Jeanne-ology: Hot, Hot, Hot
Hi There! It’s Thursday and time for Jeanne-ology. This week has been packed with activity - and we still have a busy Friday and Mizzou graduation on Saturday. I’ve said A LOT of words today, so Jeanne is here with her perspective on the last few days. Enjoy! - Rebecca
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Hello Thursday readers! A lot has been going on at PJP since last week. The big news, of course, was signing the lease for our new space on Monday afternoon. Rebecca was full of anxiety. I told her to calm herself down. She and I both know the numbers backward and forward and she had negotiated the lease to our terms. So what is the problem? I can tell you the problem: Rebecca does not do well with change. We are in a rut with our current location and we cannot add any more product or employees because we are maxed out on space! I tried to reassert all the positives, but nothing seemed to work. Sometimes Rebecca’s fears of the future surface to the top like oil floating on water. You just have to wait it out with her. (Rebecca editing to add: I can’t even argue any of this. Sometimes your mother knows you better than anyone.)
Today was a big day because PBS came to film us baking. They also interviewed us and asked a million questions. They are preparing for a new show. They were easy to work with and stayed all day. For such a small space, they found a million things to film and ask about. (Rebecca editing to add: As it turns out, the three person camera crew will need to come back on a Monday in the next few weeks to finish the interviews because PJP Buttonwood is a loud space on an average day, much less a busy Thursday.)
Today was hot and our air conditioning was not cooling us at all. We had the thermostat set at 65 degrees, but the actual temperature was 76! At about 2 pm, I was beginning to lose it. Rebecca told me to "get it together" and make it through the day. To be honest, I wanted to yank my hat off my head and leave. (Rebecca editing to add: I’ll miss a few things about PJP Buttonwood, but the air conditioning IS NOT ONE.)
Instead, I headed to Hy-Vee. I did not need to buy anything, but I did need the freezer aisle to cool off. I pretended to look at ice cream, frozen pizza, and frozen vegetables. To stand in front of those cases with my head stuck in as far as I could was perfection. The cool air felt heavenly and I didn't want to leave. I thought about buying a couple of pounds of hamburger meat to put under my arm pits. I was desperate to stay cool in our shop and those options seemed logical. However, I knew Rebecca would confirm to everyone that I had dementia! (Rebecca editing to add: I wish I could say she is exaggerating here, but NOPE.)
Back to shop and sweating like a pig, I tried to stayed in an up beat mood. Heat is exhausting and tiredness overcame me. I was ready to leave! Rebecca, on the other hand, seemed to be fine and kept telling me to stay happy (at least while they were filming). She was right and it took every bit of mental capacity to follow through. When PBS left, I bailed out the door and it is a wonder I did not run over them in the parking lot. I cranked up the A/C and couldn't wait to get home. (Rebecca editing to add: Basically, what she is saying is that she was SUPER GROUCHY. Someone here does not like to be hot. Ahem.)
I really cannot complain about Rebecca's anxiety when I, in turn, cannot handle the heat with someone asking me a million questions. We are not really far apart in our anxieties whether it be a lease signing or heat induced delusion. We always seem to support each other, even though we may think the other one is nuts.
