Interview

For some unknown reason the keyboard on my laptop is no longer working.  I don't know why.  So I am using my phone to blog and it won't be the same.

Today was a job interview over the phone.  I don't feel like it went well,  but my kids feel that it must have.  I will have another interview next Thursday.   Hopefully I will be better prepared.  I will try to focus on some happy things for today:

-Left over saag paneer and more fresh cooked Naan. 

-Family hugs.

-I remembered to go shopping this evening so I will have food at work tomorrow.

                       Inktober-Chef

                                 ☮

Stay safe.

Stress and Saag

 Coming home to C & Gideon happily making dinner was nice.  What was better was the meal they made.  Homemade saag paneer, butter chicken, potato cauliflower fritters and naan.  Yes, they even hand made the naan.  It was a wonderful meal.  My turn to cook will be Monday and I doubt that I will be so motivated.  Other happy things for today:

• I tried to write a poem.  It didn't come out quite as I envisioned, partly because I was hoping to rhyme.  In the end, I hope it leaves the reader more hopeful than not.  Here it is-

An Answer.

Can I walk until I feel better?

Until the day's frustration disappears?

Will movement work the stress out?

Work was long, I wanted to cry

It didn’t used to be like this.

I step out to walk 

Hoping these feelings melt away

Up the hill, deep breaths

Cars pass, crunching acorns

Passing the swamp, so many ducks

Resting for their southern flight.

As I walk from the road to the woods

I have my answer.

Stress doesn’t belong here

Among the trees with colored leaves

Some carpeting the ground

Preparing for the cold

Where the chipmunks skurry

Hiding their winter nourishment

Building nests to keep warm.

Stress can stay with the pavement.

©

• There is a walk/trail I have been wanting to take. I decided to do that today. It turned out to be about 3.72 miles and took me just over an hour and a half to do.
• There was a porcupine along the walk on the side of the street. I took pictures. Just when I was thinking I felt confident enough to walk by, a car came to the house I was near and shooed the creature away for me. That was nice of them.
• A long relaxing shower after a long walk.
• Another rose has bloomed!
• Dots... I don't know why, but it works today.
• Not only did Gideon help make dinner, but he brings me popsicles.

There is another bud too.

There are ducks, really.
The rippling water is where they are at.

The students are working in water color to create
a fall scene that includes white birch.
I may try it at home this weekend depending on time.

Porcupine!

Pretty colors.

Inktober-Sleep

☮

Mask wearing is important in public.

Brains

 Standardized testing is over!  This means that we go back to a regular schedule.  This will make many people happy, myself included.  I moved to the new grade just over a week ago and I am still trying to get the schedule memorized.  Maybe things will calm enough that I can do that.  Other happy things for today:

• After work today I got in an almost five mile walk with my friend who used to work with me and whose job I am now doing.  She is in a different school now.  There are things that her school does different and she is sharing new ways with me.  This is not why we walk, just a side effect.
• With a larger family dynamic at home, there are more people to joke with.
• Hoping that tonight will be the third night in a row that I am ready for bed by 10 PM.
• I have a job interview on Thursday.

Inktober: Coral (my interpretation of brain coral.)

☮

Stay safe.

Monday

 There is this thing that some people are able to do which involves the ability to make a living by doing something that they love.  I don't dislike my job, but I am no longer in love with it either.  This is not the best way to start a blog that should be about what makes me happy.  It is honest though.  Tomorrow is the last day of standardized tests for a while and that should help my days improve.  Happy things for today:

• Having an hour to myself at home.  I love living with family; every once in a while alone time is good.
• Smiling faces.
• Warm pajamas.
• We turned the heat on yesterday.  Last night, I didn't wake up shivering.  
• Gideon jokes.
• Sugar cookies.
• Sunny days and walks.

Inktober: Dizzy.
Hands are hard.

☮

Wear a mask.

New People

There is a family who reached out to our SCA group that may be interested in being involved.  They have an eight year old, same age as Gideon.  The father and son came by today to meet, hike, and talk about SCA stuff.  It seemed to be a good visit and I am pleased that people are still interested and looking for new hobbies during these pandemic times.  Happy things for today include:

• Walking through the property and seeing all the seasonal changes.
• Meeting new people.
• C found a cast iron bathtub on the property when they were here earlier in the summer.  Today we dug it up.  It appeared to be used as a planter.  There were rocks lining the bottom with some rich looking soil on top.  We are considering using it over the fire pit for making paper.  Not sure if this will happen, we still need to get it out of the woods where it was found-about 100 feet or so and then to the fire pit.  I am collecting the rocks from it to go on the island at the end of the driveway.
• Watching two eight year old kids spar with boffer weapons.
• Walking and talking with E.
• Over 14,000 steps today.  I am about two miles from reaching the goal of walking 100 miles in October.
• This morning we went on a deep talks drive.  The topic from the philosophy book was faith vs. knowledge.  We had good conversation.  The views everywhere were bright and colorful.

They are standing on the tub,
That little bit of white by their feet.

Mushroom.
I found a book on mushrooms yesterday, but haven't looked this up yet.

Sunset.

Inktober-Trap.

☮

Stay safe.

When Negative is Good

 Covid test results are back negative and so the family is all together!  There haven't been any symptoms that couldn't also be allergy, and most of us have allergies, so the reasons to continue to quarantine are small.  We visited for a bit, toured C & E's bus, and then got productive around the house.  We have to replace the oil tank before winter.  This is involved because of the way the cellar is organized...walls were removed.  We also sorted through a bunch of things that have been in storage.  Other happy things from today:

• The energy in the house today was contagious.
• Empty boxes.
• Hugs.
• Stars and Planets.
• Family.

Reunion!

Enjoying the day.

Sunset

Storm- Inktober.  Pencil with ink detail.

☮

Stay safe.

Rain song.

 Thank you commenter K for the bird identification assistance.  It was definitely gray and that makes it a heron.  I appreciate that you are there to identify for me.  😊  My first thought was a heron, but the gray color threw me off and I didn't search it up after that.  One of the side-effects of staying up too late is not making the time to research, even when I want to.  Having people I know who have the answers is a wonderful blessing.

Some days I feel that I have used up all my memory in a day remembering where students need to be so there isn't enough left to remember what I need to be doing.  Today was one of those days.  I felt I was on overload even though things weren't going all that bad.  When I got home I canceled plans with friends for tomorrow.  I started to prepare for a walk and my daughter suggested that I ask C & E if they wanted to join me.  They have been back for a few days and I haven't really seen them since that first night.  It was raining and high traffic time, I said no.  The traffic is loud and I wouldn't have been able to hear any conversation.  I was still feeling overwhelmed.  I put on a raincoat, earbuds for music and headed out for a walk in the rain.

It was busy.  There were sirens and I only went a little way in one direction because of a police or emergency situation.  I had music, I don't usually walk with music, my earbuds don't block out the noise.  The music gave me something to focus on other than the splashing tires and rumbling engines.  I started to sing, outloud, walking down the street, in the rain.  It isn't like there were people outside in their yards to hear me.  The rain kept most people's windows closed and I don't sing that loud.  This is not like me, it was great.  I came home a different person.  Singing in the rain is my happy for today.  A few other things include:

• I ordered out and bought dinner for the family.
• Gideon smiles and hugs.
• Finding more books that I have missed.
• There is a new rose opened on the rose bush... in October.

October Rose.

Inktober-Rocket.

☮

Stay safe.

Just a List

 The days are long when enough sleep did not happen.  Not only did I make it through, I got in a nice walk after work AND went shopping with K.  Other happy things:

• The orange hues of the setting sun.
• The way the fog thins and floats up in wisps as the sun rises.
• Pumpkin Swiss rolls.
• There was rubbing alcohol on the shelves at the store today.  
• C & E have been able to get covid tests and should know in the next few days that all is well.
• My test results from yesterday are supposedly in but I am having a hard time getting into the account to find the information.  I was told that if the results were positive I would get a phone call.  I'm going to assume that the results were negative and that all is good.
• Gideon giggles.

View from the walk.

Heron??  From along the trail.

Inktober : Outpost.

☮

Stay Safe.

Interview and a Gripe

 It is late.  I just finished the online recorded interview and well, it is what it is.  I am not holding my breath for this job.  I'm not good at selling myself and this has been a rough day.  K and I waited for over two hours, I stopped counting at that point, to get tested for Covid.  We decided to do this for peace of mind.  K has been doing jury duty and I have been working in a middle school as well as the outdoor party this weekend; it just seemed like the right thing to do.  I will not go to Convenient MD for testing like this again.  We had an appointment set up yesterday and should not have had to wait so long without being told there was a delay or how long the delay would be.  The last time I was tested at CVS and they used a cotton swab and this was a rough plastic thing that was extremely uncomfortable.  K got the fast response and is negative.  My result should come in a few days.

There were some happy things though:

• Good students are good.
• The moon and Venus (I think) in the sky this morning.
• Finding my computer mouse during the interview by sitting on it and accidentally stopping the recording-thankfully I was able to re-record my response.
• The interview is done.  It is possible there will be more, but for now, it is done.
• I jogged for a few minutes tonight, just a few, but yay!

The moon was actually a crescent and seemed larger this morning.

Inktober prompt was armor.

☮

Wear a mask.

Rainy Tuesday

 There was a request from TF for a picture of K with her hair cut.  On Sunday she took a knife to her longer hair and cut it off.  She has cleaned it up today with a razor and there will be a picture below.  It was a professional development day at work today.  I planned the week, reviewed some classes and learned about trauma.  It was exhausting. Happy things for today:

• C & E are next door... I didn't get to see them, but they are here and in quarantine.
• Apple pie.
• It rained today.  We need the rain.
• In order to get my steps I took a walk after dinner.  It wasn't raining much when I left the house.  It picked up a bit while I was walking.  It was a refreshing walk.

K's happy with her short hair.

Gideon got a new Creeper jacket today.
When you see a Creeper in Minecraft, RUN AWAY!

Today the Inktober theme is dune.

☮

Stay safe.

 

A Safe Return

 They are back!  C & E just got back from Maryland around 9:20 tonight.  The bus is in the driveway.  It seems so big, but it is the same length as the RV of my cousin's that I used to drive.  According to C, it is rather odd at first to drive a vehicle where the driver is in front of the front wheels.  I will take their word on that.  Having them here safe and sound is my happy for today!  There are a few other happy things to mention:

• There was organization of some of my stuff that is stored in the apartment.  We had to make room.
• We found the field guides.  Since moving to this property and trying to learn about the local plants and animals I have missed those books.  The internet has been great, but there is something about the books that the internet can't replace for me.  I will say that they supplement each other well.
• I have a job interview.  My understanding, so far, is that it would be remote.
• K & I  had a productive meeting with our Baronial chiefs of staff tonight.  We made some plans to make it easier to recommend people for awards.  
• So happy that my family is together for a while.  Once we are done with quarantine or getting tested we can be more together and have meals together and play games and stuff.

It needs paint.
I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it.

Inktober--Slippery.

☮

Stay safe.