We thought everything was OK between the two of them. They co-exist in the house together and for the most part keep their distance. Sure, being brother and sister can be tough at times. You can choose your friends and not your family. Both of them have had their chances to leave and be out on their own, but they each decided to stick it out where life is easier. So we thought.
There are differences in opinions of how they like things and when to eat. For the most part, they do enough to avoid each other and remain silent. Last night the two of them got tangled up into fever pitched fight that I thought I would have to get a fire hose to separate them. There was screaming and crying and fur flying like I had never seen before. When I stepped into the room to break it up, Fluffy made her break for the door and Hoagie (pictured) ran under the bed. There was enough fur floating in the air to make another cat. Then I looked at Hoagie as he peeked from under the bed. He was licking his chops...full of fur. It looked like he had a grey and white beard. I grabbed the big ball of fur hanging from his mouth. I should have let him figure out how to get all that fur off his face, but I knew the consequences would be a huge hairball later.
So I spent the last week of unemployment in many different but productive ways. Monday and Wednesday were Nolan days after his daycare. We enjoyed playing together and riding on my lawn tractor.
Tuesday I spoke at the Greenville City Manager's meeting for the March of Dimes. I shared our story about Beau and Haley and received a very nice thank you email from their March for Babies team leader, Leslie. After the meeting I dropped Gin off at the MOD office and I changed into jeans and a button down shirt for a meeting at a friend at Caterpillar who is the maintenance manager. After my visit at Caterpillar and a change into shorts & T-shirt, I drove over to the Simpsonville City Park and played disc golf on their 9 hole course. It is the type of course you would only want to play once and that's all I can say for it. I met Gin back at the MOD office and we drove over to Wendy's for a dollar value lunch then back to work for Gin. I played the Holmes Park 9 hole course which makes for a great warm-up course before Timmons Park. So....after Holmes Park I was at Timmons Park and played their par 3 course. I did fairly well but not as well as the 57 I scored the first time there. I picked up Gin a little later and we made it home in time for dinner.
Friday I started cutting the grass and kept hearing a noise that didn't quite sound right. After I finished the front yard I turned the mower off and investigated. A belt guide was loose and hanging on the cutting deck. After further investigation I found out that the bolt had broken off. So...after 3 hours of repair work Saturday night, I finished cutting the grass Sunday morning.
Saturday I attended the Loch Norman Scottish Festival in Huntersville, NC. I helped the Hahn's (Caris' in-laws) at the piping competition tent. When I wasn't busy, I walked the grounds and talked to old friends from past festivals. I also caught up with Timmy Hord and we exchanged our had made for 5 items. Timmy made a Scottish drinking cup for whiskey made of clay. I gave her the oak frame for painting. The frame is bi-fold and has my wooden hinge incorporated into the two halves. Timmy is a portrait artist and plans to paint a continuous scene on each side.
I start my new job tomorrow. As always, I am cautious when starting a new job. I don't want to jump in with both feet and get burned or frozen because I didn't test the water. Slow and easy is the best approach. The thought of being a career employee with most companies is a thing of the past. I have realized this since 2002 which was the last time I was laid off. How can a person put their whole heart into their work, when in an instant their lives can be turned upside-down because business is bad. C'Est la Vie (Fr. Such is Life)
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