Changes

A couple of weeks ago we learned that the supervisor of the DeKalb County Forest Preserve (Where we live and Dennis works for summer), was retiring. His name is Buck. He told Dennis only a few days before he was going to be gone and out of there. Which gave Dennis no chance to find things out from him, and every time Dennis asked, he'd tell him he didn't have time. Butt-hole. He had planned it that way, we figured. There's more. I'll get to that in a bit here.

View from observation deck at highest point in our park. The trail in center of picture
is a footpath up the hill. I often take it when I go out on a long walk.
There are many miles of trails in our over 300 acre park. Catch & release fishing, lots of
bird and wildlife watching opportunities.

I was sick with a bad cold a few weeks ago, and then last weekend my phone line (which is how I get to do this) had a problem, and they had to come out and fix it (usually it's mice chewing on the wires, and I call them and they come out--eventually). I've been back, but busy. Busy, busy, busy.

Spring is usually when I get into my gardens, so I'm outside a lot. It's also a fickle time with rain/storms, etc. Which has been the case, but I've managed to work up a sweat shoveling wood chips from a pile, loading it into a wheel barrel, and hauling it about 50 yards into my new woodland passage. I did five loads on Thursday. I had to quit. My back isn't the best these days.

I began pruning things way back in March, and now things are greening up. Deer roam through our yard, and this woods, as we live smack dab in the middle of the forest preserve where my husband is employed. He's had this part time job for 20 years. He kept hoping he'd get a full-time permanent job. But it would seem that Buck was the negative force behind keeping Dennis from advancing. Probably telling the superintendent that he wasn't capable, or whatever, of doing certain things. He wouldn't show him certain aspects of the job! Like he worried that Dennis would be better at it or something (yeah. He would be, I expect) About the only other thing besides mowing, and pruning (oh, and cleaning outhouses and garbage), was also he could plow in the winter. I won't go into more, because there's just too much to mention here. But here's what happened...

Well, when Buck retired, that put the guy who had the full-time position into his vacated position. Then, we got an email (I did, Dennis doesn't do computers), from the superintendent, Terry, asking if Dennis was interested in this full-time position. Well, HELL YEAH! (I didn't say that, but in a more dignified way I said he was, and for him to have a dialogue with Dennis, and that Buck hadn't told him until a couple of days prior that he was leaving. (the butt-hole)

And the day came.,,

Once Buck vacated the premises, Dennis went out to claim/clean out/ organize the shop (which is on the same property as our house). I remember that day his saying to me he wouldn't go out there on Friday, which was the day after Buck left. I said, "Yes you will. It's like a dog going and marking his territory." Yes. He did go out there and worked on some cleaning and rearranging and so forth. Funny thing. He could not find a 1/2" wrench. Not in there or in his own tool box. Weird.

That next Monday, Dennis went to take in his time card (how he gets paid), and spoke to Terry, the superintendent. I think it was the most important meeting he's ever had with Terry, aside from 21 years ago when he went in to apply for this job at Afton. They agreed on a lot of areas, I think Terry had no idea what Dennis wanted to do out here, and that day, I think he found out Dennis had the same vision as he did.

Anyway, Terry gave him full-time hours (he only had 32 before), and has a chance to get this permanently, and I'm crossing my toes and fingers he does. He says he won't be upset if he doesn't get it, but I think he would be. I know I would be.

It's been two weeks and Dennis has been learning how to do things on his own because he wasn't shown squat. The man who retired, we know, was a very negative force, I do believe his leaving has changed everything. He called the mower place to pick up his mower to get fixed. He got a huge 72" deck mower, and the ride is wonderful, he says. The superintendent ordered another new mower, not quite that large, for the other man who works out here. Nice to get things you need.

We've also given Terry a list of things we have needed fixed on the house for a while. The front door is original one in this house (1906). We can't use it. Stupid, isn't it? We've asked for a new door for YEARS!. We had to always go through Buck for everything. At least we got a nice new kitchen, a few years back.

What I've been up to

Lately, I've been going through all my crafts from 1997/98. I've got a butt load of Christmas pins, ornaments, a number of painted Coke bottles, and Mason jars. Let me tell you, when I introduced the painted Coke bottles, at first they didn't move. Then, they went out the door. I got orders for them, certain things someone wanted painted. One woman wanted one for every month. I charged $6.00 for them.

I do have a degree in art, I've always dabbled in different things when it came to that. I can paint, I can work in clay (little snowmen are cute!) Anyway, I want to try my hand at carving wood, see if I've got the knack for that. You never know what I might try next.

I've nearly got my inventory done. I had to interrupt it all to clean upstairs, as it was rather dusty. We don't use the upstairs for anything but storage, so it wasn't a place we went to often. I'm now working up there. Not sure how long, as I'll need to have the a.c. up there, and then a few things moved around, a window fixed and so on.

I'm going to first have to find a store that will take my crafts. I don't want to make anything new, right now. I want to wait and see if these things are still popular, if people buy them. Oh, and I can earn money in order to restock my supplies. Paint and such.

Both of us are feeling this change in the air. Dennis has a new man working under his supervision. He guesses Dale is about his age, or maybe a bit younger. He's a retired UPS driver--very punctual. He's quite nice, and they seem to get along. Plus, the guy is a good worker. That's what matters. Dennis wants to get off the mower a little more, give Dale more mowing, if he wants, and sounds like the guy is gun-ho.

So, that's my news for time being. I'll try and post something in here weekly. I'm working 3 days a week, but it's 6 hours, and if the weather is good when I get home, I go to work on my gardens.

Hope your week goes well.