My Day Job...

I thought I would share what my full

time job is.  I work as a civilian for the Military.

I have spent my whole life around the US Military

as my Dad retired from the US Army, and so did my Grandfather.

We traveled all over the world this way between the US 

and West Germany.  My brother and sister and I were all born

in different locations in Germany,

This is my office.  I have worked for the

past 26 years for the Exchange as

a Visual Merchandiser Manager.  Currently I manage the

signing and displays for 6 stores for the military soldiers

and their families.  I create various computer graphics on

the computer and print them out on a large format printer.

I place orders for all the stores and it is my responsibility

to make sure all the signing and presentation of

products and the store meets our companies display regulations.

I am their marketing department.

With it being a retail store... Christmas is our

busiest time of the year.  We don't operate off government funds, and

are self sustaining.  We are all over the world.  Wherever the military

is based, so it the Exchange to serve them and give them what then need.

So this is what I have been doing over the last week.

I start by climbing the ladder and lugging these big

swags up.

I also hang all the other Christmas signing

above the isles. You can see one in the

background.

It's good exercise lugging these heavy things

up and down by myself.

Then I start on the floor displays.  So basically

every display, or sign in the store is me.

I position the mannequins and try to make

inviting displays.

I do attractive displays on each feature table. I use

my imagination.  This year I used balls with  ribbon.

Also large glass looking snow flakes

I wrap many metallic gifts, bows and display through out

 the store to tie in with the sign kits colors so everything goes together. 

I even did the large poinsettia arrangements and painted the urns

they are displayed in.  All the signs you see saying Guess or Nine West-

that's me.  Printing them and cutting them and putting them up.

The posters of the purses something I did also.

I like the versatility of my job.  I can be

working on graphics on the computer

or setting up a display idea that I have.

We do have regulations but there is also

creative freedom in many areas.

So that's what I do all day and hopefully

if all goes as planned I will be able to retire

in 5 yrs. with a full pension and health insurance.

Then I will be able to work  as

much as I want on my Art!

Farewell for now my dear Finnegan...

 

Sunday we put down my big beautiful boy- Finnegan.
I did an earlier post on how I discovered

this summer he had heart disease.  His heart was becoming enlarged and thus not pumping blood correctly.  Saturday I told my husband that I thought it was maybe time to put him down.  I could see how hard his body was working to breathe.  You could literally see the sides of his body working so hard to breathe.   I could also tell he wasn't feeling well, wasn't being social and was hiding in the closet.  Then Sunday morning when my husband went to give him his medications he noticed his entire chest was soaked & wet from him drooling all over himself.

So we made the decision to not allow him to suffer.  

 

 

Even though I knew it was coming it still did not make it easier.  I think the fact that he was  only 4 yrs. old and such a beautiful cat full of so much personality just makes it seem like such a waste of such a wonderful life. 

 

 

I try to focus on memories of him that make me smile. 

 

 

 I know for a fact that he is in Heaven and that although

his life here was short, I will see him again in Heaven.

My younger brother is in Heaven and when he died he

communicated with me after his death through dreams.

These were not normal dreams, but visitations.

It doesn't matter to me if you believe me, for

I know with every fiber of my being that it is a real

thing. I have always been spiritual and able to sense

things even as a child.  Maybe that is why he came

to me to relay messages that other people

had asked in their prayers. I think I was just a bit more receptive.

 He relayed to me many things, but for this post

I will focus on the one concerning our pets.

In one of the dreams he came

to me to relay a message to my mother.

He came  to show me that my mom's

Dog- Early was with him.  I saw Early happily

playing with a ball and was assured that our

pets also go to heaven.  I saw that they become

a high definition version of what they were here.

So intense and full of life they exude color and brightness.

 

 

So I know my Finn is with all my other

departed animals in super HD.

 

 

So for now I will comfort myself with

thoughts of him being well cared

for until we are reunited.

 

 

I will focus on things that comfort me.

 

I will send prayers of Love to

my Loved one's in Heaven.  Meaning people

and animals.   I believe....maybe I

read it somewhere along the way

but I do believe that we can send prayers

to God and ask him to let us talk to our

loved one through prayers.  I think it is

important for our loved

ones to know they are missed and loved.

I believe this helps them

and I do it often.  I also

believe it helps those that

have just arrived to adjust

to their new transition.

 

 

I  believe my calling is to love

and care for animals and

give them the best possible

life I can here on earth.  I am

so very grateful and feel

blessed that I had my Finn

for the time I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving the Plants in for the Winter

I am battling a miserable head cold.

The nights are now dipping into the 30's in Michigan

so I moved all my plants inside from my green house.

  I don't heat it in the winter. 

I wish this house had better light.

It's always a struggle for me to find a place for them,

especially since  they grow so much in the summer outside in the shade.

I over winter a few annual flowers inside that would

not survive the winter here.

Here you can see my Geraniums in big pots.  This pic 

was taken at the beginning of the

growing season.  They get as big as shrubs simply

because they are about 3 yrs. old.

There are all sorts of ways to over winter

geraniums.  I have tried others with

less success and for me this works

best.  I replant them in  large plastic pots with

new dirt.  I cut back the plant otherwise 

they would never fit inside.  This year they were pretty 

shocked so I weakly fertilized them to get over

the shock.  Usually you only want to cut them 

about 1/3 back. Then I just treat them like a house

plant throughout the winter.  They usually

stop blooming 1/2 way through

winter but the leaves stay green.

In April I usually move them out to my green house.

I fertilize them and with the added sunlight they

perk back up and start filling out and blooming.

Then in the spring they get planted back in my 

large planters. I like how big they get in the summer.

Honestly I have never seen Geraniums this

large for sale in the spring at any

garden centers.

With the dark winter ahead  I can

enjoy my green plants inside.

I have to gather them around my windows and hope for the best.

I'm not a fan of the falling back time change. 

I know we gain an hour of sleep but for

me that means I will go to work in the dark and when

I go to the barn at after work it will be dark.  The only

time I'll be able to ride my horse outside is on the weekend.

Does anyone one else hate the time change business?

I sure hope I feel better soon....