Shipping and Lucy...

I've been thinking alot about shipping the past few days as the Post Office raised prices on Priority Mail the first of the year and I am sure I'm going to be questioned about the cost of my shipping, especially on ebay (where customers are used to getting free shipping from companies much larger than my Country Workshop). It will now cost $10.20 for me to ship a sign that weighs between 1-2 pounds from Maryland to states located on the West Coast and there is no way for me to get around that. I stopped adding a handling fee the last time rates were raised. So folks, if you do any mail order shopping, plan on spending a bit more for shipping.

This morning I had orders to be shipped.

Had the signs ready to go, paper work in order, the table set up with the foam and corrugated cardboard used to wrap each item, monster tape dispenser and Priority stickers at hand and one of the best tools my husband ever talked me into, my new super duper rotary cutter.


Lucy always goes to work with me. She usually settles down quickly on one of 3 blankets we have located in various locations in shop and studio for her. Today she must have been bored out of her little mind as she started out pulling paper towels out the trash can in the bathroom. Then she started on stealing the boxes I have stored on a low shelf for shipping larger items.

She quickly has this box shredded into pieces.

Then she began jumping at the door to go out.

It was a beautiful day in Baltimore County so I figured ok Toots, if you want out, I can tie you up outside to give Mom a break and give you some time to sniff the air. I do this often in the warmer months, but Lucy is an in the house dog and shivers if it's too cold outside. I wrapped an order and then took a peek out the door to see what she was doing and I see she has something in her mouth. I run over to take a look at what is hanging out the side of her face and am appalled to see it is something furry. I scream at her to drop it and thankfully she did. It was a long dead, dried out chipmunk. I am glad Lucy dropped it...I wouldn't have wanted to pry it out of her mouth.

I called the vet to see if I needed to have her checked out but was told that since her rabies vaccination was up to date and it didn't appear that she has actually eaten any of the rawhide like chipmunk, just to keep an eye on her.

I finally finished wrapping the signs and Lucy had such a rough morning, she napped all afternoon.