Pitt-bulls and raspberry jam

This past weekend, The RxWench and her family went to an area harvest festival. It was interesting to say the least...The wenchlets enjoyed picking raspberries, which I made into jam (19 jars of jam, thankyouverymuch) and we picked out our pumpkins. Mr Wench enjoyed a very large Italian sausage-on-bun (biting tongue, many rude comments on the tip of it!!) and I, of course, took pictures. I am going to get oldest wenchlet (and more computer savvy than her mother) help me post some pictures.

I also did a lot of people watching.

My biggest question is: do people seriously think it is a good idea to bring their yappy, little dogs to the festival amongst about 3000-odd people? Really? How about the dude walking a very large-headed pit-bull with one of those poke-him-in-the-neck style choke chains? Strolling about with little children EVERYWHERE. Little children who are the same height as massive-headed, choke-collared, biting machine. At least there would be a LOT of witnesses...

There were also lots of little children being drug by impatient parents. With snotty noses.

And many families, and babies, and smiling faces. There was a nip in the air, and the smell of kettle corn and the clop!clop! of the draft horses pulling the wagonloads of people. I watched my teen/tween girls and fondly remembered years past when I was dragging snotty-nosed wenchlets through the crowds (without a dog, of course). Fall always makes me wistful.

It was a lovely day all in all. And I have 19 jars of raspberry jam to prove it. So there.

Does it look like I know what I am doing?

Rx Wench has been a pharmacist since 1990. Long time, to be sure, but I had been a mostly-stay-at-home-mom since I had the 1st of 3 little wenchlets in 1994. So I was Mom (and still am), and part-time Rx Wench until January when my current employer, RxMart, made me an offer I couldn't refuse: sign on bonus, pay raise, 3 10hr days per week as a manager. Woohoo!

Just a little problem. The Wench has never managed a pharmacy. I have managed 3 girls, a home, mountains of laundry (oooh! those wenchlets), and even managed to work for some great companies as a relief pharmacist. It'll be easy! says the District Manager. You have a great tech who knows everything! says the DMan. You can do it! And then the tech injures herself at work and is out. Most probably permanently. So what should have been easy, was suddenly made infinitely more difficult: an experienced pharmacist, inexperienced with many of the ins and outs of the pharmacy computer, a pharmacist who lacks the techno-gene in a big way. Talk about jumping in with both feet, the counting tray, and the mortar and the pestle (those are the marble thing-ys used to grind stuff).

If not for the hiring of a former Pharmacy school classmate, and long-time manager at a competitor, Rx Wench would have drowned. Thanks to RxDude (more on him later), I am pretty water-logged but treading water. I have stressed over each and every one of the 74 or so e-mails heaped on me by RxMart's very top-heavy management each day. New preferred generic! New insurance codes! Weekly Summaries! I struggled with store management (pharmacy is the bastard step-child despite pulling in 20% of STORE sales) and staffing issues. Fortunately RxDude and his many years of management experience have helped guide the Wench, especially on those days I felt overwhelmed by it all.

So, DMan came in today, to check things out and to pat Wench on the back. It was heartening to have him see many of my patients come in and the relationships with them that I have worked at over the past year. To have him see me in action, taking care of folks, and the satisfaction that they have coming to RxMart, made me think--maybe I do know what I am doing....

Now home to do some laundry...

So now I have a blog.

Okay, The Wench finally caved. She created a blog. That doesn't mean that anyone will actually read what the Wench writes, but whatever. I will try to post interesting things about my life, my kooky observations thereof, and my goofy take on life.

What is so interesting about a stumpy, 43 year old mom of 3 and pharmacist? Happily married to Mr Wench for 17 years? We will see. I guess the Wench will need to add pictures and shtuff. Help will be required for this aspect of blogging. Because while I have no problem talking (and typing) anything requiring "technical" skill is an area that necessitates the help of the Geek Squad or at the very least my 14 year old daughter.

So, here goes...