Just When You Thought

 it was safe to go back into the factory, the drama just keeps on coming.  

I don't even know what started it all, but it was a doozy.  See, two of the new hire brazers got mad over the amount they are getting paid.  I don't know all the details, but the way it works is when you get hired, you're put on probation for the first several months.  You get paid a probationary wage, then every so often, you get what they call step-up raises.  Once you've made it through the probation period, you start earning the standard wage for your position.  

Well, apparently these two decided that they shouldn't have to go through the probation and should be able to skip to the end and start earning the regular starting wage.  When they found out they couldn't, they both grabbed their stuff and left.  Maybe they'll be back on Monday.  Maybe they won't.  I guess we'll see. 

The one I call The Mouth kept saying she made such and such amount at her old job, but only makes such and such here.  So, why didn't she stay at her old job?  I said, "Well, if she worked there like she works where -- which is not at all-- she probably got fired."  

Seriously, before she left today, she brazed six headers in two hours.  Six.  And that is typical of her.  I've often said if she ran her stand as much as she runs her mouth, she'd actually get something done.  The department got mighty quiet after they left, but we still got just as much done without them. 

They weren't the only ones who left early today.  A lot of the people who had come to day shift last year when they shut down second shift had gotten comfortable, and didn't want to go back.  There was a constant stream of people going to Cuz and the HR director all day long, and a bunch of them left.  I guess we shall see.  

I hadn't planned on going into town today, because I have plenty of food at home, but I remembered I needed to pay my house note, so I went anyway.  Since I was there anyway, I ran by Walmart and bought a sweet banana pepper plant and a tabasco pepper plant. 

A couple of years ago, Cody had said something about making home made pepper sauce.  I don't remember if he was using tabasco or some other kind of pepper, but I thought he might want to try it with these.  Now my little pepper bed is complete.  I have two spots left in my partial-shade bed, but haven't decided what to put into them.  

I'm telling you, this rain we had today really brought out the mock strawberries, so after I had nestled my new pepper plants into their new home, I made myself a salad of American Plantain garnished with mock strawberries. 

To be honest, the strawberries don't have much flavor, but the plantain is dee-lish-us.  You have to make sure you get the tender new leaves from the center of the plant, because the larger leaves can be tough and they get those stringy veins in them.  They're better for eating cooked, but I haven't tried that yet.  

In other news, the gastroenterology clinic finally called and I got my colonoscopy scheduled.  I was trying to text Cody to let him know the details, and I kept messing up.  I mean, really messing up.  I was getting so frustrated, and exclaimed, "Why is this so hard?"  

That's when I realized my phone's keyboard was set to French.  

That explains a lot.