Job Landing

After what comes near to 32 years or something close to it outta work, I very surprisingly landed a job.

J.O.B.

I can't believe it either which is why I have to spell it out for myself every time.

Maybe you have wondered why in the world I have not written to you since the last snow fall (it snowed here again yesterday by the way - short, fast flurries followed by sunshine and gobs of it, but it did snow!), and now you know. I have been working. Well, yes, I say working, but what I have really been doing is working at adjusting to working.

The job that I landed (or rather that has landed on me), is a writing job - believe it or not. I have been desperate to chatter all about it with you, but after writing for the man all day, the best I could do was to sorta store up and catalogue stories to tell you in sort of a back-logged fashion. I have missed you so, and it's high time we got caught up - don't ya think?

So, first things first.

A new owl moved in!

This is him.

Isn't he cool?
He's a wooden puzzle owl. He is exactly the kinda of tactile, puzzle toy I loved when I was little, and now that I'm big, he's still just the perfect toy.
A gift from friends. Handsome and I really do have the best sort of friends.

In addition to being the coolest toy ever, I think that he is particularly fitting to physically express my overall approach to life change... i.e. starting a new job after nearly 53 years of homemaking.

Watch this...
This is me before I started that new job:

Cool, calm, collected, pulled together. Not a care in the world. Looking a little tough, right?

This is me after:

Ha! It's been nearly two months since beginning work, so truly, life is starting to adjust, and I really am getting used to my new schedule - sorta.

I wish that I could say that I was here:

But on most days, the good days, the closest I get to normal is here:

 Not quite right, but getting closer, wouldn't you say?

Snow in Santa Clarita

The most amazing thing happened here yesterday. It snowed! It snowed in Southern California!

I never dreamed that we would ever see our house covered in snow - ever! Never ever! But look!

Can you tell that he is standing there in his socks? He's super-tougher in the cold than I am.

Handsome and I couldn't believe our eyes. You have to understand, having lived in places that receive real snow as part of the whole winter process, we know that snow in January is ... well, regular. BUT, when the rain drops in Santa Clarita turned all kinda fluffy and crunchy on our windshield just a mile from home, we were seriously in awe. We rubbed our eyes like tiny, Christmas tots. Could it really be real? Snow? HERE? Could that really be SNOW falling?

It was WARM just a day before -- kids barefooted kinda warm, and now, fluffy, gentle, soft, REAL snowflakes were falling.

We raced home to catch the snow on video -- we were sure that it'd be gone in minutes, but as it turns out, the bits we caught on video was just the beginning of the snow that was to come. As the evening rolled on, the snowed continued to roll in on us.

It was beautiful.

Tee-hee! I know, we totally geeked out on the snow, but it was sooo neat-o!

I wonder when it last snowed in Southern CA? Anybody happen to know?

This is all that was left this morning, and now it's all nearly melted away, but it was something special, and a really neat way to start the New Year.

With such an oddity as an opener, I wonder what the rest of the year will bring?