The Magic Number

Seven seems to be the magic number.  At work, I mean.  And why do I say this?  Well, I'll tell you.  

Yesterday, we had eight brazers show up, which still left us shorthanded by 30%.  Technically, 33.333333 to infinity %, but let's not quibble over decimal points, OK?  Even so, the powers that be must think 60% staffing is too many.  As soon as the lines whimpered, my supervisor rolled over and showed his belly like a whipped dog, and sent a brazer back there.  This, despite the fact that on Monday, we only had five show up and no one sent us any help.  We just had to --um, how do they put it?  Work harder, braze faster, you lazy bums!  

Today, we only had seven brazers show up, so he didn't move anyone.  I guess that means they think we can get by with seven, but an eighth brazer is superfluous.  Either way, it puts a lot more work on the rest of us, you know, the ones who do show up to work.  That nice, comfortable 14-15 hour lead time we'd had built up, that's gone now, and the lines are right on us.  But do they care?  No.  Work harder!  Braze faster!  You lazy bums.  

Man, I need a nap. 

Moving right along, remember my Stalker?  Remember when he got that job back in the lab and we thought we were rid of him?  Turns out, we only thought he was out of our hair.  Every single day, he's got to come out to the department, and just stand there for a while.  Today was no different.  What was different was today Particularly Outspoken Coworker turned around and saw him, and shouted, "[Stalker] why do you always come out here every day and just stand there looking with your ugly @$$?  You died to get that job back there, and you need to stay back there!"  

Hah!  We all laughed so hard at that, but no one -- no one -- laughed harder than me.  

In other news, I decided it was finally time to get these little bluebonnet seedlings into the ground.

They're big enough, and we're past the threat of a late frost.  I mean, not totally, but if we had a frost this late in the year, I'd be really surprised.  I marked them with flags so that if I do find someone to do my yard this year, maybe they won't get weedeated down.  Like my last ones did.  Which I still have not gotten over. 

I'd originally thought I'd plant all of the seedlings, well, the bigger ones at least, but changed my mind.  I'd intended to pull up all the weed barrier cloth I'd put down last year -- because it didn't work that well anyway -- but I only got this far before I stopped.

The reason I stopped is twofold.  One, because I didn't want to risk killing my bachelor's buttons. 

I'm not sure if they rooted through the cloth, or came up in a cut or something, but I don't want to risk it.  Sometime over the next few days, I'm going to have to get my scissors out and cut the cloth out around them, leaving them undisturbed. I'd have done it today, but I was already tired, and my legs were sore from moving some mulch from the old flower bed to my lantana bed. 

It looks a lot better now.  Oh, and yes, I weeded the bed first.  

Finally, a bit of good news.  It's not supposed to rain significantly until Sunday/Monday.  Maybe my yard will dry out enough for me to mow it before the weeds get to be knee high!  

Maybe...