admin - One Less Dog In The Hunt

December 19, 2019April 11, 2020

Merry Christmas!

http://clipart-library.com/clipart/christmas-clipart-4.htm

And now, this break from politics. You have to shake your head. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, the non-stop intrusion of politics into our lives is crazy. I’m saying this as a person who considers himself a news junkie and highly interested in politics. We know that politics is a part of our lives, but it seems it is becoming the most important part of our lives. Rather than getting a short recap in the evening from Uncle Walter Cronkite, we’re flooded with twenty-four hour, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year political news. Some times you just have to sign off.

I’d distract you with Christmas, but even that has become controversial. I like this quote from humorist writer Dave Barry:

“In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say, ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the atheists) ‘Look out for the wall!'”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/211075-in-the-old-days-it-was-not-called-the-holiday

December 12, 2019April 11, 2020

LOYALTY

Loyalty. It’s a deep word, or at least it can stir deep feelings. It often inspires images of someone you can count upon, or perhaps someone who counts upon you.

How about Loyalty in the workplace?

Most of us think of loyalty as a good quality. We often want to be considered loyal. We want our co-workers to feel we are loyal. We want our supervisors and our company to feel we are loyal. Loyalty is important to good relationships both in life and in work, but it isn’t always a two-way street. And that can sometimes, though not always, lead to blind loyalty.

What’s blind loyalty?

It’s being loyal to someone or something that can’t or won’t return it. It is being loyal even when loyalty is not deserved. It is being loyal even when the target of loyalty fails to earn the honor. Perhaps your committed loyalty is to a person or entity who has become involved in something from which you should have divorced yourself. Possibly we are being loyal to a company which has forgotten how to care for its employees or has become involved in unethical issues. Blind loyalty can even apply to ideals, philosophies, and causes which fail to deliver on their intended purpose. Staying loyal under those conditions would be examples of blind loyalty.

December 5, 2019April 11, 2020

Crisp Morning, Warm Fire

There’s nothing like rolling out of a sleeping bag on a cool crisp morning, starting a fire in the camp ring, and placing that pot of coffee on to boil. As the fire begins to take off, you rub your hands together and begin to absorb the heat of the growing flames.

As the pot heats up and the anticipation of that warm, dark liquid grows, you begin to put together the rest of the morning’s meal.

The scent of bacon frying drifts through the air, eggs sizzle in the cast iron pan, biscuits brown, and the sounds of nature wake up along with you; it just seem to be the right way to begin a day. Voices speak in quiet tones, careful not to awaken the rest of the day before its time. You find yourself wishing those you’ve gathered with to start a day in such a wonderful way were closer, that you could get together more often, and that you could begin each day the same way.

November 17, 2019April 11, 2020

Round ’em Up

During this hiatus from regular employment I have been free to do some of the things I enjoy doing without the hassle of consulting the calendar. For a number of years I’ve helped a friend of mine with working cattle in the spring or fall. My kids have grown up helping in the process as have his. Most of the time we have to juggle my work schedule, his work schedule, and the weather. Since my layoff, we’ve been able to simplify the scheduling.

Spring roundup is a great time of the year. It’s hard, dusty work — not quite the old cowboy way with horses and ropes, but still work. Closing and lifting the chute with calves weighing from one hundred pounds up to three or four hundred, can offer a real workout. Smooth success at sorting cows from calves, leading calves up the alley to the tub, bringing them into the chute all depends upon the skills of the cowhands and the attitude of the bovine.

September 24, 2019April 11, 2020

Convenient for who?

http://clipart-library.com/clipart/pcqrRz4zi.htm

Rule Number One: The customer is always right.

Rule Number Two: In the event the customer is not right, refer to Rule Number One.

These rules used to be among the first taught to new employees. The truth is the customer isn’t always right and you often have to revert to rule number two. If you’ve ever lived, worked, breathed retail you know that sometimes the customer just gets it wrong. Not wrong in what they want, just wrong in what you are able to give. Maybe there are restrictions. Perhaps Uncle Sam (and I mean the US Government, not Sam Walton) says you have to do it a certain way. Maybe the decision would require an executive approval. Maybe what they want isn’t really something that is good for them. Your job is to come to a conclusion which makes the customer right or at least satisfied. Still, the idea behind the rules are important, and a good company adapts to the needs of the customer, not the other way around.

Yet, more and more in today’s market we see retailers trying to force the customer to conform to what is best for the retailer rather than adapting to the wants and needs of the customer. Oh, to be sure, they’d never admit it. They always mask it with an effort in improved customer satisfaction. They would say they are just striving to provide a more convenient atmosphere or they are trying to make the shopping experience more customer friendly.

September 17, 2019April 11, 2020

A niche! A niche! Scratch it.

http://clipart-library.com/clipart/820832.htm

I’ve read ~~all~~… ~~most~~… okay, some of the blogs out there that tell you how to blog. ~~They all~~ The ones I’ve read tell you to start out by finding your niche. I’ve seen several that list seven standard blog categories: How To Make Money, Personal Finance, Health and Fitness, Food, Beauty and Fashion, Lifestyle, Personal Development. Another list adds in Travel, Weddings, and Product Reviews. Of course the Google list of blog categories puts those little lists of seven to ten categories to shame.

There are so many “experts” out there that you’d be moving back and forth like a five year old waiting at the door of a single stall gas station bathroom if you were trying to follow all their directions. But the one thing they ~~all~~ say is, “You have to find your niche.” A niche must be important if that many people can come to a consensus on something in such a divided world. You’d probably have better odds of winning the Power Ball than getting that many people to agree on anything else.

September 12, 2019April 11, 2020

Peace At Last

There’s this little place nestled between the mountains; a small community cradled in a lovely green valley which seemed to be lost to time and tedium. It’s the kind of place that is so wonderful that you want to keep it all too yourself, but it’s also so incredible that you just can’t keep the secret. I know; I’ve lived the struggle. It even entered my writing by giving me the starting place for a novel.

When a friend introduced me to the place, I immediately felt like it was my soul’s home. It was quiet and peaceful. Just being there seemed to recharge that place inside which holds the essence of life. While the soul absorbed the energy of nature, the eyes took in the beauty; the nose took in the fresh scents; the ears took in the calming sounds; the mind marveled at creation. And relatively few people seemed to know of its existence. Full disclosure: My friend’s family was introduced to the place by someone else who had discovered it, and so its presence was slowly passed on.

September 1, 2019April 11, 2020

Push, Pull, or Get Out of the Way?

There are probably as many quotes, hints, directions, or steps focused on being a good leader as there are stars in the universe. Books have been written, seminars are booked and filled, speakers are paid — all to tell you what it means to be a good leader and how to get there.

So what, you ask, does this No Name former retail manager have to add to the dung pile? Not much really. It’s all been said. I’d rather tell you what a leader is not.

A leader is not someone who only accomplishes his goals through fear. Yes, you might feel the military would argue with this statement to an extent, but honestly, military trainers are trying to accomplish something greater than the leader of a business. They are trying to instill instincts that will keep that person alive. They are enhancing human response in a way that the soldier will be able to handle life and death situations. They are trying to weed out the weak, and they have a captive audience.

August 31, 2019April 11, 2020

Early efforts…

So, a lot has happened since I began this journey. I’m still unemployed. I’ve applied to over 150 positions. Some admittedly with other corporations, but nothing as competitive as my previous employer. I’ve visited kids, went to dr. appointments, refinished furniture, worked on my workshop, mowed an incredible amount of grass (lots of moisture this year), and spent quite a bit of time researching and writing.

As I mentioned, my first response to the layoff was controlled patience. I read different internet blogs about the process and how to deal with it. I forced myself to stay calm and give it time before reacting. I tried to keep the right attitude and not become bitter. The one thing I couldn’t do was go back in the building. For some reason, the idea that I was unemployed, perhaps unsuccessful, or maybe identity-less, wouldn’t let me go back to the one place I’d called home, besides home. It’s been over a year and a half. I haven’t been back.

Childish? Possibly. Vengeful? No

August 31, 2019April 11, 2020

Frozen

Although far from a professional photographer, photography has been a part of me for many years. I can remember using a little Kodak 110 camera when I was just a kid. I used it to take pictures around town of things I found interesting. When I was in high school I became an editor for the yearbook and though I didn’t get to take a lot of the photos since I had staff photographers, I spent many hours working in a black and white darkroom.

In college I again served as yearbook editor and took every opportunity I could to get in the darkroom. In fact, there was a time when I considered going into photography as a career. I had the idea that I would merge photography and graphic arts, maybe do some advertising, but I moved on from that. In some ways I wish I had continued my interest in professional photography.