Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Now I know what a muffin feels like...


Looks like the whirlwind that is my life has died down for the time being, for which I am quite grateful.


I’ve been putting in 50-hour weeks, taking work home, & generally ruminating on whether or not I’ll still be employed come January. Add to the mixture unrelenting early summer heat (four of the past eight weeks have seen temps from 95° to 115° F) and a barely functioning A/C at work, and you have me, dragging my abused carcass home every evening, shedding all unnecessary clothing, and collapsing into a chair for some mindless television watching or in front of the computer playing a totally addictive FB game. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun?


Good news has come along~ all indications are that our institution will remain viable, albeit under the control of another company, and the employees have been assured of their continued employment. Well, 99% assured~ I’m told the language of the agreement is necessarily ambiguous to allow for weeding out unsuitable staff members. So now the real work begins~ six months or more of reporting, investigating, sorting, transferring, logistical planning, and extensive interviews, before I can settle into a new work environment and team. I am cautiously optimistic about the opportunity, though it’s tough for most accounting-type geeks to embrace wholesale changes to our routines.


So, amid all this stress and uncertainty, we have managed to have a little fun. My mother surprised me by changing her plans and attending Sam’s graduation after all; I believe a little bird, in the guise of my older brother, let her know that I was really quite upset about her missing this important family event (even though I would never say anything about it). She was at her charming and lucid best, sharing anecdotes and photos with us all~ here is a shot of my parents together, more than 45 years after their divorce


 



They’ve seen each other only about a dozen times over those years, usually at a big family event (I think the last time was after Sam’s birth), and have always been friendly~ I think they had a good time together, with no spouses or responsibilities, to indulge in walks down memory lane.


We had an open house BBQ the evening of graduation, very relaxed and low maintenance, with the family and most of Sam’s friends drifting in and out,



 



 


until they headed off to the Safe and Sober Mystery Night, sponsored by the Senior Parents’ Club. There are no pictures of the event~ no one wanted to risk their cameras around the go-carts, bumper boats, & mechanical bull~ but this is what remained of Sam the next morning


 


 


Poor puppy had been going full bore for most of eighteen, emotionally charged hours, after coming off two weeks of finals; I believe he slept about 12 hours Sunday, as well as all of the drive to and from Yosemite on Monday.


Chris and I managed to have an afternoon alone on Father’s Day~ Sam was nursing his annual beginning-of-summer-vacation cold and opted to stay home. After breakfast and church, we drove east into the valley, stopping first at Lavender Hollow Farms; I had been telling him about it since the Garden Club outing there last spring and we lucked out that they were still opened for the season.


 



We wandered about, Chris poking his head into every open door he could find, and left with a couple plants to start building our collection; someday, when we have a house of our own, I’m going to plant a bank of lavender, in all shapes and sizes, both for the fragrance and the beneficial bees that will come to work in my garden.


 


 


We followed the road along until we reached Oakdale and the famous Cheese Factory. Whenever we’ve driven by in the past, it’s either been on our way to an event with no time to stop, or on our way back to town, when all we want is to get home. This time, we were ready for some lunch


 


 



Instead of the “loaf of bread, jug of wine, and thou”, we opted for a round of foccacia, a tub of pesto quark, and a bottle of sasparilla, since we were driving and it was getting a bit warm


 


 


seated in this park-like area, with the petting zoo animals as company.


We poked along home, stopping at roadside farm stands (scored 20 ears of sweet corn for $2.00!) and admiring the fruit-laden apricot orchards. It was probably Chris’ last relaxing weekend until September; his busy season is in full swing and he’s currently on six days a week with a short staff.


Speaking of relaxing, it’s time for me to toddle off to my recliner and work on my knitting; I have a cardigan two-thirds done for myself and need to cast on some cotton washcloths and market bags, as well as a child’s sweater for a new-to-me charity project, Warm Woolies. Hope you enjoy a cool, comfortable week~ it’s not looking good around here, but at least the A/C is working again!


 


8 comments:

Dory said...

Well, what a fine time for the air conditioning to go on the fritz, huh? Maybe it was a test to see who the weaklings are? lol

I'm so glad your mom ended up coming to Sam's graduation - I know how much that upset you. Thank goodness for brothers disguised as little birdies.

Andrea said...

How great to hear from you again! Sounds like you're your normal, busy self. :)

Tulabell said...

What a lovely post! I am so relieved to hear that your job is looking up again. I had to go outside to warm up at my work cause it was so cold inside and we haven't even gotten into the 90 degree weather yet!

God bless!

Amy's Blah, Blah, Blogging said...

Wow! Sounds like life has really been keeping you super busy. I'm glad you were able to take some time for just you and Chris and enjoy the day...sounds like a perfect one!

Congrats again to Sam!

Guinevere said...

You post the most wonderful photos! I love them!!! The lavender is BEAUTIFUL!

Congrats to Sam! They grow up so fast, don't they? My Nitro is at boot camp right now. He just started week 3 on Monday, going into week 4. I've sent him a letter a day since he's been there. Definitely a bit rusty on the letter writing skills. ;o) lol

Enjoy your summer!!!

mitchowl said...

Have a great weekend.

Debbie said...

This is a great post full of info! I'm glad your mom came for the graduation and that party after sounds wonderful.

Junie Moon said...

I'm loving the pictures you've posted today and that lavender makes me want to roll around in it. The graduation celebration sounds like a success and he does look pretty tired as a result. I'll keep good thoughts about the work aspect but am sure all will be well.