Jeanne-ology: Alright

It’s Thursday and it has been a few weeks, but Jeanne is back with her take on PJP on this eve before our 6th birthday. Enjoy! Rebecca

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Hello Thursday Readers!  I think last week Rebecca hijacked my blog.  That is fine with me, her blog was much more exciting. All I did was bemoan the pandemic we are experiencing.  Heck, everyone is.  I keep praying and hoping this will be over by the end of summer. (Rebecca editing it to add: I did hijack it the Thursday we had over one million views on TikTok. And we are at 1.1 million now. It’s really the highlight of this pandemic for PJP.)

The only thing of interest for me has been sharpening my skills playing chess.  My husband refuses to leave the house because he is high risk.  Besides, I told him he would never make it out of our driveway because I would have the biggest hissy fit he has ever seen if he tried.  Believe me, he has seen a couple of my meltdowns before, so I feel he will not even attempt leaving.  We have been having a daily game of chess.  The game lasts quite a while and we are both equally matched.  (Or least I think so, I have check mated the last five games!)  Trying not to be bored, he has learned how to clean the kitchen and sweep the floors.  It is amazing what new skills he has learned!  Thank you, pandemic.  I keep encouraging him to increase his skill level by cleaning the bathroom toilets.  All he has given me are sideway glances.  But, you never know.  If this pandemic hangs around for a while, our toilets will be clean and then I will teach him how to mop!  I always support someone learning new skills. (Rebecca editing to add: Forget TikTok. Coming home to a clean kitchen and freshly swept floors is a true highlight of the pandemic.)

My granddaughter has been coming in with Rebecca every morning and she is a HUGE asset in the shop.  Her laughter and smiles lightens the day from the moment we arrive.  When everything settles down, I will miss her presence.  She could take online courses and stay at the shop, but I haven't brought that up to Rebecca yet.  She exhibits great marketing skills and social media skills that her mother has.  PJP will always be in good hands with the both of them. (Rebecca editing to add: I know some people are sad their kids aren’t at school, but not me. My 17 year old is making all the pie dough at the shop and my almost 15 year has made our Instagram look better than ever. I worked 10 hours today at the shop and she never asked when we were leaving. PJP is a true family effort and having the kids there more has been an unexpected bonus of the school year ending early.)

I was listening to a financial guy today on the radio and he was predicting that small business will never be the same. Scary, huh?  Most mom and pops small business will not be able to re-open.   He said that if you can survive, your small business will come out stronger than ever.  I feel good about PJP because we are being creative and Rebecca sets a sales goal each day.  We have been able to meet this goal every day.  Our employees are happy to get paychecks and Rebecca and I are so ever thankful for everyone's support.  It has been amazing. (Rebecca editing to add: AMEN. Small business is never easy and certainly not under a stay-at-home order. Today we had someone order three pies for delivery whatever day we want because they were just ordering to support local small business. GAH. The acts of kindness and generosity are now in first place for the highlight of the pandemic.)

Tomorrow we are turning six.  In some ways it seems longer than six and in other ways it seems that we cannot be that old. However, we feel, we are celebrating with six dollar baby pies.  Please help us celebrate our birthday and give us a visit so we can hello and thank you. (Rebecca editing to add: I’ll have some thoughts on our sixth birthday to share tomorrow, but I agree - the days are long, but the years are short. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.)