Was Happy About Donating...Now Not So.

I've been working on these jumpers and things all week, move them around on the bed while I try and decide what to go and what to keep.They are still all over the bed, mostly his side as I slept on my side last night but going through them again this morning they are spread out a bit more.    I moved them from the bed to the table when the grandkid stayed here Wednesday night but back to the bed Thursday morning so the table was kinda clear...It is now Friday so they have been on the bed since Monday.

I have Vinnies today and thought that would be a good way of getting some out of the house.  But which ones...The first couple didn't come up to our Vinnies standards but they were comfortable, warm and I like them.  But I do have better ones.  But they can't be binned because they are still good enough to wear and I don't bin stuff.  I kept them but put 3 that I like into the Vinnies bag, I sometimes wear these but Vinnies will be able to sell them.  You can see from this that my local Vinnies sells clothing that is in better condition than I wear.  There are a few things I don't wear very often, I have others that I like better so I am not sure what to do with these...And 4 cardigans...too many when I have 6 jackets?  Six jackets for my lifestyle is probably too many.  I know I hardly wear a couple of them but I like them...There is one jumper that is about 20 years old, it has Space Invaders all over it.  You know, the things from that video game so many years ago...I love this jumper even though it is overstretched and has a hole or two.  It is not going but I should sew up the hole before next Winter.  Everything in my cupboard fits and it is all stuff that I like, that is what makes it so hard to get rid of.

Do I need 3 red jumpers?  There are 4 others nearly all the same colour but different styles...Lets just do this!!

OK...One red one is in the bag as is a black one that I like but didn't wear at all this year. A purple skivvy type one is in the bag and another long sleeved shirt that I don't wear.  I really like the colour of this but it is a tad too long for me and I know Vinnies will get a few dollars for it. A pair of jeans, some slacks...A couple of tops...All bagged up and ready to leave with me this morning.
A jacket with a hood  will go out the caravan.
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I'm home from Vinnies and reconsidering the clothes culling.  I have worked at this Vinnies for quite awhile now, I know what they like, I know the prices they put on things, I know what happens to the clothing that doesn't make the grade.  This is why the 1 bag of stuff that I took down there this morning was all suitable, all very good condition, all saleable.  But there is a young woman there today, she comes in during school holidays.  She was sorting through the donations while I was in and out of the shop but one time when I went out the back I saw that a couple of the things that I had donated were in the reject bag that gets sent away to be recycled or shredded.  I pulled 2 of them out and asked why they were in that bag and she said of one top that the colour made her eyes funny.  I loved that top!   I brought it home again.   Two other tops, the black one that I really liked and the red one...they are being sent away...wrong season and we have too much Winter stuff already.   I'm sad about that.  They are good tops so hopefully wont be shredded.    Also the volunteer manager today pulled off a couple of dozen dresses and some kids clothing, we have a small shop and there does end up being a lot of stuff in the shop, it gets crammed onto the rails and makes it hard for customers to sort through.  We have a shed but this manager doesn't like storing surplus stock there...OK there are mice but still...Anyway, all this stock usually gets sent up to Perth to be recycled. This manager knows that I collect unwanted stuff for the FreeMarkets so all that was offered to me for there but I see all too often good clothing that people have donated in good faith being sent away.  I'm thinking that I might not donate to this Vinnies anymore.  We have another op-shop in town, they are not as picky as us and I wont see what happens to my donations so I think I will take more to there from now on.  Other stuff will go to the FreeMarkets.  It's making me want to keep everything here even though I don't wear it all and it doesn't fit in the cupboard.

For someone like me that has trouble getting rid of stuff, this is no good.  If it's not easyish for me then it's not gunna happen.   And now!!  I need to find somewhere to put the 2 bags of stuff that I brought home for the FreeMarkets...Hubby will be cranky, and rightly so, we don't need more stuff here...but I can't let it be wasted.  What is wrong with me!!  

The Good Guys And The Not So Good.

I served a big tough looking bloke at Vinnies this afternoon, he was buying a cute little yellow teddy bear. It was $2 but the bloke said it was worth more and gave me $4. I thanked him then made some smart remark about it keeping him warm tonight and he says that he, and other truckies, have these teddies in their truck so when they come across accidents they have something to give to any children that might be there and scared. I pushed his money back and said to take more if he wanted them. He said no, he didn't have a lot of room but as he had used one the week before he wanted to replace it. He gave me the $4 and said call it a donation. How kind and generous is he and all the others that do the same. I was telling one of the other volunteers about him and she told me about a woman that came in last week looking for material to buy as she makes bags and toys for needy kids. She was given the material and was really surprised that we would do that. These people are kind and generous and I don't think what we did was anything special, they are the special ones. In contrast we get people in asking for welfare, the same people over and over again and then they are seen down the pub drinking and smoking...

Volunteering at Vinnies.

After my great upset of not being respected as a Vinnie Vollie I think it has been resolved.   I spoke to the manager by phone on Sunday and saw her when I went in on my regular Monday afternoon shift.  The old manager was there talking with the new manager and the Monday morning vollie was there.   The manager spoke to me, said she was sorry she hadn't let any of us know but the sign was put up on Wednesday and taken down the next day so no problem.  Wrong!  Big problem as us 3 vollies were not happy about it being put up before speaking with us and didn't like the way it was worded at all.

Up to yesterday, on a regular Monday there would be the manager, morning vollie, me in the afternoon and another woman that came in when she could, most weeks.  That one hadn't been in for a few weeks due to an injured back but was due back this week.    For the manager to put up a **Closed on Mondays due to lack of volunteers**  was wrong. 

The manager left just after I arrived yesterday, shortly after that the bad back vollie showed up and not long after that the morning vollie left.  So there were 2 of us there for the afternoon.  Neither of us knew the opening and closing routines though so the Thursday lady came in at 3 to show us how to do the till and the closing procedure.  She is going to write up charts with anything anyone needs to know about the days workings.   This is something that I have suggested to the manager a couple of times since I started, it's just sense that someone else knows how to open and shut the place up.  It shouldn't be up to another volunteer to do it but at least it will now be done.

I am there again Friday morning, with the manager so hoping that it wont be too awkward but don't care if it is.  It shouldn't be.   I know for a fact that the Friday afternoon vollie quite often doesn't show up, she is an 80 year old so understandable, I have stayed all day on a couple of occasions because of this but know that the manager is sometimes there by herself.   I am told by her that the Wednesday vollies are not very reliable either.   They need more vollies and do have a sign up in the shop to this effect.  But Monday was covered! 

I like being there and will continue to go down there.  The work is interesting, I feel that I am doing my bit for the community and it gives me some decent adult conversation.

The work involves sorting, steaming clothing, pricing donations, serving customers, dusting and cleaning when it needs it.  None of it is hard, most of it is fun.  When I finish my childcare work in a few weeks time I may offer my services for Friday afternoons as well.   I will see how I feel when the time comes.  Maybe I will just stay when the other Friday vollie doesn't show up if I have nothing better to do...

Am I real or do I not exist?

I am starting to worry that I no longer exist.  Over the last few days there has been a couple of times that I am not reconized as an actual person... so maybe I am not...

I volunteer on Monday afternoons and Friday mornings at our local Vinnies op-shop.  I was there last Monday but on Thursday there was a sign on the opshop door saying that it would be closed on Mondays due to no volunteers.  I don't know how the morning vollie felt but I think I/we should have been told that we weren't considered as being there before the sign proclaimed it to the town.   It will now be open but I don't know if I am on the roster and the manager couldn't say for sure either.  I will find out this afternoon when I show up anyway.

This morning I turn the computer on but can not log on as I don't exist on this computer.  Now computers are smart aren't they so if my computer says that I don't exist then maybe I don't.

And I actually know a couple of people that think that we as a race are not actually here but that we imagine what we do and who we are...or some such thing, I found it all too confusing.

Do you sometimes feel less that you're worth because of the unthinking behaviour of other people?  I have spoken to the manager that put the sign up and she said not to take it personaly but I did, I do, she now knows that...I will see what happens down there this afternoon.  And will see if I come back on the computer after another restart.   Hopefully I'll be back as Me before too long.

Vinnie Volunteering.

I have had my second *practice* morning down at our local Vinnies store.  I like it.

Husband is unsure of me doing this, he thinks it might take me away from the garden and our going away.  It's the computer and books that takes me away from the gardens and we haven't been away yet this year so I'm thinking it won't be too much of a problem.

I am unsure about doing a regular day, I was thinking that I could just go in occasionally and be used as a call-in if someone couldn't make their day but after talking with the manager this morning I am going to do Monday afternoons for a bit and see how that works out.  I'm not good with afternoons though so not sure how that will go.  My days are limited until August/Sept so I'll just have to remember and get it into my head that Mondays are taken.    Fridays would be my preferred mornings but there will be more Fridays when I want to go away so as I couldn't guaranteer those I went for the Monday.     As with anything, I'm sure that with a bit of fixing here and there we will soon come up with something that suits us all.

Just need to now get it into my head that I need to be there Mondays and remember!  

Volunteering.

Today I spent the morning down at our local Vinnies, to see if I really want to volunteer there.  And yes, yes I do.  I have filled in the form and will now sit by the phone waiting for the call to say that I am needed.

Many years ago I used to volunteer at our local tourist info centre and enjoyed it but apart from helping out at the Really Free Markets I haven't done any volunteering for quite a few years.  I think it's time I started again and this will be an easy start.  I am willing to do a whole day now and then or a half day whenever but probably don't want to commit to a whole day every week   Will see what they need and then decide.
I do believe that volunteers are very important and without them a lot of community projects would not be able to function.  I also know that not all of them are appreciated the way they should be and that is not good.

Do you volunteer anywhere?  Please leave a comment and tell me all about it.