she was born last night around 9pm. 5 pounds, 20 inches long, 3 weeks + early. mommy is healthy in the hospital, and was all smiles when i saw her this morning. baby is in hershey but from what i can tell, it sounds like she will be OK. congrats to pamela and kyle!!
what wonderful parents they'll make.
what exemplifies being professional?
there seems to be a fuzzy line sometimes where professional melts into fake. where you know / think you need to act a certain way because of a job's demands when you really want to let lose.
are tears professional?
is it your business to stand up to a boss that's partially in the wrong when you're not involved nor in touch with all that has occurred?
is ignoring tears professional?
is a smiling boss the next day professional?
or fake? what about yelling? screaming? recurring vocalizations of frustrations long since built.
i'm not sure where human need to express emotion should end and professionalism should begin sometimes... i'm inclined though to repress it all at times.
if you haven't ever read this blog, it's worth a read.
i dont know her yet have met her a few times. she's definitely one of the stronger people i've met. makes you realize how petty all of the other things we worry about in life are...
in the spirit of valentines day which is right around the corner, i thought i'd share this fine article today:
because finding someone who shares a true love for tractor pulls has been so difficult...
this website actually exists! i found it via google.
in search of - single female living in rural america
requirements:
1. must be able to milk cow (yes this is an actually requirement).
2. must be able to bale hay.
3. must enjoy getting down and dirty.
enjoy.
In this great democratic country, we are allowed many liberties.
freedom of speech
freedom to bare arms
freedom to buy and then own, rack up credit to the point of no return, drive over priced and over sized gas guzzling vehicles.
yet some liberties we take for granted...
case in point - freedom to garden.
a few years back, i decided to move into a condo. i was tired of giving my money to landlords and decided that it would be much more satisfying to give it to the bank in exchange for a place that i could truly call "home"... oh yes and build gardens!
i selected a unit with optimal sun. i selected a neighborhood where i was told gardening was OK as long as it didn't impact the landscapers activities such as mowing and leaf raking.
for those of you who don't know, condos are a joint investment into a piece of property. all unit owners own a piece of the pie, yet they also own the interior of their structure.
the percs are many. no need to worry about a declining roof, no need to mow the lawn, no worries regarding plowing, trash, water, etc! it's a great option for someone who doesn't have the time to invest in a fixer upper type of house.
however recently i realized why i will never - ever - EVER live in a condo again.
condo associations, governed by irrational people who don't really know what they want - but somehow think that extreme uniformity is best, suck.
plain and simple.
back to the case at hand, i selected this unit for it's gardening potential. and i got approval - or the "go ahead" from the board at the time to plant. i placed multiple beds around my unit - dug up totally by HAND, in incredibly rocky soil, using a pick and shovel. alone.
i spent hours, and days, shaping, amending the soil, mulching, rearing annuals and perennials. over the years i have developed a nice strawberry and raspberry patch, countless lilies and other flowering gems, a full butterfly / hummingbird garden and a great vegetable patch.
i used to be on the board - but after a few years of listening to people complain about bees around their units (damn pest control apparently doesn't kill ALL of the insects around our neighborhood - go figure), and channel 10 having static on their tv's, i grew weary and stepped down. No sooner had i stepped down did the discussion begin.
we should VOTE on what we can and can't do with our property!
And no sooner did the survey go out, had the decision been made to ELIMINATE my gardens and return them back to lovely, green turf.
yes grass!
why you may ask? someone decided that having a garden next to your unit may decrease property value!
ugh.
now i am left with a decision to make...
1. do i fight the decision to dig up my gardens given i
a. invested a lot of time and money in these and they are my heart and soul in part
b. had prior board PERMISSION and approval to do it - can such a decision be overturned??!
2. recognize that people are assholes and leave all as is - let it go. be sad when i have no fresh tomatoes to eat this summer.
decisions decisions... what do you think?
i'm ready for spring.
sadly enough it's only february. i think the 2+ week hiatus in CR triggered in me the ansy, spring fever, need to clean the house, take the blankets off the bed, wear tank tops and jeans and ofcourse - wash off, tune and lube up the serotta in preparation for many, many long explorations of rural central PA.
i had committed to riding this past weekend. it's been so long since i've been on the road - geared up for miles. and yet again, i wimped out. too much ice. too much chill.
it's just no fun when it's cold.
i was hard on myself for a while. but then i realized it's only february. it's supposed to be cold, icy and chilly. come march i'll be back on the road again - rain or shine - if it's anything like last year that is.
still tho - i'm ready for spring.
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