I started a new position at work about 4 months ago. New boss, new co-workers, new work, new location, which means new cube neighbors, too.
In just those four months, I've seen one person let go, an intern come and go, and someone else just told me yesterday that he's moving on - new job, new company, new city and state. The rate of change is incredible to me. And every change has, at least, some small ripple effect.
I'm a relationship builder at work. I greet people, in the morning. I check out their cubes and inquire about their photos. I ask questions to find out who they are. I like to know who I'm dealing with - what motivates them, what makes them smile, whether I can trust them. Even the people I can't see - the ones I work with in other locations - I always find a way to connect in a way that's more than just, "Hey, I need you to do this for me."
Last week, I found out my cube neighbor (the one leaving) likes donuts - even at 3:30 in the afternoon. I was excited - someone I could invite to join me in my late day sugar-shock pick-me-ups, or just someone to share with. May sound dumb, but in a new environment where I often feel lonely, it was a pretty bright moment.
So, all that to say, even though everything is so temporary, it's still worth the bright moments that happen. He probably has no idea how something as simple as being able to share a donut made my day and beyond. Maybe it was a bright spot for him, too - that someone shared a donut with him? Either way, I'm happy for him. And even though it's been a short acquaintance, I'll miss him.
The challenging part in all this is being able to flow with all the change. But, I guess change, too, is temporary. Maybe it's just how you deal with it, and who's around to accompany you. And even when the people come and go, and it feels like even many people in my life are temporary, I have to keep in mind that, I guess it doesn't matter how long you're there....it's that you were there at all.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Self-Designed Landscape - Beautiful, but not for the faint of heart!
When I bought my little house on the curbside postage stamp ground, it was a blank canvas. I required the 6-foot white vinyl privacy fence for the back yard as a term of the sale. Otherwise, I had a centered house on a plot of creeping grass with two huge pine trees out front.
The trees were great for bird-watching - chickadees and woodpeckers frequented the shady front yard. The grass, I was told, was the really good stuff.
By first summer, I realized the pine trees dripped sap all over my yard furniture, the grass was aggressively creeping over the sidewalks every week or two, and I guess I wasn't looking at the crumbling curbs buried beneath the mid-January snow when I signed the initial agreement. Not only that, the dog hated the back yard - the fence blocked his view of anything interesting and he entertained himself by digging holes. And since he much preferred the busy street out front, it became obvious that I'd need some sort of fence out front to keep him from escaping when he dodged me at the front door.
I got rid of the sappy pine trees, and took the most immediate, affordable route to secure the front entrance - ornamental fencing from Lowes that only requires driving stakes into the ground to install. Not cheap, but I was able to start by fencing the front porch, the next year adding on/expanding further.
Lesson #1 - Fencing, even the low, ornamental type, adds maintenance to cutting the grass.
I had to buy a weed whacker, in addition to the lawnmower and the sidewalk edger (to keep the creeping grass under control), and of course, then I needed a shed to store them in. You don't put an 8x10 shed on grass, so there was another project of digging the foundation, shoveling in stone (by the wheelbarrow-full, since there's no rear access to the property and the stone had to be delivered out front). The shed filled quickly, as did the list of duties and projects.
As the front fence expanded, so did my desire for flowers, a patio, and yard decorations. I hated dragging the mower around all the obstacles in the yard, I hated weed-whacking, I hated the constant sidewalk trimming. So, I vowed to get rid of all grass except the back yard.
I've spent at least 6 years building a gorgeous front yard, complete with patio, fountain, and flower beds galore! Neighbors and strangers, alike, express their appreciation for the beauty. The side yards have been painstakingly paved in a wide variety of pavers and patio block - to cut down lawn maintenance and direct rainwater away from the foundation. Even the back yard has paving and flower beds around the perimeter fence.
It's been a blessing that I live on such fertile ground, that volunteer tomatoes magically grow into crop bearing plants, rose bushes double or triple in size from one season to next, seedling trees grow quickly, and everything grows at least twice the expected size.
Unfortunately, the weeds follow the same pattern and effortlessly anchor themselves in every crevice and surface. That means the flower beds, the patio, the still crumbling curbs, and every paved surface on the property.
Yesterday, I spent at least an hour or two pulling hardy weeds, just in front of the front fence. I filled two large trash cans, overflowing. I haven't touched the front yard or the back.
Some days, the creeping grass and sap-dripping trees don't seem so awful, after all.
But then, I guess nobody could have convinced me of that when I started this journey...
The trees were great for bird-watching - chickadees and woodpeckers frequented the shady front yard. The grass, I was told, was the really good stuff.
By first summer, I realized the pine trees dripped sap all over my yard furniture, the grass was aggressively creeping over the sidewalks every week or two, and I guess I wasn't looking at the crumbling curbs buried beneath the mid-January snow when I signed the initial agreement. Not only that, the dog hated the back yard - the fence blocked his view of anything interesting and he entertained himself by digging holes. And since he much preferred the busy street out front, it became obvious that I'd need some sort of fence out front to keep him from escaping when he dodged me at the front door.
I got rid of the sappy pine trees, and took the most immediate, affordable route to secure the front entrance - ornamental fencing from Lowes that only requires driving stakes into the ground to install. Not cheap, but I was able to start by fencing the front porch, the next year adding on/expanding further.
Lesson #1 - Fencing, even the low, ornamental type, adds maintenance to cutting the grass.
I had to buy a weed whacker, in addition to the lawnmower and the sidewalk edger (to keep the creeping grass under control), and of course, then I needed a shed to store them in. You don't put an 8x10 shed on grass, so there was another project of digging the foundation, shoveling in stone (by the wheelbarrow-full, since there's no rear access to the property and the stone had to be delivered out front). The shed filled quickly, as did the list of duties and projects.
As the front fence expanded, so did my desire for flowers, a patio, and yard decorations. I hated dragging the mower around all the obstacles in the yard, I hated weed-whacking, I hated the constant sidewalk trimming. So, I vowed to get rid of all grass except the back yard.
I've spent at least 6 years building a gorgeous front yard, complete with patio, fountain, and flower beds galore! Neighbors and strangers, alike, express their appreciation for the beauty. The side yards have been painstakingly paved in a wide variety of pavers and patio block - to cut down lawn maintenance and direct rainwater away from the foundation. Even the back yard has paving and flower beds around the perimeter fence.
It's been a blessing that I live on such fertile ground, that volunteer tomatoes magically grow into crop bearing plants, rose bushes double or triple in size from one season to next, seedling trees grow quickly, and everything grows at least twice the expected size.
Unfortunately, the weeds follow the same pattern and effortlessly anchor themselves in every crevice and surface. That means the flower beds, the patio, the still crumbling curbs, and every paved surface on the property.
Yesterday, I spent at least an hour or two pulling hardy weeds, just in front of the front fence. I filled two large trash cans, overflowing. I haven't touched the front yard or the back.
Some days, the creeping grass and sap-dripping trees don't seem so awful, after all.
But then, I guess nobody could have convinced me of that when I started this journey...
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Post Canine ACL and New Doggie Chemo, All in the Same Week
So, Solomon's knee needed a little more than a doggie massage, after all. Tuesday was two weeks post ACL repair surgery for him. Honestly, I thought he was walking better last week. But we got the staples out Monday, and the incision has healed beautifully.
During the same surgery, they removed three new mast cell tumors on that same thigh. It's the third time in three months that new mast cell tumors have appeared and been removed. Surgery #3, and even though everything's tested out to grade 1 or 2, it's time to pursue chemo drugs to try to prevent them vs. additional surgeries under anesthesia to removed them.
We already had the appointment with the oncology specialist vet when a new mast cell tumor popped up. It's been not even two weeks since the last ones were removed. Yes, the decision to pursue chemo was necessary.
As of today, it's been 2 days since we started the chemo drug, Kinavet. First night, diarrhea within the first hour and a half, requiring urgent bathroom outings every 30 minutes. Slept a few hours, had an appetite, ate breakfast, and the explosive diarrhea set back in shortly thereafter. Fed him a "bland diet" of rice & boiled chicken for dinner. Still diarrhea, but only one outing 2 hours after dinner and a vomiting episode at 4 am.
Today, picked up three new medications to tame the diarrhea, which is still present. More rice & chicken for lunch, first dose of two of the new medications. An urgent rush for the door within 20 minutes and explosive, bloody diarrhea. My poor Dood.
So, we're not even close to being able to take walks. He steps 10 feet outside the front gate and parks himself to watch the goings-on in the neighborhood. He walks if he has to "go" and seems a little obsessed with the view from across the street. If it will cause him to exercise the post-surgical knee, I'll walk anywhere with him.
I had really hoped for the knee to be better healed before hitting my boy with one more devastating treatment, but here we are, facing it all at once.
I have several days to hire a pet-sitter for mid-day potty breaks and hope we have the side effects controlled enough for that to be enough. I have no idea how the millions of other dog owners balance this type of situation....but I need to figure it out....quickly....
During the same surgery, they removed three new mast cell tumors on that same thigh. It's the third time in three months that new mast cell tumors have appeared and been removed. Surgery #3, and even though everything's tested out to grade 1 or 2, it's time to pursue chemo drugs to try to prevent them vs. additional surgeries under anesthesia to removed them.
We already had the appointment with the oncology specialist vet when a new mast cell tumor popped up. It's been not even two weeks since the last ones were removed. Yes, the decision to pursue chemo was necessary.
As of today, it's been 2 days since we started the chemo drug, Kinavet. First night, diarrhea within the first hour and a half, requiring urgent bathroom outings every 30 minutes. Slept a few hours, had an appetite, ate breakfast, and the explosive diarrhea set back in shortly thereafter. Fed him a "bland diet" of rice & boiled chicken for dinner. Still diarrhea, but only one outing 2 hours after dinner and a vomiting episode at 4 am.
Today, picked up three new medications to tame the diarrhea, which is still present. More rice & chicken for lunch, first dose of two of the new medications. An urgent rush for the door within 20 minutes and explosive, bloody diarrhea. My poor Dood.
So, we're not even close to being able to take walks. He steps 10 feet outside the front gate and parks himself to watch the goings-on in the neighborhood. He walks if he has to "go" and seems a little obsessed with the view from across the street. If it will cause him to exercise the post-surgical knee, I'll walk anywhere with him.
I had really hoped for the knee to be better healed before hitting my boy with one more devastating treatment, but here we are, facing it all at once.
I have several days to hire a pet-sitter for mid-day potty breaks and hope we have the side effects controlled enough for that to be enough. I have no idea how the millions of other dog owners balance this type of situation....but I need to figure it out....quickly....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)