Community Art Projects

Back in 2014, St. Louis celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding. Over 250 decorated fiberglass cakes were displayed throughout the metropolitan area celebrating our diversity and history. In 2019, St. Charles celebrated their 250th anniversary by having 25 decorated dog statues sprinkled throughout their area. The dog statues were in honor of Seaman, the Newfoundland that accompanied Lewis and Clark on their trek west. 

Starting this weekend, the American Cancer Society will be celebrating the opening of a new Hope House for people being treated for cancer here in St. Louis. The new Hope House will have 42 suites and to raise awareness of this endeavor, artists have decorated 42 doors in honor of cancer patients and survivors and their families. These doors will be displayed in various places throughout the region.

Just like the St. Louis cakes and the Seaman dogs, I will be making the journey to capture as many of these doors as I can. However, unlike the previous two projects, this one will be personal. Many people in my life have succumbed to cancer, including my father. I'm dedicating my journey to them.

Now, I wish to change the direction of this blog. Let's talk about the broader purpose of community art projects and, more specifically, how we can better represent all the great things about our own North County region. Our area is rich in history and diversity. And since we are all still sheltering in place, we have time to think about this and toss around ideas.

Bridgeton, Hazelwood and Florissant were started in the late 18th century as frontier outposts.  Ferguson was a train stop in the mid-1800's. Most of the area we call home now really didn't come into existence until the 20th century. 

While town incorporation anniversary dates vary, it is hard to pick a specific date as an anniversary. However, we can still pick a milestone of some sort. Or a theme. Here are a few ideas:

• St. Charles Rock Road - the first highway that led settlers from St. Louis to St. Charles. Picture wagon trains, horses, cattle, wagon wheels, pioneers.
• Farming communities - North County was largely agrarian until World War II. Woodson Road was a dirt road for a long time. Picture plows, cabins, horses, cattle.
• Aviation - Lambert started out as a race track, then a balloon launch field, then grew into a major airport hub. Remember when McDonnell Douglas was a major employer here? You couldn't turn a corner without bumping into a Mac employee. Picture bi-planes and jets. 
• Since St. Louis was a major jumping off point for people heading west, and we were a major transportation hub, how about a compass?
• We need to celebrate our diversity. Flags representing our heritage and where we all come from. Or incorporate it in with the compass idea.

Let's all reach out to one another and our community leaders and see what we can do. An art project such as what we have seen could bring us together as a community and dispel the myth that permeates our area as a thugs and drugs district. We have a lot of creative minds. I believe we can do this.

Hope to hear your ideas soon!

A Letter to My Friends

Dearest Friends:

The quarantine and furlough have been rough. I'm tired and while I've held up pretty well for two and a half months, I'm starting to crumble a bit. And it's not for lack of things to do - I have plenty to keep me busy until Fall. I miss seeing you. I miss hearing your voices. I miss your diverse personalities - even the irritating ones. I miss your unique perspectives on various issues. I learn a lot from you.

Now, once again, we have a situation of police brutality against an African American man in Minneapolis. I don't understand how this is still happening in our country. Have we learned nothing from the past? My heart breaks over this. I'm not saying this to be politically correct. Hopefully, you know me better than that. I think, what if this man were your husband, brother, father, son, boyfriend? You know I would be there for you, arms wrapped around you as tight as you will let me (social distancing be damned). I would cry with you and pray with you and beg God to ease your pain. It would be personal for me, because you are my friends.

I would hope you would do the same for me. However, we all know that may never happen because I'm white. I'm sorry about my privilege. If I could share it with you, I would in a heartbeat. In truth, there shouldn't be a thing called white privilege. We Americans are all covered by the same Constitution; yet, the administration of our guaranteed rights is subject to the color of our skin. This is wrong.

The current administration is doing nothing to comfort our nation that is grieving in so many ways. The healing and repairs needed will have to come from the people. All of us. This means we must all stand together against unjust practices, root out corruption, and, most importantly, vote in every election. Every election -  from the local school board to the Presidency. Keeping up with all this can be tedious. I agree. I'm busy, too. However, I fear that our "busyness" is how we got to where we are today.

My dear friends, I want you to know that I care about you, love and miss you dearly, and hope to see all of you soon, if life ever returns to "normal." Like you, I just want to live my life in peace, earn a descent living, and be surrounded by a loving family and friends. I value each and every one of you.

Prayers and Blessings,

Elizabeth

Our New Normal?

I think by now everyone is tired of hearing anything related to the global pandemic, the COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus. As we all know, most of the world is shut down because of this deadly pandemic, and for good reason. People have died from this invisible thing. I am among the many who are taking the extra steps to washing my hands longer, using hand sanitizer a bit more, and watching my own health so that I don't bring germs home to my husband who has compromised immunity.

Macy's has closed shop for two weeks, which means I'm on an unplanned vacation with minimal pay. I'm grateful for something, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm using this time to catch up on housework, my craft projects, writing, and reading. Cooking will increase and new recipes will be tried. Already I discovered Irish soda bread and it is really good. I don't know if this is a new thing, but if not, I wonder if my Irish ancestors ever made it.

Jack is watching all his favorite shows, which are not all my favorite shows. When I read that a movie that I hadn't seen since I was a girl was on Amazon Prime, I powered up my laptop and settled in for Rogers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella." This is the one with Leslie Ann Warren and was made in 1965. I remember sitting in front of our black & white television and watching, absolutely glued, to the show and the music. I also remember fleeing to my mother's lap in tears when the step-mother and step-sisters were so mean to Cinderella. I remember dreaming of dancing a waltz with my Prince Charming; this dream stayed with me well into adulthood. Yes, I found my Prince Charming, but he can't waltz if his life depended on it. Oh well, he has many other wonderful qualities.

While the world is grinding to a halt, or seems to be, I want to share some thoughts that bring hope for a brighter future.

• Trucks are still delivering goods to market (I saw quite a few on the highway yesterday)
• Babies are still being born (Gotta love those baby smiles and giggles)
• Parents and teachers will truly work together to educate children
• We are more cognizant of how we impact the vulnerable among us
• You really don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only thing you have

Dear readers, we will weather this just as we have gotten through rough times in our past. We have survived tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, severe recessions, and gas shortages. We will get through this. Better and stronger.

Macy's. You're Killing Me

Just shy of a year ago, I was promoted to a new position that was supposed to enhance sales within Macy's. This was a corporate sponsored position, which means that select stores across the country would have dedicated personnel to provide more personalized customer service. I and three other women (whom I've known for years) were chosen for this role at our store. While I had my doubts about my level of patience required for this position, I accepted it as a challenge. Over the course of the following months, I purchased better quality clothing and shoes to reflect my new role. I wanted this position to succeed and dressing the part was an important ingredient.

Yeah.

Right off the bat, all four of us were tasked with running racks of clothing back to where they belonged, cleaning and folding merchandise, covering lunch breaks and department shortages. Pretty much everything EXCEPT one-on-one sales. The business cards we were supposed to get never materialized. My better wardrobe was a risk of being ruined, so I stopped wearing them and dressed down. I addressed my concerns with our store vice president at the time. He assured me that once staffing was at optimal levels, we would be freed up to do our new jobs. News update: he retired a few months later. And staffing never increased. Meanwhile, we heard rumors that other people in our position at other locations were allowed to perform their job duties. The new store vice president only lasted four months before she quit. She was nice, but politely ignored us. The next new store vice president promised to meet with us after inventory was over.

Inventory just finished. So were our jobs.

For now, I'm still employed at Macy's.  Kind of a "Girl Friday" way. Pretty much as I have been for the past year. Come Spring, they will roll out a "new" recovery team for the whole store. We've had a recovery team in the past and it didn't last long. So, it looks like I may have another year with Macy's before they decide to lay me off. I could have accepted the severance package that was also offered to me, but I want to leave on my terms, not Macy's.

Here's what is getting at me. The previous position was never given a chance to work. We never had management buy-in. We were never truly permitted to do our jobs as they were described to us. I can't enhance sales if I'm running go-backs all day. I can't escort a hapless customer to the right department if I'm tethered to a cash register. I had a few ideas of how to make these positions more productive and customer-centric. I had a couple of success stories I wanted to share.

Gone.

I've seen this with some of the other positions the management team dreamed up. Brand/Department specialists - no longer around. Shop Captains - never had any teeth to the position. Bridal consultants - gone. It seems that someone dreams up these things but no one has any investment in the idea. I feel my time (not to mention my money) has been wasted.

The easy answer here is to find another job. Well, things are more complicated than that in our household. Due to my husband's increasing health issues, now I'm on intermittent family leave. This is so I can be available to help my husband when he needs me and not lose my job. While I'm on FMLA, I am not allowed to look for another job, nor can I be self-employed. So, my hands are tied for the foreseeable future.

All I can do is take one day at a time. I have to trust God on this and leave it in His hands.

But, I'm still mad.

End of Year Ramblings

Here we are again, saying goodbye to another year and getting ready to greet a new one. I've seen a few references on Facebook about returning to the Roaring Twenties with pictures of flapper girls. While the reference is cute, let's not forget what happened at the end of that decade. Not a fun time and best not repeat it. Even so, I look at those flapper girls and remember that my mother's generation would be about 100 years old now.

2019 was a busy year for us. Busier than I realized since I discovered I hadn't made any blog entries for most of the year. Sorry about that.

I got a job promotion at Macy's - at least that's what it sounded like. I'm no longer assigned to one register and ring out customers. I'm supposed to move about the floor, helping customers with product questions and assist in enhancing their purchases. More one on one sales. This sounded interesting and challenging. The reality has become that I'm lunch relief, department coverage when people don't show up for work, fulfillment help, rack runner, and clean up crew. I'm not happy.

This year we lost three pieces of our hearts. Our senior cat, Rocky, died last June of bladder cancer. He was 17 years old. During the course of his lifetime, he helped our kids get through a lot of life challenges. He was an emotional support cat before it was a thing.  We also lost my husband's aunt. She was a petite lady who was amazingly up on the latest technology. Not bad for someone born almost a hundred years ago. We also lost his mother a month after her sister passed. Irene was a phenomenal cook and I believe my kids picked up her innate ability to put together delicious foods right off the top of their heads.

We gained a new family member - a tiny rescue kitty who we named Casper. Actually, Sami wanted Chicken Nugget, I wanted Vanilla Bean, but since Jackie was in charge of the kitten's care, he got naming rights. Sami gave him to us at Christmas. At only 6 weeks, he has been a fluffy ball of energy, curiosity, and entertainment. Miss Rosie, however, isn't so sure about this new family member.

Christmas morning greeted us with a glorious sunrise. While I have to sign off now to take care of household business, please enjoy the picture. Happy New Year to all!

Black Friday Explained

With the recent death of my mother-in-law, I'm on funeral leave on what is traditionally the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Now, my mother-in-law worked for a local department store for 25 years, so she was extremely familiar with the craziness of this annual ritual. If I didn't know any better, I would swear she planned her passing to give me the weekend off as her Christmas gift to me. Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate the gesture, but a gift card would have been fine.

This morning, while drinking my coffee and getting ready for the funeral in a few hours, I read through my Facebook posts. A writer I know in Texas posted that her husband is experiencing his first Black Friday in retail and wondered what the day will bring for him. She never shopped on Black Friday and a number of other friends echoed the same sentiments.

Well, allow me to educate you on the behavior of Americans on Black Friday. I have worked in retail for ten years at a major department store and three years at a local craft store. What I am about to share with you is from experience.

Shoppers act like the store is on fire.

They get mad because the item they came for has sold out.

They go ballistic because we ran out of shopping bags. Or gift boxes.

What? We don't gift wrap anymore?

Yes, I'll waive the shipping fee for you.

That item is on hold for another customer and no you can't have it.

No, we are not best friends and I won't risk my job to give you extra discounts. My real friends would never ask that of me.

Screaming at me will not get you better service.

Thirty-day return policy on Last Act items is store policy and I cannot waive that. If you think your gift recipient may want to return the gift, then don't shop Last Act. Or better, get a gift card.

Is destroying the whole store really necessary?

I am not your babysitter. Watch your own children.

The women's restrooms are in the juniors' department. Men's is downstairs in Levi's.

The shoe department and men's clothing are on the first floor.

No, I cannot give you an empty shopping bag because your paper bag from another store broke. Buy something here and I can give you a bag. (shoplifting red flag)

Today is Black Friday. There will be lines at every register. Deal with it.

I don't write store policy nor do I write the exclusions on the coupons. I just work here.

Turning yourself inside out being nice to the person behind you in line and then lashing out at me only reflects your hypocrisy, not my competence. Merry Christmas.


This is a short list, but hopefully you get the idea. Please be kind to the store clerks. Some are operating on a few hours of sleep and would rather be home than working today.

Merry Christmas and blessings to all!

A Letter to My Husband's Mother

Dear Irene:

Today you passed this world to a better place. Your months of suffering are over. You have the peace you so desired your whole life. Your family weeps your passing, but we know you are in God's hands now.

Ten years and ten days after Jim's passing, we face yet another empty place at the dining room table. Some of my fondest memories are the amazing meals you would put together. For years I begged you for your chili recipe. I remember the puzzled look on your face, as if I was asking how to boil water. When I finally found a recipe I was willing to swear was your recipe, you gave me a sly smile and told me, "I don't put ketchup in my chili."

Your deep love for your family was evident in everything you did. Preparing great meals was just part of the job. You sewed, quilted, cleaned, read bedtime stories, and refereed fights. You chauffeured, mopped runny noses, met with teachers, and greeted new boyfriends and girlfriends. You oversaw the care of your own mother-in-law and worked hard to ensure her last years were comfortable. You even fished a snake out of Jack's sleeping bag when he returned from a Boy Scout camping trip.

Thank you for giving me your son. In doing so, we gave you two grandchildren to add to your growing family. We love you and will miss you terribly. Sleep well, dear lady.

Much love,

Elizabeth
your daughter-in-law