Monthly Archives: July 2013

When I came back to the U.S., I stated that I would get a job and I wanted a job in the arts.

Good news: I got just what I asked for! God is good!

I will be a volunteer coordinator for the Monterey County Arts Commission. What I know about it is that the job is part of the Americorps and it will last for ten months. I’m not certain yet if I can re-up like it’s done in the army. I am certain, however, this will lead to something when I’m through with the ten month commitment.

I was interviewed by the director, when she asked me to go with her to the coffee shop nearby in Carmel. While she explained the job to me, she kept referring to what I would be doing. I stopped and asked her if this meant I got the job.

She said just wait while I get through and then we’ll talk more. So when we got back to the office, she said, “I’m in. Are you?” “Yes, I’m in.” Just like that. She is a tiny lady, with long blond hair, and a dynamo: very calm and extremely intelligent.

She has built the Arts Commission from a struggling entity to a booming commission with lots of clout in the county.

I cannot wait to get started on Sept. 4.  There is even a possibility of a shared condo in CSUMB where the professors live who teach there.

So, while I wait for a place to call home, I’m right now cat and dog sitting at my new friends’ home in Half Moon Bay. The animals are calico cat, Sasha, big black and white tuxedo cat, Jackson; Abbey a cream colored poodle, Teddy an apricot poodle, Rory a lasa poo, (a kiss, kiss doggy).

When I arrived, Teddy growled at me, Abbey sat and shook, Rory wanted to be noticed, Sasha walked around and watched me, and Jackson was hidden.

It wasn’t too long, when three of the animals: Rory, Teddy and Jackson were sitting on top of me with six eyes staring, while I stretched out on the couch to watch TV. Didn’t take long for them to see that I wouldn’t have them for dinner.

I’ll be here until Tuesday, however, I’ll leave for a bit to Gonzales on Monday for a power point presentation.

Life is good!

Hi folks,

I ‘ll have some good news to share real soon. I just need to verify when the time is right to announce it.

The power point presentation I made at the King City Rotary club regarding my yearlong journey went very well. The questions and comments, as well. It was a group of interested folks.  I have just the right amount of photos now.

I put my ‘painterly’ photos/painted pictures up so they could see them and the technology worked great. The power point displayed on the big screen looked amazing.

I am impressed with the Rotary clubs’ project to wipe the disease of polio off the face of the earth. I learned there are only three countries left to accept the vaccine.

This is a personal admiration.  I remember the day I came back from a cabin with my grandmother and her Sunday school group. I was eight years old. My brother was ten. When we walked into the room, my mother told us that Jack was in the hospital. He had polio. He was in an iron lung.

He suffered with the aftermath of the disease all of his life. Polio must go!

I’m in the Western Motel in Salinas waiting and taking it easy before my interview tomorrow. After that, I’ll be back in Half Moon Bay taking care of three dogs and two fat cats. Then on Monday, it’s Gonzales Rotary Club. Then back to Half Moon Bay after that for more dog and cat sitting.

Then….well, it’s too complicated..

The prettiest part of the day is early in the morning, just when the sun comes up. When I left Half Moon Bay, it was later; around 8:30 and there were few cars on the road.

The colors were beautiful. The yellow grasses, dripping moss from dark green trees, sky blue sky and ocean and gentle rolling white caps, made for a beautiful days drive.

I checked out George’s house in Santa Cruz. His garden of vegetables and fruit will get my care while he is off on a hiking trip for nearly one month. There are two cats that will be at my mercy for their meals.

George is a retired school teacher and a good friend of Marilyn, my friend who’s house/gardens I took care of earlier this month. I’ll be at his place in mid-August for one month.

Then I saw my son Ronnie, who returned the globe pendant I left at his house, and then I was off for the long journey down to King City. I’m right now sitting inside Motel 6. Tomorrow at noon I’ll be the guest speaker, invited by Matt, a news editor for the local radio station.

In anticipation, I went over to the restaurant and ate dinner, but while there, I looked at the room where the meeting will be held and saw the spot where I’ll put the photos I took and then painted. I have five of them now. Two are framed.

So, I’m watching TV and looking over the notes I’ll use tomorrow. The first presentation I did, lead me to believe I needed a few more photos. It’s hard to pick just a few out of the thousands I have.

I know it sounds strange that someone my age doesn’t have a place of her own. But circumstances has made that a challenge for me.

That will change soon. I’m hopeful that my interview on Friday will lead to a JOB, which will then make it affordable for me to rent a studio apartment.

The job is one I think is perfect for me and my interests. I will be writing about that the minute I know the results.

I received a message from a TV producer regarding a show featuring home remodeling. They are searching for an expat who is living in Ireland and remodeling their home. The show will pay for a portion of the job if featured on the show.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step i take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.

I lost a few things on my yearlong journey, and I also left a trail of clothing items I no longer needed. These were placed on park benches or just left in hotels/hostels.

Sometimes I watched and it took just a few minutes for someone to snag a bag of something on a bench.  In Spain it was a pair of pants that were too big, and in Holland I left my boots. In another airport, I left a rain coat. I sacrificed it because my luggage weighed too much. Many places I dropped a book somewhere that I had finished reading.

In Turkey, I gave away a Turkish/English dictionary, a t-shirt and some cosmetics to a fellow American.

In Dublin, I left another pair of pants that were too big. These I left in a hostel. There was so many items of clothing laying around from other people, that I assume the pants weren’t discovered as left by someone for a very long time.

I lost a vest, I think in a taxi. I also lost a small notebook.  But nothing of extreme importance was lost; for example: passport, wallet, tickets, etc. So what I did lose didn’t really matter until…

For the entire time of the journey and up until about one month ago, I wore a little globe on a chain.  It wasn’t a good luck piece, but it did remind me of the journey I was on. I searched, traced my path, made phone calls. It was gone.

Ronnie called me last night with the news that he had found my globe. It was trapped near the bed and a nightstand. The jeweler in Holland, who fixed it for me when it was broken, told me to take it off every night, to keep it from breaking again.

So the world goes ’round and ’round. I’ll pick it up and continue to wear it.

I’m waiting for the second interview, but must wait for a call giving me an appointment. No calls yesterday, and none today. It seems forever when you’re waiting for an important call; and one that has the potential to change your life.

Meanwhile, I’m painting my photos and having fun doing that. I’m also getting charged up for some presentations I’ll make to service clubs.  At my age it gets less easy to find employment, but I need to do that so I can get my own place and pay rent.

I’m exchanging cars with my grandson, and today he had my car and I had his clunker. My dirty clothes bag was in the car he drove today so I couldn’t get to the laundromat. There’s always tomorrow. From the time I got back to the states with the small amount of clothing, I have added to the wardrobe but not so much. Just a few more tops so I’m not seen going all over town in the same outfit looking like the homeless person I am.

Well, I’m not like the usual homeless person; I have a roof over my head at my sons’ apartment, and have some house sitting ‘gigs’ coming up. But, boy, oh, boy, would that job give me a boost.But, it looks like all I can do right now is….wait.

Went for a job interview this morning. I stayed in a motel close by so I wouldn’t have to drive far to get there on time. The interview went very well. I have one more person to see, before I get the news that I’ve been hired.