Cast of Characters

Shellie

After several years as the Administrator of a busy False Alarm Reduction Unit for a county Sheriff's Office, I am going on to my next adventure--law school. I will share my struggles and triumphs over the next three years. To make things even more interesting, I am going to a law school 500 miles away from home and will be living in the dorm. Wish me luck!

Hubster
A retired military officer who stays busy with work, but even busier training for triathlons and marathons. He successfully completed his first full Ironman before his 50th birthday. While training for his second Ironman, he qualified for the national triathlon championships for his age group.

Eldest
Our first child who is forging his way in the world.

Youngest
Our champion fencer who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 14.

A. E. Ferret

Sadly, A. E. has left us after a valiant fight. We miss him every day!

Bella (named for Bela Lugosi, the actor who played Dracula)
Ferret with panda coloring who joined our family on February 24, 2017.

Count Chocula
Ferret with black mitt coloring who joined our family on February 24, 2017.

Can we Talk about Packaging?

Today, many people (myself included) use ancient chain maille armor techniques to create jewelry. Basically, artisans take small rings made of wire and weave them together in intricate designs. In this way, the ancient weaves are re-imagined for a modern audience.

Although some people take raw wire and create their own rings, many rely on retailers for their needs. From that need, a growing cottage industry has sprung up to supply makers with kits that include all of the rings and instructions for a design. Most of these businesses use very simple packaging for their products. Zipper seal bags with simple printed labels are very common.

For companies that are a little larger, heat seal plastic tubing becomes the most common form of packaging. There is one operation that packages per order so that the rings come in a long, unlabeled, sausage-like strip of tubing with a heat seal between each type of ring. Customers must match the segment of the tube to the invoice to figu…

Ferret Friday #3

We have discovered that our ferret is an addict. There is one thing that he loves most in this world, and I am sure that you would never guess what it is. We don't even know how he first discovered it, but all it took was leaving the kitchen pantry door open one time. What is this crack for ferrets you ask? Coffee Mate French Vanilla creamer in those cute little individual cups (and if you dare to follow the link, the comments make me think our ferrets isn't the only one that is addicted).

I am sure that it started out innocently enough. The tabs on the little cups are probably perfect for ferret teeth to grip. The weight is probably a satisfying heft without being too heavy. The cups are small, portable, and easily hidden. And hide them he did. But then, a tooth may have accidentally slipped through the foil and released the contents and a new discovery was made. I am sure that he thought "Wow...a treasure and a treat." Since his first taste, he has been t…

Ferret Friday #16 - Pantry Raid

After several months of not having Coffee Mate in the house due to A. E.'s addiction, I felt sorry for the Hubster and purchased a box. It didn't take long for the A. E. to "ferret" it out. I caught him in the act as he was investigating the pantry on his way to the "crack".

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