Not All at Work is Unpleasant…

Over the course of the past month, I’ve taken the following series of photos of the wildlife here surrounding my work building. We actually are located in the middle of the city, but on a large landscaped property with beautiful courtyards and a manmade pond out front - a perfect haven for some wildlife.

Can you spot the kildeer?  She made her nest amongst the tiny pebbles/gravel.  I would walk by her every morning and would have a hard time finding her.

The large planters typically make great nests for the Canada Geese; however this year our custodian decided to kybosh the idea and strategically placed sticks in the majority of the planters. If you look closely you can see a planter in the background with the sticks.

This goose however was one step ahead.

Then, last week...I came to work to see this little surprise.  She had 6 babies (goslings).

Then by the next day...they were moving out of the planter, into the world beyond.

Dad decided to show up - better late than never I guess...

Progress...

By the end of this week, we will be pretty darn close to checking two major items off of our “house to-do” list. 

 

The major work on the spare room is almost complete.  We still have to paint, install closet doors, light fixtures and new carpet, but in my opinion those are minor items compared to gutting, wiring, dry-walling, mudding and sanding.

 

The other major item almost accomplished this week has been the removal of 4 very old pine trees from our side yard.  The trees have been there a long time and were quite large; however because of their age, they had started to die from the bottom up and had become a very large eyesore. 

 

Knowing I would be losing my privacy once those trees were removed has caused me a great deal of anxiety this week because our back yard is now visible from the road that runs alongside our house. *sigh* 

 

Here are some before and after pictures.  There’s still a lot of clean-up work to do once the tree guys come back to finish.  Once all is said and done, it will look much better and J won’t have to worry about cleaning out the gutters filled with pine needles on a weekly basis.

 

 

Hmmm, what project should we tackle next?  There certainly isn’t a shortage of things to work on, but I think a privacy fence may be in order….

 

Life Out of The Box...

While creeping the internet and investigating potential places to call home once our early retirement kicks in, I have stumbled upon some blogs, featuring amazing people, doing amazing things in places I hope to one day visit, or perhaps settle down in the future. Somewhere I can also make a difference.

One particular blog, I would like to share with you owned by a young, fearless couple currently making a difference in the lives of many children in Nicaragua. Jonathon and Quinn operate LOOTB (Life Out of the Box). What is LOOTB?

Well, according to their site:

“Life Out of the Box is about pursuing your dreams and doing what you love by stepping out of the typical box and making it happen no matter what. It’s one thing to be able to think differently, but it’s another to actually act on those thoughts. We want to inspire people to be a doer, not just a dreamer.

It’s also about giving back to the world while making your dreams come true. Life Out of the Box wants to not only inspire people in the first world to always go after their dreams, but it wants to give kids in the third world the tools to be able to do the same as well.”

In order to help those kids follow their dreams, LOOTB sells bracelets made in Nicaragua and the proceeds from the bracelets are used to purchase school supplies, which are given to children in Nicaragua.

So, it works like this:

1. First, you go to the LOOTB store and make a purchase;

2. Shipping is quick and efficient and in a week or so, you have your bracelet, which has a number on it;

3. The proceeds from your purchase are then used to purchase school supplies;

4. Once your school supplies are gifted to the child, you will receive a link to your child, showing the impact that your simple purchase made.

I can tell you from experience, it’s an awesome feeling not only to help a child, but to receive a fantastic bracelet which is a constant reminder of why I continue to show up a work every day. My current situation will soon lead me to my dreams and I’ll soon be LOOTB.

I purchased a bracelet similar to this one. You can find the link to their store here.

Photo Courtesy of LOOTB

Today, I received a link to my child, Joseph. Check it out - it's pretty cool!

Now, I dare you to follow your dreams and live Life Out of the Box.

In a Nutshell – Words That Sum It Up Nicely…

I’m constantly perplexed at how I could have possibly made so many bad career choices over the years that I am now once again sitting at the crossroads of disconbobulation and quagmiredness.

Yeah, I don’t know what it means either, but it pretty much sums up how my job has been making me feel for at least the last six months.

Oh well, life goes on and I’ll manage to get through this. It helps knowing that it’s only a means to an end…

Perplexed

Definition: (i) filled with uncertainty; (ii) full of difficulty;

Disconbobulated

Definition: when something odd happens and you get an indescribable confused feeling.

Quagmire

Definition: (i) soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot; or (ii) a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position;

Too Many Experts...

There’s an old saying “Know what you don’t know”. There’s also a saying “know when to keep your mouth shut”.

Today, I’m surrounded by people that have obviously never heard these sayings. Everyone is offering up their opinion on how things should be handled. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times “if I were you…”

I’m all for taking advice when I ask for it and I’ll even accept it when I need it and haven’t asked for it. I’m not one for unsolicited opinions on topics that these so-called “experts” know nothing about.

There is nothing wrong with simply smiling and walking away – it makes you look intelligent and keeps people guessing what your next move will be.

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people

think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain