Gotta Laugh

At some men’s irrational fear of feminine products. I’m sorry. I certainly don’t mean to offend anyone by discussing this but I have a question. If you are put off then stop reading now and come back tomorrow.

What’s the big deal with carrying an unopened box of products? Why do grown men get so flustered about this stuff? Today I watched a male grab two very heavy boxes, allowing the other guy with him the two very light ones just because one was a box of hygiene supplies. He’d rather risk injury than be seen crossing the street with that box in his possession. It made me wonder. After all, if they’re putting tab A into slot B then surely they are aware of certain facts about how women work, just as the vast majority of the adult population is. If not, they have no business doing the slot thing in the first place.

Years ago I was a buyer and I had to order the supplies to restock the machines in the ladies’ restrooms. The first salesman I had blushed and couldn’t talk about it. Cracked me up every time and of course I had to call with questions often just to torment him. He had a problem even giving me pricing. As you might guess, he didn’t last all that long. Possibly I had something to do with that but really, he was in the wrong line of work.

The next rep I had was a pleasant surprise. He not only could discuss the products with ease but showed up and asked questions when his company shipped the non-preferred variety. He went so far as to open a package of each to see the difference so he would be knowledgeable with his other accounts. He did very well and lasted for years. In fact, that was over 20 years ago and we’ve both since moved on but still stay in touch.

Sorry, got sidetracked. As I started out asking, why are men so silly about something that is simply a part of everyday life? Ladies, if you have sons, please teach them better. Gentlemen, if you’ve made it this far, explain please.

A note on yesterday's blog - Taz is not a new kitten. He's the first cat I had when I got my house 25 years ago. He always wanted his story told and I think it's time. There are more episodes to come.

Taz Comes Home

Once upon a time there was a little orange and white kitten who lived in the Tall Grass with his brothers and sisters. They played and chased butterflies in the sunshine and then all curled up in a heap to sleep.

One day, strangers came to the Tall Grass and looked over all the kittens. One by one, the others were taken away until only the little orange and white kitten was left. He had heard his Food Givers talking with the strangers. No one picked him because they all thought his ears were much too big. They laughed at him.

The little orange and white kitten was very sad. He was loney. He had no one to play with and his Food Givers ignored him most of the time. He was afraid he would be alone forever and then suddenly one last stranger arrived. She scooped up the little orange and white kitten and hugged him to her, declaring that he was absolutely perfect. She tucked him in close and took him with her out of the Tall Grass.

The stranger took the little orange and white kitten to someplace she called Home. Inside, she hadbowls for his sips and crunches, just for him! She also gave him his very own sandbox. She carried him all over Home, talking the whole time, telling the little orange and white kitten how happy she was that he was there with her.

Then the stranger, his new Food Giver as he figured out, put him down and let him explore. The step mountain was too high for him to climb easily so he only went part way up but once he was there, he sat down and looked around. She was watching him closely. When he started to climb down, he almost fell but she caught him, cuddling him close again, telling him to be careful because she would hate for him to be hurt.

As he wandered around his Food Giver talked to him. She asked what his name was and wondered if it might be Cody. Cody? No, that wasn’t it. The little orange and white kitten had to help her. He remembered the other Food Givers had a loud box with little creatures that moved inside it. One of them had the same name as he did. She had a box just like it so maybe she knew about the creature too. If he acted the same as it did, maybe she would be able to guess his name so he ran around in circles really, really fast until he got dizzy and fell over.

The new Food Giver saw him. She picked him up and looked right in his little face. She asked what he was up to. When she put him back down, he did it again but this time he sat before he fell and looked at her. He meowed his little meow. After a minute, she picked him up again and asked if his name was Taz. Yay! She understood!

And that is how Taz found his Home.