Diarist A25 Day12

EDLM 10/01/19

I wake to R running his paws on the sliding glass door. It’s a running pace like he’s being chased and will be eaten by a ferocious animal, lions or tigers or bears, if I don’t rise to let him in quick enough. And then he wants out and back in again. Ugh. I’ll make sure and wake him during his afternoon cat nap in the sun over the weekend, repeatedly. Haha…

I ignore my 5:30 and 6:00 alarms and finally rouse my tired self about 7:00. I am a bit behind and shower quickly. I clean my teeth first with plackers which I recently discovered in my daughter’s bathroom. I love this great replacement of floss and enjoy using my new teeth cleaning tools. I brush and am still using the travel toothpaste tube from our weekend trip. I need to get more toothpaste. I dry my hair, dress, and head to town with R, our dog.

I arrive to our downtown apartment and get my niece’s dog, S. Ra is dog sitting. My niece lives in the same house, different unit. My niece’s ex took his dog that had lived with her over a year while he was mostly out of country which left her S very sad and lonely when left alone. Ra is helping out until she finds another dog to join the family. We are on week two now. Should have a good pay day coming up soon. 🙂

I turn on the stove to heat up the pan for eggs. I get dressed and start cooking eggs. I choose clothes to match my red shoes because my other shoes are at the farm. Each dog gets an egg and I get the last egg. Theirs are cooked better. Spoiled dogs. I turn on cartoons, open a couple shades so the dogs can see outside, grab a lemon, and leave for work. 

My first work discussions are with team members with family things they need to tend to and one requests an opportunity to work from home a couple days a month. Our office flexibility continues. We have several with the ability to work remotely occasionally, one more often, and one will be using the option a bit more during the winter to avoid weather and bad roads. 

I take half a lemon to the kitchen to make hot lemon water. I search through the cabinets to find a coffee cup since I forgot my tumbler, and fill with hot water from coffee maker. I squeeze all the lemon juice into the cup of hot water and rinse and dry my hands. I spend some time talking with a colleague over our drinks. We talk about my weekend trip with my family for my birthday and she asks if there was anything I would have done different in my life. I have contemplated much over the past few months and I’ve never been one to think or consider the results of different choices. The choices I’ve made thus far have made me who I am and I feel pretty good about the life I have, although I do recognize I have not done everything I want nor have I achieved all I want. There’s some more to contemplate and some steps to take. I do recognize in discussion with my friend there is one thing that sticks out. I feel fairly certain I would have enjoyed a more physical job. More time building, creating, doing, outside, something that would have me in an office and at a computer much less than reality. I’m not sure the indoor, computer driven world is good for me or anyone. However, it’s been a good career and good for our family. It’s difficult to say something else would have been better. 

I return to my office and write diary day notes and then write the list of tasks I need to get through for the day and get to work. I am focused and complete multiple tasks one after the other until just before the lunch hour. I head to Elm Street for a quick lunch with a newly met acquaintance. We talk real estate. Everything from unique uses of existing real estate kind of like the Elm Street Brewery, to developing and building neighborhoods of tiny homes and amenities. 

I am back in the office and now writing a quick list of personal tasks to complete including writing a thank you to my daughter for putting our birthday trip together. And, a couple posts planned regarding birthdays, health habits, self improvement, and the next challenge in life. I read an article on the best LinkedIn profile and share with my daughter as a resource to help her with her job hunt effort. I make a note to make some changes to mine over the next few days to see what I think of the described “best profile”. 

I again focus on work and and get lots done. Near the end of the work day I receive a venmo deposit from my daughter for her phone bill. It’s a good work day. 

I drive to the farm and listen to the book “The 4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferris during my drive. Much to think through in this book. I cut up beets and brussel sprouts to roast, start the grill, and cut up red and yellow peppers, and cucumbers. My husband cleans the grill and cooks the burgers. My daughter and I take plates of veggies to the porch to eat while we wait on the burgers. Burgers are done and we finish eating together. 

I walk the farm with Ra and play frisbee with her. R, our cat, joins us as usual. Our Amish neighbors are bailing the hay and alfalfa on the farm and then storing it in the barn. My husband helps them get it stored. They do quite a bit of helping each other with the farm work and bailing hay is one that gets all the guys working together in the area. I have Ra sit and behave to keep her from barking at the neighbor on his trailer being pulled by his Belgian horse. We continue to play until we reach the porch. 

I sit on the porch with my daughter and we talk until the sun is nearly down. We head in to get ready for bed. My daughter finds many flies on the door that opens to the exterior deck upstairs. She wants her dad to solve it. I tell her we can and to get the leaf blower to blow them. She comes back and says dad said to use the vacuum. Haha. It worked. Much better idea. And, of course her dad showed up to help us get it cleaned up and to investigate. She likes her room super cold and we installed a window air conditioner that wasn’t fastened tight enough therefore flies made it in the house. She goes to shower and then to bed. I clean the kitchen, take notes for diary day, and go to bed. My husband is ready for bed, also.