Wednesday, November 22, 2017

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!




Tuesday, November 14, 2017

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.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 5, 2017

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....