Well!

It's been a while since I posted anything. Funny, but now that I'm an unemployed bum I have even less free time than when I was working. Let's see what's been going on....

A four month long contract position ended in March, leaving me high and dry. Since then I've been double-minded about my own business. I've been throwing my resume around but no one is hiring... at least, no one is hiring ME! So I'm registered with the state as a sole proprietor for the installation and maintenance of business communication systems. That was the easy part. Now I have to actually go and find work for my self.

To anyone thinking about starting a business: If you even *HINT* to your state that you are starting your own business you WILL NOT receive unemployment compensation. Period. Oops on me but what was I supposed to do? Lie? Out of the question.

At first, I was not going to apply but a friend urged me to do so. "Why not? That's what it's there for" was the basic argument. Turns out it's not for anyone actually interested in doing something. I should just sit on my couch and watch Oprah and claim I'm sending out resumes.

Oh well.

Meanwhile, the Wilds have opened up a new campground about 7 miles from our house! Whoot!  I've been helping get things organized for this summer a little (very little, don't think I'm bragging here) so that takes up some time.

And I've been helping friends around town clean up their yards by cutting up fallen trees. Some have been damaged from last December's ice storm while others were just dead or dying. Still, free clean up for them equals free firewood for me! If this keeps up I'll have a good supply for winter. I'm not an expert with a chain saw but I can (sometimes) get a tree to fall exactly where I want it to go. The other times it falls exactly where I DO NOT want it to fall. At least I haven't hit any power lines!

And my telephone services earned me a little last month so I'm not completely hopeless!  Hmm... Telephone and tree removal service? Not exactly what my business plan says but hey, ya gotta go where God leads, eh?

On the home front:  Little Girl is almost walking. She'll rush around the house holding onto walls and furniture but will only take a step or two without holding on to something. Still only two bottom teeth with (maybe) a third coming in down there. Talking up a storm of gibberish with some words and phrases mixed in. She calls for her (slightly) bigger brother, says "wow! What was that?" and a few other strange things she's picked up from the other kids. We taught her to sign "more" several months ago so she could tell us if she was still hungry and wanted "more". Now she signs and says "more" at the same time. She has a favorite book which she'll hold up to you and beg to have it read. If you don't, she'll get angry and growl. If you take the book and sit in the rocking chair she'll laugh and wiggle and can't wait to sit in your lap.  And she loves looking at pictures of people.

Yikes! We're getting ready to home school a high school student next year! Fun and exciting!

That's it for now. I'll post something else this year. Yes, definitely this year.