A Breezy Saturday

I have longed for a Saturday like the one I had today. Nice and sunny with a cool breeze. I had a bit of a stressful yet good week. On Monday I went for my final interview which ended up being two interviews but I was offered a good job. I have not received a paycheck like the ones I can anticipate in about five years. It will certainly make things easier and better for us. The past few weeks Rob has taken every minute of overtime offered to him. He is trying to fill the gap left by such a slow market. The market is not dead but it is slow and most of the agents who are conducting business are having customers from the past. The buyers who are looking seem to think there is something better still waiting out there. That is not a good situation to be in if you need a steady income as I do.

The new job will be five weeks of training which I will work normal hours. After that I will be working an unusual shift that will find me arriving home about eight thirty in the evening. The thing is I will be eligible for bonuses for accepting that position so I think it is worthwhile.
Every time I think of getting a nice paycheck I begin to do the happy dance.

Fall is Here

Fall is here and I am loving it. One small tree in my yard is losing it's leaves. The grass is greener now that the scorching sun isn't baking it daily.

There is a crispness in the air and I want to get to a local orchard today for the freshly picked apples. I have already purchased my Halloween treats. Individual bags of popcorn with a few Halloween decorations on them. I gave these a few years ago and the kids loved them. I live in a development and get about 115 children each year. They love to come here as sometimes I dress up but the dog is always in a costume. Last year he was Elvis. I have a huge box of Halloween decorations in the attack that will be coming down something this week. The best part is knowing that when Halloween is over, Thanksgiving will follow it.......and later Christmas. So much to anticipate!

I am on the way to the mall to pick up shoes I am having repaired. On Friday I was out and about when a strap broke. I couldn't walk in them at all and had no spare pair in my car as I sometimes do. I dropped them off with the shoe repair man who is wonderful. I am picking them up and I believe I may put a spare pair in my trunk. It was not fun walking out of the mall on all the cement and hot asphalt in barefeet. Have a wonderful Sunday.

The Wheels on the car go round and round

Today I went to a job agency. I did several tests to see what I qualified for. As much as I like the thought of being a real estate agent, it has been difficult because the market has slowed and being a new agent I do not have the clientele to fall back on. I have worked very hard but I need some guaranteed income. It has frustrated me that family members from other states have done business with strangers. I could have done a referral for them and received a piece of the commission. My theory is it's better to have someone who knows what they are doing find an agent for you rather than blind luck leading you to a stranger. Sadly, I guess others don't see it that way. I have had nine months of money going on with none coming in and I just have to have some guaranteed income. I have many things that I want to do that cannot be considered without it. Money IS a necessary evil. The good news is that I scored very well on the grammar portion. Good grammar is second nature to me. I'm not sure why that is and perhaps when I am tired that doesn't come across to others but I do know proper grammar.

I am glad the weekend is here. I am not doing an open house. I will be putting a few hours in the office tomorrow.

On a sad note someone I met only once but who was a generous and caring person passed away this week. Candy Lynd was a friend and coworker of my Aunt Judy's. When my son had leukemia she contacted her daughter who was a personal assistant to my favorite boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard. My son was a huge boxing fan. Delivered to the hospital were a pair of autographed boxing gloves. These came in the darkest hour and my son lit up like a Christmas tree. As though that were not enough a few weeks later a pair of tickets arrived which were close to the ring. My son left the hospital and boarded a train into Madison Square Garden with his Dad to see that fight. It was something he still talks about. All this because of the caring of a teenage boy she had never met. Last week when I knew Candy was so ill I sent her a card once again thanking her for her part in making my son so happy. I pray that her family will find comfort and that she will rest in peace. What really matters when you die is what you leave behind in the thoughts and hearts of other people. She will never be forgotten.

A Visit to New England

Over the weekend we traveled to New England, Rhode Island specifically for our niece's 9th birthday. This was the first birthday without her Mom. I knew we had to be there and do something that would be so special it would occupy her thoughts instead of the huge void left by her Mom's absence. She had mentioned that her stepsister had an American Girl doll and so did one of her cousins and she thought they were wonderful. I made a vow to myself that she would have one. Not only did she get the doll but she got the beautiful metal bed, night table, an antique typewriter, phone and gooseneck lamp, carpet, pillows and several outfits. Some were obtained used but in mint condition. She was really surprised. We had her open the furniture first and the doll last. She carried the doll all over with her, took her to church and put the doll bed touching her own. For the first time since June, she slept alone in her room with her new pal, Kit. It was very touching as she leaned over to me and said "I've always wanted an American Girl doll." To see a smile on a child's face, a child who has been through so much this past year, really made my heart smile. My mother-in-law found it very difficult to have the party without her daughter there. It was hard for us to be there and seeing Jen's room with so much gone. There were more things there than I would have imagined. When I see certain things that I have given her such as the angel that holds a banner saying "My sister is laughter on the cloudiest day" it hits you hard. Like a sucker punch to the gut. We went to the cemetery and it seems surreal to us. There were notes from her long time friend, Fred. Fred arrived early that morning to blow up balloons with a helium tank he had purchased. That guy is okay. So now as I climb into my own bed, I get a visual of our little princess in her bed and Kit's bed touching hers. I get great comfort from that. Now the search will begin for a Christmas dress for Kit. I think I will be viewing the American Girl website quite a bit between now and then. Well, time for bed. I am beat and have a full work day tomorrow that will begin at 9 a.m. and end after six p.m.

I am thinking of our Jen and hoping that she can know that her baby girl had a nice birthday. While we tell her daughter that she will never be forgotten and we keep her memories alive with words and pictures, we are trying to also let her know that life goes on. Tragedy strikes, our hearts get broken but we pick up the pieces and we go on. Most people don't learn that lesson at such a young age but our girl knows that she is loved by many people. Somehow I think that will get her through. Goodnight angel.

Autumn is Around the Corner

I have always loved Autumn. I think it goes back to the magic of having my grandparents rake the leaves in their yard. They would rake them against the white picket fence with the rose trellis. My brother Jimmy and I would dive into the piles and roll around. It was sheer heaven. I even remember the smell of them. In my childhood movies that scene was captured one year. I was wearing a faux red leather jacket and wearing my red cowgirl boots. One of my favorite outfits of all time. My brother had a black jacket and black boots. When we got down rolling around in the mountain of leaves my Grandaddy would rake them back together and scoop them up for burning in a metal barrel. Oh the smell of the burning leaves. Now that is illegal. We would go into the house and have some of my grandmother's homemade (NEVER store bought) cookies and cocoa that was made in a pan on the stove. No instant anything for her. Life was grand. I would think about the wonderful holidays that would soon be here. Halloween, Thanksgiving and soon after that Christmas. At night I would open my window to catch a breath of the crisp Fall air. Oh how I love it still.

Sometimes I wish I could be that person for just a few minutes. The person whose entire life was yet to happen. All the promise of a future not yet determined. At this point my father was still stationed in the Navy and we lived most of those years at my grandmother's. It was heaven. We were so cramped in her two bedroom home. My mother was sharing a bedroom with her younger sister who still lived home for part of that time. My brother and I shared a sofa that became a bed. Sometime during the year I was four my mother became pregnant and my father began to build our own house around the corner. I started kindergarten from that house. The following year I got my baby sister. Five short years later my father got a job in New York and we moved to New Jersey. While I saw my grandparents many times after that, and spent some weeks with them during the summer, I always missed being able to walk to their house. Now my grandmother is a four hour drive and my life is so hectic that I haven't been there for years. Today I am feeling badly about that. I simply must go this Fall and maybe I can rake her leaves and have one last dive. See, you really can go home again.....at least for awhile longer.