A good week

I'm sitting here listening to the birds sing outside my window and the mornings are still cool enough to be delightful. The terrible wind of the last few days has let up and I was finally able to retrieve the various trash cans and boxes that blew down the street in to my neighbor's yard.

I'm thrilled that several of you stopped by to look at my desert photos. Donna Lee mentioned the vision of reddish earth and tumbleweeds from westerns which can be seen in certain areas of Arizona where those films were shot. Growing up in the green Midwest, I had no idea when my future husband enticed me to move here how many different kinds of desert there are. Getting used to rock yards is a whole other adjustment but the best part is - no mowing!

I went in to my consulting meeting this week armed with the confidence of my family, friends and blogging buddies. The meeting went well and I wore my stretchy dress so I would be comfortable (though I am strongly considering Em's idea that some new spring clothes might be a good idea). I have a rough outline together for the session I'll be leading and now need to do some research for the specifics.

I'm excited about starting a new business but also know I may wind up looking for a "day job" down the line that has health insurance. One of the sad realities of middle age is that if your employer doesn't offer health insurance or you are self employed, you probably are uninsurable on the private market. We currently are doing the COBRA continuation from my previous health insurance, but when that runs out I may be looking for a job with benefits, no matter what it pays. We have a new mall that has been hiring a lot of people but my family is appalled that I would even consider "wasting" my degrees by working at something menial. We've always taught our kids that no honest work is beneath them if it pays the bills, but somehow they think that shouldn't apply to me :-) Thankfully we don't have to worry about it seriously for another year. Much can happen between now and then.

On a happier note, I got to go out on a date with my husband last night. He got tickets to go hear a local swing band, and on a week night no less! We are usually vegetating in front of the tv, not out on the town. It was a lot of fun and one of the perks of being empty nesters - you can pick up and go when you want! My loving hubby also got me new diamond studs for our 28th wedding anniversary on Saturday. I lost one of the ones I've had forever down the shower drain a couple of months ago. These have screw backs so hopefully they won't come loose. What a good guy. I think I'll keep him for another 28 years.

Spring in the desert

Everyone has been posting such beautiful pictures of spring flowers from around the country that I thought I'd share some desert pictures. My agave plant finally flowered (that is the large stalk in the middle). Unfortunately the plant dies after flowering so I guess I need to call the landscaper again.

This is a prickly pear but it is not in full bloom yet. I'll try to get another picture when all of the pink flowers along the spines come out. No, I don't make jelly from mine

What looks like a wild shrub actually is. Creosote blooms with tiny white and yellow flowers in the spring, sends down deep roots that are almost impossible to dig out and gives the desert its distinctive "after rain" smell when we occasionally get the wet stuff.

This flatish flowering shrub is lantana and commonly used in desert landscaping. It comes in a variety of colors, is low water use and blooms most of the year. They are particularly pretty right now.

Many flowers will grow here, but in the winter when we aren't so hot. Thus ends our lecture on desert flora 101!

A Paying Gig

So, for the last three months I have been unemployed after years of working many hours per week at a job I was extremely passionate about. The fates and despised person or persons who shall remain nameless, liberated me from my mission driven, passionate life and left me foundering on the shores of endless unfilled time.

Of course, you say, if had three months with nothing else to do, my house would be spotless, my cats perfectly groomed and my physique improved from the daily exercise. HA! As you know from reading previous blogs, my house is improved but still cluttered with the many books that never seem to find a permanent home other than teetering on the edge of every flat surface. My cats are much loved and believe life is now as it should be but still are not brushed regularly and we won't even talk about keeping up with their cat pan cleaning standards! I refuse to talk about my physique which is not only flabby but wider than usual due to applications of ice cream from the full service freezer.

In my defense, I have spent a lot of time in the last couple of months researching and planning what I eventually want to do with my life. The full service brothel was out since Arizona doesn't allow them and my husband won't move to Nevada. Learning to spin yarn from the endless Ragdoll hair seemed challenging (see brushing above). Given those issues, I turned toward more conventional ideas - one of which is starting a consulting business.

I know, if you find an unemployed executive and you'll find a potential consultant. Being a research nut I've combed the internet and read at least 5 books already on how to set up a consulting business. I've also made lists on paper and in Excel (can you spell A-N-A-L), of all the tasks required. None of that has led me any closer to actually having a paying job.

As of today I have (gasp) a small paying gig in May doing a 4 hour strategic planning session for the staff of a local business. No sooner had I accepted and jumped for joy than I started worrying about whether I really know how to do this. I'm already thinking that Amy Lane mantra "Please let it not suck" as this one little job could be a great reference for other, bigger jobs.

I meet with the person who retained me on Tuesday to gather ideas and clarify her expectations for the session. I've started formulating questions to ask her about the group I'll be working with, the outcome we hope for and how that fits with the organization's mission and goals for 2008/2009.

Keep a good thought for me while I go see what business attire I have for spring that I can still shoehorn my hips in to!

Goodbye

One of my best friends in the whole world is moving. Tomorrow. Half way across the country from me. We've known each other for nearly 13 years and worked together almost every day for the last twelve. We've fought like teenage siblings and nearly lost our friendship to my being her "boss". Our children have grown up together and our lives have entwined in so many ways over the years. She's listened, understood and prodded me to not be so cautious. I've listened, understood and cautioned her not to be so outspoken. As much as we sometimes drive each other crazy, I can't imagine my life without her.

Another life change, another loss. It never gets easier but we have to keep growing.

I'll miss her a lot.

Films, films and more films

This weekend was the sixth annual film festival in Lake Havasu (www.lakehavasufilmfestival.com). I've always wanted to go so this event but somehow never found the time. I love movies and have wasted many a happy hour in my life watching, discussing and critiquing the film genre with friends and family. This time I got to do all of that with complete strangers too! My kids always say I can talk to anyone if given a few minutes.

Starting at 11 AM Friday morning, thirty films were shown for 11 hours each day of the weekend, ending tonight at 10 PM. The types and topics varied tremendously including feature length films, documentaries, short features and animation. While I would like to say I've seen everything aired thus far, my behind (no matter how well cushioned) just can't handle sitting in a theater seat for 11 hours a day. Thankfully, many of the showing segments are repeated, as most attendees drift in and out.

I loved the documentary on the Karearea pine falcon of New Zealand which combined history, nature and a human interest story of the still photographer made famous in the 70's for his work with these secretive birds.

Two full length features, "An American in China" and "The Flyboys" were both very good with the latter winning best in show. I had mixed feelings about "Beyond the Call" which is a full length documentary on 3 guys who bring aid to remote areas of the world. While they are bringing hope to areas of the world that other does not reach, my social worker boundaries had some issues with what struck me as paternalism at times.

The most disturbing film to me was a documentary on the poligamous Mormons of Colorado City, Arizona and their "prophet" Warren Jeffs. Although I have long been aware of this sect (not acknowledged by the Mormon church) , the depth of the abuse exposed by families who have left the church was horrifying. Although it certainly was not the most popular film of the festival, is perhaps engendered the most discussion.

Well, I'm off to peruse the schedule to see what delights today may hold. The best part - buttered popcorn and the movies are all free!

Grown kids are special

I'm taking time to appreciate my grown kids today. My baby will be 22 in Friday and is coming to visit next week to spend some time with me. Here she is modeling her new hat and scarf I knitted for her.

Despite the fact that we barely survived her teen years(no exaggeration), she has grown in to a lovely young woman and a good friend. In January she showed up for a surprise visit just because she thought I needed the moral support. Later that week she opened her home to me so that I could get away for a few days and regroup before facing the many questions about why I was leaving my long time employer. Now if I can just teach her to knit, we'll have something else to do together! One thing that hasn't changed since her teens are the infamous late night rants but I probably don't need that much sleep anyway.

I also had a chance to talk to my son for an hour on the phone this week (since he is 2000 miles away - sigh). Sure we talk about the plans he and his wife have for their future and how my granddogs are doing. We also talk about movies, music, The Daily Show & Stephan Colbert, politics and our shared passion, the Phoenix Suns. He and I have always been kindred souls and shared a lot of interests but now that he is married, the times we have for just the two of us are few and far between. The upside is that I have a wonderful daughter-in-law who thinks I'm special too.

My granddogs Blue and Stumpy are as close as I'll come to grandchildren for a while and they are very fond of me. I even talk to them on the phone and bring them presents. Now that they are living in the cold Midwest I need to knit some dog sweaters before the snow flies next fall. That fat little weiner dog found the snow very refreshing.

On the progress front, my window sills are painted and blinds in so I can cross that off the list. It is boring to do and write about but I'm glad it's done. Now I have to start putting our many, many, many books back in the bookcases in some sort of order. As a parting note, our cats Merry and Pippin sometimes look like they could serve as bookends.

Progress

I decided that today I would put my goals for the week in writing as then perhaps I'll make more progress with them. No, it isn't the employment goals that are the problem, it is all the other items on my to-do list!

I promised myself when I left work, that I would start exercising, catch up on all those annual doctor visits I haven't done and work on all the nasty and boring jobs that need to be done around the house, before I once again am immersed in the world of work outside the home. To give myself credit, some of it has happened (not the exercise).

The issue, as always, is that I'm really not very interested in doing those things. I would much rather read, knit, play on the computer or talk with a friend, so I do. It is so easy to get distracted. My d-i-l got me started on adopting a cyber-puppy on Facebook that I have to feed, play with and train. This weekend I discovered I can get scads of points for training by cyber-petting many other people's puppies. I hate to admit that I spent hours watching tv and doing just that. I even got points to feed a pooch someone neglected. I would think I am a hopeless techno-geek except that thousands of people all over the world are doing the same thing. But I digress. . . .

So, my goal for this week is to get the paint touch up done, the window sills painted, blinds in and the front of the house totally put back together. That doesn't sound like much but there is a lot of stuff to find homes for to make that happen. My other goal is to walk 3 times this week. That seems reasonable and the weather is gorgeous right now.

On the bright side, a friend and I went to see a local theater production of Godspell this weekend. It was mostly high school kids but the energy and quality of performance was awesome. The best part is that I actually did something with a friend I haven't seen much in a long time. I was always too busy to call her. I guess that means my priorities are getting reordered and that is progress.