In a past blog, we said we were searching for melamine plates for the store. Excited about something I can do from home, I was prepared to order the plates, cups and bowls for the store only to find they were made in China. The Texasware Melamine once made in Oak Cliff, a Dallas Texas suburb, is vintage among melamine collectors, but like all the plastic plates we found they are now mass produced in China.

http://planetpooks.wordpress.com/category/oak-cliff/
So I began looking for pottery or anything that would fit our store and keep us in our budget. I discovered one, ONE, brand made in the United States. Bill was not too interested in the dishes, he was probably thinking I was over focused, but after three stores and only one brand made in the United States he had only one thing to say: "ORDER THEM, before they are made in CHINA!!!".

If you want a peek at them you can see them here:
zestydishes.com
and here:
saveonseconds.com

If you need dishes...hurry. These are lead free, dishwasher safe and sturdy.

We will use cloth napkins.
You can read about cloth vs paper here:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/paper-towels-and-napkins-vs-cloth.html

When you go shopping, turn the plates over and see where they are made. It was no small thing to find made in the USA. Don't even get me started about cloth napkins...they are made in India!

COUSINS
I can never say enough about finding lost family. Connie wrote to share her branch of the family with me. The Chambless and Walker family lived simple Godly lives leaving memories for their children's children to pass on. What a blessing to share stories of walking in that red sand as children. Thank you Connie, your memories are priceless. Here is some of what she had to share about her childhood visits to Kanawha:

"We rode horses several times. Cathy (her twin sister) and
I had a chance to feel like real cowgirls when we were allowed to
ride Shorty, an old and gentle horse. Papa and Grandmother Walker
certainly lived modestly. I think that they must have been some of
the last to get indoor plumbing. They got water from the well,
washed clothes in a big black kettle under a tree, and cleaned and
cooked their homegrown chickens! I remember a big fruit tree orchard
and vegetable garden.

On a visit, we found what was left of our grandparents' home.
Long ago, one side of the house was lined with Grandmother's
beautiful hydrangeas. The little one room church was still in Kanawha
at that time. We walked in and thought about the times we had
attended church there on our visits. The singing may have been a
little off, but the singing was saintly! We have a message that Papa
gave at one time in that church. Dad said that Papa taught school at
times. My sister has his school bell in her third grade classroom in
Childress."

FOUR DAYS mostly in MARCH

This week we will continue to build a cabinet for tools, auto parts, and another for pet and live stock feed and supplies. If this sounds like too much for one weekend you may be right, but hopefully simple construction will find us mostly done.

I'd fire him but there is a BURN BAN

Our four days in Kanawha were very productive. The potting bench came mostly together, the wall is built including a almost finished barrel for garden tools that is missing a slat or two, black screen door handles are on the kitchen cabinet doors and 5 new shelves finish off the grocery side of the store.

Bill and I are to that stage in our lives where saying what you mean and meaning what you say are sometimes laced with "new" words only a two year old could create. Both of us understand exactly what we mean and mean approximately what we say and neither of us can understand the other.

Saturday I fired him. I knew exactly what I needed him to do, but was unable to explain it in any form a human could understand. He was sure he would never understand and had his own ideas about what might or might not work which he was also unable to explain to anything female. I felt compelled to take action before one of us burst a bloodvessel. So I fired him.

He owns the store, pays the bills and has done the vast majority of the labor but seemed relieved when I said "YOU'RE FIRED". It was like someone defused us and we just sat there happy he could let go of the paper we had both been furiously revising over the last 30 minutes. I began calling him the new help and he responded in the polite voice you use on your boss even when you know what you're doing and the boss is wrong.

It worked wonders for the relationship. As his employer who held the hire/fire power albeit given to me by him, it was easy to explain what I wanted, and he found it easy to say "sure". I think we may get this store together without a divorce if this ploy holds up to future trips or at least until they lift the county burn ban.

Kitty came to see us only once. A large skull of some animal we neither could identify was lying near the store. It rained twice. We missed seeing Jody who always comes bringing goodies, gifts or news. The trees are covered in curled brown leaves they refuse to let go of. The wind has a nip in it that reminds you there may still be cold to come. Thirty-six days left in 2008 and my one employee is asking about his benefit package!