Grrrr! Cell Phones...

There is nothing that compares to receiving a phone call, or text message, on your emergency telephone line at 4 o'clock in the morning.  If my regular, old-fashioned home telephone (an honest-to-goodness land line) rings in the middle of my sleep, that's startling; but when my emergency phone rings, or buzzes, it scares me, because I think of all of the things that can happen to friends, family and pets.  I waited a very long time to get a cell phone.  I do not like the damned things - and I hate talking on them.  I only got one when it became apparent that sometimes my clients felt the need to contact me while I was walking their dogs.  I even had clients offer to purchase a phone for me, and put that phone on their plan, with them paying for it monthly.
   I finally broke down and purchased my own cell phone.  I give the number out to a very few friends, to family, and to my clients.  When I start working for them, I tell the clients, this cell phone number is for emergency purposes only - call my home number, or e-mail me, if you want to schedule something.  No one listens to instructions anymore.  If I did not follow instructions regarding the care of these folks' animals and houses, I'd be in BIG trouble.  But my requests and instructions regarding making contact with me are totally ignored.  It's amazing...  One of my clients calls multiple times each day, just to chat, and/or to ask my opinion of a certain pet product.
   I don't seem to remember living anywhere as narcissistic as Boulder.  Here, it seems that everyone believes that "the rules apply to others, not me."  People walk across busy streets in the middle of traffic, not using crosswalks.  People go through and turn on red lights, if no one is approaching.  The law says that one must pick up your dog's poop - but less than half do it (I do, even though the dogs I walk are not mine).  People on bicycles blast through Stop signs and red lights.  I heard a teen-ager on the bus tell his friend that he'd left his tablet on the bus - and the other kid said, "Oh, I don't like that one.  My folks will buy me  a newer, better one, when I tell them I lost it."  This stuff just astounds me.
   Anyway, I was sound asleep at 4 o'clock in the morning.  My cell phone was plugged in and charging on the stand beside my bed.  I was caring for Bop and Tiko, two cats, whose owners were on their way back from Spain.  They were due back at home between 6 and 7 that night...  Suddenly, my phone started buzzing and crawling across the night stand - then it whistled three times in a row.  That meant I either had three voice messages, or three text messages.  My mind immediately flew to several older critters that I have cared for over many years, and I worried that one had passed away.  I turned on the light, grabbed the phone, and saw 3 text messages.
   Tiko and Bop's parents/owners were at Heathrow Airport, outside of London, on the way home - how were the boys, how was the weather, any problems with the house?  Two pages of questions...  Then the third text was - "Whoops!  Forgot the time difference - you're asleep, aren't you?"   "Not any longer," was my response....
    Boulder is in a valley on the edge of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.  Even though there are plenty of micro-wave towers, reception for cell phones is very spotty.  Sometimes the cell phone will ring in one part of a specific house, but nor in another.  My cell phone only works in my bedroom of my apartment.  Even so, people's voices fade in and out - that's why I prefer to use my real telephone - it doesn't fade in and out, and always has good reception.  I still think that cell phones are NOT a convenience.  Guess I'm still an old-fashioned so-and-so!

Snow!

We're having our second snow fall of the fall - it'd been falling steadily here in Boulder since 9 a.m., and is forecast to end about 9 tonight.  Our high temperature for the day was 31 degrees (F), but there is very little accumulation on the ground.  There is about a half-inch on the chairs, table and hot-tub cover here at Rosie's, but the road is clear of snow, though the driveway isn't.  I am staying at Rosie's until Sunday night, when her family returns.
   I, once again, had to laugh and shake my head over a client - both yesterday and today.  She called me up, asking if I could send something to her via overnight express shipping at 5 yesterday evening.  But she wanted to receive it before 5 p.m. today.  I told her I couldn't do it.  So she tracked down several other friends of hers, who, also, could not accommodate her.  She called me back at 9:30 last night, and explained that she'd be staying at Disneyland, and she needed to receive the package before she arrived.  (It's a legal herbal supplement around the world.)  I asked why she couldn't receive it at her Disney hotel?  Oh!   She hadn't thought of that...  So, at 10:30 last night, she texts me the details of where they're staying at Disney - I was in bed.
   This morning, I went to her home and picked up the small plastic tub that weighed 8 ounces.  I took it to FedEx and sent it off to Disneyland.  I could have the package delivered before 10 a.m. tomorrow, before noon tomorrow, or before 10 a.m. Monday.  The client is leaving Monday for Mexico, and she wanted it immediately.  The costs for the three deliveries were:  $119, $74, or $56.  I chose the $74 one with delivery by noon tomorrow (Saturday).  I paid this out of my own pocket, with a reimbursement promised by the client.  Thank goodness I had enough to cover the cost, as I had just paid my rent and all other bills due...
   Tomorrow Beatrice and I plan on hanging our icicle lights from the balcony, and deciding how to put up the colored lights.  She wants to put up the multi-colored rope light over the sliding glass door, but I think we'll need Mike and his trusty electric screwdriver to place the screwed holders into the concrete-board siding.  I had a very hard time driving nails in, and so did Mike, the last time we put things up out there....    And we're expecting an Arctic front Monday night through Wednesday, with highs in the teens and lows in the single digits, with lots of snow!  Got my plants in off the balcony this afternoon, in preparation for that.
   I hope that all of you have a great weekend, where ever you live!

Crazy, Crazy

This past Monday I wrote about a client who kept changing her mind.  In June, she made reservations for me to stay at her house for 5 nights and 6 days.  When I called nine days ago to verify, she told me she didn't need me at all.  Twelve hours later, she called and said she needed me for the last three nights; eighteen hours after that call, she told me she needed me for the entire, original reservation.  When I arrived, the daughter had not returned from the airport - she had run a few personal errands before returning her Mom's car.  On Thursday, the client called me and asked to to find a Certified Mail slip, and to go to the Post Office to pick up whatever it was, and to also check her friend's mail box at a different address.  I picked up the Certified Mail and had to sign my life away, as it wasn't addressed to me, then I traveled to the other house and grabbed that mail.
  Friday, Bea and I rented a van and went shopping for a dining room set and/or a new sofa.  We found the dining set we wanted, and, as we were on the way to the warehouse to pick it up, my phone rang.  It was my client.  Her daughter had contacted her; the daughter and boyfriend were to have spent the weekend at Grandma's condo in Aspen.  When the daughter called the building to inform them she would be there for the weekend, the building manager told her the condo "was being shown" this weekend (for sale) and that they couldn't stay there.  Grandma has been threatening to sell the condo for the last 5 years, and apparently decided to do so without telling the kids or grandkids.  So the daughter would be back at the client's home that evening, and, once I had fed all the critters their evening meal, it was time for me to clear out.  And the daughter would pick the client up at the airport on Monday.
   At nine o'clock last night (Saturday) I received another call from the client.  She had decided to come home today - Sunday - and thought her daughter would pick her up.  But her daughter had already changed her plans, and was going hiking on Sunday (today).  Could I come pick her up at the airport?  I got the flight information, and told her I would be there.  Then I stated that her car was very low on gas - should I fill it, and have her reimburse me, or should I drive the VW?   She told me that her car should have at least a half-tank of gas - I told her that it was on the one-quarter mark when I parked it Thursday, after going to the Post Office.  She said to drive the VW.
   I checked this morning, and ascertained that her flight was on time, with arrival at DIA at 12:19.  Then I checked the Denver sports area, and found that the Rockies had a home game that started at 2:10, and the Bronco had a home game that started at 2:25.  I decided to leave a little early due to increased traffic; then realized I'd better drive the client's car rather than the VW, because the VW doesn't have a Toll Pass for the road to the airport.
   I caught what was supposed to be the 10:07 RTD bus up to the client's neighborhood to get her car.  The bus was running 12 minutes late because the rear door kept sticking open - and the driver kept opening both doors at each stop, instead of only opening the front door.  So I was late reaching the client's house (in my mind's time table) - and the daughter called while I was walking to the house from the bus stop.  She realized that the client's car was nearly empty, and she needed to drive over from Longmont to get the car and put gas in it, and then she would come pick me up - OK?  I said, No.  I was almost at the house, I'd put gas in the car, and go pick up her Mom.  When I told her to enjoy her hike, she sounded completely lost, like she hadn't planned to go hiking...  
   In any event, I made it to the airport with 5 minutes to spare and turned the car over to the client, who dropped me off at home, after she paid me....   Crazy, crazy weekend.  (Both the Rockies and the Broncos won, by the way.)

Weekend, Catnip, and a Client

I did some small grocery shopping over the weekend, checked the mail, and sat out on the balcony for several hours each day, and otherwise avoided people, other than Beatrice and a few phone calls I had to take.  Bea was feeling her cabin-fever itch and went out daily to window shop and just wander around different areas of town.  I stayed at home, cuddled with the cats and read and read and read.  It was wonderful for me.
   I did have to laugh about the phone calls, however.  I checked my work calendar for next week (now this week) on Friday, and saw I was scheduled at a house for 5 nights and six days.  I also knew that one of the client's adult children was at home, so I called to ask if my services were still required.  I was told, no, that the daughter would care for the house and critters while the client was away.  On Saturday, the client called and said the daughter was going to Aspen for the weekend, and could I cover caring for the house from Friday afternoon until Monday morning.  I told her, sure, no problem.  Last night, I received another call from the client - could I possibly cover the originally planned 5 nights and 6 days?  The daughter is currently house-sitting for someone else, and thought she could take her new puppy and older dog into another household that already has two large adult dogs and a new puppy in residence.  The daughter's job ends on Friday, when she plans on leaving for Aspen - and, oh, by the way, I'll have the daughter's puppy and dog at the client's home over the weekend....I sometimes feel like such a fool.  But this person is a very good client, and I've worked for her for over 8 years now, so I acquiesced.
   Last night, I opened the catnip jar.  The kits are still slightly high.  I pull out the dried catnip and roll it between my fingers to make very small particles before I place it on the nip rug.  Both Lovey and Nedi eat the catnip, and they both acted as if they were starving.  Then I pulled out one of their fuzzy, rattly toys that had been in the jar for a month.  Nedi was in ecstasy over that gift.  I put two other older toys back into the jar and resealed it.  This morning, all visible traces of catnip have disappeared from the rug, and the toy has been making odd appearances in strange places since I arose.  It seems I made them happy.