Post-season, November 2013

I've completed my third season as a custodian for the local parks district.  I'm still working winters, substituting in the schools, but I've had only two calls but they were while I was still cleaning restrooms.  I've completed my required coursework on identifying and reporting abuse, dealing with blood pathogens, and avoiding the appearance of being a child molester, so I've received my new tag, showing that I'm a official employee with the education service district until October 2014.

My husband is working, and has been working now for months.  When he was hired, he was told to expect just a few weeks.  One daughter now has a full-time, benefits paid job, complete with use of the company's gym and her own parking space, even though she lives close enough to walk to work.  Another daughter is in Boston today, at a conference.  She is getting her masters in public health and has some concerns of what she'll be doing for employment after school.  The third daughter is home, dealing with some issues and is currently unemployed while she figures out her next step.  The house is headed for foreclosure and my husband got his bankruptcy finalized.  The house is a mess and I'm home, dealing with it, although I'm doing a lousy job at it.

Both of our mothers are well and well off, as they have enough money for their needs and most of their wants.  They would both like to see us more, but here we are.  My husband sold two vehicles, bought another one and fixed it up so that it will run for many more miles and years.  His brother has a regular job now, and my siblings are well.  The dog died in December, 2012 and both cats are still alive.  Two houses are built next door to us, and it looks like a third is going in and places that were plotted out for houses five years ago are now having foundations poured, walls raised and "for sale" signs out in front, although no one knows where the buyers are coming from. The general economy of area is still poor, as yet another thrift store has opened.

I am reminded of what was said at one of my daughter's college commencement:  "Prosperity has nothing to do with money."

sunday, 4.9

We sang, "If You Could Hie to Kolob" for the closing song in Relief Society.  I was very grateful for it, as I will not be in RS for another 5.5 months.

3rd day - a gift freely given

I got through my restrooms quickly.  The weather was wet and rainy, so very few people were out and about.  I mopped all the floors, and folded up the bar towels that we use to clean with.

An old transient was at the Drake Park one, with a shopping basket full of stuff and bottles.  He told me that he had had a very successful haul of bottles, and left me two quarters and a hair band on my windshield as a gift, as, he said, he knew that we girls weren't getting equal work for equal pay.

Skyline was shut all winter, with some maintence work.  I gave it a good wipe-down.

2nd day of seasonal employment

I got my uniform tee-shirts, uniform hoodie zip-up sweatshirt, baseball cap and safety glasses.  I watch the rest of the five training videos, and went on the rounds again with my supervisor.

I'm a bit concerned for her.  I sense that there's a sadness. 

Karen will be back on Thursday, so I'll do the routes myself tomorrow.

I went to Freddie's and showed off my uniform. 

Five months and 19 days to go, or 172 days left for the season.

I also got some more bills today.  My husband is preparing the bill for one of his customers, whose remodel was recently finished.  We are hoping he will pay soon.

Tuesday

The company that has the hospital's account called this morning.  I hadn't made my $50 payment for the month, but were willing to take the $30, as I explained that I needed to buy shoes for the job starting in April, and that I would be able to make it up in May. 

Last night, my husband and I did our family home evening project of going over to Jeanette's house, to see if there was any service work we could do, visit her for Home Teaching, and to deliver the RS announcements.  Jeannette was headed over to her friend's Jan's home--her oldest son died.  (Not a surprise, as he'd been ill for years.)  I volunteered to take over a veggie tray in the morning.

We stopped at Albertson's and got sliced ham on sale, and a Redbox movie, "Cowboys and Aliens," and I made hard boiled eggs and peeled carrots and made a celery and carrots tray.  The movie was awful, and I ended up going to bed way past midnight.

This morning  I shelled the eggs, found a large plastic tray, and put out the ham and sliced cheese and the eggs on it, and took them and the carrots and celery and a box of nice crackers to Jan's house, arriving just in time, as she and her other son had just arrived back from the mortuary, as they delivered the clothes for her oldest son, and her grandchildren were expected at any minute.

I felt blessed to know that I had brought what was needed, at the right time.

79 Turning points

Today my blog is going to shift a bit to my health.  "Today I decide to be healthy."

I've got my job starting in a month, and I need to get physically prepared for it.  I know I'm @ 100 pounds over-weight, maybe less, as my weight in college was 170.  I'm 260 this morning.

Yesterday I was thinking about the hymn, "I'll cast my burdens at his feet, and bear a song away." And I thought about that some more, and gave a silent prayer, asking if I could do that, and I got the answer back, a very small, still small voice, that I could.

So I'm going to start with giving 50 pounds to the Lord in this month and during my time at Park and Rec. 30 weeks.  That's a healthy loss of almost 2 pounds a week on average.

I've been exercising, but not steadily.  And I've made some half-hearted attempts at portion control.

Today I need to do better, and everyday. Without the extra weight, I'd be able to buy clothes, and I know I'd feel better and look more employable to others.  I saw one of the moms at Pine Ridge walking in front of me, and I hoped I didn't look like that in the back, and I felt sorry for her.

This morning I took a one-mile walk with the dog down to the river and back, and was pleased that I was able to do the slope without getting winded until about the end, and still have energy when I got home.

I bought over 2 lbs. of broccoli last night, and ate over a pound for dinner with a salmon patty.  No potatoes or bread.

And wealth-wise, I'm thinking about Tabatha Brown's Fashions (no bolts of fabric were cut) sewing.  There was a black curtain with flowers I saw at Goodwill--it would make a beautiful jacket. But the thought of buying it gives me a guilt feeling--that's $8 I could spend on my children or on bills.
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I've been toying with sewing ideas, and one of my fantasies was a business named "Tabitha Brown Fashions," after the Mother of Oregon, a woman named Tabitha Brown, who came out west on one of the worst wagon trains ever assembled, probably second to the Donner Party for its bad luck.  After making it to The Valley, at age 66, destitute but for her family, she found a coin worth 61/2 cents--a picayune--in the finger of a glove, and used it to buy a sewing needle, traded some fabric for buck skin, and made gloves to sell, and that was the start of her fortune. She ended up founding an orphanage, prospered, founded an orphanage (now Pacific University), and died wealthy and well-loved.

What better name to bless the business?

And then I googled the name and found that Tabitha Brown is already in existence as a fashion planner in Tennessee, on Facebook (Australia), a murdered woman in South Carolina, a dead one in Missouri, and a blogger/illustrator on Esty who has her studio named "The Pairabirds".

There's a small business thing at the Library on Tuesdays. I can always check out there using the name there.

78

I got called to work at Pine Ridge today, another 3.75 hours on the time sheet, and children happy to see me.

When I got home, my husband told me that Park and Rec. had called--I start work April 9.