Wasted Time?

I keep trying to get a job and go on interviews, but it's a struggle and I wonder if it's even worth my time.

Today I went on an interview.  The principal told me that the NYC DOE has a hiring freeze on out-of-system teachers (unless you carry a certification in Special Ed., science, or math).  I was shocked.  Then he asked if no one had previously told me.  Obviously not.  Really, it costs 30 bucks to get into the city per interview.  Would I do that for a job that was not available?????

Well, the good news is that the man who interviewed me today said he received a call last Friday from the big office suggesting that they may be opening the door for new hires.  Hmmmm....perhaps it's not been wasted time.  In fact, the principal told me I did a good interview.

Please, let it not all have been wasted time.

Creepy Things

On Friday afternoon I received a curious letter from an agency in Florida claiming I might be the relative of a child in that state.  I tried to call the sender, but got no answer.  Frankly, I didn't believe that I was related to anyone I don't know.  As the day wore on I got to thinking about my brother Anthony and how maybe he left someone behind before he died.  Rod does not agree nor does my logical side, but it's neither here nor there -- at least for the time being.

Also on Friday afternoon I received a call from a school in Manhattan for a job interview on Monday.  Since the boys are away this weekend, I spent more time than usual researching the school.  As I was, I noticed a sidebar on the computer inviting me to search the criminal background of people I know.  So I did.  I searched my own criminal background.  And what did I learn?

One of my possible relatives is the same person who is the parent of the child the agency in Florida contacted me about.  So, I know where they got the information, but I wonder how they got the information.  Where is the connection????  Because also my father and stepmother were listed with this girl.

Honestly, as I looked at this information, I started to feel creeped out and dirty.  Now I really want to talk to the guy who sent the letter.

Garden Woes

When we decided to move the location of the vegetable garden, I expected much greater results than last year.  And, we did succeed!  However, there are still problems.

First, something was eating the leaves of the broccoli plants.  Early on we put a pesticide on the leaves and it worked somewhat, but I don't like the idea of putting poison on my food.  There must be a better way.  (On the plus side, I do actually have broccoli growing -- like, it looks like the real thing and all!!)

Second, what is the story with our tomatoes?  Instead of growing plants, somehow ours became very long vines.  If we poled them, we'd have needed 10 foot poles.  Weird.

Third, am I really the only person who cannot grow zucchini?  Everyone else is trying to give the stuff away.  I'll be lucky to pluck one fruit.

Finally, the garden itself seems too small.

Well, at least things are growing.  It's been a better year than ever!

Deer, we have a problem

Growing up in a small town on the Hudson River allowed me to see quite a bit of nature.  Still, the deer were only present at dusk and not often.  Some mornings we would see evidence of their presence by a nibbled tulip bud.

These days, the deer are doing very well.  Their numbers seem to multiply by the minute.  Just last week as I was driving my son to a friend's house, we passed seven deer -- three of them strolling down the middle of the road!  While on Long Island this past weekend, more evidence of the exploding deer population was present.  Obviously we saw deer, but there were also an awful lot of deer fencing around properties that I'd not seen several years ago.  But the biggest problem is right at home.  When we got back from our weekend adventure, we came home to a devastated garden -- the clematis, honeysuckle and rose of sharon are all chewed to bits.

It's a all out war here.  We will begin erecting the deer fence today.  We have plans for deer fencing the property.  It's an expense we could do without, but desperate times are calling.

Old Time Music

We're headed to the beach for the weekend.  The house where we stay offers ample lodging, good food and plenty of new music.  It's nice to have family with money!

Anyway, I know to bring a pad and pen when I visit because the music is just about always playing.  My brother-in-law and his wife -- and their kids -- love music.  Because they listen to so much of it, they have a very wide range of music to listen to.  I often come home with the names of new bands to check out on my own.  I enjoy listening to new music.

But, the old stuff is fun too!  Mostly I remember spending hours looking at the album covers.  I would know the lyrics to the songs and the order in which the songs played.  For some bands, the album cover itself was a piece of art worth note apart from the music.  Joni Mitchell designed her own album covers; Yes album covers were interesting; The Rolling Stones had some pretty neat ones too!

We have access to so much more music -- and for free -- than ever before.  Sadly, that access has allowed some of the more interesting parts of music fall by the wayside.  As a visual learner, for instance, I can't remember the name of a song just by hearing the song.  I actually need to see the name of the song printed.  Ah, the old days....

The monthly gift box

Have you heard of the monthly gift boxes?

Depending on your taste and desire, you can get a gift box of "goodies" for yourself -- or whomever.

For example, my daughter is a subscriber to Birchbox.  Each month she receives a box of beauty goodies -- usually sample sizes -- that can be tailored to her wants.  Occasionally she even receives full size goodies.

There are also gift boxes for your dog.  At Barkbox, a subscription often (always?) contains a treat for your pup and a toy.  I got one for my dog for Christmas.  She really liked the contents of the box, too (well, she didn't really enjoy the dog shampoo, but I did).

My husband and I were talking about this yesterday and he mentioned that there is a monthly box for fisherman.  Obviously it's not to my liking, but you get the idea -- have a hobby or interest, there's a gift box out there for you.

The latest?  Yarnbox.  Each month two full size skeins of yarn --  art yarn -- arrive.  While you can designate the needle size you generally use,  the colors are variable.  Oh to get that every month!  As it is I get excited about the arrival of my Knit magazines (I subscribe to two).  But getting a new yarn every month??  Wow!!

I applaud the people who think up these gift boxes.  It's like getting an old-fashioned hand-written letter in the mail.  Something to look forward to!!

Crafts

When I was a freshman in high school, my friend Gretchen gave me a Christmas card she'd made herself.  It was a picture of people skating on a pond.  The bodies of the people were made with her fingerprint and she added arms, legs, scarves, skates.  I was simply awed by her creativity.

I, however, am not "artistic."  Well, not in the traditional sense.  I cannot draw a picture of something.  I also have difficulty putting colors together.  Frankly, I don't actually consider myself fashionable in no small part because I am not artistic.  (It's been my experience, generally, that those who are arty can put a good outfit together out of nothing.)

Anyway, I do enjoy crafts.  I enjoy knitting -- and reading knitting magazines, looking at knitting patterns online, taking knitting classes.  I have also enjoyed making cards, making jewelry, and designing scrapbooks.  This is all thanks to people like Martha Stewart who have brought their ideas to the consumer.

Crafts can be costly.  I was just looking at a knitting place in Manhattan that charges 50 bucks an hour for knitting help.  Yikes!  That would send me in another direction.  However, you can just stop in at my local knitting shop for a quick tip (or not so quick).  Buying beads and string and fixtures for a necklace can also be costly.  If you keep stuff, it's okay.  I started making jewelry about 10 years ago and have amassed quite a collection of findings.  While I don't make much jewelry these days, I still have the stuff and can it I want to.  I also have my scrapbooking materials which I pull out every so often when I get in the mood.  (Scrapbooks are great for keeping my kids' school memories in order.)  Despite the cost, it's soothing to craft.

Years ago I went on a camping adventure with 7th grade students.  I was surprised to find my friend Liz had brought along her crocheting.  There she sat, working on a curtain no less!  I was inspired by her craft too!

PBS did a series called Craft in America.  It was a fascinating look at people who still craft -- blacksmiths, potters, textile designers etc.  The dedication and art involved in craft was interesting and inspiring.  It showed the value of art -- in an age when we can get our hands on mass-produced goods, it's nice to see one-of-a-kind pieces made by people who are driven by creativity.

I am no artist, but I value crafts.  I love pottery and the interesting textures of yarns made in this country.  I like touching the wood of a piece of furniture made by hand.  I am drawn to the colors of a hand sewn quilt.  I suppose it's why I am drawn to craft fairs and such.  Like Gretchen's Christmas card or Liz's curtain, I appreciate hand crafted work.

Knitting Community

Gail, the owner of my local yarn shop, suggested I become a member of Ravelry -- an online knitting and crocheting community.  I became a member quite a while back and I spend a lot of time checking out the patterns people have posted there.  I don't, however, spend much time looking at what others have completed.  To be more clear, when I choose a pattern to knit, I don't check what others had to say about the pattern or what others' finished patterns look like.

All that changed on July 4, 2013.

That's the day I spent some time with a former classmate who told me to become "friends" with her on Ravelry.  I did and saw a lot of her projects posted.

It's fun to see what other people are knitting and what they think of the whole project.  Also, since I have difficulty putting colors together, I like seeing what other people come up with.  So, I decided to post my current works in progress -- there are three of them:  2 sweaters and a baby blanket.  Somehow, posting them online motivates me just a bit more to get the job done and update my progress.  We'll see how it goes.

If you want to check it out, I am kgwilson on Ravelry.

Modern Television

Back in the day, if I got caught up in the drama of a television series, at the end of each episode I had to wait to discover what happened next.  God forbid I missed an episode!

These days things are so much different.  Since we can "record" an episode of any given show, our schedule is not wedded to a specific time.  Sure, this causes problems -- finding out what happened on the season finale of Downton Abby before I saw the final episode.  Still, we can watch what we want when we want.  This is a good thing during football season.

And, since we can devour entire series in one sitting if we wish (my son practically watched all the Lost episodes in one weekend, we are left open to watch even more shows.  As a result of having time to watch and devote to a new series, Rod and I watched The Killing.  Two seasons, twenty-six episodes.  Television gold.  I was so involved in this series, I would think about it during the day.  In fact, I am still thinking about it even though we finished season two last night.

Why is the show so good?  Perhaps the authenticity of the characters -- specifically the two detectives in charge of finding out who killed Rosie Larson.  Perhaps is the complexity of the plot.  During the twenty-six episodes there were probably 10 suspects.  The clues pointed in all sorts of directions.  And the two detectives followed the leads with determination.  They were a good team too!  

So, now the let down of a good show finished.  Only to be replaced by the elation of learning that there is a season three!

In the meantime, I will enjoy the perks of modern television as I prepare for football season.

The Farmers Market

I love the farmers market.  Any farmers market is good fun, but there is something sweet about the hometown farmers market.

This morning I went to buy some fruit and jams.  The woman who makes the jam is from nearby Cornwall-on-Hudson and she puts some cool flavors together.  Today I tasted a horseradish jelly that was quite tasty.  I did not, however, buy it because I couldn't figure what to pair that jelly with.   Anyway, every week those are my two stops.  There are others offering their wares, however.

Today I stopped at the lavender stall.  There the woman sells lavender sachets, pillows, culinary lavender, candles, photo cards.  She even sells plants.  I bought a candle.  Though pricey, I do like to support those who come out, enjoy people and are just generally positive people.  They are all a reminder of why I like the farmers market in the first place.

If you have a market near you, stop by and shop.  Supporting local growers is a good path to a healthy economy.  It's also a nice way to learn something new about what to cook or how best to grow your plants.