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Category: Manners Matter

  • Manners Matter: Keeping the Peace at Thanksgiving

    Dear Mary Pat, I’m dreading Thanksgiving. My family is very split politically, and there’s always a major fight before we even get to carve the turkey. For decades, we have celebrated Thanksgiving together because we all travel to our respective in-laws’ homes for Christmas. My mom was always the peacemaker of the family, but she’s […]

  • Manners Matter: How to Handle Road Construction – Nicely

    Dear Readers, I’ve received several questions pertaining to road-construction faux pas, so I thought I’d create a list of helpful suggestions to assist locals and visitors alike. • Telling business owners in a construction zone that there’s road construction going on is a little redundant. They also know there’s a detour and that their sales may […]

  • Manners Matter: Listen Better to Include Everyone

    Dear Mary Pat, I can’t stand when people talk over me. It seems to happen more often than not, and it’s really frustrating. I know that I’m not the most assertive person, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to bulldoze over me with all their words and stories.   Signed, Let Me Speak Sister Bay, […]

  • Manners Matter: Employee Just Isn’t Cutting It

    Dear Mary Pat, My employee is struggling to keep up, and I don’t know whether I can afford to keep him employed any longer. I’m a pretty patient guy, and I am all for encouraging and motivating my team of employees, but I’ve run into a wall here. He’s very nice and tries, but he […]

  • Manners Matter: Silence Phones during Public Meetings

    Dear Mary Pat, I was sitting in a town meeting at the auditorium regarding the purchase of some property. I won’t get into that subject because it’s more complicated. My complaint is easier to explain: people in the audience not silencing their phones. It is so rude and such a distraction to hear repetitive dings […]

  • Manners Matter: Children in Stores

    Dear Mary Pat, I was shopping this weekend, and a store clerk told my five-year-old daughter to be careful when she was by a display. I thought it was rude of her to address my daughter when I was only 20 feet away. My daughter doesn’t need to be told what to do by a […]

  • Manners Matter: Is a Day off in the Fall Too Much to Ask?

    Dear Mary Pat, I normally have weekends off for my job, except in October, when I have to work Saturdays and Sundays because the restaurant is so busy. I take my days off Tuesday and Wednesday in October. My friends are coming up over Fall Fest, and this is the first year when we are […]

  • Manners Matter: Wedding Worries

    Dear Mary Pat, My nephew is getting married this weekend in his parents’ backyard. I have two concerns. One is that it’s been raining so much, and I don’t know how we aren’t going to sink into the ground. The other is that my brother told me that they are only going to have porta-potties […]

  • Manners Matter: Differing Views of Upcoming Retirement

    Dear Mary Pat, I’m ready to retire, but my wife says it’s too soon. I’m 64, and I have enough saved – or at least I think I do. I’m starting to think she doesn’t want me around the house all the time. She didn’t work outside the home while our kids were younger, and I […]

  • Manners Matter: Cologne Overpowers

    Dear Mary Pat, I have a co-worker who overdoes his cologne. The guy must go through an entire vat of it every year. He doesn’t seem to notice that people cough when he walks into the break room or step back three paces when he engages someone in conversation. It’s just too much. I would […]

  • Manners Matter: To Tell or Not to Tell?

    Dear Mary Pat, I’m fairly certain that I saw my friend’s fiancé walking with another woman. The only thing is, I’m not 100 percent sure … More like 99 percent sure. It didn’t look platonic at all, and I’m not sure if I should say anything. Is it right to keep my mouth shut when I […]

  • Manners Matter: Rental Owners’ Responsibilities

    Dear Mary Pat, There are new owners of the VRBO house across the street from my full-time/year-round residence. They are now allowing pets. Between owners that leave their dogs home to bark all day long (my husband and I work from home) and those who let them roam free off the leash (we’ve been charged […]

  • Manners Matter: Who’s Treating?

    Dear Mary Pat, My friend just got season tickets for the Packers. He’s asked me to go to one of the games in September or October. The only thing is, I’m not sure how to handle the cost. I don’t know whether he’s going to treat me to the game, and then I would pay […]

  • Manners Matter: Respect for Proprietors

    by Mary Pat Dear Mary Pat, I own a small boutique for ladies, and I’m surprised by occasional comments made by customers. I’m a big believer in the philosophy that “the customer is always right”; however, when they casually insult my merchandise or ask me for directions to my competitor’s store, I don’t feel that […]

  • Manners Matter: Bathroom Protocol for Kids Outside

    Dear Mary Pat, We were enjoying a picnic lunch at the Sister Bay beach when two little boys stopped right in front of our blanket, dropped their swim trunks and urinated into the sand at the edge of the water (facing away from us). I was startled because they weren’t small toddlers – maybe three […]

  • Manners Matter: Chatty Sister-in-Law

    Dear Mary Pat, I’m in a bind. My sister-in-law wants to join the book club I attend. She’s a great gal, but she dominates any conversation she participates in. No matter the topic – politics, marriage, shoes – she has an opinion and goes off on 10-minute tirades that leave the rest of the group […]

  • Manners Matter: Be Kind to One Another

    by Mary Pat Dear Readers, Instead of answering a question this week, I would like to take this time to remind everyone to be kind to one another. This message is intended for everyone – local and visitor alike. I know it’s busy, and I know that the season gives us a lot to juggle […]

  • Manners Matter: A Big Tip Does Not Excuse Bad Customer Behavior

    Dear Mary Pat, I’m a hairdresser and am blessed to be solidly booked for most of the summer. Every now and again there is a cancellation when I can squeeze someone in, but that’s rare, and I don’t have the time to take walk-ins. The other day when I was cutting a client’s hair, a […]

  • Manners Matter: Share the Water – It’s a Public Resource

    Dear Mary Pat, It was a busy weekend in the county and in the water. My family and I are local, and we often launch our boat in Fish Creek or Ephraim. We are very efficient once we get our turn to back up to the ramp. There was another boat launcher who tried to […]

  • Manners Matter: Vacation Planning and Footing the Bill

    Dear Mary Pat, My friends and I want to rent a house in Door County for one week, and all of us would split it equally. Including me, there are six of us who have been going back and forth with our schedules and how many days to take off of work. We finally picked […]