Not So Maudlin

I’m home sick from work, today. I have an angry intestinal sickness that is finally… seemingly… letting up. I can hardly sit here and type I’m so weak, but I’ve either been in the bed or in the recliner all day and cannot stand to sit in one position anymore.

It’s been a busy time at work and I really need to get back to it. Too much to do before next week.

To top it off, it’s beautiful and the perfect temperature outside. I think I might go out and sit for while with some hot tea. That might make me feel a bit better. Today was the first day that the heat kicked on, which makes me happy. It was chilly in the house this morning and when I looked at the thermostat, it read 69 degrees. I love it! I’m really hoping it sticks this way.

Well, I have a lot to share, but I think I need to go rest some more. Ugh. I only get about 5 minute bouts of energy. Maybe it’s a good sign.

Ohhhhhh, great! Now one of the cats is throwing up. Lovely.

I’m feeling a little introverted these days. It’s not a depressing kind of introversion, just a still type. I don’t know if it’s the heat or what, but I feel I need to sit quietly and reflect on a few things. Nothing serious, just reflection. It feels good to be quiet. Along with this, my mind has been calmer as well. Not completely calm. That would take a miracle.

There have been some rumblings around the house about possible remodels. Tripp and I talk about this stuff a lot - mainly because our house is officially a 2 bedroom, but we would love for it to have 3. I really like the current idea and I think he and I are on the same page. It would certainly make us enjoy our place more. I guess we’ll have to see.

I didn’t get much sleep last night. Stayed up until 2 am trying to do something on the computer and by the time I actually got to sleep, it was about 3 am. It might be an early night for me tonight. Possibly going to the hometown, tomorrow, to see the parents, grandparents, and maybe a friend. I need to get out of this house a bit. I get cabin fever way to easily to sit around in a house all day and the heat has been unbearable.

A friend and I went walking in Chattanooga’s Renaissance Park, this weekend. I snapped the picture below with my phone, but I thought it appropriate for how my mood has been, lately. Maybe there’s a calm before the storm - in the good sense. I can take that.

It has been HOT here in the Southeast. I dream of October. Hell, I’d take September, right now. It is supposed to rain, today, and cool off a bit in the next week, but this is pretty miserable. Last night, T and I went out with some friends for dinner and standing outside, afterward, was like standing under a 95 degree wet blanket. I cannot stand it.

Between the heat, sweat, and the wine, I had some crazy dreams last night. They were not happy ones, but mainly frustrating ones. At the end, my garden had been ravaged by animals and nothing was left. I had this horrible sinking feeling at the end of the dream and woke up with it. One can see where my brain is most of the time - thinking about if I need to pick the cuces and tomatoes and if the corn is going to withstand the storm that is about to come through. Yes. That is my world, right now, and I’m okay with it. Speaking of…

The garden has been doing pretty well, lately. I need to employ crop rotation next year to see if the plants will produce like they did the first year. I’ve just been lazy about it.

Today, I’m going to do some freezing, canning, cleaning, and reading. I need to accomplish some tasks around here if it hurts me. I’ve been so easily distracted, lately, and I finally need to focus and get something done. So, with that, I’m off to clear my head, eat breakfast, and be proactive.

I’ve been feeling a bit under-the-weather the last couple of days. I don’t know if it’s the barometric pressure or what, but it’s gotta stop.

Speaking of the weather, we have FINALLY received rain… and tons of it. The grass has been getting crunchy underfoot and the garden has been looking sad - literally sad. It’s been so droopy and dry. However, the hard rains of the past two days have brought it back to life. I love this weather. It’s supposed to do this type of thing the whole week. I have my fingers crossed. It’s difficult to beat summer thunderstorms in the South. I can leave the humidity aside, but give me summer storms any day.

The garden has been doing pretty well. We have a TON of cucumbers. The tomatoes have not been fruiting as well as seasons past, but the ones we do get are delicious. I say this with exception to our sungolds, which are extremely prolific. I’ve been picking and roasting, picking and roasting. I put some up in the freezer last night so we can use them in the winter. Basically, all I do to roast them is cut them in half. Place them, cut side up, on a cookie sheet/pan. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast them for 30-35 minutes (or longer) at 400 degrees.

The blackberries have also been doing well. The bush has spread and the berries have been huge this year. The bush is still very small, but next year we should have a pretty good lot of them. I was able to put up a couple of containers of freezer jam, which is not much, but more than we’ve been able to do in the past.

Well,chores call. If this rain keeps up, this whole house will be clean.

So, it’s been about a month since I’ve been job-hunting. I’m not here to complain, since I know that others have been spending greater amounts of time doing the same. However, it continues to be a painful process in today’s market. I knew it was going to be difficult and limiting, but I had NO idea.

I’ve made a chart with the different positions that I’ve applied for. I’ve listed call-back dates, whether they have been filled or not, and whether they have gotten a hold of me. The search is a job in itself. For as many applications/resumes I’ve sent out, I’ve only received one call for an interview. With others’ experiences with job-searching, I’m surprised I’ve even gotten that.

I have a good resume. I’ve worked for years and have a variety of experience, including management, clerical, research, and so on. I graduated with Honors this May and received a departmental award. I also have volunteer experience. However, the grim search continues. I have a prospect that I’d rather not discuss here, so it feels good just to have that, but for a person who is fairly self-confident, job hunting in today’s market is a good way to hammer that confidence into dust.

I’m concentrating less on the wage, now, and more on whether or not I’d enjoy doing the job. We’ll see how this goes.

It has been a long time. So much has happened in the last several months. I graduated last Sunday, for instance. Feels good. Just hasn’t sunk in, yet. The garden is coming along. Today, I picked most of the arugula before it bolted. I guess we are having a salad tonight.

There is more coming, but I have to bolt, myself. Have an appointment with a roofer.