Wooden Eggs for School – Killing Two Birds With One Stone.

               My mind is so full right now.  I fear the ideas that are in my head may not make it to a post for this blog so let me start with the most recent . . .

          Myrtle Creek Visitors Association had posted to facebook about an upcoming Easter Egg hunt – which Jenna has been looking forward since our “business activity” on St. Patrick’s Day.  This time 12 specific businesses hiding a wooden egg.  And Jenna has been determined to find them all.  Though we physically entered more than half of the businesses, we had only hunted in five – well – she had hunted.  I am not great at picking out items when they are in my face let alone having to physically look for them. 

          This morning Jenna was at her photograph class and learned she had to pick an assignment to do.  There were at least three choices.  One of them was community activity.  So Jenna decided that since we would be exploring downtown anyway, she might as well take pictures of the activity.  

from MCVA facebook page

            I had forgotten how many businesses are NOT open on Monday. We had gone to 8 of the participating businesses though we will have to return for seven of them.   We learned that not all businesses received all the needed information to fully participate.   Jenna says she took several pictures – some by accident.  She took most with her borrowed Google Chrome book as the transfer from cell phone will no longer work for school assignment and vice versa – but she did take some with her phone.  Unless I harp on her she doesn’t generally send them over until after the fact. 

           So let me start at the beginning.  Leaving the house.  When we got to the corner Jenna noticed all of the flags set up over the bridge and asked what holiday it is.  I couldn’t remember the exact holiday but guessed either Korea or Vietnam.  I was reminded when I looked for this post that I had created exactly four years ago. But now I am getting ahead of myself. 

 

          First stop: Valley Tire Co Point S

          Jenna found the egg right away and took her first picture which I believe were of the directions on what was to be done.  I didn’t see all what she did as I was talking to Dan who had spotted me.  I went to say “Hi” to him and saw a long Chihuahua shivering in his arms.  Jenna was filling out a slip for the drawing and walked over to us and took a picture of Dan and his dog and then we left.

           I parked at the park behind Gooddog Bakery and made that our second stop.  Jenna found the egg within the matter of seconds and filled out another ticket for the drawing and asked Jeri if she could get a picture of her holding the egg.  We asked her where the Ole West Trading Post was.  She pointed it out to us but said it hadn’t opened.  That was okay.  We could just get it on our return to the car.

           Third stop: AG Market is across the street from Gooddog and so we go there and Jaime takes a picture of the masked worker behind the counter.  We then headed toward Trudy’s Treasures and learned it would not be open until 12:00.  We passed by the vacant building that had housed the Library Annex for just a short time. 

pic from four years ago this day

 Forth stop: MSK True Value Hardware store.  That egg took a little longer to find.  The person who helped us did not want his picture taken and so Jenna took a picture of the two of us outside the hardware store.  She took at least one on the laptop and at least one on her phone.

outside MSK

We crossed the street to St. Vincent de Paul which was closed.  Understandable.  It is run by volunteers and so is only open three or four times a week.  So will have to return tomorrow (or maybe Wednesday after we get our haircuts).  Hey!  

            Jenna spotted a broken frame on Main Street and retrieved a bubbled craft pic of a butterfly

She returned for the broken glass so drivers would pop their tires or create more glass shard.  And I went back for the broken frame not knowing if there were nails or not.  So we did a great community deed.  No pictures though.  Too busy watching out for cars.

         Fifth stop: Learned Homestead Furniture and Ole West Trading Post are the same building but were told there will be two eggs – one for each side.  They were not set up but we have to Return for St. Vincent and Trudy’s anyway and so continue on down the road and passed the park to

 Sixth stop: Myrtle Creek Saw Shop.

Jenna seemed to find that easily, but the shop was busy and I am in favor of the real customers to be helped first.  We took another selfie at the saw shop because they were busy.

The selfie she took at the Saw Shop is on the Google Chrome but this is one she
 took of herself eating the treasured candy that was given to her at the saw shop

 Return to the car before we catch another two (should have been three but I’d forgotten about Smith’s Feed Company – which ironically is the closest participating business to where we live) but I did remember Red Barn Garden Supply

Seventh Stop: Serena had not hidden the egg because she doesn’t have all the necessary paperwork to proceed and asked us if we would post that to facebook.  So we didn’t search for the egg or fill out for drawing but Jenna did take her picture and then we continued our drive to

Eighth Stop: Treasures of the Heart.  She also has another customer and has not hidden her egg for the same reason as Serena.  We will return tomorrow.  Perhaps tomorrow and Wednesday.  Jenna needs twelve pictures. I don’t know if she has that many currently.  Or if they’re usable.  I think she said ten were.

This is not from today, but I thought it was a good pic

Nightmares and Statistics

          It is said that owning one’s own business is the American Dream.  I don’t believe that’s true.  Roland majored in business and would like to start up a business and has had that desire for as long as I’ve known him.  The problem is that over 90% of those who try their hand at business don’t succeed with keeping said business open.  Over 90%!  Holy Cow!  That is not a dream!  That is a nightmare!

          We have been in Myrtle Creek only four years and have seen several businesses come and go -  not that Myrtle Creek is the booming establishment of getting one’s business started.  But still . . . opening a business, regardless of location,  seems like such a gamble to me.  It has never nor will ever be my dream.  And yet it doesn’t seem satisfying to collect a paycheck on somebody else’s dream. 

          I remember when malls were popular.  I remember seeing stores come and go for various reasons.  They weren’t meeting the public’s demands, the overhead was too high, financial obligations much huger than profit. I remember one store that sold cutlery.  They had the nicest personal.  I would have liked to see them make it, but I personally did not have a need to go shopping there daily or even weekly.  There were several shops that did not have the same friendly personal that somehow survived.  Over time the malls seemed to cater more to the posh people one didn’t think would ever dare show up at a mall.  I was never an avid shopper anyway, but over time I really felt like I was squeezing through a crowd of upper class people that I didn’t nor have a desire to relate to.  But it’s not as if my dollar was going to save any single merchandiser anyway.

          Roland will look at buildings downtown or one’s we have seen marked “For Sale” and constantly asks, “What could we put there?  What would work in this town?” I’m certainly not willing to take the risk to find out.  It would be great if Roland could make it on somebody else’s money, but I think we already gamble with ours just with personal purchases.  There’s no way I want to file bankruptcy for something I never wanted to get into in the first place.

         I'm happy  in education where the rewards are students who recognize me outside of the school and will wave to me or express pleasure toward me.  Those rewards are greater than the paycheck.