Walk With Me Wednesday

I have frequently in the past entertained you with pictures of the Canyon in all its splendid breadth and width. This time I thought I would share with you a few pictures of the flora growing wild there that I would see on my walks.


I don't know the name of these flowers, except that the bottom picture is of a Canyon Rose, which actually grows into a not inconsiderable tree all along the Canyon's rim.

What I do recognize, and you will too, is the species called Canyon Fibernut, which can be found somewhere along the rim when it's too hot during the day to hike. Don't you wish you were a Canyon Fibernut too?

Thank you so much for all your kind wishes and support in my job search. It has meant so much to me, to have such good friends that I haven't even met in person. Yet. And I actually did end up relaxing last night and getting a good night's sleep. However, I did get called very late this afternoon and told that after a very difficult decision (don't they always say that?), the position is going to the other applicant. Oddly enough, I don't feel very disappointed right now -- maybe it hasn't sunk in enough yet -- but obviously it wasn't meant to be. I intend to keep looking for something else to do, but I guess for now I'll still be making the best I can of the current job. At least they let me read and knit there.

And all will still be well. Thank you again, my dear friends, for being as supportive as you all have been in the past several weeks. Knitters really are the best.

The Excruciatingly Interminable Waiting Game

After so much determination to not think about anything -- yeah, right -- a sudden onslaught after lunch of phone calls. Are you free this afternoon? Yes. We'll get back to you. Five minutes later. We're going to interview you this afternoon. Okay. Don't know when yet. I'll stand by. Five minutes and three more phone calls later. Be here at 2:45. Okay. Throw on some professional looking clothes. Good thing I got my hair done this morning. Review the job requirements and my qualifications. Shut off the cell phone so it doesn't go off in the middle of things.

Interview. Seems to have gone well. Seems qualifications may entitle a higher starting salary. We'll get back to you.

And now the waiting game.

Can't concentrate on reading. Too jumpy for much knitting. Will I sleep tonight? Who knows? Do I want this too much? At this point, I really don't know what to think anymore. So I try not to think at all. And you all know how well that doesn't work.

I remind myself that I am grateful that I have been able to amass some good experience and good credentials in my work experience. I'm grateful that I do have the capability of applying for jobs requiring more than just average experience. I'm grateful for having the freedom to apply for anything I want and no one can tell me I can't. I'm grateful for a family that supports me in what I do, and encourages in what I want to do.

In other subject matter, I'm still trying to catch up on a couple hundred bloglines. And I got my invitation to Ravelry, but haven't had time to do much of anything with it yet. And I've had to chase Buddy out of the new herb garden a few times already.

The day is ending. And all will be well.

The Creative Day

So what did I do on my Sunday "Creative Day"?


I went to church in the morning and SANG with the choir.


I bought some herbs and peppers and PLANTED a little garden plot.



I PICKED some plums before the birds got to them.



I started to PAINT a paint-by-number.



I KNIT on squares for afghans.



I teamed up with Michael and we COOKED Joe a Father's Day dinner: red potatoes with butter and parsley, shrimp cocktail, salad, grilled rib eye steak, grilled nectarines.


What I tried NOT to do was brood about job issues. The only other individual applying for the position was flown in from out east today for her interview tomorrow. I still do not have an interview scheduled. I am trying not to let this bother me. I am plugging myself into my IPOD (which the kids got me for my birthday) and am charging on with anything to keep myself busy.


I am only being partially successful.


But I am feeling rather creative in a multitude of ways. Now, if I can just keep Buddy out of the herb mini-garden.

June 007

June, for so many, is the month for graduations. The area we live in, however, with very few exceptions holds graduation in May. Perhaps because it's getting just too hot in June. Early morning and late evening are the only times around here to walk the dog or work in the garden; the rest of the day one hunkers down in whatever cool, shady, or air-conditioned area one can find.



Not so in Cambridge. Graduation is held in June, on the lawn with thousands in attendance, and the reading of the names of the graduates takes a full two hours or more. Family members bring newspapers and books; at least one knitter was in attendance. I confess that we brought a sackful of snacks and a cooler with ice and water. Not to mention the knitting bag. We were fortunate to be able to sit underneath a very shady tree, and a good breeze off the Charles river also helped. It's a marvelous thing to finally see a child (now very much an adult) finally make it all the way through school and get the long-sought-after doctoral degree (and a really impressive medieval gown, to boot). Plus it's the rare occasion that sees all five brothers and sisters together.




I'm taking a "creative day" today. No serious pursuits, just whatever I feel drawn to do. Michael has moved back home for the next six weeks as he does a local summer internship. Still no job interview scheduled; part of the reason for a creative day in order to keep my mind on other things than interviews.

Happy Father's Day to all dads and granddads in your life!

Buddy of the Grand Canyon

Hey, everybody, this is Buddy. Buddy of the Grand Canyon. My Mom is pretty busy today, what with going to the grocery and doing lots of stuff she calls "laundry". She's also doing a lot of muttering about vacuuming up cat hair and how much can one dog shed, anyways. (Ooops.) And between you and me, I don't think she's real happy about going back to work tomorrow. She did mention something to Dad about probably having her job inteview sometime next week. But anyways, since she's so busy, she told me that I could write the "Walk With Me Wednesday" post this week. So I'm going to tell you all about my adventures at the place Mom and Dad called the Grand Canyon.


I got to go with Mom and Dad when they went camping two weeks ago. I was pretty nervous in the car; after all, somebody did dump me in the desert once, last year. But then we got to the campground and it was really cool. I got to sleep in the camper and there were lots of other dogs there too. I never went on vacation before but now I like it a lot. I would like to go camping again sometime.

We went walking and saw a really big hole in the ground. Boy, would I like to meet the dog that dug this one!

Mom and Dad took me for lots of walks on the rim trail. I wanted to go on the Bright Angel trail, but dogs aren't allowed to do that. Funny, though, they let mules go on the trail. And they poop a lot more than I do!

We went for some walks that were three or four miles long. Mom said it was to make me get tired so that I would't keep pestering her all the time to take me for another walk. She said she wanted to read her book and to do some more of that knitting thing. A total waste of time, if you ask me.

Maria came to join us on the weekend and she went for some of the walks, too. She and Dad went for a walk below the rim that I couldn't go on. Boy, I was glad I didn't go on that walk! They saw a skunk and a rattlesnake! A BIG one!! It was on the trail and it rattled at Dad and Dad heard it and he jumped and then stopped to see where the snake was. The snake was on the trail but then it went away and didn't come back. I think the snake just did not want Dad to step on him so it gave him plenty of warning.

I guess you have to be really careful under the rim.

But I did try to meet some new friends on my walks by the campground. I wanted to make friends with this elk, but then I got scared and went back to the camper. Mom went walking on the rim near the Village (without me!!) just before eight a.m. and saw a mountain lion walking a little ways off the trail in the forest. She went to the ranger station to report it because that is what you are supposed to do. The rangers said that they were going to go look for it and try to chase it away from the Village area if it was still there.

I had so many walks and so many adventures that I could hardly keep my eyes open. Do you think Dad will notice if I go to sleep in his bed?

I hope Mom and Dad take me again next year. So tune in then for another exciting adventure of Buddy of the Grand Canyon!

Sunset

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments to my last post. How long ago was it? The babies and their parents are back east, where we fly out on Wednesday. Meantime, I have laundry to do after the camping week and repacking to do for the next week out on the east coast. Just enough time tonight to share sunset from last night (Sunday)...