Still No Word from the New President

The writer group I helped form held their first elections. Though being secretary to this volunteer group was an easy task (post an e-mail reminding folks of an upcoming meeting, take notes when necessary, that kind of thing), given I have zero idea what my future holds in the next three weeks much less in the next year, I opted to let someone else have a chance at this fabulous opportunity  

Betzy ran unopposed, as did all the folks running for office. Two existing officers stayed on, but the rest of us tapped out. The October meeting was poorly attended. I have theories behind this. 1) we didn't have a speaker. 2) it was fall break and folks were on vacation with their families. 3) the topic of the night was "bring something you are working on and have others critique it." Not everyone is working on something right now. And not everyone wants a critique of their current work-in-progress mystery by a want-to-be author writing about a dragon king in search of a mythical rose. But those are only my working theories and nobody asked me.

Anyway, as of the October meeting, Betzy is the new secretary. Congratulations to her. My intention was to get with Betzy and give her the folder with the minutes of the meetings we've had. Additionally, I'd pass over the password to the group's Google e-mail account and send her a spreadsheet with the membership info. Given she didn't have much to do, this wasn't an urgent task.

But before I could, Betzy became overly enthusiastic about her new power-play. She grabbed her chance on our Facebook account, announcing she's the new SECRETARY and then wrote several paragraphs chastising folks for not coming to the October meeting. 

Additionally, Betzy sent me a text yesterday, insisting I hand over everything. As she proclaims to be a writer, I think she could have used a different set nouns and verbs. Given she's a Southerner, I suspect she knew how to toss in the word "please" to soften her demand. In her text she explained she "needed" admin privileges to the Facebook group--the same Facebook group someone already gave her admin privileges to so she could write a scathing message to members for not coming to the last meeting. 

Not wanting to be affiliated with any part of this woman, I sent her what I intended on sending her, wished her well and told her the best way to reach me is an old fashioned phone call. 

This morning when I logged on to Facebook, I found Betzy also sent me several messages demanding the information I'd already given her. The time stamp said she'd sent her notes yesterday slightly before her text. 

Dang, this girl is either enthusiastic or has too much time on her hands. 

Also this morning, she sent a note to the rest of the members saying from this day forward the group will be using some new social media app. She demanded we download this app immediately otherwise, one will miss "important updates and meeting notices." 

Oh dear! I suspect Miss Betzy is about to learn a few things about volunteering in a volunteer organization.     

Random Texarkana Sunshine Edition

 

Buckaroo's job fair in Lafayette netted him a few opportunities. I don't think he's all that interested. Instead, he's exploring a different life-path that I'm not at liberty to write about. 

Today Buck left around 7:30 this morning for the courthouse in New Boston. He had been called for jury duty. I took one look at him and knew, dressed in his collared shirt, slacks and nicer shoes, he had a good chance of serving.  As of the time I'm writing this, we haven't heard from him. I'm guessing there were a few attorneys who thought he looked credible. 

Oh wait! As if the Universe knew I was writing this post, Buck just called. He didn't sit on a jury, but was excited to find out he got paid anyway. 

In addition to all of that, Buck is helping with the current election. He is on the set-up/tear-down team, which means he and his team come in the day before the election, bring the election equipment to the judges at the voting sites. On election night, one judge (me) will be waiting at the voting site for Buck and his team to arrive with the U-haul and retrieve the equipment.* 

_____

Polly had a "working interview" today for a new job. Allegedly, this is a second interview. 

Last week, the employment agency she's been working with, called her and asked her to interview for receptionist/social media position. The employment agency, whose policy is to not divulge their clients until the interviewee (Polly) comes to meet, did not tell Polly who she'd be meeting with. What Polly found out when she arrived was that the employment agency was hiring and wanted Polly! 

This morning she buzzed around the kitchen, nervous and thinking of all scenarios that could happen. She rehearsed answering the phones with different inflections in her voice, different scripts ("Good morning, this is Polly Sunshine, how can I help you?" "This is JobsRUS, Polly Sunshine speaking..."). It was adorable, but at the same time, I know how maddening this can be. I remember my early jobs and wanting to make a good impression. 

I haven't heard from her yet, so I'm taking this as a good sign today is her first official day. 

_____

The Overlords have a new hobby. Every morning around 4 a.m., they scurry to the laundry room door, asking me to let them play in the garage. Though they'd rather go outside--and let me tell you! They are great escape artists--the garage is a reasonable substitute. Usually they hang out in there for an hour or so, until I close the door and turn off the light. Five minutes later I can open the garage door and the two will come sashaying in, as if they weren't afraid of the dark. If they don't come, I send Luna in to round them up. 

This new hobby beats their old hobby of running across Marty's and my sleeping faces while they play tag in our bedroom. 

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Marty is still looking for a job. He apologized to me today for not finding anything "right away." I never expected him to find anything immediately. It's the fourth quarter of the year! He had two interviews with one company for a job I wasn't thrilled about anyway. And frankly, he wasn't as thrilled about them once he interviewed a second time. I told him to enjoy his time off, take up a hobby and spend time with his family. 

_____

Today is the first day of early voting. I don't work until late next week, which is perfectly fine. I'm in no hurry to sit around 13 hours every day waiting for voters who haven't heard about this particular election. However, Deb the Queen of All Things Texarkana is working this week, so I'll probably go over and cast my vote. 

For early voting, I'm a clerk, which is awesome! Slightly less money and no responsibility. My biggest pet-peeve is that I'm tasked with waiting with a judge for the tear-down team to arrive on Halloween and take away the ballot machine. For the actual election, I'm an "alternate judge" which means I have all the responsibility as the presiding judge and still have to wait for the tear-down team to arrive while the presiding judge high-tails it to the courthouse. 

In addition to working next week, I'm doing the usual: writing, sewing, yoga/Pilates, walking with Leah once a week, Mini-Corona night this Friday and hanging out with Marty and the animals.

*At no time will the voting machines be out of custody of anyone in the voting process. And, by the time the set-up/tear-down team arrives at the voting locations the cast ballots most likely already be at the courthouse.   

Jimmy's Master Garden Talk

 

We had guest speaker, Jimmy the Southern Backwoods, Ultra Country Boy, Master Gardener at our last meeting discussing how to prepare one's garden for winter. Jimmy's accent was so thick that my pal, Joy, and I scratched our heads through half his presentation trying to decipher his talk. Incidentally, "Muskies" are muscadine grapes. "Harvey" is "Hairy Vetch"--a cover crop, which is great for putting nitrogen into the soil. And the list of butchered plant names grew endless. 

Protip for Jimmy and anyone else wanting to put on a presentation: not a good idea to start your talk with, "Y'all can just Google this stuff, that's what I did." Especially when you--or Jimmy--then digress for ninety minutes. 

I'm not making fun of Jimmy, as much as I'm amused by how Southern and country Jimmy truly is. I haven't run into a Jimmy-type since the season of my life when I hung out with people in West Georgia. But that's for another blog... 

Anyway, Jimmy is an amazing gardener who has abundant crops. At this point in his horticultural life, everything is done by instinct. Even though he suggests we Google what he's discussing (even his 789,361 tangents) he does know what he's talking about--even if the Yankees in the room forgot their Southern to English Dictionary.  

However, I take exception to one teensy comment Jimmy was willing to live and die on. He said it will be a colder than average winter. We can expect several feet of snow. Ice storms. Minus zero weather conditions. First, I sure hope he's wrong because I haven't managed to upgrade my wardrobe to that kind of weather just yet. In the almost four years I've been here, I've only upgraded my clothing to a week of 20 degree Fahrenheit weather.  Second, all indications I see from Google, Polly my weather nerd, and other sources I hold near and dear, is that it will be a warmer than average winter. Given it is still in the high 80s in the afternoons right now, I'm not thinking we are having ice storms by Thanksgiving. Plus, with Marty out of work, I'm not buying a generator this year in the event we are without power for a week (that happens around here). But what the heck! Maybe this is the universe's way of directing me back to Arizona after all. 

A couple of take-aways from Jimmy's talk that I found useful--in case you are preparing your winter garden. Wash out your pots in a dish soap and bleach solution to take out any diseases. Done today. Clean and sanitize your gardening tools. Sand the handles and add a layer of linseed oil to the handles. Remove rust from the blades and sharpen what needs to be sharpened. Monday's project. Any garden beds you aren't planting cover crops (like Hairy Vetch), add at least four inches of mulch. That will be Monday's project. 

A Morning with the Overlords

Not my bathroom.
My bathroom now has wet sewing stuff
scattered about because I'm working on a project in addition to cleaning up a flood. 

One of the Overlords learned how to turn on the bathtub faucet. 

Fortunately, Polly and I were home. 

This time. 

I've been drying towels for two hours. 

Unemployment Update

Marty and I have a rule in our marriage: only one of us is allowed a crisis at a time. It is definitely his turn. However, I loathe to call him "in crisis." I think Marty's more or less "in flux" and has no earthly idea of what to do.  

As of today, Marty has been out of work for one month. Now, to be fair--and I promise even if he recognized this in himself, he wouldn't admit it--the first three weeks of his unemployment he clung to me as if I were a cherished toy he'd discovered in the back of his closet. When I went anywhere, I'd get, "Where are you going? I'll come with you." "When will you be home?" When I was home I'd get, "What are you doing?" "Let me know when you want to go for a walk." "What are you working on?" "Do you want to watch a video with me?" 

I never thought I'd say this, but it was a relief for him to play a video game for an hour. When he wasn't in my business, he was "helping me." He rearranged my kitchen, my linen closet and my dresser drawers. Because I haven't been sleeping, in the middle of the night, I put everything back the way I want it. Only in the past week have I gotten out of the house without causing emotional upheaval--though I ended up having to go on a three mile walk at 1:30 in the afternoon through oppressive humidity when I returned from my errand. 

On the bright side, he's slowly returning back to the man I married. That job had been so toxic he hadn't noticed what the rest of us were screaming from the rooftops. But now he sees how he changed so much in less than four years. Marty smiles again! We laugh as a couple. As a family. Buck said we have "the return of Fun Dad." 

Yesterday, Marty had a second (facetime) interview. From the other room, I could tell it went meh. It wasn't that he did anything wrong, but more like someone on the company's end was trying to figure out how best to use Marty's skill set. When he got off the phone, he said as much. The company has a big customer itching to make changes. and it sounds like Marty might not be the person to scratch that customer's back. 

Also, based on Marty's answers, the hiring manager sounded like an autocratic control-freak. Marty just left a job where this was the case. So, I'm okay if this job opportunity goes nowhere. Or, if this opportunity swerves a different direction perhaps he'll be made an offer which doesn't include working for this autocratic control-freak. Either way, I'm at peace. For now at least. Ask me again if Marty is still in flux come next April. 

Today, he and Buckaroo left for Lafayette, LA (about 5-ish hours from here) to check out an oil worker job fair tomorrow morning. Mostly the job fair is for Buck, but they both brought resumes because one doesn't know what one doesn't know. 

I'm just happy Marty wanted to get out of the house. Polly just came in and said, "Do you hear that? The sound of quiet?" Squee! Yes. Yes I did. 

Little Rock

In honor of the 23rd National Buckaroo Day, yesterday the Sunshine family (and Polly's pal, Sherman) sojourned to Little Rock for the day for an afternoon of Topgolf and dinner at Cheeba Hut. Of all the restaurants the young adults miss in Mesa, Cheeba Hut is probably in the top three. There was a side trip to Bass Pro Shop, a board game shop and Trader Joe's as well--all sanctioned by Buck. I believe he had a good day. I know these moments are soon coming to a close. I'm not ready for it. 

November's Just Around the Corner

There's an election next month here in Bowie County. I've been dutifully doing my online training training so that I can perform my civic duty. While studying for my certification, I ran into this little bit of Texas voter law. 

"Presiding judges at polling places have the same power as district judges to maintain order and peace, including the authority to issue arrest warrants." 

Guess who volunteered to be a clerk at this upcoming election and was volun-told she was going to be a judge? The powers that be really should rethink giving me this much responsibility. 

Bags

The Coronas are celebrating four birthdays this month. This year, every Corona has gotten a custom zippered bag. Oh yes, my pal Valerie, who taught me to sew a few months after I moved here, is also getting a bag (but she's getting the same fabric as Tessa, but hers has a purple zipper). Her birthday is Sunday. Plus, she taught me how to make these. 

When Krissy texted me Sunday, I told her I was busy working on her "super-secret" birthday present. Her response was, "Yay!!!!!" She knew she was getting a bag, but doesn't know Snoopy is on the outside of it. By the way, Snoopy fabric is not easy to find. 

(Front: Krissy's, Tessa's, Cindy's Back: Valerie's, Joan's)

 

Booyah!

Leon Was Here

Got home from yoga to find the remnants of the tissue box on the floor. Only one Overlord attacks tissue boxes in our house. 

When I started cleaning it up, that beast started attacking me for disposing of his kill. 

All tuckered out from today's shenanigans. 

A Snippet Into the Sunshine Household

Note: I'm not whining, just being present to how life is here on Arizona Avenue. For the most part, we are all in good spirits. In a small-ish Southern town I'm not following the, "life crisis rules" and I think that confuses some people.  

I've been radio silent for the past two weeks. Other than slipping outside for an occasional walk, I've gotten out twice by myself. Once to meet Val for about 30 minutes and once for a dinner party. Edits for the latest book have taken a good portion of my life. Plus, Marty is home. This is a tough season for him and I'm keeping him company--which means watching all sorts of boring intellectually stimulating youtube videos. Our savings has enough to get us by for a few months. However, we aren't spending extraneous money because, well, there's little trickling in. 

As an introvert, staying home hasn't been an issue. As someone who has managed to build a social network, this is a new experience. I remind myself at some point our lives will change and I'll be more social. However, local folks have noticed the radio silence. Yesterday, I got three texts from friends, asking for a proof of life. 

Deb did her, "I missed you at church," which isn't judgy--but her, "are you okay?" 

I was at church. Marty came with me, so we weren't sitting in the middle where everyone might see a new person (Marty) and decide they needed to swarm. Instead, we sat in the back corner, next to this guy who warbled out the hymns, off key, two stanzas ahead of everyone else, like we were singing a campfire round to Blessed Assurance. Given how proud this dude was of his voice, he wanted to make sure everyone around him heard his praise. Honestly, I'm pretty sure Marty was traumatized enough, he'll never be back. (I offered to go to the Catholic church where he could hear his daughter sing, and he said no). 

Deb seems to understand my life is a bit--er, tenuous--and didn't even chastise me about not saying hello before or after service. 

I also heard from Corona Krissy. She said she wished I'd gone to the corn maze last week with the girls. I wished I could have gone too. But, unemployment kind of takes the driver's seat in our lives right now. The corn maze is $30. It's in Shreveport. The gang had dinner prior. I know if I'd gone and passed on food, everyone would have insisted on chipping in for my meal. Nobody would have expected me to pay my cut for gas. I feel like I'd just be a charity case if I went. And honestly, if Marty were working and one of them were in this situation, I wouldn't have thought twice about contributing for their fun. However, I'm not ready to be that girl. 

About 9 last night, I heard from Corona Joan. She just texted to say hi. She also told me that she's crossing her fingers and praying that Marty finds a local job. She wrote, "Though I know I'm supposed to pray for what's best for you, the heck with it. I'm praying for what I want." And that's the text that broke me. 

And So It Begins

 

Roosevelt decided I didn't need to edit.
I needed to hold him for hours on end. At least this way
he wasn't zooming out the door, which he now does regularly. 
 

We got a new roof today. For the record, doggie downers do NOTHING to calm Luna. 

NOTHING!!! 

Because the house was already crowded, Luna was barking every three milliseconds while trying to jump through the window at the roofing crew, and not all of us are tied to a computer optimistically working on edits, I suggested Marty and Buckaroo take a casual jaunt to Little Rock. You know, just to go do something. And what do you know! I managed to remove extra beings to give me a bit of space to work. (Polly is house sitting. Again.)

While Marty was gone, he got his first "Hello Mr. Sunshine, when are you available for a phone call to discuss your qualifications?" communication. Not bad after looking for two and a half weeks.

This particular position is not in Texarkana. I'm not doing a deep dive into the company or area at this time. There are lots of reasons for this. First, my head hurts from the hammering above my head for the past 11 hours, mingled with Luna barks. Second, I don't want to become invested until there's a reason. Third, I'm still hoping one of the two jobs in Texarkana comes calling.