Voluntary Furlough

When I came to work this morning there was a notice to employees about voluntary leave without pay. Because of sequestration, our organization is expecting that all staff take three days/ 24 hours of furlough between April and September. For some that may be difficult. For others, a wish come true. I'm just glad it's out there as an option for those who have an interest in taking more time off. When you get to be my age, working full time for over thirty five years without a break, with many part time jobs from sixteen on, it's a reprieve. In health care we were always managing the expenses and I personally recommended many consolidations and closures. All areas were expected to be productive, and spans of control were significantly greater than what I see now. People worked a wide variety of shifts to enhance flexibility, increase morale, and meet the need. So this notification is something I am very familiar with. It should have happened a lot sooner, and should continue without a deadline.

Michael Craig Men's Grooming

I usually take photos of significant events, but I wasn't there yesterday and am using the website photos on Michael Craig's site. My husband has been going to Michael Craig since June of last year. When we first moved here, he tried a place by Union Station and came home with one sideburn longer than the other. He switched to a place on 8th Street and was nicked and cut. Once he found Michael Craig, he is a happy camper. Our nine year old grandson's barber left town and he was in search of a new place. So his parents asked grandpa to get the grandson a haircut where grandpa goes - Michael Craig. So grandpa made an appointment and the adventure began. After school, he brought the grandson for his first real haircut experience. Apparently it was delightful for him. They treated him like a gentleman, asked him how he would like his hair styled, asked him if he would like something to drink, spent a great deal of time with him. (Like most of the hair salons I have gone to all my life!) He came home beaming and loved his new haircut. It may be a little more expensive, but well worth it. Best of all, Mom liked it too. Highly recommended!

Keebler, Lance, and Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers

Even in Milwaukee I had a thing for cheese and peanut butter crackers. Every once in a while in the afternoon at work the hunger pangs strike, and the crackers are just the right amount and taste. My supply here was getting low so I asked my husband to look for some the next time he was in the grocery store. I'm never sure what he'll bring home, and it hardly matters. I do like Keebler, just because it is more familiar. The last time he brought home Ritz and today he brought home Lance. I'm just happy he remembers to do it and my snack drawer now has a replenished stash just in case there is an emergency. The cravings seem to come and go. I can go months without even thinking about it. But then I start thinking about them hiding in there and it becomes too easy. It's a good thing I'm not in to chocolate. I've still got some mint cups in the drawer from last year. But when you're desperate, anything goes.

Hill Rag Wall Art

As usual every month, I picked up the Hill Rag from the corner box on my way home from work. I always look forward to seeing what will be on the cover. It also serves as a changing wall art display in our TV room. I've been forwarding samples of my art to the Hill Rag Editor in the hopes that they might find it in their heart to actually use one of my pieces. So far, no luck. And I don't know anybody who could help! So, I continue to find venues to display my work around town, including the Wagtime Too Shop on M Street and in the Library. This weekend, through my on line Etsy shop, I got a request to do a mother and baby portrait and hope to finish it up this evening. I've also put art on Fine Art America and Zazzle. It seems the non traditional venues work best for me, so I'll continue with that approach. But I'd still love to grace the Hill Rag cover!

Moby Dick's New Leaf

Moby Dick is our betta fish. He replaced our 100 pound Russian Wolfhound, Tatiana. When you live in a small place, the options for pets are somewhat limited. Sometimes it feels like caring for this tiny thing takes more work than a huge dog. Because he likes to sit on leaves of some sort, it was necessary to replace the old ones, which were collecting a lot of algae, with a new strand of something. So I stole the greens my husband has been caring for that were sitting in a vase of water hanging on the wall, and replaced them with Moby's leftovers. This fish is very curious and likes to explore, and so it was with the new leaf. They say bettas have personalities, and we were surprised to find that is indeed the case. He really doesn't ask for much, and goes out of his way to get and retain our attention. He's just too small to hug!

Rowing

I'm not much for water sports. In Connecticut, our family went to Rocky Neck Beach. We have pictures of my brother and me sitting on the blanket - no where near the water. Growing up in Florida, I liked going to the beach, but only to sit on the sand and absorb the sunshine. In Wisconsin we had a view of Lake Michigan a couple blocks from our house and enjoyed driving along Lake Drive, but never went near the water there either. Here in DC, the George Washington Parkway runs along the Potomac River. Even though it was only 37 degrees today, the rowers were out in full force, along with a couple fisherman and kayakers. It all looks very nice and interesting, but I'm happy to let everyone else enjoy the water from that perspective. We may not like being in the water, but we've always lived in places that were located by it. And that suits us just fine.

Embassy, Daffodils, Seagulls, Geese, Construction, Window Washers, Police

If you look hard enough you can always find something interesting to photograph. Whenever I start to think about what I'm going to write about for the blog, something always comes up. We were driving home from lunch and I just started to see things. It's a cold first day of March, but some things are trying very hard to look like Spring. The shivering daffodils are already in bloom along the Rock Creek Parkway, the seagulls are enamored by their benefactor, the geese are wary of the spectator sneaking up on them along the Tidal Basin across from the Jefferson Memorial, and the window washers are working high above the ground erasing winter's fingerprints. As always, construction is everywhere - the South African Embassy renovation is supposed to be completed in Spring 2013, but the Washington Monument will take a lot longer from earthquake damage so long ago. And there are reminders of Capitol Police all around the neighborhood. And it doesn't matter what season it is. Wonder if the sequester will change that?