#offtoagoodstart – The Boring Old Man

Out of Sight, Out of (my) Mind!

This weekend the Mrs. was on a girls’ trip with our daughter, so I was left to my own devices and for some reason I decided to be productive. What was I thinking???

I started out simple enough, just a little organization stuff that was long overdue, then Sunday morning I decided to take a whack at our ‘extras’ closet that was LONG overdue… And the next thing you know, 6 HOURS had gone by!

This closet – really an alcove, but I threw a curtain over it and thus dubbed it a closet – is where I’ve been storing a lot of my “prepping” stuff since about 2012 and during “the Plague” years, especially early on when nobody really knew what was going on or what was coming, I STUFFED that closet with everything I figured was important should things go completely sideways.

On the surface, not a bad idea. BUT! I didn’t have anything organized and I didn’t inventory anything. If something I thought I might need became available, I bought it and stuffed it in the closet.

Fast forward a few years and Holy cow! I had stuffed every square inch of that space, had no idea what I had and couldn’t find anything without an ordeal.

On Sunday, I put an end to the madness!

On the bright side, I discovered I have more #10 cans of freeze dried goods than I realized. And I have a TON of first aid stuff, a lot more than I thought I had. On the downside, I have way too many bottles of hydrogen peroxide, and waaaaay too many kitchen sponges. These latter things primarily because everything was so disorganized I bought multiples not realizing I already had those things.

And happily I found some things I COMPLETELY forgot about!

It wasn’t fun, but it was time well spent. Time I SHOULD’VE spent two years ago! Better late than never I suppose.

Last but not least, it inspired me to get off my keister and keep the cleanup and organization going.

It’s great to have “stuff” in emergency situations, but its way better if you know what you have and where it is!

Anyhow, that’s about it for today. This year got off to a rough start with illness in the family, a rather unpleasant injury and the loss of a beloved pet, but this little project felt like my shell cracking and letting me get back to life.

Thanks for stopping by!

What a Week!!

Started the new job on Monday and the week has just flown by!

I’ve been loving it so far and I expect that this is gonna be a good gig for me, at least for the foreseeable future. Yes, I did take a pay cut for this job but the lack of stress more than makes up for it. If nothing else it will force me back into my frugal ways, which is long overdue. Having more than enough pocket money changes a guy, and not necessarily for the better! Probably a few less shows and long weekend trips in the coming year, but that is a price I’m willing to pay to stay out of the meat grinder!! Can you put a price on mental health?!?

In an odd turn of events, I’m back working at a site where I spent 5 years as the facilities Director, and it was the worst job I’ve ever had. Well, maybe second worst as I spent a couple years as a roofer some 25+ years ago, but I digress…

This place was TERRIBLE to be an employee of, but working for a contractor here is all good. No stress, no BS, no dealing with the health care regulations and all that entails, it is a night and day difference. And the cherry on top, the reason I stuck it out here for 5 years, is this place is GORGEOUS! 44 acres of beautiful scenery, wildlife EVERYWHERE. It is truly a spectacular place to spend your day and I feel beyond fortunate to have a landed a gig that puts me back here!

Looking ahead at the schedule, it looks like I’ll be here through July at least, but according to the boss, they keep throwing new projects at him every time one finishes up, so I could be here for a long haul. Let’s hope!!

Aside from the distinct lack of stress, I’m getting a good “workout” at work, which is a nice fringe benefit. The first day I clocked over 7 miles of walking, and the “easiest” physical day put me at just over 4 miles walked. Not too shabby! Five to six miles appears to be the average. Plus some lifting here and there, pushing some material carts around and such, it’s been good for the body, no doubt! And I’ve been sleeping like a baby. Better sleep than I’ve had in well over a decade! I haven’t woken up at 3am in a panic all week, which is a welcome change of pace, as it was happening at least 3 times a week at the old job…

Life can be strange sometimes. Two weeks ago I was overwhelmed by a sense of certain doom, and now here I am happier than I’ve been in I don’t know how long.

I guess it’s true, sometimes a change will do ya good! Even when that change is thrust upon you…

Thanks for stopping by!

Back to Basics…

This year I’ve determined to make self improvement a key focus.

The Mrs. and I were discussing how “the good life” has been making us soft, both figuratively and literally. In short, we’ve been lazy since the Plague.

One of the things I REALLY dropped the ball on was cooking. Now, the Mrs. is an AWESOME cook and has been since I’ve known her. I learned a lot of valuable lessons watching her over the decades and not too long ago I’d have said I had become a better than average cook. Not amazing, but certainly no slouch.

My last few ventures in the kitchen have been less than stellar. Not inedible, but a bit disappointing and certainly not anything to get excited about.

This morning I decided it was time to get back on my game for better or worse and put together a good old fashioned “All American Breakfast”. The menu consisted of scrambled (organic) eggs with a touch of sharp cheddar cheese, bacon, a strawberry & blueberry yogurt mix with fresh blueberries and organic granola and some buttered “artisinal” toast. We topped it off with mimosas, cuz it was Saturday and we could!

The bacon got away from me as you can see, but otherwise not too shabby!

Gotta keep your skills sharp folks, even something as simple as cooking is a use-it-or-lose-it kinda thing.

But hey, we all gotta start somewhere. Or re-start as the case may be. Bon Appétit!

Thanks for stopping by!

100 Days!

April 17th marks 100 days since my first post on this new blog. It’s hard to believe it’s already been 3+ months!

I had low expectations for readership, as I don’t have any social media “presence” (or accounts for that matter!) and I only let a few people know I was doing this. But regardless, this was just something I wanted to do, a small outlet for chronicling my life, sharing some things I enjoy and yes, blowing off steam from time to time.

Unlike my last two blogs, I’m actually having fun with this one and have been pleasantly surprised at the “traffic” I’ve drummed up thus far.

I recognize that I’m not exactly a “writer”, nor do I hold any impressive credentials that make me worth listening to. Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that so many folks have stopped by for a read. I hope my efforts have put a smile on your face, or turned you on to some new music or books, or just gave you a little kernel of something worthwhile to think about.

As of this morning, I’ve put up 55 posts and my site has received 158 visitors and 271 page views! I’ve got a handful of followers and some have even left a few comments! Sure, this is peanuts compared to establishing blogs, but these numbers exceeded my expectations, by a long shot!

So, a big, BIG thank you, to each and every one of you that have stopped by. I truly appreciate you sharing some of your precious time here at my hangout.

With Spring and Summer right around the corner, I expect a lot of good stuff to share with y’all, so I hope to see you back here from time to time!

Thanks for reading!