Closing up Shop

Minutes after that last post, Annette came strolling into the shop. We were supposed to have a little milk frothing gala after closing tonight... experimenting with the degree and type of foam on various coffee drinks. I was trained a certain way when I came on here at the shop and, as it turns out, my foam has been a bit "off".

There's a great video out there about how to master the foam thing and the guy who presents it looks a little like Napolean Dynamite's brother... so needless to say, it's pretty entertaining. With Annette's help, I was going to practice getting the technique down and, if time and energy allowed, maybe even master the "Rosetta Latte" ~ a pretty little latte decoration made out of the foam on top of the drink. If I get really good, I can make a little heart on the top of the lattes.... how very appropriate for the cafe's name!

I had to cancel for tonight though. Bill is sick at home and I was way too wiped after trying to understand all that tax bullshit. Not to mention the fact that my head was still spinning with the register confusion that I learned about tonight... how, for some reason, the register is programmed with Virginia's tax rate instead of Vermont's tax rate.. which leaves the numbers off by a handful of dollars every night and lends alot of confusion when it comes time to decipher exactly what I need to paying out for quarterly taxes.

But there was Annette, hand on her hip, standing behind the counter like the old days and it was just such a wonderful sight to see. She pulled up her sleeves and dove into my two sinks full of dirty dishes while she talked to me about going through the menu and costing everything as we go along. She even offered to make her fabulous scones for three months for free... provided I buy the ingredients. I love you, Annette!

She also reassured me that Lisa, her partner in this business three years ago, knows my register on an intimate level. The two of them have been instrumental in building my confidence in this venture and I'm convinced at this point that I have the absolute best coaches and support team I could ever ask for.

I still don't know how I'm going to keep track of all the tax payments I need to make or why the hell the state and federal government take so much god damn money from small business owners but....... it's pretty validating to have this kind of support. Especially minutes after I felt like I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and rock back and forth.

Annette... that Rolex you left above the sinks.... you better come get it early in the morning or else I'll be out there selling it on the street corner. Life's tough for a business owner these days... gotta get it where I can, you know?