Got a lead for a new job today

Friend called me with the news of a preschool job at a Lutheran church. Think it is only part time but I will check it out. We will see what happens with it this week. Maybe something good. Maybe it is a blessing that I haven't given everything away yet?????

What a disappointment!

People kept telling me the weatherman is not always right but I didn't agree. . . well not until today. I have been planning since last week-- when it rained every day except Monday -- to go on a long hike with my camera in tow TODAY. All the weathermen predicted this would be the only dry day this week. I was going to get in my hike TODAY!

I stayed up late last night/early this morning working on a project for a friend so I slept in and left just before lunch. REMEMBER, it was going to be a nice day. As I walked out the front door, I wondered where the sun was hiding behind the multitude of clouds. I didn't worry a whole lot tho because the weatherman said it would be dry. . . I could walk on an overcast day. No problem for me! Nosiree! I had layered my clothing, had my Crystal Light bottle and my camera. . . what else did I need?

But first, I had to make a bus trip to the Post Office downtown, then catch another bus to north of town and finally, walk the Salmoncreek Trail by Klineline Pond, going west to Felida. I would walk, take photos and enjoy a trip I hadn't made since last year. Our city has wonderfully maintained, wide walking/biking trails. When I got to the end, I would catch a bus back to town and go home with my precious photos. . .

Yeah, sure! I got to the Post Office and it was sprinkling -- remember I did not bring my umbrella on the supposedly sunny day they had forcast. At the PO, I discovered I did not have the address to send my mailing off. As I left the building, it was raining pretty good and I was mad that I couldn't follow my plans for a nice long hike. I told myself that the park was just 5 blocks away and I could go there to take photos of tulips with raindrops on them. That pacified me while walking in the rain and geting soaked!

I lucked out as there were many colors of tulips in bloom since a week ago when I saw only one patch of them. I think I got some great photos and I look forward to when the rest bloom. That park is so different from what it was 22 years ago when I first moved here. That remidns me. . . the Saturday Market should be opening there soon . . . and the summer evening concerts in the park. I love to be there when the bell tower rings and the little characters come out of the tower and tell the story of the native Indians in the area meeting Lewis and Clark. Another great thing about the park is that you can take your laptop there and get on the internet wireless! I have yet to do that but look forward to trying it oneday.

Here's a few of my favorite photos from a rainy Monday:

Look what I saw this morning!

The pink tulips near my home are almost ready to open up! I am so excited!!!!!!!! To view bigger to see raindrops, click on photo.

As you can see, it has been raining a lot. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry------ so I am going for a long walk. I will go downtown, first to the park where many other tulips are also probably blooming by now . Then I will catch a bus to Klineline and walk the Salmoncreek trail to Felida. Getting out has helped me. All this rain can get really depressing. I can hardly wait!

Sharing is completely diffferent than giving things away. . .

Having always been one to be willing to share, I loaned out my teaching "goodies" to anyone that needed them. Now that I have started downsizing my collection of resources, I have been feeling down myself. I gave my grandaughter 6 big boxes of teacher resource books last week. I was happy to share since she is going to be a teacher soon. But I miss having those things on the shelves -- I had 10 bookcases filled with teacher things, including storybooks. ( I didn't give my books away yet.)

Today I gave away three piecees of furniture, a standing fan, two wooden bookcases, a framed picture and my big Clifford stuffed animal. Learned of a refugee from Africa who is living in Portland with his wife, Mother and 7 children ages 9 months to 16) . He wants to be a Lutheran Pastor and is taking classes along with working a minimum wage job. I wish I had more to share with them. . .

It wasn't too hard -- or so I thought -- to give away my three cabinets that could be used for bedside stands/living room end tables for lamps, etc and holding things on their shelves. After all, this family had no furniture and were sleeping on the floor. I was planning to take them over to the Goodwill truck anyway. . . and I know my things will be used well in this family's apartment. It was hard to gve up my two beautiful folding bookcases --but I do have 8 more just like them!

Funny how we get attached to material things. I know they went to a good home and it makes my heart glad to share them.

Now if I can just get the rest of my stuff sorted so I can move. I need sunshine! These rainy days are not productive to getting anything accomplished. . . I am looking forward to Monday when the rain stops. . . then I can go for a long walk again. I sure enjoyed my two long walks last week. I think I will ride the bus to Klineline Pond and walk the path to Felida and catch the bus home. I hope there are some interesting things to photograph along the way. That always gets me out of my slump. Ü

Why I hate rain. . .

Other than clearing the sky of smog and nourishing the plants and trees on the ground, I see no reason to have rain. In fact I hate rain so much that I wish it would rain only when I am sleeping at night. (Now if it were snowing, that's a whole different matter. I can play in the snow AND I love to shovel sidewalks AND build snowmen AND take photos AND. . . see what I mean?)

OK, the only way to feel at peace with this is to find some photos that show the beauty of rain. . I know I have some somewhere. . .here are two from this month:






These are from other rainy days walking around with my camera:

The Forgotten Penguins. . .

When I lost my job, I forgot about these paintings for awhile. Looking for something else in my iPhoto collection, I ran across them again and thought they were just too precious to not post and write about my little artists. I taught the 4 year olds class and some of my artists turned 5 this fall. They loved to paint. Sometimes I suggested something like the penguin theme and these are a few of them. They had nothing to look at -- just reminders from the books I had read or the penguin games they played. I think they did pretty good!

It isn't easy giving up something you like. . .

I am addicted to Pepsi. . . well, if Cream Soda didn't cost more, I would be addicted to it instead. I like a cold drink year round. Oh, yes, I like a cup of hot tea or cocoa but it isn't convenient like a bottle of soda from the cold refrigerator! I would drink water but I don't like the taste of it from my faucet. . .

A few years back, I had bottled water delivered to my home and it was reasonably priced. Then I moved and it wasn't convenient to order it any longer so I stopped. Then, I got a duplex where I could have it delivered and checked into getting it again. The price had really gone up! I couldn't believe it. My neighbor who had been getting it (from my previous company) for a few years was still paying the price I used to. I found out I was now considered a new customer because I had stopped it for awhile and I would have to pay new customer prices!!!!!! I refuse to have to pay an increase when some are still getting it as the previous price. So that left out that option.

I looked and looked at Walmart tonight and decided on Crystal Light rasberry lemonade. . . it has a good flavor. I bought the packets so I could carry it with me and make some in a bottle for my hikes. We will see. . .

I also bought some pistachios. . . there is a notation on the container. . . "heart healthy" and good fiber. hehehehehehe

Maybe I can make it after all with Crystal Light . . . and pistachios!

Card Making--Otherwise Known As Stamping

Encouraged by a friend's homemade cards using rubber stamps, I took up this hobby about two years ago. I am still learning and may never get to be a master at it but I like seeing what I can create. I like using new techniques and sometimes experimenting on my own too. I have branched out to including my photos on cards also. Some of my sample cards are below. If you want to see the comments I wrote on the jpeg's, click on photo for bigger, more readable view.

Changes. . .

Sometimes changes are good. . . but to be able to enjoy that goodness, one has to take a chance sometimes. That's what I did today; inspired by mcb's blog site, I wanted to make changes too but I did not understand how she had accomplished it. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I told myself, "Paulie, you have a whole bunch of websites you wrote the html for without Dreamweaver . . . so why not try that and forget the directions from elsewhere?" That's just what I did. First I placed my "postcard" on it of the dragonfly. . . I love that photo I took three years ago! It looked ok but not much of my blog writing was visible because it was so big --------- sooooooooooo

I decided to take three of my favorite photos and make mini postcards of them but save them as one jpeg. It worked but the background is white. I probably should have made a blue background on my jpeg first. . . and I will try to do that tomorrow sometime.

Yes, I like the beginnings of this change.

Unique wood. . .

Finding these on the beach at Wintler Park yesterday, I concluded that many of them are unusual and were worth a photo. I wonder what stories they would have to tell IF only they could talk?

Daylight savings time . . .

This is the first time in my life since daylight savings time was begun that I have revolted against waking up in the dark. I did not like it this morning. . . there was no need for me to get up since I don't have a job anymore but I wanted to get out of bed when I woke up. . . it didn't happen.

It was so dark, I had no incentive to get up. I had planned to wake up and move some more boxes to storage --books I have packed up for my move. (I can't bear to give them all away just yet.) Instead, I went back to bed.

Finally, the sun came streaming into my room and woke me up again but I had lost half the day! I can't believe I had slept so long. Maybe I needed it. I hope I can stay up late tonight and keep working. March is one third over and there is so much to do yet. I guess instead of talking about it, I should get busy!

Today, my internet friend, Chloe is getting some help for her medical problems. . . I hope the doctors can help her so she can go back to work and drive and finish her hotel renovations. My thoughts and prayers go with her.

I better make use of this "extra daylight" to get much accomplished today. I wish I could just move stuff as I sort and clean to my new place but without a job, I don't even have a new place to look forward to moving to at the end of the month. I guess I better put that in God's hands too.

Making progress is hard sometimes

I am preparing to move next month so I am cleaning this duplex from ceiling to floor. . . I always leave a place cleaner than I found it. I am getting to nooks and crannies I never did during my stay here. The trouble is, there is so much to do with sorting school stuff and deciding where it will go. I wish I never had to give it away. I don't want to retire. I love teaching. I am questioning why I bothered to go back to college and graduate when I was 40 . . . I thought I would get to teach in one school a long time. Didn't happen for me.

Anyway, back to my bathroom. . . besides it being sparkling clean, I added plants in there! Now, I have never thought to put plants in the bathroom before, not ever! BUT they look good and make the place feel like a little paradise. I might do that when I move too.

I don't know where I am going to next month. I am just praying I won't have to be a bag lady on the streets. I hope I can keep my stuff I love. I hope I can find at least part-time work. It's hard being poor.

Moving is such a pain. . .

I know it is my own fault that I have all this "crap." that I have to sort before I move. Before I stopped teaching, it was "my resource treasures" . . . Now, I have to decide how to get rid of it so I can find a small place to live on my tiny social security. I gave 6 boxes of idea books to my granddaughter who is going to be a teacher. She only wanted stuff that was for grades 2 through 4 tho. . . I have lots more for her but she can't store it until she gets her job either. I have a unit in a storage place and I keep hauling more things over there.

Next month she will find out where she will get a call to be a Lutheran teacher. She is also getting married in June.

Wonder where I will be in June?

Anonymous posting . . .

I have always felt that anonymous posters have something to hide. . . I have posted anonymously a few times. Only once was it necessary when I asked a very personal question that I needed help with and didn't want others to know it was my problem.

Recently some people posted anonymously --on a post I started -- in support of me. . . now that is an oxymoron if there ever was one. How can you be anonymous and be supporting someone? When a person needs support, they need to know who is supporting them. They say they don't want to get hurt again so they don't use their names.

I hate phrases for names. (I mean different ones for every post. . . heck, if they used the same phrase all the time, that would be acceptable.) I don't care if the name they use is theirs or not. After two months on the internet, ten years ago or so, I started using my real name because I had websites that were attributed to me and it was stupid to call myself something else and claim the website as mine.

I guess you have to choose one anonymous name and use it. Some argue that this is pointless because they refuse to be "hurt again" or "ignored again" or some other lame excuse. I guess I will use phrases too and see how others like it -- and only occasionally use my own name.

Some Thoughts About Snow. . .

Several internet friends have shared photos of their recent snowfalls. I really enjoyed them and they have made me think of the memories I have growing up in southeastern Idaho. Our winters there were filled with snow, like these photos I see from internet friends today. I also experienced the same kind of winters in upstate New York for 4 years. There was nothing more pleasurable to me than shoveling the sidewalks and driveways after a fresh fallen snow. It was something I loved and anticipated with excitement like a child opening a Christmas present. It was something I truly enjoyed. It was something I never got tired of.

Of course, I was a lot younger then. Could that make a difference if I lived with that kind of snow now? I would hope not. Over the past 7 years, since I moved back to Washington from California, I have loved the snow we got occasionally here and looked forward to more each winter.

Just a couple years ago when we had our deepest snow since I moved here, I enjoyed going around and shoveling other friends' driveways for them. it was so much fun for me! I did it all day and only stopped because it was getting dark and I had to head home walking. I am glad I requested that they provide the shovel since that would have been a pain to carry when walking and would have interfered with my taking digital photos of the snow on the trek home!

Yes, I can truly say that I could handle a bigger snowfall than we are getting here in SW Washington these days. I think it would be like going to heaven. I wonder if there is snow in heaven? Wouldn't that be grand?

God is in control. . .

Some days I wonder why I was put on this earth. . . Oh, I have had my mountain top experiences but the valley lows seem to overshadow them at times. (Maybe that's because there's not much snow in the valley presently?) I guess I need to get a different focus on life and stop having a pity party. Time to clean up my environment and start fresh.

I wish I could find a job where my boss appreciated me for what I do. I am always willing to give more than asked for. I would like to find a job that would give me pleasure in knowing that what I do makes a difference. Maybe I am too idealistic.

I haven't shared this with many (now anyone that reads this will know) but I lost my job last month. It was teaching 4 year olds in a daycare preschool. I loved the kids . . . I still do and I miss them terribly. (I know the short 8 months I had with them, I gave them a great headstart for Kindergarten.)

I have resigned myself that I will never get to teach again. I have started giving my teaching resources away. It's the most difficult decision I ever had to make.

Besides the fact that I was in the emergency room last year for undetermined reason, I feel in good shape and health. I don't feel my age. I have always felt younger -- maybe that is because I love to walk. (I am so glad I entered and walked the Portland marathon two years ago.) I can hardly wait for the rain to slow down here so I can walk some of our trails again. Vancovuer has so many paved trails within the city. . . such a change from southern California where I had steady teaching employment but decided to take a chance on a job I wanted here and "come home" to Vancouver. Well, it worked because I got the job . . . and it was a great teaching year. I just didn't want to add an administration hat to my teaching Kindergarten in a school that was just Kindergarten so far and thus, I resigned at the end of the year.

I don't know what tomorrow holds for me. I just guess I will keep on keeping on.

Well, trying to post here sometimes can be work

Inspired by Chloe to write in my blog again, here I am. I am not at all sure this will work but am going to try. The site insisted I had to have a Google account and then it wouldn't work for me but came here on Safari and this might work . . . or not. I don't know. I didn't use Safari to set it up and now I have confirmation that my Google account is ready but all I got was a spinning ball. (I know I am rambling . . . but why post something "important" if this might not work at the end?

Ok testing this out. . . if it works, I will be back soon.