At Home

I came to realize over the last week that I've been home for most of the last three months.  It's quite surprising, because it's been three years since I've been home for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

I just love being at home and the time has flown by.

I have also come to realize that I enjoy working remotely.  This was not initially the case.

I do still have a suitcase mostly packed, but it has been very nice not using it.

Hubba said he wishes I could work remotely every day.  I guess he likes having me at home too. :-)

Personally, I now feel available to become part of our community.

Does that sound weird?

With being gone a lot, I haven't had much energy for or interest in being out.  Which means we haven't spent a lot of time going to the local restaurants, shops or festivities... all of those things that make sure one is part of their community.

That's pretty sad considering we've been in this house for a little more than two years.

This Week

This week has gone by so fast.

Actually most weeks seem to go by fast these days.

It must be a sign of getting older, or at least of doing too much.  But also the days are getting shorter.  It's dark before I'm finished for the day and I'm no longer being woken up by the sun.


The view from our back stoop on a recent morning.


Wonton (aka LGD#1) has been on house arrest for the last several weeks with a broken toe.  She has one more week to go.  So she's been waking me up at the appropriate time, but as soon as she's back to work, I suspect I'll be needing an alarm again.


This dog is not spoiled at all.  Nope, not spoiled.


It's been a tough summer with hail storms, broken toes, surgeries and broken equipment.  So I thought I would share some good news from this week.

Unfortunately it's not cria... yet.  Both maidens are still pregnant.  Daisy seems to be progressing.  I thought for sure she was going to have her baby yesterday, but it seems s/he needs to bake a little longer.

Last evening's exam indicates Daisy is further along than Frieda now, but I know these things can always change.

Same photo as earlier this week, because everyone is still pregnant.


The good news I have to share is that my client has offered another project.  Yes, that makes me very happy.  :-)  Also, my current project is progressing.  Development is nearly complete which means integration testing is starting shortly.

So my current project is going well and my new project starts up next week.  We have babies coming and puppies being puppies.  Canning season is ramping up and work is happening on our basement.  So I will continue to have more than enough to keep me occupied (as if that is ever a problem).

The real good news is that I will continue to have regular income and continue to have interesting work to do.  It also means that I will continue to travel to MSP for at least one more winter.

Do What You Love

Katy reminds us how important it is to do what you love.

Follow her on twitter @AlpacaFarmGirl

It's all about the Customer

Have you ever thought, if the customer would just leave me alone for a little while, I could really get some work done?

I must confess that I have; now my customers have gone away.

My customer is a company that recently furloughed most of it's staff. The staff is supposed to come back, eventually. My job is to support that staff so they can do their jobs.

We're still working. Which I am grateful for. But, it's really weird not having the customer around.

Now, I have the time and quiet I wanted to prepare for a project we've been trying to do. I could not get the preparations done before since supporting the individual customers occupied most of my day. Of course if they don't come back, there's no reason to do this project.

Remember to always be grateful for your customers. They are the reason you are in business. They give you purpose.

Econimic Data Point

About a month ago, I noticed the gas prices had started to go up again. I assumed our reprieve from super high gas prices would end after the election. I guess I hoped it would last longer than it did.

This week, we surpassed $2.00/gallon. I realize that's a long way from the $4.00/gallon we were paying last year, but it's still a 33 cent increase over 1 month.

Spring is Here

While most of the US is still in the throws of winter, both economically and weather-wise; here is the southwest, spring has arrived.

Today I noticed the daffodils have broken the surface.
Yesterday I noticed some weeds growing next to my house.
Earlier this week, I saw the first robin of the season.
And, the trees started to bud about a week ago.

The switch to spring is always my favorite time of the year. It's a time of tremendous hope and promise. A time of renewal. A time where I know, anything can happen.

With a new administration in the White House, the weather changing and the rate of existing home sales actually increasing...

I know that spring is here.

A little good news

I meant to post this on Sunday. But, the gas prices seem to be stabilizing.

On January 16th I paid $1.98.

When Newspapers are gone, what will you miss?

A few days ago Seth Godin published a blog post about newspapers.


Actually he often writes about how he thinks newspapers are obsolete. With so many of them filing for bankruptcy protection or just going out of business, it's hard to argue with him.



We cancelled our daily subscription a couple of months ago because of many reasons Seth suggests. But I do miss our daily paper because I miss the quite time with my husband when we would share the paper over a cup of coffee, music and sometimes a fire in the fire place.


Being online is just not the same.

Should Have Filled Up Yesterday

Yesterday, premium gas was still $1.88 per gallon as mentioned last week in Gas Prices Going Up. Today, it's 10 cents more.

That is a 30 cent increase in 2 weeks.

Gas Prices Going Up

It seems the reprieve from gas prices is swiftly going away. It was about 20 cents less last week.