Yet, instead, her response was “You could go before or after work. I’m at the gym at 5:30 every morning!”

Here we go, another exercise conspirator! In my prior posts I’ve blogged about this phenomenon which seems to follow me. Wherever I go there seem to be people who are anxious to get me on and keep me on that regular exercise routine!

Just when I thought it was safe to slack off a little, I’m faced with someone who supports the active lifestyle!

So tonight after work I ate dinner, then went on to the treadmill here at the house. It’s been so hot and humid here that I was sweating bullets in only a few minutes time. But I finished the workout and do feel better for completing it.

And so is the life of Windy….guess I’d better get used to it!

Today was my first day back to the early morning schedule, and it was a challenge. I set an alarm clock, plus my cell phone alarm so that I would not over sleep. The first alarm went off, and I looked at the time on the clock and realized that it was about 40 minutes fast! I must have pushed the time button when I dropped the clock the other day and didn’t realize it. So I decided to fall back asleep because it was too early. When the cell phone alarm went off, I was still sleepy but finally dragged myself out of bed only to face the realization that since the cell phone was a back up, I’d set it for a later time. And now I was running behind schedule!

Into the shower I went, dressed, etc. and had just enough time for a cup of coffee and a granola bar. I could barely see out of my puffy eyes, and just chalked up the puffiness to my not being awake. I put my contact lenses in, and off to work I went.

The current HR Manager is leaving in two days, so I have to somehow learn all of the policies and procedures of the company from her in that short amount of time. Yeah, it ain’t gonna happen like that.  But I know over time, I will succeed at this job. I feel this is a new beginning, and I’m so ready for that!

By lunch time, however, I could barely see out of my right eye. Apparently the puffiness earlier was not just from lack of sleep. I am fortunate that this job is close to where I’m living, so for my lunch break I drove home and took out my contact lenses. I had to go back to work with my glasses and hope that I could see better. That really didn’t work out too good either.

Yesterday I had gone to the store and purchased a nice notebook and a couple of good ink pens, so I was all set to take notes. I jotted down as much as I could. However, for some reason my penmanship (which is poor to begin with) always gets worse when I wear my glasses. I do not understand why this happens to me, but it does. So I now have 4 pages of notes that I cannot read, with or without the glasses!

Tomorrow we are having a pot luck luncheon at work. I had decided to make a jello salad because it’s easy and my sister gave me a quick recipe with mandarin oranges to put in for more flavor. As I was leaving work I was thinking of the jello project. I walked out of the building with the Manager and as we said “good night” to each other, I added “Well, I guess I’ll go home now and make the jello for tomorrow.”

She looked at me for a second, then said “WHY?????”

I explained about the pot luck, which she had apparently forgotten about. “OH! ” she replied. “I was wondering why you were going to make jello to bring in!”

It was such a funny moment. Nothing like making an impression with your company by leading them to think you are crazy on your first day. Yep, that’s how I roll I guess. At least we ended the challenging day on a good note.

And yes, I came home and made the jello.

However, there’s a story with that also. You see, my sister had told me to drain the mandarin oranges and to add the juice from those oranges in replacement of one of the cups of cold water. But I forgot that and added the juice as part of the boiling water instead! I will find out in an hour or so if the mistake mattered. After my day today, I’m just glad that I had enough sense to make it at all!

So it’s on to a new adventure for me, yet again. And this time, I’m bringing the jello!

This advice was given from a woman who married a man (my father) nine years her senior. But it was a different time back in the late 1940’s, and early 1950’s. My Dad was 27 when he and Mom were married in March of 1950. That was considered “old” for that time. Most men his age had already married, built their first home, and had a few kids by the age of 27. But my Dad enjoyed the single life, I guess.

So there was no “training” him, as my mother would put it. Quite set in his ways, my father was not to be “trained” by anyone. Thus, perhaps, the reason why my Mom was so insistent on telling the girls to marry a younger man!

I thought about my mother’s advice the other evening as I was at work. I walked by a young man and stopped to look at him because he was fiddling with his belt buckle while several others stood around discussing the design on it. I gave him a quizical look and he said “Come on, Cindy, you know you want some of this,” and we all laughed.

My mother’s comment came back to me and I thought “Heck, no.” The youth of today are just that to me now: young. They have way too much energy and have been brought up in a world where material concepts overshadow the substance of ideals. In a nut shell: I would have nothing in common with them.

So I can’t see that I will be using my mother’s advice, but I will continue to pass it on in her honor. You never know, really, my life is fairly un-predictable. It could happen.

Nahhhhh….

The same questions are asked in almost every interview: what are your strengths? what are your weaknesses? and the inevitable “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Sometimes I feel like saying “honey, I don’t even know where I’ll be next MONTH, never mind in 5 years!” But of course I answer that I’ll still be working for that company, blah, blah, blah.

So the along with those typical questions, I was asked several others and we discussed the current situation at the company. The woman who is currently in the job is leaving because she’s relocating. As we started to talk about her, the interviewer became quiet. I looked at her and saw tears in her eyes!

Here I was trying to do my best to sell myself and now I had to be a comforting presence to my future boss! She was going on and on about how she will miss the current manager, etc. So what was I supposed to do? I could have rushed through the moment, explaining how I will be an even better manager, really digging in with comments that would show how choosing me for the job will make her forget all about the one who is leaving.

But I took the sympathetic approach, allowing her to take time out of “my” interview to discuss the other worker. I’m not so sure that was the best thing to do, but I am hoping that I chose the correct way to handle the situation.

My niece suggested to me that maybe it was a “test,” to see how I would handle emotional people. But I’m not so sure if it was intended that way. I think it was an unplanned moment of weakness for the boss. The whole matter makes me wonder if I even want to work for such a person. Crying while interviewing a candidate is a bit unprofessional, don’t you think?

Well, I should find out in a few days if the tear-filled interview was a success or not. Either way, the situation gave my something to think about and provided material for my blog today!

A position became available for an HR manager with the company I am currently employed by, so I figured, hey, I’ve got all those years of HR experience. It would be good to stay with the same company. When I applied for the position the current HR manager was happy. I know this because she said to me “Oh, I was hoping you’d apply and I’ve already talked to Corporate about you!” So I figured I had a pretty good shot at this job, even though they are accepting applications from outside the company.

But last night I went to work and my direct supervisor said some things to me that had me wondering. This is the same guy from the Go-Go Dancer blog from a little while ago. He’s the one who always praises my work.

Now, I know that he hasn’t been feeling well, and sometimes the things he says are odd (like the Go-Go Dancer comment) but the first thing he said to me was “Did you hear anything about the HR job?” I told him I had just applied. He said that he knew and then he brushed his hands over his face and said to me “I know, and I was (pause) shocked to hear that.”

I’m thinking “really?” how shocked could you be? But I didn’t say that to him.

He continued to say “is there anything you want me to say on your behalf when they ask me about you?”

I was taken aback by the question and then he said “well, think about it.”

I then told him of my prior experience in HR and he said “but do you have any Massachusetts experience?” And of course, I said “no.”

“Well, if I were you I’d go and get Massachusetts HR for Dummies and read through it. They will grill you in the interview.”

And then I’m thinking “well, OK.” But I left work last night really down. I got the vibe from him that he didn’t think I had a chance in hell of getting the job. Maybe it was his mood (or even mine) but now I was the one who was shocked by his reaction. Maybe he was put off because I had applied without telling him first, I don’t know.

So then I started to let his words get to me. Maybe I am not qualified. Maybe it’s a joke for me to even apply. Maybe the job isn’t right for me anyway. I was really in a “funk” when I got home from work last night and even woke up feeling “down.”

Then I had to knock myself in the head a little bit, until I realized that I cannot let this one man’s comments affect my life. So what? Yeah, maybe I won’t get the job. And that’s ok. But maybe I will.

I had to remind myself that I do not live by man’s words towards me. As a Christian, I live by God’s words toward me. And they are many.

I live by the word that says “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

I live by the word that says “for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

And not just a few thoughts does God have toward me, but He has many. So many that “if I should count them they would be more in number than the sand.” (Psalm 139:18)

So I had to remind myself of those precepts this morning. I had to ask myself  “are you really going to let one man’s words affect you so much that it will spoil your day, even your week?”

I had to tell myself, “no.” I will not let this one man’s comments get me down. Perhaps he is right and I need to study up on HR law in Massachusetts. So be it. Maybe he is correct and I am truly not qualified for it. Big deal. I will stay until something better comes along.

But what I will not do is to allow the negative vibe to overtake me. Because if I should do that, then I am giving myself up to chaos. By focusing on God and His promises toward me, I am giving myself up to peace. That peace of God which passes all understanding. Some would call it faith.

And yet, like a worm, the man’s words keep crawling into my brain. I have to keep pushing them out. I have to keep replacing those “you can’t do it” type words with “Yes, you can” words. This is a battle of the will, and a test of my faith in a way. And it’s all ok.

Because at the end of the day (like now, as I’m writing this blog late at night) I am still a Christian. I’m still just a woman on a journey. Whether I work at my current job or not, I am still a child of God. My salavation was bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. I’m still here on this earth for a reason.

And nobody can take that away from me.

Absolutely nobody.

I usually get home from work a little after 10 p.m. and am outside late. A few weeks ago I saw a fox come from the neighbor’s yard, cross my sister’s, and head off to other’s properties. He stopped a moment to look at me as I looked at him, then he ran off.

I’ve seen a raccoon and some other kind of animal (it had pointy ears like a fox, but was grey in color and did not have the bushy tail like a fox). Both of these animals did the same as the fox, they stopped to look at me, then continued on. I guess I don’t pose a threat to them. Although I was kind of nervous about that unidentified animal!

There have been skunks as well. I haven’t seen them, but certainly have smelled them!

The other day as I was sitting on the deck I noticed a morning dove sitting in the grass. I almost didn’t see it because it was sitting in the grass trying to remain still. The next day that same dove was sitting in the dirt driveway, so well camouflaged that I almost stepped on it!

Yesterday the dove was there again. I was sitting on the deck and the dove was perched on a pile of wood near the garage. It became a little strange as this dove seems to have taken a liking to me and was hanging out with me for three days! Now I know where “morning” doves go in the afternoon!

Now a little bunny has become my pal. I don’t know if he’s living under the deck, but that’s where he runs when he gets scared. Each day he comes out to eat on the lawn. Each day he has come a little closer to me. I’ve been trying for days to take his picture, but he hops away just as I get close enough to do so!

But today the little bunny came very close and I was able to take his picture:

I’m not sure what’s going on with all of these animals, but I will say that at least I am entertained by them. Except for the skunk and that unidentified animal, I have enjoyed seeing them. I wonder what they’re thinking of me!

I am wondering what prompted the sign. Exactly what kind of animals do you think were brought in to the store before the sign had to be posted? A ferret? A snake perhaps? Usually it’s “no pets allowed.” But this proprietor was very specifc about animals. I’m just sayin’…..

I gassed up the car and arrived at my sister Pam’s promptly at ten. She was ready! But by the time we packed the car up and got on the road, it was 10:23 a.m. I was not stressed yet, partly due to the fact that I was barely awake. We stopped at the mid-point, in Brewster, NY and spent some time browsing for wine at a store there. We’d planned on going back to the hotel after the party, so we bought munchies and wine for those who would join us.

We then went to Subway which was crowded with a bunch of loud teenagers, and I ordered a chicken salad sandwich because it looked good with the grapes and nuts in it and so on. Well, ten minutes later that turned out to be a bad choice as I was driving and the darn chicken salad fell out of the sandwich on to my lap! Pam kept saying “you’ve got lettuce on your shorts!” The stress began. There I was driving with chicken salad on my lap, lettuce on my shorts, and God knows what under my fingernails from picking all that stuff off of me. Pam, however, thoroughly enjoyed her roast beef sandwich.

We arrived at the hotel with less than an hour of time to get ready for the party. First of all, the parking at the Marriott in Melville stinks. I dropped Pam and the luggage off with the bellman while I went to park the car a half mile away, then walked back to the hotel in the 95 degree heat!

We were on the 4th floor and I walked all around the mulberry bush to finally locate the room, which was another half mile away from the elevators! Quickly I ironed my clothes (even George’s wrinkle-free theory hadn’t worked on my outfit) and then decided to change the top and had to iron again. Finally we were ready to go when my sister starting losing it because she couldn’t find the bag with her shoes. Luckily we found them in the car, and they were not left back home as originally thought. Phew!

We arrived at the party just on time, which was a miracle. Visiting with the relatives was fun, and my “niece” and “nephew” (Robbie and Jacqueline) and my cousin Lorraine surprised all by showing up to say “hi” on their way to a wedding reception.

By the end of the party I was feeling quite tired. Pam and I went back to the hotel, but no one else joined us, so we went swimming in the pool. By that time the pool was loaded with kids (mostly teenagers) and HAIR. Everytime I swiped my hands to swim, I’d come up with hair on my hands! I was quite disgusted.

After showering off the chlorine, I finally sat down to have some cheese and crackers. But neither Pam nor I touched the wine. I was exhausted and fell asleep, only to be woken up an hour later. I looked over at Pam, who had fallen asleep with her glasses on and the t.v. showing some infomercial. I had a flashback to the days when I used to take my Dad on trips and I’d go to sleep but he’d still be up watching t.v. But this time instead of saying “Dad, get to bed,” I had to say “Pam, go to bed!”

Then an awful thing happened. I started to cough. It was more like a hacking thing than a cough. Nothing stopped it. I tried drinking water, drinking soda, sitting up and nothing stopped the cough! I was hacking away for over an hour while my sister pleasantly dozed in the other bed. I finally fell asleep again around 2 a.m.

The wake up call came at 7:30, which is earlier than I wake up for work each day! Up and at ‘em and into the shower I went. Pam got ready, we had our fake coffee from the machine in the room. Packed everything up and then made the one half mile trip around the hotel to the elevators. I left Pam with the luggage as I walked another half mile in the blazing heat to get the car from the parking lot.

Finally we headed out and went to the Diner to meet up with my friend Maurya and my cousin Carol (who retired). We had a great breakfast. After a brief stop at my cousin’s, a stop at Kohl’s, and then we were on the road again to Massachusetts.

The weather had been brutally hot and humid. Traffic on the Cross Island Parkway was bumper to bumper. As we were passing a park, I noticed the sky getting darker. Pam was sitting in the back seat elevating her legs and reading her History book for summer college. It started to rain heavily. I looked over at the park and noticed that a few people were having trouble keeping their umbrella’s from folding inside out. The wind had really picked up.

As we approached the Throg’s Neck Bridge, Pam looks out over the water and starts saying “there’s a funnel cloud!” She then calls my brother-in-law back home in Massachusetts and is talking on the cell phone and describing the scene to him “the leaves are turning upside down! Oh my God, there’s a huge funnel cloud!” I don’t know what George was thinking except maybe “better you than me,” but Pam was certain that a tornado was heading towards us.

So I’m trying to navigate in traffic and keep the car on the road over the bridge as the wind and rain were pounding against the car. We made it safely over the bridge and into more bumper to bumper traffic through the Bronx and White Plains until we eventually got to Westchester and the traffic eased up. Pam was still insisting that she saw that funnel cloud.

I said “You’d better call George and let him know we didn’t get swept up in the funnel cloud!” I was joking, but also wondering why George didn’t call us back to make sure we were okay!

After all of that we arrived back home safely. I went home and right to bed. The trip had exhausted me and I had work the next day.

In the morning I checked the news, and sure enough, there were confirmed reports that a tornado had indeed touched down in the Bronx at the time we were driving through there! So Pam was correct, she had indeed seen a funnel cloud and the leaves had turned inside out because of it!

It’s taken me three days and I’m still not fully recuperated from the trip. So it’s off to bed for me now and off to work again tomorrow. The whirlwind weekend including the funnel cloud are over. And now it’s on to more adventures!

So the other day I stopped by the house. He barked once, but then recognized my voice, and sat waiting patiently while I unlocked the door and opened it. Yes, as stated previously, I do talk to the dogs. They may not understand what I am saying, but they know my voice and realize I’m just that non-threatening human who sometimes gives treats and almost always will rub behind the ears.

This dog’s name is Boomer. I call him Boomie, and sometimes even Boomerang, just because I can. He doesn’t seem to mind.

So the first day of our walking together, I brought him to the park and as soon as we stepped out onto the dirt track, it began to rain. Now, normally in such situations I would get back in the car and forego the walk for the day. But I looked down at Boomer. He looked up at me with the saddest expression, his eyebrows gathering together as if to say “Please, please, can we just please play?” And so there I was with the invisible SUCKER stamped on my forehead and leash in my hand and, well, I just had to stay and walk.

I am not a power-walker by any means. So most dogs have to get used to my pace and realize “oh, this is that slow but steady human here.” Boomer adapted well, and after five minutes we were walking side by side. The rain subsided after a few minutes and so we continued on. But then after the fourth trip around the track (I usually do 5 and 1/2 laps), Boomer started veering over to the side where the taller grass was. All of a sudden he just plopped down on that grass and wouldn’t move!

Ok, so now I’m thinking “what the heck is wrong?” I quickly bent down and felt his chest and belly to make sure he was breathing normally for a dog. He was. Then he rolled over and offered his stomach for me to massage, and I got to thinking “wait a minute.”

I tried every command I could think of to say to him, but Boomer was not moving. Now I was getting worried “Don’t die on me here, Boomer!” I frantically said to him. That’s all I’d need. Walking a friend’s dog for the first time and I kill her favorite pet! Boomer closed his eyes 3/4 of the way and I thought for a minute that I was going to have to do CPR on a dog.

After about 4 minutes, he lifted his head, jumped up, licked my hand and started trotting away as if to say “Psych! I got you!” We got to the end of our walk for the day and Boomer seemed happy.

The next day I picked him up in the afternoon, and it was quite hot out. We didn’t even get one lap around the track before Boomer did his “drop and plop” thing again. I looked at him. He looked at me. And I said “ok, Boomer. I get it. It’s too hot for you today.” So we spent some time just sitting in the grass. Boomer looked at birds and I talked on the cell phone.

Here’s a picture of Boomer checking out the birds in the trees:

Today I went to pick up Boomer and realized that he’s getting used to the routine. He greeted me at the door with tail wagging and seemed excited to go for the walk. It was mid-morning again, and I figured out that, much like me, Boomer enjoys that time of day. He wasn’t sluggish on the walk and was very playful through most of it.

But then about half way through the walk he began to veer off course again. This time he was headed for a mud puddle. I figured, “oh, maybe he wants a drink,” and so I let him go to the water. Don’t be grossed out, people. Boomer is a dog. He licks his privates and pees in the wind. So, yes, dogs do drink from mud puddles.

Just as I gave him some leeway on the leash, I saw what he was about to do. You see, I momentarilly forgot that Boomie is a MALE dog. And just like little boys, male dogs like to get dirty. A female would have tentatively placed her paw in the water and maybe lapped a sip of water. But not Boomer.  Instead of putting his face to the water, Boomie jumped full on into the puddle, and sat right down in the mud! He would not budge for about three minutes, and then he bounded out of the puddle, shook himself off, and continued the walk. The next time around he did the same thing. I let him, just to see if he’d actually sit in the mud again, and sure enough, he did:

I couldn’t get too mad at the dog for having some fun on the walk. He is definitely breaking up my exercise routine, which I’m not too pleased about, but he is making the walk more interesting. I’m thinking that he may just get bored with the track thing, so I’ll have to think of other places to take him.

But you know that when I dropped Boomer off back home, he licked my hand and gave me that sad look as if to say “thanks for the walk, but are you leaving me here all alone?????”

“Yes, Boomie. Until next time.”

I wonder what he’d do if I jumped in the mud puddle and sat there with him? I just might try it. You never know….

I really hate to break it to the Berkshire-ites, but that term IS used in other areas of the country as well. But, for the purposes of my video, I only gave props to my homies.

In the second section I explain the definition of the word “wicked” as it is so predominantly used here in New England. We’ve even been known to say “that’s wicked wicked,” and expect others to understand the meaning without question.

So here’s my latest….I hope you like it!