Back to work

Sometimes I feel like a kid again. Like when I leave later this morning for my part-time summer job. Heh.

And sometimes I feel like such an old lady. Like when I didn't sleep well and need to get a lot of stuff done today. Beginning with a four-mile walk.

Blog, walk, work, bank, grocery, home, pack, make dinner, sleep-sleep-sleep (hopefully better than last night!), wake up tomorrow and boogie on down the road.

That's the plan anyway. AA suggests that you plan the plans, not the results. That's worked out pretty well for me over the years. Cuts down dramatically on the disappointment factor.

I've no great pearls of wisdom to share this morning, and may or may not write while I'm gone.

I'm not even planning that plan!

Dwindling miles, a temporary state of affairs

I can see that working just two mornings a week is going to result in a reduction of my weekly miles, unless I'm able to tack a couple extra on when I do manage to get out there. I'd planned to walk after work yesterday, but I came home and collapsed.

It's not that the work is so hard. It's that I'm so old. Heh. And while walking almost daily for three months has been good for my health, it hasn't done much for my stamina, apparently.

I will become accustomed to this routine and I will continue to work toward my goal of walking 1000 miles this year. I'm ahead of schedule by about 25 miles. And if I don't hit the goal? Well, I've probably already walked farther this year than I did for all of 2012.

Hershey and I just chased seven deer out of the back yard. If I weren't such a softie I'd build a doghouse in the middle of the garden and let her live in it during the growing season. Dogs are excellent deer deterrents. Hershey, however, is a house dog. It just wouldn't be fair after all these years to ask her to actually work for her kibble.

I am enjoying working again, despite the fatigue. I've met some interesting customers and welcomed back some old ones. The plants are thriving with the spring rain and warm temperatures we've had lately. Our newest employee is my walking buddy and one of my favorite people, and we'll be working together on Wednesdays. The good stuff multiplies.

Disappointments and tragedies and evil and accidents and bad stuff will always be a part of life. I don't know anyone who can claim otherwise. What we do with it is what makes our life fulfilling and worthy and valuable. An initial shocked or horrified or angry reaction must be channeled toward something better. Light stamps out darkness. Good triumphs over evil. Love is stronger than hate.

And, in the end, miles don't much matter. It's the journey that counts.

Time's a wasting!

Here it is Wednesday again, a work day for me, and I have to leave the house in an hour. I'm still drinking coffee, haven't eaten breakfast or gotten dressed, and I need to Swiffer the floors. Instead, I've been cruising Pinterest, clearing out e-mail, catching up on Facebook and thinking about what (or whether) to write. You know, since I posted twice yesterday.

That run felt darned good. And I'm not especially sore this morning because of it. I could very well do it again this afternoon, weather permitting.

It rained overnight, and there's more rain coming in today, so the weather may not be permitting. Perhaps Mother Nature is trying to tell me I don't have to run two days in a row.

But. Still. It did feel good.

I planted one row of onions yesterday afternoon. The remaining sets will go in the ground in two weeks and again in four weeks. The really big gardening job is going to be simply going through the seed inventory to see what I have and what I still need. Most gardeners do this in February. I'm a little late.

However. Working at a garden center means the seeds and plants I will need are at my fingertips. It's not like I need to place orders and anticipate deliveries.

Things are really growing around here. I planted some pink tiger lily-type bulbs last year and they're coming up. I'd forgotten where I put them. It's very fun to watch the perennial bed come back to life.

And a little chocolate mimosa tree has teeny tiny new green growth on it. I thought for sure I'd killed it, as I am wont to do.

Okay, for not having much to say I've managed to say quite a bit. Time to get this party started. Today's photo prompt is "busy," which I plan to be very soon.

March 21 - Working

Our coffeemaker works 24/7 sometimes. That's 7:19 PM, not AM.

Back to work

I ventured out of my comfort zone (not wanting to be seen in public) last night and went to the AA meeting at the prison. I feel very self-conscious around people, because I can't speak clearly with my upper teeth gone. But practicing in front of the inmates was a good thing to do. They are completely non-judgmental, and several also had denture stories to share. One woman, while in a blackout several years ago, carefully wrapped her dentures in tissue and threw them away. She can't afford to replace them and remains toothless to this day.

So today I'm working at the garden center. We haven't been busy – most people are gardened out by mid-summer – but the anniversary sale ends today, so we might get a few customers. (The anniversary sale was extended and changed to a "Gale Sale" following the storm.) I think I'll just deal with the public in a matter-of-fact manner and not worry about how I look or sound.

The denture diet has been an interesting experience. It's too hard to eat most anything except very smooth foods – applesauce, ice cream, cottage cheese. Everything I eat requires a dish or plate and utensils. There is no snacking on almonds or crackers, no tasting this or picking at that. I've been eating three times a day and having a half-cup of ice cream with a spoonful of peanut butter after dinner. It's not hard to watch portion sizes, either, because I have to eat s-l-o-w-l-y, and I'm really quite satisfied at the end of a serving.

In other words, I'm doing some of the things the weight-loss experts have long recommended:

• Sit at the table to eat.
• Use dinnerware and flatware.
• Eat slowly.
• Eat only when hungry.
• Stop before you're full.

Now I could be loading up on mashed potatoes or puddings or other soft-but-not-very-healthful dishes, but I really don't much like those things anyway. If I'm only eating a little bit, I should make the most of it and enjoy what I'm consuming, right?

In the same way I hope to be matter-of-fact when dealing with customers today, I'd like to just routinely continue eating three small meals at a slower pace after I'm back to normal.

Whatever that is.

Not even CLOSE to a flood

Thank goodness.

The Greenbrier River was raging yesterday, but managed to stay within its boundaries and not creep up into the garden center's space. A central pavilion sits amidst the outdoor displays and greenhouses. When the water creeps up to the concrete pad upon which the pavilion is built, then we start to get worried.

This water isn't even close to the pavilion, but it's much higher than normal.

Yesterday was a lovely day to work. It was cool enough to keep a sweatshirt on most of the day, but sunny and pleasant. Working outdoors is lots of fun as long as Mother Nature cooperates. It sucks when it's hot or rainy or too cold. Nice crisp days like we had yesterday are perfect.

I lost count of how many baby tomato plants I moved into peat pots. We're offering several heirloom varieties this year, and I'm sure a couple of each will land in my garden. IF I ever find time to plant it!

I believe I mentioned I'm having trouble managing my time now that I'm working a regular three-day-a-week schedule? Well, I'm getting a little better. The house is clean and I managed to stay awake long enough to enjoy an evening out with my husband last night. Now I need to spend some time outside – today's the day! Mowing, weeding, getting more straw (which works great magic on clay soil, you really can't have enough, especially when the farmer is giving it away) and then collapsing, as usual, at about 8:30 p.m.

I'm such a party animal.

A hot shower and a couple Aleve

You've probably seen the Aleve commercials, which promise, "Just two Aleve have the strength to relieve pain all day."

Well, I'm here to tell you they're WRONG, dammit, WRONG! I took two Aleve (normal dosage is one every 12 hours) at 5 p.m. and my painful shoulder/hip/ankle/lower back/you-name-it-it-hurts woke me at 3 a.m. Fortunately, I was able to go back to sleep, blessed sleep.

Maybe I need opioids. (KIDDING! And I REALLY shouldn't be joking about that, considering how much damage they've done to people who think popping an Oxy when for a headache is a good idea.)

Yesterday was my long day at work and it was, indeed, a long day. The good thing is it rained, so we didn't have to drag the hoses around watering a couple acres of trees, shrubs and flowers. But it was a cold rain. Not a hard rain. Steady, light, not enough to feel like I needed an umbrella, even. But six hours of it left me chilled to the bone. Every week I think I should be getting used to this, but a winter of sloth punctuated by a few strolls along a country road really doesn't prepare one for physical labor.

BUT ENOUGH BITCHING! I'm fine. Clearly, I must be if you're reading this, right? Heh. And I'm already looking forward to working tomorrow. We're starting to pot up tomato seedlings! Who else do you know who gets excited about moving baby tomatoes into larger quarters. Heh.

I have quite a long to-do list today, and nothing is going to get checked off if I continue to sit on my ass in front of this computer. (That's because the graphic design program I need to use is on the other computer; sitting on my ass in front of it will be much more productive.)

And so I will sign off, grab some breakfast and get on with my day. I hope yours is a good one.

Working girl

So yesterday was my first real day of work (which I define as getting paid to be someplace for a specific period of time) in a long, long time. I've been here in the Middle of Nowhere for nearly 15 years now, and the last time I had a "job" was when I lived in Ohio. (I do a tiny bit of freelance graphic design, which is real work, but I set my own hours for that.)

I've helped out at a local garden center for the past two summers, bartering my labor for their plants. This year, thanks to Rocky Raccoon, I'm on the books and covered by Worker's Compensation, in case one of Rocky's cousins shows up. This year I'll be doing sales as well as production, getting me out of my comfort zone a bit.

It's a part-time, temporary gig and the working conditions couldn't be more beautiful – a sea of flowers and plants in front of me and a river behind me. It's a great "office" and the work is fun for someone who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. Or her t-shirt, face, cap, etc. And, um, that would be me.

I was pretty tired yesterday when I got home. I didn't stay up for Mad Men, but will be able to watch it online today, maybe. We have a pretty full day scheduled – workout, banking, driving back to the "city" to deliver our old car title and to pick up some phone doodads – but I guess this is what most working people do, right? This little job will, hopefully, make me use my at-home time more efficiently.

Maybe my husband will learn to cook. And maybe pigs will fly. Heh.

Workin' for a living

I worked yesterday. I mean really worked, at the greenhouse, moving tiny petunia plants from plugs to flats filled with larger pots, then moving the flats to protected benches in another greenhouse. Standing, bending, lifting, walking, carrying … happy!

The view through the greenhouse window looks out on a storage shed.
Oh, and I'm having fun with Photoshop Actions, too. Heh.

I wasn't there long, maybe four hours total. But it was certainly enough to get my mind off my troubles and put a nice ache in my shoulders. Just what I needed.

The really real part-time job begins in April, but I love doing production and said I'd be happy to help out until the garden center opens for the season. I also love the opportunity to get out of my own head for a few hours.

On tap for today: Laundry, a gym workout, cleaning the house, dinner out at a Mexican place. Not sure how that will work for South Beach but I've decided to follow Gingerzingi's lead – eat now and complain later. The couple we're meeting chose the venue, and since restaurants are few and far between in the Middle of Nowhere, I'm just going with the flow.

Which is probably a good way to live the rest of my crazy-assed life, as well.