Time Flies

"It's frustrating when you hear you're overqualified. What do you say? 'But sir, I need this job!' "

Carmen Polson, 49, unemployed since May 2002

Arizona Republic

It takes an hour to fill out an online application depending on the company and site. You do all of this, send off your resume and hear the sound of a flushing toilet. I have tried every trick in the book. I send out on average of one app and resume a day. Despite my experience and work ethic --  nothing. It could be my skill set scares people off. Yeah, that Graphic Design degree means my emails and letters might look nicer. It means when I design a flier it is going to rock, not just sit on the wall. Everything that other candidate can do I can do just as well or better. I show up on time, I work hard and I have the quintessential reliable transportation. 

Did you know that when you google yourself, it includes  photos? Those nice social networking sites that encourage you to have a professional portrait. They can take one look at that portrait and tell if they want you to come and work for them. "Oh, darn. She is so qualified, but look, she is over 50." It is now possible to track someone back to their childhood, and see every where they have lived, worked, gone to school. Everything is right there. This is why I am pursuing self employment. I have too many skills, and I am not going to waste them. 

So just to get it out there: I am 60, I am damned talented, I am reliable to a fault. What exactly is it that you want again?

Smirking back atcha!!

Spring is leaping

Piles of wood chips

The First Iris

Nothing on earth makes one believe in renewal and rebirth in whatever area of your life like the first flower of spring. I have been watching flowers bloom for almost two months. I find there are two, however, that signal "Spring is Here" for me: Iris and Calla Lilies. This is a photo of the first iris to bloom. The yard is now full of them. It appears to have been a good year for iris.

I was laid off in February, so while I am looking for another job I am working in my yard and doing other things that I have not had time for. I am feeling a sense of renewal and rebirth. I am rediscovering parts of my self that have been waiting for the right amount of time,  and opportunity. I am exploring a few new things: diving into reuse art with more enthusiasm,  and revisiting web design, hopefully for the last time.

This year I am rotating the vegetable garden and putting beans where the tomatoes were and planting new herbs. The spring onions are going in late because we had the tree guys in again, and we needed to move wood for them to chip, in addition to the dead trees they turned into chips. So no only do I have more space :->, I will have wood chips for my walkways. Those are two piles of wood chips from three dead Cottonwood trees on the river bank, plus the wood from the tree we pruned two years ago. I also have sun where it has not bee before. Not a bad thing!

The extra time I have on my hands has given me opportunity to investigate things I normally would not have time to do. There is luxury in not having to be anywhere specific. I finally visited Morning Sun Herb Farm in Vacaville, which I recommend highly. They have an assortment of herbs, vegetables, perennials, and stuff that will appeal to all gardeners. AND they have three very cute donkeys, and a cool Tuxedo Cat that sleeps on the counter at the register in a box. I went for two things - white sage and tarragon. Found both, and a few other things -- Life is good.

Have a great week. April Fools Day is in a week. Beware your jokester friends!

OK, so new beginnings ...

I have been unemployed for two weeks, this is the beginning of the third. I have moments of concern, but not the panicked, OMG, the sky is falling feeling I have had in the past when I found myself out of a job.  I have come to the conclusion that I have too many skills and talents to not be able to make things work somehow. I am going back to posting on Mondays. and will be doing so on a regular basis from now on. So I will keep this short.