Bad luck for doing this with a ladder instead of walking under it?

Day…whatever:

Okay, obviously I haven’t kept up on the blog as well as I would have like. It’s not that I don’t want to. I think it’s because I’m just tired at night or I have other things I would rather be doing. However, I’d like to make up for it today by writing about a few experiences that have happened the past few days.

Yesterday I talked with a guy who was on his ladder trimming his trees. We spoke briefly and I left a pamphlet on his camper. I go to the next door that does not have a view of anything besides the trees crowding the front porch. While I’m waiting for someone to answer, I hear this loud crumbing/crashing sound coming from the direction of the neighbor on a ladder. I wait a few seconds. Hear nothing, obviously couldn’t see anything because of the trees. No one answers the door I’m at standing in front of, so I go out towards the driveway. There’s no sign of the man on the ladder (there’s a little fence dividing the houses). After a bit of me standing there, I see him stand up and try to pull his ladder up. Confirmed: this guy fell off of his ladder! As he didn’t seem in anyway hurt, it was more comical than worrisome. Yikes! If I was him, I would be thinking, “wow, I just fell off of a ladder”. When I walked past a few hours later, I saw the evidence of the ladder incident, as the ladder was sitting in his driveway with its legs bent. I guess he’ll need a stronger ladder next time, or not reach so far.

Our pest control pamphlet is brochure style with a tri-fold of information. The back side has pictures of different kinds of bugs and rodents that we can treat for. Well, a lady was looking through the front, the inside, and when she turned the pamphlet over to the back, she freaked out! She let out a shriek, dropped the pamphlet, and covered her mouth as her eyes grew bigger and bigger!!! After the realization that she wasn’t seriously scared, but reacted to seeing the mouse picture on the back, laughter erupted for about… 5 minutes. Wow! Hilarious!!!! She totally laughed it off and since her two adult daughters were also there, you can bet there was endless teasing about that one!

Also, I met the guy who makes these as a side hobby. Pretty cool, right?

Stay tuned for more stories from the streets!

A Stinky Situation

Day 17:

Ok... So today was pretty great weather, not too hot, not too cold, not a cloud in the sky. Perfect for working in the yard... And selling pest control. Two quick stride that I think will give you a pretty good idea of how my day went:

1. This first guy was pretty cool, about 60 years old, retired army. He stated from the beginning that he didn't want it, that he was with someone else, had been for a long time, and was also going to be moving out of state. Ok, fine. Then he talked to me for the next 25 minutes about what his day that day was like. I know, gem. You wish you could have been there. Apparently his dog got in a fight with a skunk that morning around 5:15 am. His dog then proceeded to run around the yard and through the house, to the upstairs. This guy had to wash his dog, the doors and walls it had brushed past, and the tub it had bathed with tomato juice in. He also said he was trying to figure out a way to ensure that the smelly oils from the skunk did not stay on the grass in the backyard, so that when the dogs went back there again, it wouldn't get back on their fur. He was thinking Dawn, you know, the liquid cleaner. He was also considering putting it through his pressure washer and spraying down the backyard grass. Um, please sign me up to be back in the neighborhood on that day. Suds and a light breeze means a fresh citrus scent and happy bubbles in the air. Also, the ultimate Slip 'n Slide!!

2. A guy shared a story with me today:

He was hosting a party with about 50 people during the wintertime. Beer was the main beverage. There was snow on the ground, and a lot of it. One of his guests had a lot to drink and decided that he was going to strip naked and run across the backyard to the fence and back. As he was running, he did not see the badminton net stretched across part of the yard. He clothes-lined himself and landed flat on his back, naked, in the snow. This guy told me it as one of the best parties he had hosted.

On another note, i just got my iPad this last week and will now be able to more efficiently document my tales via video and pictures. More to come as I knock my way through urge many interesting neighborhoods, and meeting even more interesting people.

Beets, Bears, Battlestar Galactica!

Day 15:

I had a very interesting experience today while knocking. This man opens his door. His door steps are much higher than my level, his stance takes up the door frame, and he is more or less towering over me. His cute dogs come out. Of course I reach down to pet them, but think twice about it, as he commands them harshly to go back inside. I give the pitch. He says he’s been out of work for a while and would not be interested due to lack of funds. In fact, he was working on his resume just then. Fine. No big deal to me. I notice a huge black bear mount in his living room and before any real relationship has been established say, “whoah! Is that your bear?” At first, he doesn’t want to share anything else about himself, so we talk bugs again.

After a few minutes, I asked if he shot that bear himself (of course I’m bored and hot and haven’t had a real conversation in about… 30 minutes). He relents and says, “You know, come on in”.

Jackpot! AC!

I’m in there for 30 minutes with his kids running around us and him telling me all about this bear that he shot. It was actually pretty interesting. Apparently it was ¼ inch shorter than the biggest black bear caught on record. He went up to Canada to shoot it. They couldn’t eat the meat because it had parasites in it. The hide alone weighed 100 pounds, he said. There was a photo album resting on the bear stand. He thumbed through it. We talked about all of the pictures. It took four men to lift the thing onto the UTV.

He talked about how male bears and female bears differ. Apparently, it’s not in the same way that male and female humans differ. Ok.

ANYWAY, the next thing he said was that he’s going to stuff is the swan in his downstairs freezer. It’s been there a year. His son shot it. His son was 11 years old at the time.

The thing about these types of situations is, I ask myself so many questions once I leave the house.

Why did I stay so long?

Why did I keep asking follow-up questions to encourage conversation?

Was I really that interested in hunting black bears/swans/geese/ducks/elk?

Did I really want to know if shooting cubs was legal (actually I really did want to know about this)?

I think that I like hearing people talk about what they’re interested in because I think people like talking about what they’re interested in. People like to talk about what they’re good at. They like to teach others. I think it gives that person some validity and worth in knowing they helped someone know more about what they do. This man, for instance, seemed rough on the edges and unwelcoming at first. Quite frankly, I don’t like leaving the door that way. I don’t want to feel like I made their day worse. But by the time we parted with a firm handshake, we were friends. He had taught me 30 minutes worth of bear hunting stories/strategies, and I had mostly listened. And I figured, if he’s that good at bear hunting, polishing his resume for a job hunt may be a lot easier.

His actual bear, right in the front room. Awesome!