Day of Rest

Today is a day of rest for me. We’re part of a progressive dinner party this Saturday evening, so I should probably be cleaning the house. But all I can muster the energy for is reading! So, I’m giving myself permission to leave the cleaning for later this week. Thankfully, there’s not a lot to do, though you'd never know it from my overactive brain!

For the past thirty minutes, I've been watching the neighbor’s backyard. The house is just behind us, one lot over. A woman—her age hard to pinpoint—and a six-year-old child are playing with a large breed dog. I just watched the woman scoop up dog poop and toss it into another neighbor's yard. That neighbor has a dog too, so I guess they won’t even notice it’s not theirs.

Come summer, the trees will be in full bloom, blocking our view of the house. In twenty days, we’ll celebrate our first year in this home. Today, for the first time, I saw the neighbors out in their backyard. The best part of having a sunroom with big windows on three sides is that I can people-watch while comfortably settled at my desk. It’s quite a perk for a nosy person like me.

And now, this nosy person is going to read.

The Power of Persistence

Charlotte at Tractor Supply 3.30.2025 - MET HER GOAL!

Charlotte was able to secure two booth slots today at the Rockford Tractor Supply. As Megan reviewed her sales, she realized Charlotte still needed fifty-one boxes to reach her goal. Joe helped Charlotte and me set up the booth around noon, then he wandered through the supply store until he and I had to head out for another engagement at 1:30 pm. Shanna, Charlotte’s mom, arrived at 1:15 pm to get the hang of the credit card system and man the booth until 3:30 pm.

Around 3:45 pm, Megan texted me to let me know Charlotte had sold forty boxes. Then, a man walked up and donated $100, which translates into sixteen boxes, bringing Charlotte’s total to fifty-six boxes. Later that day, one of Shanna’s family members also placed an online order. We’re all beyond excited!

This morning, Charlotte mentioned that she’d done booths for four days straight—twelve hours of standing, asking for orders, and hearing “No thank you” over and over. We’d agreed early on that each “no” meant a “yes” was coming soon, so the “no’s” became part of the process to get to the “yes.” I’m incredibly proud of her for maintaining a cheerful attitude, sticking with it, and putting in the effort. Several times, when things were slow, we talked about how important it is to show up and keep going, regardless of how tough it gets.

I don’t know who the man was who donated the $100 or what inspired him, but his gesture was a gift to our family. It’s moments like that that make this journey so meaningful.

By the end of the day, we were all ready to wrap up the weekend. Even though the Girl Scout Council decided to extend the selling period by a week, the sales could only continue door to door—no more booth sales. Charlotte had already sold in her neighborhood and to neighbors on our street. We’re also thankful to the Girl Scout in her troop who reached her goal and was generous enough to let Charlotte take over the Tractor Supply booth, while she took a booth in a town farther away.

The morning didn’t start out easy for Megan. While prepping the cookie inventory, she pinched a nerve in her back while lifting a box. With the baby asleep upstairs, she wasn’t sure how she’d manage to safely bring him downstairs. Worried she might be stuck, she tried stretching to ease the pain. Jeremy works on Sundays, so Megan didn’t want to worry Charlotte. Eventually, she made it upstairs, took a pain pill, and was soon able to safely bring Oliver down and finish preparing the cookies for the booth.

After Joe and I left Charlotte, we drove to Edina to join friends at Missing Pieces Escape Games. We did the Ruin Raiders Room, and it was incredible! Only Juli and I had done an escape room before, and the other three (including Joe) were first-timers. Though we didn’t escape, we all agreed it was an absolute blast. Afterwards, we met at Red Lobster for dinner and spent almost three hours chatting and enjoying each other’s company.

By the way it snowed off and on (mostly on) the entire day; however, coming home the roads were clear and there was no snow in our driveway. We saw more snow in the Edina area (about forty minutes southeast of Saint Michael). When we got back into town, we still had quite a bit of snow accumulation on our car, so we drove by the carwash and took advantage of our unlimited monthly carwash pass.

All in all, a lovely day!

Saturday Fixes - Or the Cub Credit Has Been Resolved

This is exactly how I felt today after a busy week!

Perhaps the highlight of the day was resolving the twice-paid-for corned beef from Cub. Earlier this week, I called the bookkeeper at Cub. She quickly accessed our receipts, reviewed them, and confirmed, "We owe you a credit." So today, we went into the store to get the credit applied to our card. The customer service representative (CSR) on duty was the same one who had originally made the charge and had assured Joe that everything was correct when he had questioned him about it.

Joe was a bit apprehensive about dealing with the same CSR again, but when we approached the register to explain the situation, the CSR surprised us. "Yes, I remember this," he said, "I'm so glad you came in while I’m here so I can apologize. I’m really sorry for the mistake." He quickly processed the credit and added, “Next time, I’ll make sure to separate the return from the recharge to avoid any confusion.” We reassured him, "No worries—we’re not perfect either, and we’re just happy it’s all been resolved."

Later, one of our neighbors stopped by with a question about a Facebook Messenger notification she had received that made her feel uncomfortable. After seeing the message, I completely understood why—it was from someone impersonating my account (though Facebook insists there’s no duplicate account in my name). The message claimed she was eligible for financial assistance to cover food needs and asked for personal information to "complete her application."

Although the message used my name, it lacked a photo of me and led to a link with someone else’s name. I’m so relieved she came to me first and didn’t fall for the scam. We ended up having a nice visit, drinking tea, eating Girl Scout cookies, and sharing photos of our newest grandson with her. As the mom of four (her youngest being about 20 months old), she totally understands the excitement of a new baby!

Charlotte is Within Reach of Her Goal!

A photo of my favorite Brownie

It’s been a busy (but blessed) day for me. Joe’s stuck at home with a cold, but at least he had the chance to rest while I was out and about.

Charlotte and I spent three hours at a cookie booth at Cub in Buffalo tonight. It was a little slow, but every box sold brings her closer to her goal, and we agreed that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

She’s just 112 boxes away from hitting her 1,000-box Girl Scout cookie goal! The family reward for reaching that milestone is that she gets to pick a color for her dad (Jeremy) to dye his hair. As of now, she’s set her sights on a half-blue, half-purple look. I’m pretty sure he wears a hat all day at work, so he may be able to dodge the embarrassment! Honestly, I suspect that Jeremy will rock whatever color she chooses and he will wear it with pride. He's a cool dad!

Booth Adventures: A Day of Cookies, Community, and Conversations

Charlotte - Our 9-year old cookie guru

Charlotte and I spent the day working a Girl Scout cookie booth at our local Walmart. We were there for four hours, interacting with a steady stream of customers. While our sales weren’t through the roof—we sold 48 boxes during that time—we did manage to receive $30.00 in donations from people who wanted to support her troop. It’s worth noting that cookie sales, in general, are down across the nation.

In fact, recent reports show that snack sales in America have dropped by 4.3% as of February 23, 2025. The main reason? Financial pressures. People are sticking to the essentials while navigating an uncertain economy. Health concerns also play a role in the decline of snack purchases.

Still, I love doing these booths with Charlotte because (1) she’s just so adorable that people can’t help but smile and wish her good luck, even if they’re not buying cookies, and (2) we always end up learning something new about the people we meet. Today, we even talked about gathering those little snippets of conversation and turning them into a story someday.

While at Walmart, we took note of what people were buying. The most popular items? Bottled water, toilet paper, and paper towels—bulky, visible products that aren’t concealed in plastic bags. There was one man in his late 20s, though, who had a giant flat-screen TV, bigger than our bathrooms at home! It’s clear he’s confident about his financial situation and the economy in general.

Given the slower sales, cookie sales have been extended for an extra week in our area. Charlotte is just 150 boxes shy of reaching her 1,000-box goal, so we’re hopeful that her continued hard work and the extra time will help her hit that mark. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported her along the way!

Baby Steps

Leaving you with this thought today! Taking a break from writing and social media this evening.

Ten Days Down

Ten days ago, I made a commitment to myself to exercise for one hour each day. So far, I’ve kept that promise for eight out of the ten days. I’ve decided to take weekends off, which means my goal is five hours of exercise per week.

Right now, most of my workouts are a mix of stretches, chair yoga, and chair exercises. I did manage to squeeze in a 10-minute session of floor exercises—though, honestly, one of the perks of that is how much effort it takes to get back up off the floor! Still, I’m breaking a sweat without pushing myself to the point of injury. Some days I feel incredibly motivated, while other days, not so much.

Tonight, my daughter asked me to hunt down some specific family photos. These were tucked away in the back of a closet, buried under a stack of boxes. By the time I had the box uncovered and sorted through the photos, I’d racked up another thirty minutes of exertion for the day. At one point, I was so wiped out that I had to lie down on one of the guest beds nearby—hey, that has to count as exercise too, right?

I know there’s a lot of work ahead of me if I want to get in better shape, but I’m focusing on one day at a time and trying to keep a positive mindset. Some days are easier than others, but I’m staying committed.

Meme Favorites for Past Week

 

Citizenship for Sale

Today, I came across an article in The Atlantic titled “Americans Are Buying an Escape Plan,” written by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian. It dives into the growing trend of purchasing citizenship, not only in the United States but around the globe. Recently, the leader of the current U.S. administration floated the idea of offering a ‘gold card’ for foreign nationals, a citizenship package priced at a staggering five million dollars. Abrahamian points out that selling citizenship isn’t exactly a novel idea, noting that “About half of the world’s nations already offer visas, permanent residence, or even full citizenship for sums ranging from the low five to low seven figures.” She adds that the U.S. itself offers up to 10,000 residency permits annually through its EB-5 investor visa program, which Congress has extended until 2027—at a cost of roughly $1 million per applicant.

However, the bigger revelation Abrahamian highlights isn’t about foreigners buying into the U.S.; it’s the increasing exodus of Americans seeking alternative citizenships. While few foreigners are rushing for U.S. citizenship these days, Americans have been scrambling to secure foreign passports since November. For many, it’s not about relocating—they’re acquiring these citizenships as an emergency backup plan.

And yet, tourism to the U.S. is in freefall. Joyce Vance writes about how several foreign nations have issued travel warnings to their citizens regarding trips to the U.S. It’s a stark contrast to our time in Egypt between July 2002 and 2003, when I’d regularly check travel advisories for neighboring countries. Back then, if you’d told me the U.S. was on any warning list, I’d have thought you were out of your mind. 

Alison Luterman Poem

Sharing this poem as a reminder to continue to look for joy. 

At Albany Bulb with Elaine

By Alison Luterman

Side by side on a log by the bay.

Sunlight. Unleashed dogs,

prancing through surf, almost exploding

out of their skins with perfect happiness.

Dogs who don't know about fired park rangers,

or canceled health research, or tariff wars,

or the suicide hotline for veterans getting defunded,

or or or. We've listed horror upon horror

to each other for weeks now, and it does no good,

so instead I tell her how I held a two-day old baby

in my arms, inhaling him like a fresh-baked loaf of bread,

then watched as a sneeze erupted through his body

like a tiny volcano. It was the look of pure

astonishment on his face, as if he were Adam

in the garden of Eden making his debut achoo,

as if it were the first sneeze that ever blew,

that got me. She tells me how her dog

once farted so loudly he startled himself

and fell off the bed where he'd been lolling,

and then the two of us start to laugh so hard

we almost fall off our own log. And this

is our resistance for today; remembering

original innocence. And they can't

take it away from us, though they ban

our very existence, though they slash

our rights to ribbons, we will have

our mirth and our birthright gladness.

Long after every unsold Tesla

has vaporized, and earth has closed over

even the names of these temporary tyrants,

somewhere some women like us

will be sitting side by side, facing the water,

telling human stories and laughing still.

Source: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-trump-day-mare?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share (3/22/2025)

Overcharges

One of my biggest pet peeves is being overcharged at the grocery store. I try to be patient with cashiers, recognizing that they're juggling a lot—handling a steady stream of customers, working fast and efficiently, and dealing with the inevitable hiccups that come with the job. Nobody's perfect, and I get that. But when it happens? It really gets under my skin. And lately, it’s happened twice in one week.

Joe usually does the grocery shopping, and while I'm grateful for that, it can be frustrating. He doesn’t always check the receipt or pay much attention to the scanning process—he’s typically busy unloading the cart or bagging the items. I get it, but it means I’m the one who notices these things.

Today, for example, he bought a cucumber. The store charged us for three cucumbers instead of one. So instead of paying $.89, we were charged $2.67. We’ll get that difference back the next time we go to the store in Albertville, but I really didn’t want to make a special trip just for that. So I called, explained the mistake, and asked if they could talk to the cashier to ensure they’re hitting the right button when scanning cucumbers.

But the one that’s really driving me crazy is the corned beef situation. Joe went through self-checkout and realized he wasn’t charged the sale price. The kind clerk overseeing self-checkout reassured him that they’d fix it. Well, they didn’t. Instead of fixing the price, we were charged double. So I sent Joe back to the store—it's only a few blocks away—to show customer service the receipts and get the refund we were owed.

Unfortunately, the person handling it wasn’t a manager or even someone with bookkeeping experience (and neither was Joe). I get that this is on me—I should have gone in myself to talk to a manager or a bookkeeper. They would’ve understood the issue right away. But the customer service rep convinced Joe that everything had been entered correctly, which it hadn’t. Anyone with the right background would know that if we originally paid $18.87 and the sale price was $15.72, we'd be owed a $3.15 credit. Instead, they processed the return as $18.87, then added the brisket back at full price, and gave a $3.15 discount. You might think that would give us the correct credit, but when you look at the receipt, it shows we tendered $15.72, and my credit card statement shows two separate charges: $18.87 and $15.72.

So I waited for six days, hoping a credit would come through, but it hasn’t. I just got off the phone with customer service again, and they advised me to bring in the receipts when both the store manager and the bookkeeper are in.

The thing is, neither of these charges are going to break the bank, but it’s more about the principle of paying the wrong price for something. It makes me wonder—do other people check their receipts, or am I just hyper-aware of this kind of thing? I’ve spent fifty years in a career that involved accounting, so maybe I’m just wired to spot errors.

Anyone else get cranky when they’ve been overcharged?

I’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts!

I have a few questions for anyone reading this post. Please feel free to share your insights by commenting below, or if you're a friend, you can always reach out to me directly (you’ll have my phone number), or email me at bethcoehlo@aol.com. Your perspective matters, and I truly value your input!

Here are the questions I’d love to discuss:

1. Why do you think the current Presidential administration might want to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education?

2. For those who support dismantling the Department of Education, what specific outcomes are they hoping to see in the public school system?

3. What are your personal feelings about the idea of shutting down the Department of Education?

I really appreciate your time and insight on this topic, and I look forward to reading your thoughts!

Thank you in advance!

Big Ears, Better Listening

I found this meme funny, even though I do listen to myself. The truth is, I try to be mindful with my words—even when talking to myself. But being mindful doesn't guarantee 100% success; I still make communication mistakes with others. And that's going to be a lifelong lesson for me.

Over the years, I've learned to listen better. I grew up listening. As a kid, I was fascinated by adult conversations. When we visited my dad's parents, the adults would gather in the kitchen or the backyard, depending on the weather, while us kids were either in the living room, glued to the TV, or sent outside to play on the swing set.

Even while watching TV or swinging, I'd eavesdrop on the grown-ups. Not that I understood everything they were saying, but I remember the political discussions from 1964. I was eight years old at the time, and the heated debates about Barry Goldwater running for president were impossible to ignore. My parents supported Lyndon Johnson, so things got pretty intense. As I got older, maybe around fourteen, I was allowed into the kitchen, and I remember 'arguing politics' with the adults. I don’t recall any of my cousins joining in, but I always felt like I had to prove myself in those conversations. That experience taught me to fact-check and to back up my statements. During that time, I read the entire Bryan Times and Defiance Crescent News cover to cover. The Dear Abby column and the editorials were my go-to sections, but I could also tell you who got arrested or passed away that week.

On my mom's side of the family, we would visit my grandmother. While the adults talked, we'd play Scrabble on the floor nearby. Those conversations were much quieter—more about family, and no one ever raised their voice. I remember my parents catching my grandmother up on our family’s news, usually after a couple of weeks, and my grandmother would share updates about other relatives.

“Little pitchers have big ears” definitely applied to me. Still does. But it taught me to listen carefully and be ready to respond if needed. Today, we call it "active listening." Back then, it was just "being nosy." And yes, I’m still nosy. I love hearing people's stories. I enjoy listening to podcasts. I stay up until Joe gets home from work around 2 a.m., just to hear about his day. Now it can be said of me, "big pitchers have big ears".

 

Saved by Ting: How State Farm Helped Us Dodge a Fire Hazard

  

At the end of January, we set up a Ting monitor in our home—a service that tracks our home's electrical flow to identify potential fire hazards. This service was offered to us through our homeowner's insurance with State Farm. The Ting device, mobile app, and monitoring are all provided at no cost because we're insured through State Farm. We get a weekly email with a report on the monitored electrical flow. Today, we received a Fire Hazard Detected alert.

Just a few minutes after I got the notification from the Ting app, I also received an email from Whisker Labs. As I was heading to find Joe so he could call them, our phone rang—it was Jake, our Ting Fire Safety Engineer. After about 30 minutes of patiently working with Jake, we figured out that my desktop computer was causing the arcs. Unplugging it immediately brought the arc readings back to normal. I plugged in my laptop, and there was no issue. Jake let me know they'd keep our ticket open and run a special monitoring program over the next 24-48 hours to make sure everything stays fine.

If we hadn’t been able to resolve the issue over the phone, Whisker Labs would have sent out an electrician to check things out (at no charge) and would cover up to $1,000 for repairs if necessary—without it counting as an insurance claim.

Big thanks to Jake at Whisker Labs and State Farm!