Flower girl

The irises have come and gone for the spring.

So have the peonies.

The honeysuckle is nearing its end, the sticky sweet aroma filling the yard.

The day lilies are sending up their flower stems. Each is sure to out shine the next with vibrant colors and stamens that will stain your clothing if they come into contact with you.

The purple cone flowers have spread (with my help) along the drainage ditch and by the house. Their buds are growing with the passing hours and soon with explode with color and energy to tempt the bees.

The vegetable garden is becoming floral as well. The potatoes and squashes are starting to flower, their leaves beginning to make it unpleasant for grass to invade their well-rooted territory.

I look forward to whatever opens up next, the colors, sights and smells they will bring with them.

Just in time

Three days ago I started wearing a watch again.

It has been about three months, and I had gotten used to having a bare wrist. I did, however, miss the motion of shaking the watch down my arm to my hand, having the ability to tell time without asking someone or looking for a clock, and having something pretty to look at all day long.

My new watch arrived three days ago, and it is simple in design, classic, and functional. It has just enough pizazz. Just enough shine and texture. Just enough usefulness. Nothing fussy. Nothing over the top.

I look forward to being on time again.

Week spot

I haven't worked five days in a row in a while.

That's not to say that I don't work a lot. With multiple jobs, that's kind of a given. Today is the last day of a particularly long workweek stretch equaling approximately 54 hours.

At that end of that stretch, I have three unprecedented, and unrequested days off in a row. It's a minor miracle. A working woman's miracle. Of course, tomorrow, the only thing I'll be able to do is sleep late, have lunch with my rabbi, do some laundry and go to bed early.

Can't wait!

Full pantry, empty belly

Last week I didn't do a lot of cooking.

That meant I didn't have much to eat. I had every intention of cooking, it just didn't happen. I only managed to make two dishes: foul medames and stuffed grape leaves. They were delicious, but only lasted a couple of days.

As the weather gets warmer, my urge to cook goes totally down the toilet. The last thing I want to do is turn on the stove or oven when it's 90 degrees outside. Who does?!

I see salads in my future, and if this trend keeps up...buying some meals. That last thing is kind of foreign at this point. At most, I buy one meal each week. That's saved me plenty of money over the past several months, and it saves me time during meal breaks at work.

It is nice to have ready made food on hand, though. Guess that means I have my work cut out for me.

Looking forward to not having to make decisions when I open the fridge.

Garden of...

Friday afternoon I planted the garden at my synagogue for the fifth year in a row.

Thanks to a generous donation the year prior, I had $120 budget for plants and seeds. I spent $90 on four varieties of tomatoes, two varieties of summer squash (patty pan and zucchini) and eggplant (black beauty and Gretel), three varieties of peppers, okra, elfin (steppable) thyme, and oregano...all from seedlings.

I also planted three varieties of bush beans, two varieties of cucumbers, two varieties of watermelon, honeydew melon, three varieties of winter squash, arugula, red popcorn, two varieties of basil, Italian parsley, bee balm, and loofah.

The garden bed has been refurbished, shored up with a new, concrete retaining wall. It is sturdy and will hopefully last for many years to come.

The harvest this year will be bountiful, the plants will grow to enormity, and the volunteers will come out of the woodwork. That is my wish for the garden.

I look forward to seeing it bloom and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Birds of a feather

Friday afternoon I found a dead robin in my yard.

It was hardly recognizable as a bird, twisted and mangled, holes in its abdomen, wings askew, tail feathers splayed. Flies swarming the wounds.

I left it in the yard. A possum or snake or dog or coyote or vulture may feast on it overnight. Who am I to disrupt the natural course of life and death in the wild?

At least I didn't run over it with my lawnmower like I did with another bird a few years ago. That one gave me a start and had me running screaming into the house.

This time, I checked out the situation and moved on to water the vegetable garden.

I look forward to not seeing the dead bird in my yard anymore, and seeing the live ones finding worms early in the mornings.

First fruits

Friday evening I had my first harvest of the 2014 growing season.

It was only three radishes, but they were perfect. They were of at least two varieties. One was solid red, the other had a white bottom.

They were delicious. I ate them standing up in my kitchen. One spicy bite at a time.

I said the prayer for fruits of the earth and the prayer for new experiences. Somehow, that gave a bit more weight to the mini meal. Dinner didn't consist of much more than those radishes. I didn't have anything prepared in the house and was too tired from a long day of gardening in the heat to cook.

The radishes set the tone for Shabbat. For the week. For the summer harvests to come.

If the abundance of sprouting things in my garden are any indication, I have a lot of salad to look forward to, and I cannot wait.

The grass is always...

I finally cut my grass.

Its' been nearly three weeks, and I don't know that I could actually call what I mowed (with my new electric mower) grass. It looked more like a field of clover and plantain with the occasional stalk of grass so tall it was reseeding itself.

I made it almost through the entire back yard (which I started with) before the battery died. It did surprisingly well in such tall and thick growth.

The grass catcher didn't clog too much, and the mower made it over the few sticks and branches I couldn't see to pull out of the way before they were run over. The clippings are now serving as mulch on my vegetable garden bed and I have a feeling there will be much more to come.

Of course, there were a few things I discovered while I was mowing. First and foremost is that it was really, really hot out at 6pm on Wednesday night. Second, I forgot that I had scattered sunflower seeds at the back of my property, just inside the tree line. At least I think they're sunflowers. That's what they looked like when I mowed over some of them. Luckily, I saved a few from the whirring blade and think that they will flower within another week or two. Third, I love being outside.

Looking forward to mowing the rest when I have the time, and getting the most out of the new mower. I already like the battery on it MUCH better. It charges in 2 hours instead of 15!

Watch out

So, it turns out that the watch I've had for a dozen years is irreparable.

I thought I had a great deal, sending my watch off to be fixed. Sadly, the main part--a new crystal with gasket to waterproof it--is no longer available. Bummer. I really liked that watch.

The company I sent it to sent me a choice. Get my broken watch back, or use the $160 credit they enclosed at the company's website to replace my watch, which they would be keeping (presumably for parts).

I chose the latter. Agonizingly.

The watches this company made 12 years ago were simple and classic in both men's and women's styles. Now, they have great classic watches for men, but they are too big for my delicate wrist. That's right, my wrist is delicate. So are my hands and feet and ankles. And my ego. True story.

I went to Nordstrom to try on some styles I'd seen online, and ordered three men's watches to see if they'd fit, since they weren't in stock last Friday. They arrived at my house on Wednesday, but I wasn't in love with any of them. The women's styled I'd tried on at the store were not what I wanted. They all had rhinestones (okay, Swarovski crystals), which seem silly to me for an everyday watch. Those that didn't have little dots of sparkles had mirrored edges, also completely impractical.

Sparkles have their place. I like sparkles, just not while I'm ringing up peoples' groceries. When I'm doing that, I want something that won't break, scratch, ding or fail in any way easily.

I returned the men's watches. That same night, I looked on the company's website again. That is the only place I could use my gift card.

I found two watches on sale that only cost $9 over my credit ($25 with tax). One is practical, simply and practically styled, and has a date function. The other is impractical, classically styled and has some of those stupid rhinestones. Thankfully, it is appropriately delicate and will look lovely on my wrist. It will compliment a similarly appropriate ensemble.

I look forward to be self-sufficient with my time again soon.

Be(e) hopeful

I saw a bee in my clover yesterday!

I was eating the last of the watermelon I cracked open a few days ago while checking out the amount of weeding I need to do in the front of the house, when I spied it. A honey bee!

It took its time on each flower, knowing that there are plenty to be had in the yard. I was overjoyed at the sight.

I look forward to seeing the bee's friends arrive as more flowers open in the yard, and vegetable flowers bloom in the garden bed. Soon. Very soon.

Roughing it

My hair doesn't like to be washed.

Okay, I just don't like shampoo very much. It makes my hair dry and brittle. Makes it fluffy in a bad way.

When I was in high school, I realized it looked best at least two days after a washing. Later, a friend told me he hadn't washed his curly hair for three months...and it looked fantastic.

I go through phases of washing frequency. I've certainly made it a couple of months without a wash, but that doesn't mean my hair or scalp are dirty or unhealthy. I scrub my scalp each morning, and lately have been doing an every other day conditioning.

It's SO not a big deal to leave your hair alone these days. There are dry shampoos. Aren't those available in high end salons or something?

I don't feel badly about my lack of hair maintenance. I'm looking for low-fi when it comes to my curls. The less I do to them, the more they do what I want. The better the tight curls look. The glossier they look...not greasy, shiny.

All I know is that my hair is just that. It's not a reflection of who I am as a person. It's not a reflection of my political beliefs or competency. My hair is just hair. I have a lot of it, and it's always going to be curly, in my way, and a topic of conversation.

Looking forward to my next shampooing...maybe in another week or so.

Wanderlust

Each spring I get the urge to get away.

I'm not talking about taking a trip. I'm talking about moving. Every spring. It's like clockwork. Predictable.

I've toyed with the ideas of moving to Charleston, NC; Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; Tel Aviv, Israel; Italy; Maine; Detroit, MI; the Caribbean; New York City, NY. Warmth, solitude and potential are huge draws.

I do also think about travel for the sake of travel. I have a fantasy of going to Morocco, India, Thailand, Portugal, Spain. I want to see the Alhambra. I want to shop for spices in open air markets. I want to taste fruit that was picked that morning.

I dream of living in a house with large windows and beautiful curtains. Manicured English gardens that I turn into my own private chaotic jungle. An art studio and a dance studio. A ballroom and Bronte-esque parties, lavish and elegant with beverages in absurdly tiny ornate glasses.

In my head, I throw parties with my favorite bands, local and national (and the time to see them and be able to choose them knowledgeably). I swim in the pool in my yard and rinse off in the outdoor shower. I lounge outside and never get sunburned or freckled.

Bartering with local merchants and finding the perfect gifts for family and friends. Taking cooking classes and throwing dinner parties to show off my new skills.

Looking forward to some if not all of these things as I gain financial freedom and days off.

Woe be(e)gone

Once upon a time, I stepped on a bumble bee.

It was an accident. I was doing a cartwheel at summer camp by the waterfront, early in the morning, before we were going to swim to the island in the middle of Lake Bucatabon. The swim was affectionately known as the polar bear, since the water was never warm.

I didn't notice the bee hopping from clover flower to clover flower, and in my excitement to get started on the swim, I cartwheeled right onto it. Needless to say, I didn't make the swim, and the bee didn't make it to see the hive again.

My foot swelled up, and I was carried to the infirmary. I never did forget that bee, nor did I forget how much it loved that clover.

This spring, I haven't seen a single bee in my clover-covered yard. Not one. That's not good.

I've seen hornets nesting in the ground by my garage. I've seen wasps building a nest in the doorway above my laundry room. I've seen carpenter bees boring into my mailbox stand. I just haven't seen honey bees.

I know that there are bee shortages around the country. Entire hives are disappearing. Chemicals in herbicides and pesticides are said to be blamed. Early studies thought it was disease or mites.

Without the bees, we're pretty much screwed. Without bees, pollination is a whole lot harder. As a lazy gardener, I'm not all that likely to hand-pollinate my plants...one at a time, with a paintbrush or q-tip.

I'm looking forward to spying some bees in my garden. Hoping to attract them by planting some flowers. They're welcome at my house any time.

Garden(ia)

Each day, my garden grows.

The volunteer parsley, tomatillos, tomatoes, potatoes, and daikon radishes are up and thriving. So is the crab grass. I do my best to keep that in check, but there's more grass than vegetables at this point. Hoping that will change soon.

The patch of daikon is crowding out whatever grass is growing between the radishes, and thankfully what is there is weak.

I'm hoping that the melons, zucchinis, pumpkins and watermelons will make the grass and weeds feel unwelcome...and shadowed from the sun and rain. They are slow to sprout and even slower to spread out right now, but in another month I won't be able to find my way between the now fledgeling plants.

Beans, marigolds, spinach, chard and carrots have sprouted from seeds. I think I saw a cabbage sprout yesterday, too!

I'm hoping that the four, or is it five, tomato seed varieties I've scattered on the garden will germinate before the end of the summer. Some of them take months to fruit, so they'd better get moving.

My garden methodology is to scatter seeds every week or two so that there will be a rolling harvest throughout the summer and into the fall and winter. I also inspect the garden at least once per day and pull as many weeds as I can. It's not so hard when you keep it up. If I go a few days, though, especially if there's been rain, I'm inundated with garden chores. At that point, I'm not only dealing with the garden, but the yard and getting some actual mowing done.

Looking forward to weeding less and enjoying the fruits of my labor!

Gluten free (your mind)

About 10 months ago I stopped eating gluten.

I wasn't tested for sensitivity, and pretty positive I don't have celiac's, but I did have a pre-diabetic condition that was causing me to gain weight, even on a very healthy diet. My doctor suggested I try going gluten free, and doing so not only stopped the weight gain (I've since lost 25 lbs), but it also lowered my not so great blood test levels by more than half, clearing me of the danger of becoming diabetic.

All good stuff. My clothes fit better, and I got some new ones. My stomach doesn't hurt when I eat anymore...most of the time. And best of all, I sleep.

It took a while, like maybe six or seven months, but I'm no longer suffering the effects of chronic insomnia. The clarity that comes with a good night's sleep is unparalleled. Okay, maybe the clarity that came from that 2-day hunger strike in college was a LITTLE bit better, but you know what I mean. What's amazing, is that I've only had a handful of truly interrupted nights' sleep since February. That is life changing.

That said, I'm not sure I want to stay on the gluten free train. I miss challah. I miss decent pizza. I miss rye bread toast with butter. I miss real pasta. I even missed having a birthday cake.

But, it's not as much about the food. It's more about the idea of control that I'm willing to release.

I've been a vegetarian for 22 years, and the further restriction is somewhat stifling. I feel like I'm a giant pain whenever I go out to eat. I spend much of my time off cooking. I have to ask questions about everything I buy, unless it's a fruit or vegetable.

Cooking is a chore instead of a joy, and it is exhausting. I do like what I make, don't get me wrong. I still know how to rock a meal, all the fun of it has just been sucked out.

I've been thinking a lot about whether or not going gluten free has really made the difference. Is it that I've cut out something that was making me sick? Or did I cut out so many calories that I magically changed not only what I'm eating, but the amount of what I'm eating? I believe that there is a middle ground somewhere.

I have given myself a goal of a year to try this way of eating. It certainly hasn't done me any harm, so I can't imagine that harm would come from continuing.

Looking forward to seeing the results in another few months!

Girlish figure

I am not thinner than I was 20 years ago.

I'm still not skinny. I wasn't skinny then. Actually, I'm not interested in being skinny. Skinny would look weird on me. I'd look sickly. Awkward.

One thing I am is curvaceous. Some call it voluptuous. An hourglass figure.

That figure runs in the family. All the women have it. Very few of us flaunt it.

My journey towards health has inadvertently included weight loss. I'm honestly not trying. I eat ice cream, chocolate, fries and chips. I just don't crave them very often...except for the chocolate. I eat a lot of vegetables, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs and some cheese. Rice is a staple in my house, as are potatoes. I even sneak in the odd salad here and there.

I remember jumping from 117-125lbs as a freshman in high school. It was not a welcome jump, but I didn't freak out. My best friend and I tried doing more sit-ups and running to lose the weight we'd both gained. I never lost, but continued to gain. She got muscular and continued to do athletics. I hung out at the games and participated in soccer and basketball city league teams with her later.

It would be strange to strive to be the weight I was at age 14. I don't want any of the other things I had then, the insecurity, the hot pink wool shorts and yellow tights, for example.

What I want now is to be healthy, to feel confident in my appearance, to fit into my clothes, and to have an active social life. I am well on my way and look forward to what lies ahead.

Itsy bitsy

Spring is upon us.

That means insects and arachnids. I've seen my fair share of both, inside and outside of my home.

This week, I found the first brown recluse of the season in my shower. Thankfully, I was not in said shower at the time. I was just home from work and getting ready for bed. About to brush my teeth, in fact.

I don't usually kill spiders. I am a firm believer in their power to rid my home of things I REALLY don't want there, but poisonous spiders are a different story. I don't want those in my home. Not at all.

Before I squished the not so little guy, I made sure it was a brown recluse. Sure enough, the brown body held a tell-tale white violin on its abdomen. The spindly legs were another sign. I've seen enough on glue traps and online to know I had one, and also that I needed to be careful.

Tissue in hand, I went for it. He jumped once, twice, and then it was over. Both of our tortuous experiences were over.

Looking forward to fearless showering...for now.

You move too fast

I am exhausted.

I'm sleeping enough, I just pushed myself too hard over the past few weeks. The idea of working four jobs is nuts. Even if one is only 45 hours in three days this year.

Luckily, I don't work the 4th one again until August, and I don't work my 3rd one again until September. That leaves me with two jobs. Only a minimum of 45 hours of work per week. It's generally a bit more than that.

I'm all about hard work. I just did too much of it recently and am paying the price...my health.

Time for another nap. A few more of those and I'll be right as rain. And fully functional again.

Looking forward to having energy again.

Over and over...

I haven't been able to mow my lawn in two weeks.

Okay, last week I sort of mowed it with my weed eater. Yup, the whole yard...with a plug-in weed eater. It took forever.

Sunday I broke down and bought a new mower. A new cordless electric mower to replace the one that crapped out on me this spring. It's definitely an upgrade (and more expensive), and has a better battery system (lithium-ion rather than lead acid) that recharges in 2 hours rather than 15.

I researched which mower to buy for at least four hours before heading to Lowe's and finding none of the ones on their website. The one they had in stock was actually a better model than I saw online...for about $30 less.

I still have to read the manuals before turning it on, but the heat and humidity and rain that we've had the last week have brought out the clover flowers in full force. The idea of mowing down flowers that could potentially bring more bees to my garden this year breaks my heart, but it has to be done.

Thankfully, my neighbors have yet to call Metro Codes on me when my grass gets too long, but you never know. Not taking any chances.

Maybe I'll find four leaves in all that clover. Looking forward to shearing it this week...and every week through October.

All the wrong places

I pretend not to be a romantic, but I wholeheartedly am one.

Yesterday I put a love letter in the mail. The man I sent it to knows that it is coming, and has already rejected me. Yes, I know I'm a glutton for punishment. Have I mentioned that I went as a moth to the flame for Halloween one year (1997or '98)?

I'm okay with further rejection from him if it comes to that, since I have decided that I will take the good things from our time together to my next attempt at love. I will take the joy I felt at his kindness and offers of help when I clearly needed it and still pushed him away. I will take the gentleness he showed me. The comfort he gave me. The safety I felt around him.

A week after I was rejected by this man, I had to go to my mechanic. I told him the story, and he said that I'm like him. I throw myself into potential relationships because I date so infrequently. Because I'm so busy. Because I don't make or have the time to put myself out there more. Like him, I give myself fewer options, and so put my everything into the option in front of me. Recipe for disaster, even if the other person has the same feelings. It puts too much pressure on them and they bolt.

Gives me hope. I always have hope. I'm a hopeful skeptic. I've had enough ludicrous dating stories to write a book, and I still have love in my heart to give.

Looking forward to finding my other half, or as Grandma likes to say of her relationship with Papa, my best friend.

What a mother!

Today is Mother's Day.

I love my mom. Most of the time. I'm sure she feels the same way about me.

She has taught me to write thank you notes, appreciate fine paper and clothing and art, and signed me up for my first cooking class at age seven.

She encouraged my love of the arts by taking me to ballet and opera performances before I entered kindergarten. She pushed me academically, and advocated for more challenging classes so I wouldn't be bored in school.

She made sure I was warm my first year in Boston by sending me at least half of the LL Bean catalog during that record-breaking snowfall year (95"). She sent me my favorite cake for birthdays every year I was in Boston (lemon pound cake from Ham'n'Goodies).

She took care of me when I was really sick. She brings me the olive oil I like from Knoxville. She was my traveling companion in Isle of Palms, Italy, Paris and Israel.

She took me on a four day tour of colleges in Ohio. She bragged on me to her friends and customers, and regaled them with stories of my exploits near and far.

She is kind and sensitive and I am grateful that she chose to have that third kid so long ago. While we drive each other nuts, we're still family, and I do love my mom.

Creature (of habit) comforts

I am predictable.

I get ready for work in the same way each morning, I have a serious case of wanderlust each spring, and I pour my heart into whatever I do.

I also get sick with consistency.

1. Throat gets scratchy.
2. Sinus congestion begins.
3. Full blown sinus infection.
4. Bronchitis.
5. Weeks of exhaustion ensue.

Not excited to be in the thick of it now. Looking forward to breathing without coughing, and having energy again. I am embracing the opportunity to rest. 

You give me fever...

I got sick this week.

I just want to whine about it and curl up in my bed for a week until it's gone.

I've got two attitudes when I'm sick: resolute and pathetic. I don't have the time to be sick this week, with way too much to do before I have a mostly day off on Saturday. That said, I'm probably sick because of the crushing schedule I've had the past few weeks. This week is no exception.

Last week I managed to work something like 52 hours or so. This week, if I don't call in sick (which I finally did today), will be 67.5 work hours from Sunday-Friday, not counting lunch/dinner breaks (which I only take at one job of my four jobs). Um, that's too much.

Even I know that. Not to self. Working too much, too often, will bring me to a full stop. Or at the very least slow me down and make my brain atrophy.

Luckily, the one job that includes sick time (and which I have nearly a week of time banked) is the one I'm where I'm finishing out my week. The only thing with getting sick, and having available time to take off and still get paid, means that I try to wait until I'm REALLY sick before I take time off. I worked hard for that time. I want it to count!

Just hoping to be better by Mother's Day. No one wants to get Grandma sick!

A truly well-earned Shabbat. I hope yours is filled with health, rest, relaxation and beauty. Mine will be filled with soup, tea and naps.

Emergence

I am a lazy gardener.

That doesn't mean that my gardens fail. Quite the opposite, in fact. The work I put into my flower beds over the past 8 years has truly paid off. The irises in front of my house are stellar. I cannot accurately express the joy they bring me each day as I prepare to meet the world, and the joy they bring me each evening as I escape from it into the comfort of my home.

My vegetable garden is springing to life. There are sprouts of all kinds coming up from the heavily worked soil, the mixture of compost, kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings, humus and peat moss. There are melons, radishes, spinach, lettuce, arugula, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, and beans beginning their lifecycles that will end on in my kitchen.

I lovingly water them from my rain barrel, sprinkling what I can squeeze out of the hose, holding it close to the ground so that it will drain properly. I search out each seedling and make sure it survives to live well into the spring and summer and the autumn if it is destined to do so.

I work the land in order to feed my belly and my soul. So far, it's working.

Poll position

I am a poll worker, not a pole worker.

Tuesday morning I was early for my 13.5 hour day manning the voting machines at precinct 10-02 with four complete strangers...all of whom were old enough to be my mom.

Thirty-three people voted, including our election officer in charge. I loved every minute of it...including the overly available nap time (which slightly made up for my due-to-excitement lack of sleep), attempting several crossword puzzles, undoing a 1/2 completed scarf that I eventually restarted from scratch, and had a lot of odd and wonderful conversation with my co-poll workers and voters.

Our supervisor was a wonderful and patient lady who helped us newbies through the process and walked us through the very few glitches we encountered. From what we heard, we were totally on top of our game, especially in comparison to one of the other precincts nearby.

During one of our slumps in voter turnout, we had a mildly heated debate about the Affordable Care Act. Kind of thinking my opposition in that one was one of the Republicans in the room. I, apparently, was one of the Democrats. The best part was after the debate ended...in my deciding to stop responding to the flimsy arguments and stories...and one of the other poll workers shoot me a look and smirked while telling me to be good, that she knew what I was thinking. My subtle partner in political savvy.

The long day was worth the experience, and the new friendships. Can't wait to do it again in August and November, and hopefully for many years to come.

Irony

Today I could not vote.

The funny thing about it is, I really enjoy voting. I look forward to it each year. I love going to my local polling place on election day and seeing my neighbors. I chat with the little old ladies who live on my street and check everyone in at the door. We catch up on a bit of street gossip and exchange pleasantries.

This year, I joined their ranks.

Unfortunately, I found out that I could be a poll worker on Friday, and early voting ended on Thursday. Wouldn't be such a big deal if I'd been assigned to my home precinct, but I wasn't. I was assigned to Goodlettsville, 30 minutes away.

At least I know for next time. Live and learn...and vote!

Monday Monday

It's Monday and I'm already exhausted.

I really, really should not have picked up an extra shift last week. Five days of manual labor while smiling is too much for me these days.

I am generally under the impression that I can do anything. Every day I am proved wrong, but I still believe it. The illusion has persisted my entire life.

As I near my fourth decade, I find that I am not able to stay up late and rally the next day. I can't go out drinking and function normally in the morning anymore. I even get annoyed when someone calls after 8pm. I am turning into an old woman!

How did this happen? How did I go from being the life of the party, the first one on the dance floor, to the fuddy-duddy in the corner with the inhaler who only stays for an hour. Good grief!

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. I need a vacation. I'm ready!

Leg(itim)acy

On Tuesday I will join the ranks of elderly women across the country making sure you are able to vote.

That's right, I will be a poll worker!

My 80+ year old neighbor has been working our precinct for eight years and has been practically begging me to replace her there for the past several months. I finally got around to sending in my application a couple of weeks ago and hadn't heard anything from the folks in charge since.

I called a few days ago to follow-up with them and heard that they are swamped with training folks who had sent in their paperwork in a timely fashion. Of course, they were more diplomatic, but the point was made clearly. I let them know I'd be happy to help in any way I could since I had the day off and they said they'd get back to me.

There had been newspaper columns and notices about the lack of new poll workers and the need to begin replacing those who are no longer able to continue working the long days (at least 12 hours). Basically, they need new blood.

I told Grandma I had applied last week when I took her out for dinner, and she surprised me by saying that she'd done the same thing when they'd lived in Florida. Not only had she worked at the polls, but a handful of other civic duties until she'd finally had enough and quit to have more free time.

It was nice to know I was continuing a family legacy.

I've always thought that voting was one of our biggest privileges as citizens. It allows us to have a voice in the political process. It gives us a say in government through our elected officials, and puts people in office who we hope will use our voices as their own. It also gives us the right to vote people out of office if they are not good stewards of the Constitution or our rights.

Mom used to bring me with her to my elementary school gymnasium to vote. Those were the days of true voting booths. It felt magical, like we were about to see the Wizard in Oz. We drew the curtains around us, we selected the candidates we wanted to see in office, and we pulled the lever to cast our ballot. It was always a special treat and I couldn't wait to sign my voter registration card when I turned 18.

There was a group of women registering seniors at a table set up in front of the cafeteria. Getting to sign that card was almost more exciting than the upcoming graduation, almost. Voting is great and all, but getting to go 900 miles from home was a lot better.

Anyway...I'm really looking forward to learning the ropes, being part of this experience, and doing my civic duty. Of course, I'm not replacing my neighbor yet. Since I sent in my paperwork so late, I'm assigned to a precinct 30 minutes and 20 miles away, in Goodlettsville. Apparently it's not one of the voting hot spots. I may be able to catch up on some knitting, reading or napping while there! Considering the rest of the week's schedule, I'm hoping for the latter.

Ladies' lunch

Yesterday I got to see an old friend.

She was in town for an overnight conference, and I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with her before she headed back to Boston.

We managed to fit in some hilarious clothes shopping which included an inordinate amount of see-through tops, most of which I told her were not going to fly in Boston. Honestly, I'm not sure they would fly in most parts of Nashville.

We wandered the streets of Lower Broadway, taking in the sights and sounds, and catching up on each others' lives. She was a breath of fresh air on a beautiful day. A blast from the past and a welcome surprise on my day off.

We found an appropriately Southern dining establishment with outdoor-ish seating, where she satisfied her craving for BBQ, then made our way to a fabulously kitchy dress shop and tried on more duds. We looked hot, but left empty handed. I may go back for the sassy sundress everyone loved on me. Maybe.

The afternoon also entailed enjoying the posters at Hatch Show Prints and some pink grapefruit sorbet at the candy store and sunning ourselves while eating said sorbet on the plaza in front of the Ryman Auditorium.

It was a quick and dirty Nashville moment, but it was wonderful. It's going to carry me through another grueling week.

Union, yes.

I used to be a union organizer.

It ruined me for life, well, that and the incredible benefits I had while an employee at Harvard way back in the day. I don't mean it was a terrible place to work, I mean that it gave me the autonomy and confidence that I could do anything I put my mind to. I was very good at it, and I completely believed in it. I still do.

I was ruined for any other employer, for any other organization.

I keep trying to bring what I learned at HUCTW (Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers) to every other workplace. Sometimes the ideals I bring with me are welcome, sometimes they are not.

The ideals are simple: cooperation, collaboration, communication, participation, and building a solid middle class. You'd think that those would be easy enough to translate into other arenas. Not always.

Yesterday was May Day, and I worked a little over 12 hours between two jobs. The day before was a longer day. What's interesting is that I think I worked fewer hours as an exempt employee, making more money than I do now.

When I was a union member, I valued the ability to participate in the running of my workplace in some way. I valued having a voice in my workplace, the camaraderie of meetings, the learning process for problem solving, and I even enjoyed the case management with those who were laid off.

As a union organizer, I was often tasked with tackling the most resistant workplaces and individuals. My kindness and smiling face were my tools. It was a fun challenge.

I loved getting out and meeting new members, loved the excitement of the problem solving process, loved the encouragement from the women and men who had worked 17 years to formalize the union.

I value every minute I was a union member and organizer. I pull from those years on a regular basis, using the lessons I learned on the job to continue teaching me how to be the best I can be wherever I am in my career. I will continue to bring the ideals of HUCTW to my jobs, and keep them in my heart.

May-be

Happy May Day!

On this day that the rest of the world celebrates the labor movement, I am celebrating the end of my 50+ hour work week.

The benefits of juggling jobs and working long hours are there. Somewhere. It's not a hamster wheel I'm on, right?

The biggest benefit is that I am able to pay all of my bills, and lately have savings.

That savings is hopefully going to build to be my emergency fund, retirement fund(s) and hopefully grow enough so that I can have a vacation fund.

After my last couple of disaster trips, I've decided that my next trip should be to a beach, by myself, without access to communication...other than to the nice looking young man who will bring me my cocktails by the water, adjust the cabana when I need some shade, resupply my fresh fruit platter when it's looking depleted, and make sure I'm appropriately sunscreened for a golden tan.

 I'd better start putting that dough away faster so I can get to that beach!