Overall ...
I have to say that things are OK here. The job keeps me busy, keeps me thinking, keeps me in the position of learning more new things & stretching my brain, can keep me in the cranky chair w/some of our shoppers (I work on vacating that cranky chair as quickly as I can although some times it is tough tough tough), keeps my bank account in a better place than my pet sitting career did. Still have a Sunday through Thursday work week although I do have an occasional Friday or Saturday shift. At the end of February I will attend a 3 day workshop for work in southern New Jersey.
Outside of the full time work, I do still see a few pet sitting clients - kept just a handful of households. It's nice extra money, I love the kitties & the folks, they treated me well & that matters in the big scheme of life for me.
Current ways to spend the days off & time away from sittings:
~~ knitting. You knew that, right? I have such a gigantic amount of yarn for future projects. Have a ton of projects I am working on & so many more I want to do. We have a weekly management team meeting & I keep a knitting bag at work that contains my current Dulaan project that I work on at every meeting.
~~ reading. Have been on a bit of a binge of lining up the next books I want to read - aren't there just so many great books to read? It's too easy for me to pick only mystery novels to read. Recently I finished PROMISE ME by Harlan Coben (a mystery book). Currently I am reading EPITAPH FOR A PEACH, FOUR SEASONS ON MY FAMILY FARM by David Mas Masumoto & also am reading (on the 2nd story) THE LIVES OF ROCKS, STORIES by Rick Bass. He is a fantastic short story writer, he also writes lyric nonfiction books. Still a library book borrower & volunteer at the Library, spending a couple or three hours there a week, spread out over Monday & Wednesday evenings after work & on Friday & Saturdays during the day.
~~ organizing/cleaning out/rearranging the house & basement. This is a relatively smallish row house - it can only hold so much. Don't know if I am deluding myself that I don't have a ton of stuff (you know - I can compare myself to others & rationalize that I really don't have that much stuff.) Did some major rearranging of the living room in after T'giving w/the help of a close pal, SB, who is an ab fab decorator.
~~ helping some friends clean out their houses & apartments. I chauffeur, whisking away those boxes & bags, finding homes for the unwanted & un-needed things. For example, a retirement home has been the recipient of a goodly number of houseplants from my pal C as she down sizes her plant collection. An almost new box of syringes went to a wildlife rehab facility from her - they had been purchased to help her late husband w/some of his meds as he was ill w/ ALS.
~~ trying to get enough sleep. Do we all battle this? There's always a bigger to-do list than there are hours in the day & I find that I can always stay up late, doing chores, working on the computer, watching bad TV - fill-in the blanks w/whatever. Have been trying to sleep well & rest.
Natalie & Jeremy are, knock wood, well. She is being seen on a regular basis for treatment for a low potassium level by our fabulous vet, Dr. Small, & is on daily meds.
Here's my pitch for your creative knitting suggestions. At the 2006 Retreat from the swap table/lounge I got a hank of Fleece Artist Hand Dyed Blue Face Leicester DK, 450/250 grams. It's dyed in an array of dark magentas & pinks. I would like to do something for me - a cool scarf, some w/lace maybe, an interesting pattern, a shawl of some sort. Ideas? And what size needle for this great stuff? I am less of a tight knitter than I was a few years ago - thank goodness, it's better for me, my hands & my knitting. Would love to have your tho'ts please.