Back to "normal"...whatever THAT is!!

Sigh!  It's all over...the stockings are no longer hung by the chimney with care...just the ugly winter vinyl now hung on the store windows to keep out the chilly air...UGH!!  Note to self: when I finally win that lottery, have insulated double-glazed energy-efficient windows installed at the store...THEN spend the rest saving the planet!!  Hmm, I wonder what the landlord would say if I asked him what he thought about replacing those three giant windows??  Probably something like, "I think your rent is going up...WA-A-AY UP!!!"...perhaps I'll stick to the original plan: lottery, windows, planet.

SIGH!!  So now what do Sammie and I do here at the store to wile away the weary winter days?  He already misses all the Christmas shoppers; he had great fun greeting people and following them around to collect his kitty-rubs as if it was an entrance fee!  Now he sits and stares at the door and sighs (seriously, the cat actually sighs!), as if to say, "Hey, where did everyone go?  It's okay, you can come back; she already scooped my litter box!".  There's only so much trouble the two of us can think up together, and my mind is already busy enough thinking of excuses for not starting the quarterly taxes...like blogging...c'mon, taxes or blogging?  I think we all know which takes priority!  Or a nap...perhaps Sammie and I could take a nice long nap...until Spring...

Sammie...the store "greeter"!

Sammie is, what I and the people who were looking after him figure, an abandoned housecat. He showed up in the countryside a couple of months ago, half-starved, but incredibly friendly and affectionate. He loves to cuddle, purr, and generally rub around everyone. The folks who named him Sammie were feeding him and allowing him to "crash" in their shed at night (they even put in a heater for him when it got cold), while they put up posters and online ads trying to find where he belonged. They grew quite attached to him, but were unfortunately unable to take him in. I was already fostering another orange kitty at the store, Jack, but wee Jack was being adopted soon, so I agreed (once Jack went to his new home) to keep Sammie at the store. He'd at least have a warm and safe place to stay, and with all the attention Jack received, I figured I'd have no difficulty finding a good home for Sammie if he wasn't truly happy here. He settled in right away, however, as if he'd always lived in the store! He loves people and enjoys greeting customers (when he's not on a break!), so until I can afford to hire staff, I'm not seeing a reason to hasten his departure; customer service is customer service, whether it comes on two legs or four!