Jeanne-ology: Cranky.

So after a brief hiatus, Jeanne is back with her Thursday Jeanne-ology series. I couldn’t wait to read this because I assumed that after the last few weeks we’ve had at PJP, Jeanne would have SOME THOUGHTS. And she does not disappoint. Enjoy! Rebecca.

Oh where, oh where have I been the last few weeks? I wish I could say that I have been to England to visit the Queen. I wish I could say that I have been on vacation. But the truth is that I have been working and WORKING HARD. If you read here often, you already know that between Roots and Blues, $5 Friday and over 2,000 jars, a lot has been going on at the shop.  I feel totally out of control with the shop and my home. I have not been able to do any deep cleaning and it is driving me nuts! Such a whirlwind of activity and time schedule for orders has made me a bit cranky. (Rebecca editing to add: Yep, cranky.)

I know we have a lot to do each day, but does that mean that leaving an empty box in the freezer is okay? It takes only a second to remove an empty box, so why leave it? Pies boil over on our trays and leave a burned on mess. Instead of putting the tray in the sink for clean up, they are put back on the rack. Really? Who wants to pick up a dirty sheet pan? Not me. I complain and tell everyone to NOT put dirty trays back on the rack! It falls on deaf ears. My blood begins to boil. Our three vat sink is generally rinsed out every night and the drain boards should be wiped down. However, the sink is still terrible. I clean with a SOS pad to remove stains and gunk, no one else seems to see these stains. Don't they see the dullness of the sink and that only a SOS pad, maybe some bleach would make it look new? (Rebecca editing to add: the world could implode outside our door and she would double check the trays before evacuating.)

The more tired I feel, the more picky I become. This is annoying to Rebecca and the staff.  Rebecca pulls me aside and reminds me that producing product and meeting schedules are more important than cleaning flour off the mixer. She is right, I know, but my compulsive need to clean overrides schedules. A little wipe here and there saves a major clean-up later on. My need to have everything in it's place and organized gives me energy to bake. When dishes and baking pans are in disarray, I feel defeated. When I feel defeated, I become cranky. (Rebecca editing to add: the other day, I felt stressed by mess…OMG, I’M BECOMING JEANNE).

Little time for sleep and every day rolling into another baking day has taken a toll on me. My feet hurt, heck…my whole body is sore and tired! My mind is somewhere else. I wish I had Rebecca's personality. She doesn't sweat the small stuff and can keep her focus on the big picture. I have talked to her early in the morning when she is stewing over something. You would never know it once we start to work. She laughs and moves with speed telling all of us what we need to accomplish. She seems to keep all the daily and weekly orders in her mind and can tell you exactly what is due a week from today. Me? I cannot tell you what is on schedule for tomorrow. However, I can tell you exactly how long it has been since we cleaned our light fixtures, when was the last time we scraped and mopped the floor and the last time we had our grease trap. (Rebecca editing to add: she gives me too much credit here. I’m really good at stewing over things. And she doesn’t mention here that she always makes me feel better when we talk.)

All of this said, I know it takes both of us to run the pie shop.  At least I think so. If I show up with several boxes of SOS pads and a few gallons of bleach, she may change the locks on the door and tell me it is time to retire. (Rebecca editing to add: I hate SOS pads with the intensity of a thousand suns, but she loves them…so I’m willing to take one for the team when it comes to tray cleaning. It is a solid trade off.)