sometimes frustrating.   Sometimes the tasks might seem epic and insurmountable! But you almost always had a group of people assigned  to the task, and together,  you were able to knock it out and finish it in the time required.  And then you all had a story to share and an experience to feel satisfied about.  The right attitude and desire to learn was key. 

But mostly I will miss the people.  Getting up and going to a job with people who you consider friends was one of the biggest and best reasons to show up everyday.   It reminded me of the Army, and like the Army,  the job could be bothersome and difficult at times.   But when you knew that there were people who were there along side you enduring the same rain and mud and cold,   trying their best  to help everyone get the job done....  THAT feeling...   Was worthy of showing up for.  

The Blue Checks are VAS People still here.

And Zebra  was slightly unique in that way.   It was the first job where they openly admitted that they wanted to develop the culture.   The Army did it without talking about it.   Allied Van Lines did it as well, though mostly by accident.   Understanding that it is the people that you work with day after day that make or break the job was a breath of fresh air that I hope the people I leave behind continue to do.  

Perhaps I give Zebra too much credit and the reality is that it was the people of this area.   Kenosha, Racine, Waukegan, and surrounding areas are the real driving force behind the culture.  
Good People all around.    All around me!  I was blessed to be surrounded by the best people in the world that helped me to be where I am now.   

And I wish them all the best in the future.  

For a new Chapter now begins in my story. (On the 4th of July!  Once again!)   And I hope I am able to do my best and find the people who will make the job seem less like work and more like fun.  Yes, "Fun" can be difficult at times...(Think about fishing, hiking and playing sports...) But you look forward to the next adventure with a smile rather than a grimace because you have fun doing the job and have a great team to back you up.   Time will tell.    

And Every Second Counts...