That'd Be Alright

Dear Friends,

There has been a cat hanging around the apartment complex.  I call him Herbert.

I briefly considered the possibility of adopting him but he seems like more of an outdoor community cat.  I've seen him all around the property and when I got some food to give him (outside) he was only slighty interested so he's not starving.  During the brief window when I was considering adopting Herb, I asked around if anyone knew who's cat it is.  I even happened to run into the apartment manager in the parking lot so I asked her.  She did not know.  However on a completely different note, she wondered if I had any interest in working part time in the office here at the apartments.  I did have some interest so I dropped off a resume and found out more about the job.  It would be 3 days a week, set hours, set days.  Though I'm not familiar with property management, I am familiar with administrative tasks so I feel like I could learn the specifics.

So I spoke with my manager about cutting back my hours at my current job and got her approval.  Then I had an interview with the property manager and the district manager that went well I thought.  Last Thursday I was offered the position.  Yay!  So starting a week from today, providing their HR department gets all of my paperwork processed, I will be starting there.  Or here actually.  I think it will be good.  I'm really looking forward to having some normalcy in my schedule again.  And even though I'll be working six days a week, it feels manageable.  I already feel less stuck at my other job which is a relief so I really hope I can get back to liking it there again.  And who knows what the future may bring.  Part time jobs always have the potential to turn into to full time jobs.

When I moved here I considered bringing a few of the gnomes from my mom's collection with me.  Technically a few of them are actually mine so it wouldn't stealing or anything.  But with limited room and the last minute chaos of packing, I didn't bring any.  Last week I saw an ad for an estate sale with lots of art pieces including the same kind of collectible gnomes.  So off I went because a home really isn't a home until you have a gnome.  Or two.

 

The price was right so these guys came home with me.  Welcome Gnome!  Every piece by this artist has a story which unfortunately did not come with them and attempts to find it on the internet have not produced it either.  Their official name is Moore or Les and they are phone company workers.  I think this is actually a piece that Mom does not have in her collection.  And since her and I now talk on the phone regularly, it seems appropriate.

Jak and I are just back from our evening walk where I hoped to see a rocket launch.  It didn't go at it's designated time so we hung around a while but since it is a warm, humid evening I didn't want to keep Jak out too long so we left.  As I turned onto my street and looked up at the sky I saw the smoke trail from the rocket.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.  And as it turns I had a direct view of the smoke trail from my front door so I could've seen the launch without leaving the comfort of my home.  My gnome home.

I heard this Alan Jackson song on my way home from work yesterday afternoon and I will leave you with some of the lyrics from it.  This is my wish for all of you.

If everybody, everywhere,
Had a lighter load to bear,
And a little bigger piece of the pie.
We'd be livin' us a pretty good life,
And that'd be alright.

Hey, go heavy on the good and light on the bad,
A hair more happy and a shade less sad.
Turn all that negative down just a tad:
That'd be alright.

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hopeful

Adventures

Dear Folks,

After being here a for more than a year, I decided that it was time to start taking some adventures.  Nothing crazy or daring mostly just exploring the culture here as a local instead of as a visitor.  Last weekend for the first time since I moved, I actually took an excursion south of here.  The purpose of the trip was to deliver my aunt to the airport.  The return trip was via the scenic route through the area formerly known as the Space Coast.  I believe they still launch rockets from Cape Canaveral but not sure what else is being done with the property.  The second picture of is a former space shuttle launch pad and the third pic is the enormous building that was used to assemble the space shuttles.

This week my day off adventure brought me to a beach about an hour north of here with a long stretch of coquina rocks.  As I've been told by friends at work this is a great place to find sea glass and other treasures and in the fall it's a great place to see starfish on the rocks.  I thought it would be a scenic place to take some pictures so off I went yesterday with a friend from work who went in search of sea glass.  At one point I was contentedly sitting on a rock with my toes in the water until a big wave came in soaking the rock and my shorts.  I spent the next few hours feeling as though I had peed myself.  The good news, my camera was safe so that's all that really mattered to me.

I haven't shared any metaphors for way too long so here's one I was thinking of last night.  People are like the rocks on this beach and the ocean waves are like our lives.  They ebb and flow slowing changing and shaping the rocks.  Like our life experiences are slowing changing and shaping us.  Sometimes we have to weather a storm and come out somewhat broken or changed in a bigger way.  Most of the time it's just a gentle everyday washing over that guides us.  There are treasures hidden in and around the rocks and in people, you just have to be willing to take the time to explore.

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope

The Closer

Hi Friends,

No, I'm not referring to the TV show.  I am referring to the shift I've been working a lot lately.  When I first started as a supervisor I was supposed to have one or two closes a week and the rest would be midday shifts.  Now it seems I am closing four days a week with only one mid.  How do I feel about this?  I feel tired.

Yesterday a friend sent me a text recalling the days when she had a job working evenings and she put into words exactly what I've been feeling.  "...when you work nights often your whole day revolves around going to work.  For me it always felt like having no day, no night, and then going to bed."  Pretty much sums up where I'm at.  And then add to the mix a dog that needs to be walked in a climate where early mornings or evenings are the coolest times.  And of course early mornings are when I am sleeping so that leaves evenings which is when I am working.  Sigh.  I think you get the point.

I also just realized that I hardly ever cook more than a black bean burger anymore.  I mostly bring PBJ's to eat on my meal break at work and making a big meal for lunch before I go to work just doesn't happen.  I have a freezer full of my favorite spaghetti sauce but not the time or ambition to make a spaghetti dinner!

So what is the answer?  I'm not exactly sure.  I did have a job interview this week for a position that is similar to what I used to do.  With day time hours.  However they said they wanted to make a decision that day and I have heard nothing so I'm not feeling all that hopeful about that particular job.  Sometimes I daydream about just quitting my current job though the reality is I have too much integrity to do that.  So I will keep on keeping on and also keep applying for jobs that are in alignment with where I want to be.

For the most part I can stay positive and hopeful about something coming along.  I do have my moments when I just want to wallow in self pity for a little while but then it's onward.  Marilyn, I didn't know your mother but if she can help I'm all for it!  Please and thank you!

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope

Happy 4th of July!

Greetings Peeps!

It is a hot and humid 4th of July morning here in the land of sunshine.  Which, I guess is to be expected.  I rearranged the magnets on my door about a month ago in honor of today.  Since I had to cut out the stars, there are only 13 in recognition of the 13 original colonies.

I am on a stretch of working closing shifts and although the hours are not my favorite, for this weekend I will gladly stay away from the beach.  As much as I love our walks there, I am not a hang out at the beach all day kinda gal.  Jak and I went for a walk this morning along the main road from the highway to the beach and it was already bustling at nine a.m. 

Tropical Storm Arthur blew past here on Wednesday bringing some periods of heavy rain throughout the morning.  By the afternoon the skies cleared up and all that was left was a nice breeze.  (Which is welcome here this time of year.)   It looks like Arthur gained strength around the Carolinas.  I hope he brought the I-95 corridor some much needed rain.  The corn fields looked very dry when we rolled through there last week.

Not much else to report here.  I've been rearranging my living room a bit trying to find the best place for the rocking chair that I brought back with me from the home state.  Since the TV has to stay on the wall the with cable hookup, there isn't a lot of moving around that can be done.  So it's mostly about trying things at different angles.  I am pretty content with the current layout except that there is a lot of wasted space behind the futon.  For now I'll let it be, usually in time these things work themselves out.

Well, wherever you are, I hope you have a damn fine 4th of July.  Eat watermelon, be safe and have fun!

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope