Wordless Wednesday (Quarter Moon/LCHS Edition)

I don't know much about our cat, Alice Cooper's, life before we adopted her. What I know is that despite the fact she has ruined our carpets, begs incessantly for food, and is quite the diva, our life wouldn't be the same without her.

This month, Quarter Moon Imports is helping the Leon County Humane Society fulfill its mission of relieving animal suffering, preventing animal cruelty, eliminating overpopulation of animals, promoting humane education, and enhancing the human/animal bond. Here's how you can get involved:

On June 16:  Bring pet food to the Pet Food Drop Off at Quarter Moon from 10am until 6:00 pm. Pet food will be donated to low income seniors to help them meet the expenses of keeping their loving pets in their homes! 

Through June 21: Post a favorite photo of your pet to this page. The picture that gets the most "likes" will win a $50 gift card to Quarter Moon! If you don't post a picture, it's still cool to "like" your favorite - they're all so entertaining!

On June 21:  Shop and Share at Quarter Moon (1641 N Monroe St, Tallahassee) all day on Thursday June 21st. Mention that you support LCHS and 10% of your purchase will go to LCHS! Enjoy a wine and cheese reception and “after hours” shopping from 6pm-8pm. 

Every Day in June:  Contribute $1 or more at the counter to the Paws for Pets Campaign to let the community know that you love the work of the LCHS! Your name gets printed on a cute paw!

Thank you, Quarter Moon Imports, for having great merchandise and pairing that with a tangible commitment to helping the people (and animals) of our community thrive!

Here are some randomly selected pictures from the pet photo contest:

You can find Alice Cooper, the animals pictured here, and 46 more candidates, via this link.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's

soul remains unawakened.

Anatole France

Intercept the Mailman? (A Mama Kat Writing Post)

This post is based on the following Mama Kat prompt:

Write a post about an argument you recently had with someone from the moment of conflict to the moment of resolution in 15 lines or less. 

Barb (my mother in law, who is blind (a fact that matters for this story)): 

Suzette [a relative who was helping out] accidentally requested the order be shipped to 721 Roseberry Street instead of 771.

When she realized the mistake and called Lands End, they said there was nothing we could do…...……..except try to intercept the postal deliverer and tell them to deliver the package to us when it arrived.

Me:

Wait a minute, Lands End, home of “Guranteed. Period.  ©” said the only option was to intercept the mailman?

They want a 77 year old blind lady to stand out on the street, catch the mailman, and explain all this?

Why didn’t they just ship an order to the correct address?

Barb:

I don’t know. Can you see what you can do?

Me:

Tweet to Lands End – "I have a consumer issue and need help." [no response received]

Email to Lands End - [it would take more than 15 lines to replicate the email]. The short version was, "why can't you just ship a duplicate order to the right address instead of asking the blind lady to stand outside at the mailbox and try to intercept the mailman?

Response from Lands End - a generic "email received" stating it could take 2 business days for a response.

Instant Message Attempts #1 and #2 to Lands End – the representative and I introduce ourselves to one another, after which I am cut off (which may have been my browser).

Lands End:

Email response back (received within an hour of being sent!), "Well, she can order a new one and we’ll send it."

Me:

Why can't you go ahead and send the duplicate order? When and if she receives the original order, we will make sure you get it back.

Lands End:
We don’t have the new address so we can’t send it out.

Me:

It is 771 Roseberry Street. Can you please resend it?

Lands End:

[Via Email] We are sorry to hear you did not receive your original order. A new one will arrive within 5 to 7 days.

Me:

[Tweet] - Kudos to @LandsEnd for great customer service.

And that, my friends, is the end (the Lands End) of the story! The package arrived as promised within 3 days. Who knows where the original package ended up?

Wordless Wednesday (Busy Bees Edition)

I really love running on the Miccosukee Greenway. The terrain varies from extremely "root-y," to grassy, to my favorite, crushed shell. There is a big grassy space that is probably roughly a mile around to circumnavigate. I often include it in my route.

Saturday, as I rounded a turn in my favorite grassy area, I noticed a spot that had been isolated by tape:

I thought perhaps a tree was down ... or there was a big hole in the ground ... or they had recently sprayed some toxic herbicide there or something. I did not expect this:

And (no lie) you could see all of the swarming insects buzzing around close to the tree line.

If you are one of my regular readers, you know how I love signs that make you scratch your head (well, they make me scratch my head at least!).

My thoughts about this sign:

a) Are the stinging pests supposed to stay away? It does say, "Stinging pests stay away!" As a grammar lover, I might suggest as an alternative: "Stay Away! Dangerous Stinging Pests Here!"
b) Interesting that theoretically it's okay outside of the tape but not inside the tape (I guess maybe there's a nest in the tree or something)
c) What's the deal with the phone number? Do the stinging pests have little tiny phones they are supposed to call with if they can't resist staying away?
d) Of course you know I couldn't resist calling the number. The number leads to the Leon County Division of Parks and Recreation, which tells you if it is an after hours emergency to call the Leon County Sheriff's Office. That is assuming you haven't lost all oxygen to your brain from the anaphylactic shock you may be in by this point.* 

*Important caveat. Although this post pokes a bit of fun at the Parks Division for the sign, I am a die-hard fan of the Greenway. As a runner, I never take for granted how well-maintained the greenway is, and how fortunate we are in Tallahassee to have miles and miles of safe and beautiful running areas. I frequently see the work crews out there keeping the bathrooms and other areas clean for our enjoyment. I am sure it is this care and commitment that led to the placement of the sign in the first place.

One Year Later, A Family Walks in the Rain

Between nightfall on June 2, 2011 and dawn on June 3, 2011, Robert, Charlene, and Rebecca Spierer's lives changed forever, along with those of countless relatives and friends.

Lauren Spierer, daughter, sister, and friend, disappeared (this Indianapolis Monthly article provides a detailed timeline of events between the disappearance and now).

Prior to June 3, 2011, Robert, Charlene, Rebecca, and Lauren shared a figurative umbrella of family togetherness. Even though they may have been distant physically, there was always the phone, email, texting, all of the ways most of us remain connected these days.

Photo credit:  Free Digital Photos

After Lauren disappeared, I joined the social media community in blogging, vlogging, and tweeting in support of her family.

Lauren's story stood out to me because (among other things), she is the same age as my nieces and shares the same heart arrhythmia (Long QT Syndrome) that caused the death of my sister in law (and a condition that several of my family members have).

Why support this stranger? Why her when there are so many people missing? Of course I hope for all missing persons cases to be resolved. From the beginning, though, I have felt an uncommon connection to Lauren and her family. I am pretty sure if things were reversed, they would encourage me to keep hope alive and would pray for a resolution to this nightmare. If they wouldn't, I have seen over the past year that so many people, from every faith tradition and all walks of life, would.

When I was wracking my brain to figure out what to write about "One Year Later," our priests at Holy Comforter Episcopal church sang the song "Take All The Lost Home" at a gathering last night. Some of the lyrics spoke to me about Lauren, especially these:

"Talk all the lost home

remember their names

Their journey is yours friend..."

"Walk close by the children

and learn their refrains

and leave your umbrellas

while you learn to walk in the rain."

One year later, I still pray daily that the Spierer family will no longer have to walk in the rain, deprived of the comforting umbrella of closure, knowledge, and the Lauren-ness of Lauren.

"Looking back is incredibly sad, but going forward without answers is impossible."

                                                                                                            -Charlene Spierer

Wordless Wednesday (#StyleMeMay Fancy Day Edition)

As May draws to a close, I am thrilled to focus on "fancy" day from #StyleMeMay. For "fancy day," I am sharing a beautiful dress, necklace, and earrings from the collection at Quarter Moon Imports here in Tallahassee.

Besides looking great, this dress is SO comfortable!

The necklace and earrings are perfect accompaniments.

A closer look.

(A detailed close-up of the earrings.)

Photo Credit: Quarter Moon Imports

This dress just makes me want to read about fancy things.......

And then convince other members of the household to enjoy fancy day

 along with me!

If you live here in Tallahassee, I encourage you to stop by and explore all of the interesting, stylish items of clothing, jewelry, and home decor that they have there. Also, the staff are so enthusiastic and welcoming. If you don't live here in Tallahassee, you can order items!

The items featured here are:

Dress by Pura Vida

Amano Rose Necklace

Amano Heart/Bow Dangle

To visit the site of Quarter Moon Imports, click here.

.Thank you to Wendy, owner of Quarter Moon, and Tanya, who helped me put this outfit together!

Thank you to Tenley Kiger for indulging her mother by taking pictures of a cat-filled "fancy" photo session!

Happy Father's Day! (A Mama Kat Post)

This week, I chose to do Mama Kat prompt #3, list 10 things you'd would love to give your husband or Dad for Father's Day. A list of what I would like to give him is probably the only thing I can afford this year anyway!

1. The Saleen Truck he wants.

The closest we have come is this valve cap covers he was given when he and Wayne Kevin visited a Saleen dealership a few years ago and took a test drive:

2. Time/Money to golf a lot more.

Source: Free Digital Photos

3. The trip to Europe he has always wanted to take on the Q.E. II (because he doesn't like to fly).

4. The family trip across America in an RV that he wants to take.

5. Members of the family willing and enthusiastic to do #4 (it would take some convincing).

6. Resuming season tickets to FSU Football.

7. The conversation with his brother, Chuck, that I think every member of our family wishes they could have - the one where we tell him to hang in there - that he can't possibly know how many people love him and want to help him fight his demons. To read about Chuck, click here.

8. An incredible outdoor kitchen, with a gorgeous walkway to a sparkling pool, surrounded by lush Florida-friendly landscaping.

9. An end to the interminable job-hunt process that started in August 2010. The continued support of great people who return calls, do what they say they do, and remain friends through thick and thin. A paycheck (obviously, please, sooner rather than later thankyouverymuch) but more than that, the reassurance that there's some vocation out there that's so exciting it makes waking up every morning an act that inflates the spirit. 

10. The gift of no more smoking. We want him around to get all the items on this list (and  more).

Wordless Wednesday (Pearl Edition)

Today is "pearls" day in the #StyleMeMay Challenge.  

I did wear Pearls today:

I like these pearl earrings because they're a) unique, b) dressed down enough for day, and c) dressy enough for evening.

But the better pearl story involves these pearls:

My son got them for me on two separate trips to Sea World. At Sea World, they make a big production out of "harvesting" the pearls from an oyster the customer chooses. Clearly I feel prey to the thrill twice, at a cost of $15 or so each time, then the pearls just sat in my drawer. Whenever we have been near a Michael's or other craft store, Wayne Kevin would beg me to buy jewelry supplies so we could turn the pearls into something wearable. I was a little too cheap and a little too clueless to actually do that.


But then "pearl day" came up and I had to take a picture of something.

Since I don't (yet) own this incredible pearl necklace made at a Guatemala fair trade shop, and sold locally at  Quarter Moon Imports:

Photo Credit: Altiplano

I decided instead to tweet the picture of the Sea World pearls with text that said, "What should I do with these?"

And my friend Barbara, who is super-crafty, tweeted and DM'd me options, including a local craftsman who is probably a lot more proficient at jewelry making than I am.

This story is not over, but if there's a category of "jewelry made from something awesome your kid gave you" in a future #StyleMe month, I am on my way to being prepared!