Tracer Works at Trader Joe's!

Alright, I have not posted in a little while but not too many people are rushing out to read my blog on a daily basis. I have been a bit busy these last few weeks after all!

I started working part time at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and have been there long enough to have gotten a second paycheck. This is in addition to my regular day gig at Manheim. I needed a second job so I could get caught up and become debt free with the exception of the mortgage. Over the last few years I've applied at several retail type places but didn't get hired, I guess my heart wasn't in it and they could read that during the interview process! I even applied at TJ's last fall before they were open and didn't get hired. Who knows why they didn't hire me then but I spoke with the Captain in early June and she had me fill out another application and I got called for an interview and hired pretty quickly. The gal who interviewed me told me that they hired a whole bunch of folks in the beginning who just didn't work out but they were "hiring the cream" now. So, I'm working 2 - 3 evenings and most Saturdays and I'm having a blast even though it's very hard work! Most of you reading this know that I worked at TJ's in California for 5 and a half years so I sort of knew what I was getting into. Things really haven't changed much for the part timers except that the registers scan now and we don't need to memorize & call out prices. Also, since the registers scan now, we don't need to price every little thing in the store anymore.

Georgia's liquor laws are a bit backward so things are a bit complicated but TJ's has come up with an interesting solution. We have a special Trader Joe's label for our "Charles Shaw" wine also known as "Two Buck Chuck". It says Trader Joe's right on the label to discourage other retailers from buying our product and putting it in their stores but believe it or not, it's been seen at a couple of Kroger & Publix stores!

Well, I've begun to ramble so I'm going to sign off here pretty quickly! Mom & I are off to Ohio again this weekend since Cousin Deb & Family will be up there and it's cheaper for us to visit with them there than to try to get to California for a visit.

More soon...

Stuff off the top of my head.

Mom & I went to Holmes County Ohio last week and had a really terrific time! We went up for the Hummel Reunion. This reunion has been taking place every other year for my whole life and quite possibly since many years before I was born. We are all decendants of Crist & Amanda Hummel who were hard working folk in Holmes County. Sadly, both of them were gone long before I was born. We were talking about them this trip and how they had 10 children! Two died in infancy and one girl died at 16 when she had an attack of apendecitis and they operated on the kitchen table. The apendix must have burst because she did not survive the surgery. I have a picture of Crist & Amanda and I have a picture of the 7 siblings (Ray, Esther, Fanny, Isaac, May, Paul & Dean) taken at a reunion sometime in the 60's when I was just a little kid. I think the photo was taken at Uncle Paul & Aunt Mary's place. Both pictures are framed and up on a shelf in my home. Only Uncle Dean, Aunt Jeanette & Aunt Mary are left from that generation and it was so good to see the three of them last weekend!

We decided to be tourists in Holmes County this trip and had a really great time. We went to Behalt which is a 265 foot circular painting depicting the origins of the Amish, the Mennonites, Hutterites, Seperatists, etc. We really learned a whole lot and thought it was quite an interesting visit. The next day we went to lunch at a Tea House with some of Mom's childhood friends and then we went to Zoar which is a Seperatists Village with some very interesting history. The gardens were gorgeous and the shop keepers we spoke with were really terrific representative of the town. None of the decendents are there any longer and are actually a little embarrassed to claim that they are from this lovely little village.

We'll go back for a weekend in early August when Cousin Deb & Family will be in town for their annual visit and we're excited to see them!