“What do you suppose it’s like, living the way normal people do?”
It was a question neither of us felt we could answer.
These days I’m not sure there is such a thing, but what I was referring to was living with just a couple of pets, rather than a bunch of elderly cats.
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We spent most of Friday morning cleaning up, each mess leading to another.
The dear little darlings have a vast array of boxes and blankets and soft furnishings because of course, they must have choices!
And it is hard to keep up as we still pretend to have lives of our own.
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We repurpose Chewy delivery boxes as beds and as enclosures for litter pans, to contain some of the mess.
Swapping them out led to a bonfire.
Chewy is the company we buy cat food and supplies from. They are very prompt and they have great customer service.
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The only problem with Chewy is their packing department which is lacking a sense of purpose. Their work suggests a degree of utter boredom with the job.
Clearly, they are not paid to think or to care, merely to place items in boxes and slap address labels on them.
Containers of treats arrive cracked open and spilling out. Once it was litter that burst open.
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Each time I complained, I immediately received replacements and apologies.
Feeling bad about the company’s losses, I asked if it would be better to place orders for specific items that might travel better together, but was told oh no, don’t bother. Just call whenever you need.
They don’t even ask for photographs.
For a while, I cut back my orders, but I missed the convenience of the deliveries, especially when Covid hit.
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These days I don’t ask for replacements. I just scoop up treats from broken containers and pour them into one of my own.
It seems sad that a company’s philosophy does not include paying their employees to do a decent job, but is this not the way of the future?
It is curious that this company’s customer services staff are so efficient.
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In the days before we were hooked up to a cable network, I was frequently on the phone with my service provider’s helpline which left me twitching with frustration and no satisfaction.
Since then, I have managed to avoid phone conversations of that type.
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Chewy connects via email which is my preferred method. My account has details of my cats that are always asked after.
A few months ago I was sent a painting of Willow that was done from a photograph on their file.
Chewy strikes me as a genuinely nice company. Maybe it is not possible to pay people enough to become invested in packing boxes properly.
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Clearly, I am totally out-of-touch with the ways of the modern world.
Yesterday, I saw a photograph of the new British Airways uniform. I had seen pictures before and thanked my stars I never had to wear such a monstrosity.
Only an emaciated person could look presentable in it.
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The picture I saw yesterday though, was of a female, a male and a bearded person in a dress. It’s a matter of adjustment, I realise.
After all, many Scotsmen wear beards and kilts. Is there a difference?
In my mind, wanting to wear a dress would preclude growing a beard.
Maybe it wouldn’t seem so odd if the person didn’t look pregnant.
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As we were outside, I decided to investigate those curious stripes that had suddenly appeared on the hill opposite.
We had heard a machine but somehow had not seen it in action, which in itself is curious…
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Having taken a few pictures, I returned to stare at the bonfire, then went in for lunch.
Not long after which:
“What happened to the stripes!”
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They hadn’t quite all disappeared.
But a machine appeared to be hoovering them up.
Back out I went. Nosey neighbour.
(No! Just interested which is different.)
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Then I caught sight of those shapes.
The ones I always want to photograph.
Hay bales. Ah!
While the sun shone.
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They barely made it!
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Metamorphosis.
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How quickly a scene can change.
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Our fine morning had turned to overcast, to rain, then late in the day it was bright enough to emphasise the rapidly changing colours all around us.
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Our small bonfire had long since burned out. The big pile of sticks that remains is from last year when I decreed that it should be a birdhouse or a home for any creature that happened by.
There are several tunnels now but I know not who resides.
Grant added to the pile recently. I shall be fascinated to see what grows there next Spring.
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When the light goes, it is interesting how the cornfield almost appears to glow.
Thank you, Carolyn, for your todays musing about the normality of the modern world.
I often seem to ask myself the same.
Joanna
Nice photos and story, thank you for sharing. It might also be attitude towards the job. People does not care, they just do w/o the consequences.
I’m a little confused with the picture you painted of the British Airways uniform gang … that’s why I enjoyed your own photos so much more! I always enjoy seeing how hay bales are formed in the fields – one day on our Camino in Spain we sat for almost an hour watching how a farmer worked very cleverly with his machine to gather hay bales. It was fascinating.
Here is a photo of the new unifrom, including ‘non-binary’. It is in a newspaper article.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12595623/Female-BA-staff-furious-cheap-uniforms-designed-non-binary-crew.html
Oh … that’s interesting. Thanks for sharing Pete.
Thanks Pete! That was the picture I saw.
I guess the picture explains!
Thanks, it does. I was struggling to get the picture in my head that you wrote about … and to my surprise it was exactly as you described it.
I like the sound of that Chewy company. Their customer service appears to be excellent. I would also forgive them for sloppy packaging if they are that good.
Best wishes, Pete.
I saw the gender neutral British Airways uniforms and must admit to being a little gobsmacked! (utterly astounded)