Thursday, December 14, 2006

Sammy Friday


Good day to you all, and Welcome to Sammy Friday

In the great state of the Igloo land of Minnesota, I would like everyone to know it is 11 days until the gift exchange that you folks call Christmas. My order for those that care, are lots and lots of mommy hugs, some catnip, and lots of petting. Mommy, I miss you. The “man” is nice but this week, he has been grumpy and not very sociable. I even jumped on the table in front of him and offered to let him pet me.

Old scrooge has a lot of other names for Christmas. One of the names he calls it is “shoooooooopppppppping” season. And he does not like that kind of shopping at all. His idea of shopping is walk into the store, get what he wants, and leave. He got talked into “shooooppppiiinnnggg” on Monday evening by a friend and he was already eating nails when he got home from work. He was not a happy cat. His tail was twitching and just swaying from side to side. Then while shopping, the lady friend made a comment about a boy’s jacket in front of them, and the old grump said that they were in the girls department. The gal told him in no uncertain terms to “shut up” and just do what he was told, she was not asking for advice. The “man” turned “stone cold” and walked out of the store, he was done shopping. Oh - he was a fuming volcano!

I like playing, as I am a Maine Coon, and my family does like to play and create games. The grump has all kind of toys for me, and he also had put up just for me this tree loaded with tinsel, lights, and bulbs. Oh I was having fun, knocking bulbs on the floor, pulling tinsel from the tree, and wadding up the tree skirt. Each day, the grump would come home, chewing on nails, and pick up the bulbs and hang them higher up on the tree. Now after a week of this, the tinsel and bulbs are all higher than I can reach, much higher.

The grump also had some white trees outside and they fell over, as it was so warm that the ground thawed around the poles and toppled. He just looked at them and shrugged and walked away. He is talking like there may not be any snow for xmas this year. Last night it rained here, and as he left for work this morning – I was watching him out the window – as he drove out of the driveway and he spun the truck in circles. The grumps truck came to a stop in his lilac bushes. The road was coated in ice and as he stepped out, he quickly grabbed the truck to stop his fall.

The old grump needs to be more like me, and not let little things bother him. However, he had ruined the tree for me, and that was my toy to play with. Why else would he have put it up? He just does not make kitty sense at all. Life is to play, do some napping in the sunbeams, eat some snacks, chase dust bunnies, watch the birds outside, play some more, and be petted a lot. What is more important than that?

Hey, the “grumps” son was adopted by a nephew of mine. A little tiny Maine Coon kitty! He is a cute little fellar and not afraid of nothing. They had this ferocious cat that liked to play outside and hunt gray squirrels. Well, little kitty would pounce on that cat and show it that he was boss. He would hunch up his shoulders, lean forward, fluff his tail, lower his head and charge that cat. I have heard that the big old cat liked his spunkiness.

Have a great cat day…….moewwwww, purrrrrr, meooooooooooooowwwwww.

JJ response:
Yes, Sammy I was biting nails and being grumpy. Something was up at work, and after being with the same company for 15 years, one starts to see some patterns emerging. Multiple meetings, lots of whispers, and closed-door conferences all send signals that something is about to change.

The housing industry is in a slump, and most businesses in this sector are down 40% from a year or two ago. It is hard to react to that and today turned out to be a “Black Friday” 30% of the office staff was released, and financial cuts ran deep. Not a good way to start or be in a holiday season. But then, there never is a good time for such things. In my department, I saw 4 friends laid off, many I have worked with for many years. The day progressed much like being in a state of shell shock. My position was spared, but it will also require picking up the pieces and doing the work or 2 or more of the people that left. This will be a challenge and one that will require us to figure out a way of maintaining business to be ready for a better day.

Finally, the office meeting to explain tall the folks left what just occurred and why. The amazing part was the owner of the company almost biting his lower lip as he admitted errors, and having to accept the responsibility for what had happened. He had been a friend and in some form of a relationship with everyone being laid off and it hurt to know he was putting friends and families at risk. He also knew that they would be angry and could accept that, as he would be angry also. He was sad he had left so many people down, but knew the company would survive and be in a better position to be ready for a better housing market. It was one of the few times I have heard him speak from the heart.

Tomorrow is another day, but for now I am going to put my feet up and read a good book. G’night Sammy.


3 comments:

Daydream believer said...

Hey Sammy, tell the "Man" thanks for the comments and that I responded to them finally.

Stay out of that tinsel.

:)

Enemy of the Republic said...

I want to nose into that cat's belly. I love cats.

Anonymous said...

i just keep imagining your tree decorated halfway, so sammy can't get to it. *giggle*

sorry about the stress at work. NOT a fun way to start the holidays, i'm sure.