Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 21 May 2023

AQ: WOWIE, that giant mushroom is impressive!!!

AQ Thought I had replied but can't see it. Yes, they are white swans, black are very rare in the UK.

LYNETTE: I'm so very sorry about your health issues. I know that hospitalization is so difficult. I hope your treatments will be successful and you'll start feeling better.

LIMPY: Nice to see you! Hope you and Clare are having a good spring.

LINDY: I've enjoyed all your flowers. I'm different from all of you, because my favorites are the irises. They are very popular in my state. We had a big bed of them in all colors when I was a small child, and I still remember them. Yours are lovely.

ANNETTE: So sorry that your celebration dinner was ruined. What a mess. I am really, really sensitive to the odor of gas, and I probably would have fainted. Seriously.

HEATHER: Yes, servers are very dependent on tips here. If there's any way to treat workers badly, you will see it in the U.S. This country should be ashamed.

Lynette: Oh dear, sorry you 've been in the wars again, but very good to see you back in circulation!

Heather: I probably would've had a total fit if someone had the nerve to come and tell me I hadn't left a big enough tip! I'm sure they must have realized you were on vacation and should have had the class/manners/good taste to accept what was given in good grace. Bloody nerve!!

Lindybird: No problem with our aborted celebration - we were already smiling at the time; told the waiter to let us know if we should evacuate quickly. :-) We're going to try again next Tuesday (early in the week is better as it's a very popular restaurant with a noisy bar).

Diane: I was by a hardware store yesterday that was advertising $19/hour plus benefits..... Target is hiring at $17+/hour. Minimum wage in California is $15.50/hour. But still, none of that enough to live around here. I keep teasing OH that I want a part-time job in the hardware store - it's an old-fashioned one with a great garden department and full of fascinating corners and byways with all kinds of gadgets/tools you don't see anywhere else in town. I could putter for hours. It's very popular and always very busy, .

Busy catching up on paperwork and phone calls today; I'd really rather be working in the garden.....

ANNETTE: That's not enough to live on and afford all necessities anywhere in the U. S.

ANNETTE/DIANE - coincidentally, I heard a programme a few hours ago on BBC World Service. About the way that the tipping culture in the US is spreading beyond restaurants. There was an interview with the owner of a plant shop (?garden centre in UK?). She appears to put mandatory tips on customers' bills because her staff give advice regarding care etc of the plants.

Good Morning. Sorry to hear about your battles with your health, Lynette. Keep on keeping on! I hope you can get the help you need.

Yesterday sat in Sue's tiny garden - only as big as a large balcony - but the sun was delightful & she is planting clematis & honeysuckle.

Sunny out of the window here, so it will be pleasant, but I've got a massive To Do List so must crack on.

Edit:  Tipping is a funny subject -- why is it needed for some jobs only? I get mad because really the employers should be paying more for a job well done rather than extra having to be found by the clients. Mind you, having said that, I always tip the hairdresser!

Heather: I can see tipping for waitstaff who are running hither and yon and can make all the difference to a meal out, but a plant shop? I'd landscape with free mulch from the city before I'd do that. Stores here also have a "do you want to round-up the amount?" (adding whatever to bring the total up to the next dollar) which then goes to the Food Bank, a local charity, etc., and I like that, but I hate the new credit card machines you get in restaurants which ask do you want to add a tip (the lowest option is 15%) before you've even got the meal. I ignore them and just leave a cash tip. The only other places I tip are - as you mentioned - the hairdresser and the folks at the car wash, even if it's just a drive-through.

OK off my soapbox now and girding my loins for a morning of grocery shopping. Ugh.