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!

FORTY DAYS in 2008

This year should be very rewarding visually as the construction of the interior cabinets and a wall are on the agenda. We have 40 days...kind of like Noah. This amounts to 4 days or one long weekend each month for ten months. 2008 should see a considerable change to the front posts of the store and some trim work on one side. As the housing market slides so do the prospects for the store. Rather than take a grim look at our projects we will take this bleak outlook as a challenge to our ingenuity and count our blessings as we trek on. After all, if God blesses us, we can not fail. If he does not, no amount of determination will help us succeed. So that being said, we rely heavily on the Volunteer Army (our children) and the prayers of our supporters.

Our first major project for 2008 is a GARDEN section for the wall that is crooked bent and houses electric boxes we need access too. Flex space planning has been one of the more difficult challenges as we must be able to change with the needs of our community. The plan is for this area to transition to CHRISTMAS as the planting season ends but provide for seed displays, space for gardening tools and bags of unknown size weight and number most of the year.

Planning has consumed a great deal of our time. This is likely due to the inexperience we have at almost every task required to renovate, plan and open a store. This year we will seek professional help for accounting ie tax purposes as well as establishing a tax number to purchase wholesale items and seek information concerning laws rules and state mandates for those serving food, gasoline, cigarettes. All of these are free for the asking if you can just find them:0)

http://window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/sales/questions.html
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/about/directory/region/reglist.html#5
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/permitting/registration/pst/ast_ust_notification.html
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/permitting/rrr/forms/0659.pdf
http://www.valero.com/ProductsServices/Wholesale/CustomerForms.htm


Sunday was a fleeting trip to measure again...cut trim and murder the roots of that tree that is causing concrete cracks, and destroy the roots of the poison ivy that is rooted deeply in the flowerbeds beside the store. Bill made a small dent in the root issues and will likely be down for another fast trip to do more of the same.

Bill's cure for those pesky tree roots is boiling salt water poured into a fresh cut into the trunk. He read this in an online article. It is cheap easy and environmentally friendly. Now if it just works.

The poison ivy cure seems like a last resort. Again it is friendly to the environment and seems fool proof however it is a lot of digging, must be completed in the winter and does not help the area at the tree line where the vines are especially happy.

Christmas 2007

http://www.newsweek.com/id/76929

article about rural stores selling unhealthy food

Listen...the leaves are laughing

If we are in the path of a tornado I'll be under this very heavy cabinet Bill built. It is by far the sturdiest thing he has constructed. It looks pretty good too. It provided a base for our 25 dollar bargain desk top. It is the first thing we have installed on the right side of the store and the last construction this year. the top has a sliding compartment where we can keep pre-season cards. To get the finish to match the top we painted a dollar can of opps brown first and let it show through the black top coat this created a fairly close match and the used comfortable look we want.

The door frame for the restroom got put on but will need a finish coat of white paint. The choice of lumber with bumps and bruises helps it blend well with what was already on the baseboards from 1970. We owe some of the character of the store to Vann who used heavy sturdy wide boards to build with.

The baskets are salvaged school locker room finds. We will use them to display fresh produce or packaged dinners. We hung them on the grocery side after a fresh coat of crisp green paint.

Lots of painting on the shelves was done and left to complete but all and all it was a good trip.

We went for a walk and saw a doe and her fawn. They were about a city block from the store just lounging by the lane. It was a beautiful sight. We collected crimson leaves that floated down from the trees. They were chattering all crisp and curled as they fell.

We had a visit from a friend of Lonnie Ham's who said he is not well. We will keep him in our prayers.

We added Camel Lights cigarettes, bean dip, motor oil and plumbing supplies to our MUST CARRY list.

It didn't rain! The weather was perfect, but as we left wind began to gust, probably relieving the trees of the rest of their leaves. Kanawha in November is picture perfect.