June is Percolating Slowly Away...

[teddy_radiator]

I'm approaching my last week of training for New Job. It's by far the toughest job I've ever had as far as learning the ropes. A solid month of training, and not once ounce of slack in it - she'll keep teaching us up to the very last minute. But it's all starting to make a bit of sense now, and even though I'm truly intimidated about going on the phones full time, I think in the end I'll be okay.

We have two parts that we must do and be certified on each. I got the first part certified on the first try with one of the highest scores, which was an intense relief, and still have the second part to do. We are doing mock calls tomorrow, then we are being thrown into the deep end. There is so much to learn and so many screens that need to be open at the same time and so many rules and regs. But I think I'm going to like it there once I'm not freaking out all the time about being good enough.

I've fallen down the Gardening rabbit hole. I'm astonished myself - I always called myself the Dr Kevorkian of plants. But COVID has been eye-opening in many ways, and in this tiny way, it's been very beneficial to me. Sitting here at home, not working yet, unable to find any inspiration or impetus to write or do much of anything, I decided to plant the seeds I'd saved from the green pepper we had eaten the previous night. I had no containers, so I planted them in the large 30 space egg cartons. I sliced Roma tomatoes and stuck them in red cups. I pushed lemon seeds into some dirt in a coffee can. Everything grew, and thrived.

TheHubs™ made me some raised bed planters from old pallets. A friend dropped off two large tomato plants, some marigolds and an ailing Aloe Vera. They are all growing like crazy. This week, he presented an early birthday present - a 6' X 8' greenhouse. I have never been so excited about any birthday pressie in my life.

We wanted to build it today, but the weather is very strange and iffy, and we're going to need to get some foundation 4X6 planks, but I cannot wait to have my own greenhouse and really try new things. Any and all gardening advice is welcome and wanted. I've been watching BBC's Gardeners' World like mad, and have fallen in love with it. It's such a perfect way to spend a laid-back hour. The presenter, Monty Don, is easy on the eyes and he can dig a hole like a boss. He broke my heart this week, having announced that one of his two lovely dogs had passed away, and I cried like a baby as they showed a montage of 'Nigel's' best moments. He was, after all, a lovely dog, and Monty was so bereft at sharing this sad news I was left feeling like I'd lost a good friend. Yes, I am that sad.

Facebook is such a garbage fire. TheHubs signed off - he couldn't take it anymore. I'm probably going to do the same, or at least whittle it down to a tiny portion of people/pages to follow. I knew it would be simply unbearable with the election looming, but compared to everything else that's spraying gasoline on the conflagration, that's not even pinging my radar. It's just too much for a old dog like me desperately learning new tricks while wearing a mask. Someone mentioned MeWe, and I signed on, only to be told I was boldly walking into Alt-Right Central and to get my blue arse out of there, which I did, toot suite. I figure my birthday will be a good time to do a swan song for awhile.

In other news, my hair. Oh, great goblin nobblies, my hair. This new job means I have no real time to go to my friendly neighborhood hair stylist, so TheHubs was pressganged into cutting it today. He was very tentative at first, but damn if he didn't do a really nice job on it. But really, as I told him, it couldn't look any worse than it looked, and even then, it couldn't look any worse. I am very pleased with it. I may never go back to my stylist again.

He's also making me amazing salads for lunch and delicious dinners for when I sign off. He's also tried his hand at baking and his banana breads are the stuff dreams are made of. Really, the only fly in the ointment of this job is that I'm not used to sitting all day anymore and my feet and ankles are starting to swell. We are doing a mile walk every morning and I'm drinking plenty of water, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to combat this?

So that's really my life right now - work (I spent hours recopying my training notes this weekend - I've never been so focused on anything in my life), gardening, and chilling with TheHubs. What's happening in your neck of the woods?

Stay fresh, cheese bags!

Comments

[gelsey.livejournal.com]

Do you want some seed? I have some nasturtium seed left, and petunia seed I gathered from last year, and maybe some cardinal vine. Some marigold too. I'll have to look.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Gelsey, love, I would LOVE some seeds! I'm just starting to put together things I like - I really love nasturtiums and petunias are so lovely. I am woefully short of flower seeds. Thank you!! ♥

[gelsey.livejournal.com]

I'll put together a package! I've started a second Set of petunias just the other day and they're doing well. I can't promise what colors! Though I'd love to know what colors you end up with! I know I had some different mixes from combos of what I had last year. I'll try to get it out to you this week!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!! I love any colors, so any and all are welcome here. I really appreciate it ♥ ♥

[blueartemis07.livejournal.com]

Any left over seeds you have, freeze. You can use them next season.

As for the ankles, compression socks. I need them. I sit more at home than I did in the office, where I could "work" by getting up to help people.

Congrats on passing on your first try, that will be remembered (as a trainer for MACUSA)

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the tips! I have some compression socks, and I've found that, even though I love going barefoot, wearing my walking shoes during the day helps as well.

I was really happy with my score. A lot of us passed on the first try, but it was still jolly well scary to me! LOL

[arcanetrivia]

My husband and I have been cutting each other's hair for years. Granted, we both wear long straight cuts that are hard to screw up too badly, but yeah. More people could probably learn to do it passably well than think they could, if the style isn't too complicated at least. (I have no idea how to cut layers!)

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I've been wearing mine quite short for some time, and so has Thehubs™. His is really almost a buzz cut, and dead easy. To be honest, I can't tell much difference between the one Chris my stylist does and this one. I'm just so happy to have all that thick mop gone. It was truly terrible. It had been over six months since my last haircut, and it had grown out in a very unattractive manner.

[hbart.livejournal.com]

So glad the job is going well. I don’t know anything about plants or haircuts, but compression socks/stockings are the way to go for swelling. You can buy them at Walmart, Walgreens etc, but in my experience you’ll be happier with ones from a medical uniform store. They are no longer limited to only black and white. These days you can get any design you can image, if you’re into wild socks, especially if you shop online. If you’re one of the unfortunate souls whose legs swell the minute the get out of bed, you may want to keep them on your bedside table and put them on before you get up. Trying to get them on after you’re already swelling is not the way to go. Otherwise, water and walking are the way to go, and of course avoid salt. Elevating your legs above your heart works somewhat too, but if you figure out how to make that work at a desk, let me know (and send pics, lol). Best of luck to you.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I have a pair, and I wore them the other day to a good effect. You're right, though; I didn't think about them until after my feet were swollen (last time I wore them was last August when we took our trip to the UK), and they were a bugger to get on. I also find that, while I love going barefoot, if I put on socks and shoes the moment I get out of bed I am in much better shape than going without all day, even though I could if I wanted to.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

That training sounds intense, wow. But I have no doubt that you'll be great at the job. The gardening sounds good, too. I am instant death to plants, and I don't have anything like the patience required, but I really do love home-grown tomatoes. Wishing you the best of luck with everything!

[maidofkent.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on your score!

Nigel was lovely, a really calming presence on the screen, and I miss him each week I watch the programme.

[theimpossiblegl.livejournal.com]

Compression socks may be be your friend, my friend. When I was doing referrals, I used to prop my feet on a box while sitting - it helps a little. Don’t forget to stretch, or your back will be unhappy with you next. Be well. It sounds like things are coming together.

[beffeysue.livejournal.com]

I second what theimpossiblegl said about propping your feet on a box. I've done it for years and found that if the chair seat is pressing the back side of my thighs just up from the knee, I tend to have worse swelling at my lower legs, ankles, and feet.

As for flower suggestions, I recommend Balloon Flower Seeds - Blue. They are a gorgeous genuine blue color, their hardy, and they are perennials. I believe this link is to a nursery near you. They also are available in pink and white. You can order seeds from here.

https://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/balloon-flower/balloon-flower-seed.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3p-Pi5aw6gIVCInICh1FLQ4BEAQYBCABEgJ1uvD_BwE

Or you may be able to find them as starter plants at Lowe's, Home Depot, of another local nursery.

Congrats on the grade you earned on Part 1 training, and good luck with Part 2. You got this, babe!

Hugs to you, TheHubs™, and your new kitty.
Lots of love,
Beth

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy you have a job you are looking forward to. And how exciting about your garden! I hope you never really leave FB, because that's where I see all your pictures. And I adore your pics about gardening. What a great hobby to get into.

But otherwise, you're right, FB is downright ugly and getting uglier. The worst place for me right now is my community's "info" page. The mods gave up moderating for a while, and the dumpster fire ensued! Even I, who learned in the crucible of the America Online forums in the late 1990s, made the worst rookie mistake you can: I let a troll engage me, and I argued with him for an entire afternoon. Yeah, I know. It was so wrong. The mods came back right before I quit in self-disgust, but the place is still only slightly more polite than before.

I've had two haircuts since March. My kid did the first one, and it wasn't terrible! I think our standards change when our options change, lol.