Billing final finale'

Just got back from eating with Jennie and Steph from work. Went over to Jennies for a sit down on the back deck with a couple beers. Very nice. Sun was shining, beer was cold and company was good. I'm really getting to like these two girls alot. Poor Steph has suffered from one bad date after another lately.. I am going to have to buen a candle or two for her to find the last good guy out there. I am sure glad to be happily married and not on the dating scene thats for sure. Took Jake over so he could play with Steph's dog Jane. They really love each other and play alot when they get together. Its so good for him to get to just run himself out. Anyway it was a much needed respite from work. We took our billing final today which I got a 90% on so I was pretty happy. I would have like a 100% but hey I passed and I'm sure I will get it all down in the future. It just takes more experience looking at them. I feel really good about my job though and am happy with how I've done. I expect I will feel like an old hand really soon. Waiting to get my desk assignment is becoming annoying cause in the mean time I have to work at an extremely small station in the training room and that is getting old. I want some space of my own with a desk and a place to store my crap!.. found a great pair of jeans today on sale at Nordstroms for 20.00..Really lucky. I wanted to give myself a little reward for working all that overtime last week so that's what I got. Well its almost 10pm so I better turn in.....Night John Boy,,,night Gramma.

Well, its Monday morning and halleluyah I don't have to go to work today. I got up early and took a ritual bath, ate a good breakfast, drank some great coffe and am getting ready to do some office work. I finally figured out how to get my photos to post. I forgot to click the terms of agreement box. Once I figured that out, it was easy peasy.

I've been thinking about the fact that I label my blog Witch in the City and I want to clarify what that means. First of all, I do not worship any dark entities or spirits. I don't really believe in that sort of thing. I also don't spend alot of time casting spells although on occasion I do attempt to manifest things that I want to happen. My spiritual belief is that I should attempt to contribute to the positive flow of energy that exists in the universe by good works,thoughts and deeds. I attempt to minimize my contributions to the negative as much as I can. I spend some time actively meditating and visualizing. Sometimes I try to connect with others in this manner, mostly my husband because he is into it and I get alot of relief from him when I need it. He has a great ability to meld with my energy so to speak. I think he doesn't fully understand what I do but is generally accepting of it. The other big part of my practice is in the kitchen and garden. I consider myself a good cook and I love to make all kinds of food. I have a good knack for combining flavors and textures to good ends without benefit of a recipe. The other thing I like to do is take a basic baking recipe and expand on it to make it healthier, using organic ingredients. Someday, I would love to have a little coffee shop specializing in purely organic treats. My other big passion is growing things. I have a pretty decent size flower garden given the size of my yard. I also have a smallish patch where I have tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, garlic and onions. I have herbs scattered throughout the place and use them in cooking when they are in season. I truly believe in the power of food and its ability to heal the body. So, aside from not following a christian path, I am just like most others, although I feel that on the inside I am truly an artist and cooking and gardening are how it comes out. I also have a deep connection to nature and the earth. Sometimes I get a picture in my mind of a lush green forest and I can just tell that somewhere in time that is where I come from. If I could, I would leave the city and live in a deep forest somewhere inside a tree with my dog and a fire for company. That seems like the most peaceful existance ever. I guess that is just dreaming though, because the powers that be seem to have another plan for me. At any rate, that is my story and I'm sticking to it. Outside of those things, I love music,friends and fun..like anyone else. So, if someone tells you they are a witch, don't let the word decided who they are for you. You may have no idea who they are or what that means to them. Here's a couple more garden shots for you all to enjoy whoever you may be....the handsome guy in the tux is my son who will be 18 in a couple weeks. He is on his way to a disastorous prom date, but doesn't know it yet in this shot. Still he looks great!

Summertime and the livin's easy

It is a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Spokane today. About 70' and sunny with just a little bit of wind. My garden is blooming like crazy all of a sudden. I've been taking pictures of different flowers as they bloom for a collage I have in mind. Not exactly sure how I am going to arrange it yet, but I have the idea to make one that exemplifies who I am at this point in my life. I've got the gardening and pet part going so far. Need to look further for additional stuff. I want to incorporate some knitting some how and some fashiony stuff along with my family too. Maybe I will use yarn to create some type of border and do it bulletin board style. Still working on that idea.
I was so happy to be able to stay home yesterday. I still got up early, but did take a four hour nap in the afternoon that felt really good. Getting up at four am is alot harder now than it used to be. Plus I have to go to bed by 9pm for sure or I am just useless the next day. I'm really enjoying the job so far and have made a few friends there that I like. Two girls in particular have been hanging out with me alot. Stephanie is 24, single, loves dogs and wants to move into a house really bad. Jennie is 31yrs old, single but with a steady boyfriend and a seven year old boy. They are both pretty cool. We've gone out for beers a couple times and Jennie has been over once for coffee. I don't usually make great friends with women, but I get a feeling I am meant to have these two in my life for some reason. Steph is very close in age to my daughter Chelsea and Jennie just loves music and is alot of fun to be around. Its nice having some commraderie and someone to just talk girl talk with for a change. I have been hanging out with Kipp pretty much non stop for the past six months which has been great, but the change of scenery is nice..anyway, here are some pictures of my latest flowers. Hope they post okay..By the way for any of you music lovers out there try this: Hank Williams the third-Straight to Hell. Great old style country with awesome fiddle playing in it. Okay they are not going to post today but still take a listen to the music....www.dancingoutlaw.com is an interesting website off the album as well...later gators

Overtime

I've been working a bunch of overtime this week so I haven't had much time to do any writing. Our company had to close an office back east due to some sort of fumes in the bldg so all calls are being routed to us. Its been crazy busy and I have to get up at 4am to get to work by 6am. I'm feeling pretty tired today but luckily I'm only working until noon and then get a three day weekend. The phones are lighting up already so I guess I better get on it. More later

Still Raining

Well, it's Monday morning and its still raining. Nice and green outside! I'm at work and all the phones in our sister office out in New York are down so we are on the phones most of the day today. I do service work for an insurance company. We are still in training and have been for the past three months. I am just about ready to get out of here and do my real job. Its hard to stay in a room with the same people day after day while still being nice to everyone.
I spent the weekend working in the yard and trying to keep my dog under control. He is very restless as he isn't getting walked enough right now. I did get a ton of work done out in the flower beds though and ended up putting fertilizer on my veggies plus planted carrots and spinach out there too. Kipp is off today from painting but will be working on bids and bills. He's coming down here and we're having lunch together. WEll thats it for now. More later.

Sunday Rainy Sunday

Its raining here today. The neighborhood is all green with everyone's flowers blooming. It looks great. I took a long walk this morning with my dogs and husband. We have a new dog that is a German Shepherd mix. He's about 1yr old and wild as hell. He doesn't get near the amount of excercise he should right now and it is driving all of us crazy. So, this morning I got up determined to do something about it. We went to the nearby park and threw a ball for him until he wouldn't chase it anymore. After that we made him walk about ten blocks to get back home. Didn't really seem to tire him out at all. Mostly what he does is spend all his time bothering my cats. They hate it but tolerate it for some strange reason. I don't really understand it but they have their own system that works for them.
I've been gone from my blog for a long time. Many things have happened since the last time I posted, the biggest one being that I am working again. I finally got hired back at Travelers doing service work. For those of you who don't know, they are an insurance company that I've worked for in the past. A huge corporate monster to be fair. I heard they made more money last year than American Express. Now I don't know if its true or not, but I feel kind of conflicted about working there. On the one hand, the pay is nice and the mental stimulation is good. On the other it is so hard for me to sit in an office all day and not get to be outside. I've gained a much greater appreciation for the free time I have. Makes me realize that spending small amounts of time here and there doing the things you love can have a big effect on your well being and stress level. I'm doing my best to walk every day and decompress in constructive manners when I can. Any way, I am fairly happy. Life is back on track and I am feeling very positive about the direction my life is going in. I have some goals to work towards and I'm happy with the direction work is taking me. I think I will be able to stay there for a few years and get some great experience. Got to sign off for now and take the kid to work. Here's a picture of the new dog..