WHATTA TEAM....
ONE TRAILER IN THE YARD IS NOT A PROBLEM... YESTERDAY WE HAD 2 TRACTOR TRAILERS COME UP THE DRIVEWAY ONE AFTER THE OTHER...THE GUY IN THE SECOND TRAILER HAD BEEN HERE BEFORE AND IS A CHARACTER---AND A BRAVE SOUL.. I WAS 0N OUR TRACTOR WITH THE " FORK LIFT WINGS " ON IT
WHICH WITH THE BACK HOE ON THE TRACTOR ALSO , YOU CAN'T JUST SPIN IT AROUND WITHOUT SOME CONSIDERTION..--THE FIRST TRUCK WAS BIGGER-- THE NORMAL 53 FOOT ' TRACTOR TRAILER AND THE SECOND WAS SMALLER -- PROBABLY 52 FEET- FIRST GUY PULLED RIGHT IN TH E MIDDLE AND I STARTED DEALING WITH HIM-- HE HAD THE 8 PALLETS OF PURINA DRY FOOD-- AND A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE REST OF TEH LOAD HE HAD ON BOARD.....I WAS TALKING TO HIM WHEN TRUCK #2 PULLED IN AND HEADED FOR THE BARN DOOR WAVING AS HE WENT BY, AND PINNING ME BETWEEN THE TRUCKS WITH THE TRACTOR.. THESE GUYS WHO DRIVE THESES THINGS DEAL IN INCHES-- I CAN'T EVEN DEAL IN YARDS, HE MANAGED TO TURN AROUND AND BACK UP TO THE BARN-- IT WAS A BALLET IN MASSIVE FORM...
HE HAD TEH WET FOOD--- ONE PALLET-
YOU GUYS LIKE DETAILS....
THE PALLET OF WET FOOD HAS TO COME IN A TRUCK THAT CAN LOWER THE TAILGATE BECAUSE IT IS TOO HEAVY FOR OUR TRACTOR...-- SO WITH ONE OF THOSE JACK AND PULL WHEEL BY HAND.. HE LANDED HIS PALLET AT THE BARN DOOR AND STOPPED TO SAY HELLO TO ALL THE DOGS ETC-- AND LEFT--
THE FIRST TRUCK WITH THE 8 PALLETS HAD A BIG PROBLEM...HE HAD A BIG " THING" AT THE BACK OF THE TRAILER WHICH HE HAD TRIED TO DELIVER BUT THEY HAD REFUSED DELIVERY-- AND OUR DOG FOOD WAS BEHIND IT. HELD THERE BY ABOUT 3/4 AN INCH---
THE OTHER PART OF THIS EQUATION IS THAT .. THESE TRUCK DRIVERS ARE ON A SCHEDULE --- I THINK THERE IS AN OFFICIAL 15 MINUTES TO UNLOAD-- IF IT ISN'T OFFICIAL IT CERTAINLY IS CONSIDER VERY BAD FORM TO HOLD THEM UP AT ALL..-- AT FIRST I THOUGHT WE COULD USE THAT ROLLING CONVEYER TO DE-PALLET THE FOOD AT TEH FRONT , USE THE CONVEYER TO GET IT OUT THE DOOR AND BACK ON A PALLET WHICH I COOLD PICK UP WITHTHE TRACTOR AND PUT IT BY TEH " STORAGE CONTAINER" WHERE WE COUDL EVENTUALLY REPOSITION THE CONVEYER AND DO IT AGAIN-- INTO OUR RAT PROOF FOOD CONTAINER.
THE PIECE OF "STUFF" IN THE WAY LOOKED A LITTLE FRAGILE ? SOME KIND OF REGRIGERATION? AND DOUBLE PALLET LONG--
UNDOING OUR PALLETS WAS DO-ABLE BUT THE DRIVER WAS AFRAID-- HE DIDN'T REALIZDE WE CAN UNLOAD A PALLET IN ONE MINUTE 28 SECONDS. BY ACTUAL COUNT... SO HE TOOK A HAMMER AND REDESIGNED THE PALLET OF REFRIGERATION BY ONE INCH AND HE MOVED OUR DOG FOOD TO THE DOOR WHERE I COULD RAEACH IT WITH THE TRACTOR.
WE MOVE...
MEGAN HAD GONE FROM PLAN B TO PLAN C ( WHICH WAS PLAN "A " TO BEGIN WITH...) WITHOUT WINCING AT ALL... AND STARTED TO HELP ME DIRECT THOSE FORK LIFT THINGS UNDER THE PALLET ON TEH TRUCK-- WHICH BECAUSE OF OUR TRACTOR BUCKET , I CAN NOT SEE... FORTUNATELY STEVE CAME BY-- AND BEING MILITARY TRAINED HIS HAND SIGNALS ARE MUCH EASIER TO UNDERSTAND-- I TOOK THE FIRST PALLET OVER TH THE WAITING GROUP OF GRACE MEGAN SHANNON AND OLIVIA... DROPPED THAT AND WENT FOR ANOTHER-- BY THE TIEM I RETURNED THEY HAD THE FIRST PALLET ALL STORED AWAY-- AND IT WENT THAT WAY FOR 7 OF THE PALLETS OF ADULT DRY FOOD
THEN WE HIT THE PUPPY FOOD PALLET-- DIFFERENT BAG SIZE WHATERVER-- BUT HEAVIER-I COULD NOT LIFT IT 100 PERCENT.. BUT THE 99.4% MEANT I COOLD SLIDE IT OFF THE BACK OF THE TRUCK... IF I DID NOT HAVE THE BACK HOE ON THE TRACTOR FOR COUNTER WEIGHT, I SWEAR I WOULD HAVE GONE ON MY NOSE WTH THE LOAD LIFTING MY BACK WHEELS OFF THE GROUND.
I HAVE A FEELING THE 8 PALLETS TOOK 15 MINUTES, ONCE HE GOT THEM TO THE DOOR... BECAUSE EACH TIME I CAME ALONG WITH A NOTHER, THEY WERE JUST FINISHING UP THE PRECVIOUS ONE.. 1 MIN 28 PLUS A FEW SECONDS... TIMES 8 IS NEARLY THE 15 MINUTES ALOTED FOR UNLOADING.
THUS PROVING THE BENEFITS OF "JUST DO IT" BEFORE YOU WORRY ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT WAS 4 TONS OF STUFF WE HAD TO MOVE. ( 40 POUND BAGS X 24 PER PALLET X 8 PALLETS )
IT IS ALL STACKED AND A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT TO SEE... WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE PURINA DONATE THE FOOD.. MAYBE A "THANK YOU PURINA " IS IN ORDER... , JUST A QUICK THANK YOU NOTE ??.. COLORED ENVELOPE???
CATHERINE SMALL 12T CHECKERBOARD SQUARE ST LOUIS MO 63164
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DEAR CARLENE,
SIX MONTHS AGO TODAY, SEAGRAM CAME HOME WITH ME. SHE CONTINUES TO CHANGE MY LIFE WITH THE WAY SHE HELPS ME WALK, HER SWEETNESS, AND SOMETIMES HER SILLINESS. I CANNOT THANK YOU, THE TRAINERS, STAFF, VOLUNTEERS AND CPS ENOUGH!!
TONIGHT MY HUSBAND AND I DECIDED TO GO TO DINNER. FIRST WE WALKED AROUND TOWN, EXPLORING A COUPLE OF STREETS THAT WE HAD NEVER WALKED, TO BE SURE SEAGRAM HAD ENOUGH EXERCISE. ALSO, IT WAS FUN TO WALK TOGETHER IN THE WARMER WEATHER. WE RETURNED TO THE SAME RESTAURANT WE HAD EATEN AT SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. THE STAFF WARMLY GREETED US, BECAUSE THEY REMEMBERED HOW WELL-BEHAVED SEAGRAM WAS DURING OUR LAST DINNER. OUR TABLE WAS IN THE CORNER. SEAGRAM POLITELY SETTLED ON HER TRAVEL MAT IN THE CORNER, WITH MY HUSBAND & I SEATED ON EITHER SIDE OF HER (THIS MAT IS THICKER THAN A FLUFFY, TO KEEP HER MORE COMFORTABLE ON THE WOOD FLOORS THERE). DURING THE MEAL, SHE LOOKED UP AT US A COUPLE OF TIMES, SO WE PATTED HER AND TOLD HER WHAT A GOOD GIRL SHE IS, AND SHE AGAIN RESTED. AFTER DINNER, ALL THREE OF US STOOD UP, AND THE COUPLE NEXT TO US WAS SHOCKED -- WE HEARD THEM SAY, "HOW BEAUTIFUL" and "I HAD NO IDEA SHE WAS THERE." I REPLIED, "THAT IS HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. SHE IS PERFECTLY TRAINED FOR THIS."
WE THEN WANTED TO PICK UP A COUPLE OF ESSENTIALS AT THE GROCERY STORE IN PREPARATION FOR THE SNOWSTORM. BEFORE SEAGRAM, I WOULD HAVE WAITED IN THE CAR BECAUSE WALKING COULD BE SUCH A CHORE, BUT NOW I AM HAPPY TO GET OUT WITH HER (AND I WANT TO KEEP WORKING ON HER TRAINING IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS). MY HUSBAND WENT THROUGH CHECKOUT FIRST. THE CASHIER DID NOT EVEN NOTICE SEAGRAM, UNTIL WE WALKED THROUGH AND STOPPED BY THE BAGS AT THE END. "I REMEMBER YOU," SHE EXCLAIMED WITH A SMILE, SINCE WE HAD MET HER RECENTLY. IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE HER FACE LIGHT UP LIKE THAT. I ALSO ENJOY THAT PEOPLE ARE TO GETTING TO KNOW SEAGRAM AND APPRECIATE HOW WONDERFUL SHE IS.
SOMETIMES THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE REALLY ARE THE BIG THINGS -- A NICE WALK TONIGHT, SOME EXPLORING IN TOWN, AND QUALITY TIME WITH MY HUSBAND. AND I HAVEN'T HAD A REAL FALL SINCE SEAGRAM & I BECAME A TEAM. IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY, BUT PARTNERSHIPS NEVER ARE -- IT TAKES EXTRA TIME TO SEE TO HER NEEDS, BUT THAT IS SO WORTHWHILE. I AM HAPPY TO BRUSH HER OUT SO HER FUR IS SOFT, PACK FLUFFIES AND POO PICKERS, and so on. SHE IS THE BEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME IN SO MANY YEARS!!
THANK YOU,
AMY
