If The Trend Continues, We will Be Flossing

It's been a few days since I've blogged. 

Our horses are home and we get to spend time with them.
But I'm not blogging on that.

A couple days ago I helped build a pen for our oldest daughter's soon to arrive new horse (a mustang).
But I'm not blogging on that.

Yesterday we had about 12" of new snow, and the temp was *8F this morning.
But I'm not blogging on that.

I'm blogging on TP.


Now, I have noticed a trend lately.  Manufacturers are downsizing the packaging or product size for the stuff they sell. It is getting very hard to buy a half gallon of ice cream. It can still be done, and I make sure I don't buy the "one and a half quart" container, even if it means I don't get any ice cream.  I can not tell you how mad I was a couple years back when I realized I hadn't bought a gallon of paint. 

It was 3 5/8 quarts.

REALLY?!?


Well, we have a lodge with 13 guest rooms.  We sometimes have up to 28 guests spending the night with us.  We feed and house these nice folks, and take care of their needs.  We are the ones who buy the huge cases of eggs,  massive bundles of paper towels, and megga cases of TP at the warehouse clubs. We go through a lot of toilet paper.  A LOT of toilet paper.

This week we bought a case of TP and I noticed the box was different.  Sure enough, the rolls were now 429 sheets rather than 450 sheets.  "You jerks" I think to myself.

I install a roll in one of our holders.

Really?  Fewer squares AND a narrower roll?

Four inches wide, rather than four and a half inches wide.

I looked for wider stuff, but I can't buy it in bulk locally.  Most manufacturers seem to have gone narrower.

Tomorrow I will be looking for new TP holders for the lodge.


So to the corporate leaders that make the decisions to downsize products:  Please let me know that is what you do when you check in to my lodge to spend the night.

Your check out is 37 minutes and 18  seconds sooner than anyone else's.

Bill

Free Time Ain't Free

I seem to have a little extra free time lately.  Usually I post something on the blog when this happens.    I try to make the blogs "light and funny", with somewhat mixed results.

But I haven't been feeling overly funny lately.

The flood last month shut us down for nearly a week.  Roads washed out.  Rocky Mountain National Park closed.  Men at road blocks with fully automatic assault rifles turning non residents away (We gave them cookies.  You should be nice to people with machine guns...).

Now the federal government shutdown.  Park closed again.  So people that want to come stay with us have to drive extra far and even though there are no soldiers blocking the road, they just don't want to do it.  Even though it's a REALLY BEAUTIFUL DRIVE!  And even if they do make the drive, they can't go hiking in the Park.  'Cause it's closed.

Really?  They closed a forest?  Poor homeless elk and moose.  Now they are trespassing. 

Criminals.

It's really frustrating.  I mean, whom do you sue?  You can't sue anyone over the flood.  God may not have any lawyers up there, but he has the judge in his pocket.  And you can't sue the federal government because they have more lawyers than humans in DC. 

(I like picking on lawyers.  I have several friends that are lawyers.  Thinking on it, I also have several friends that have spent time in jail.  I suspect I have very poor taste in friends.)

The flood caught every one by surprise.  The government shut down, not so much.  Lots of people worked very hard to make that happen.

As a young adult, I found that my politics could be considered "moderate".  I was pleased.  I thought "Hey!  I can see BOTH SIDES of the issues!"  How very lucky for me!

In reality, it only means the both sides just P!$$ ME THE #ELL OFF.

So, here's what I'm thinking.  If I can't do anything about the weather, maybe it's time to become politicaly active again.

Introducing... THE ONE HUNDRED PERCENTERS!

AX 'EM ALL

One hundred percent of the folks holding a federal, elected office in Washington DC in September of 2013, should not be re-elected to office.  Period.  Even if you (or I) agree with there positions, if they are to inept to do their jobs or even figure out HOW to do their jobs, they are gone.

Pass it on.

It is a fine line between a moderate and an anarchist in a highly partisan political system.

Bill