There is a definite chill in the air even with sweatpants and a sweater on. Chicken with 50 Cloves of Garlic (Provencal Light, Martha Rose Shulman) is on the menu tonight with zucchini and fresh peaches for dessert. I don't see the Irish lad much; we are ships passing in the night so I try to make Sunday dinner a little special. Either he is going to bed and I am getting up for work or I am going to bed and he is getting ready for work. We will see what the new month brings as the contract at the place he is is at is up and he will need to be placed elsewhere. I am hoping he will have Sunday off so we can spend some time together.
The rapidity of darkness was astonishing to me. This whole year has had a feeling of unreality time-wise. When we had the light in early June, I was thinking it was much later than it actually was even with the slow growth in the gardens. It is fully dark now by 8 and dark still at 6 am. I read somewhere that we will lose another six hours between now and October. I started taking hypericum a few weeks ago for SAD.
The fall semester at AMDC coincided with the public school schedule. I have added Fridays and Saturdays to my schedule and it is filling up fast. I believe I will have near 30 students, but am trying not to think of that as it is almost overwhelming. I am going to conduct a choir for six-to-ten year olds on Saturday afternoons and possibly perform at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in December and also at the AMDC recital. I am sure there are other places we could perform; possibly ANMC for the elders at holiday-time. I also have several young adults who would enjoy performing karaoke but need a suitable venue for that. I have performance ideas percolating.
The other work is extremely busy just now also and will continue through next April. We are learning a new system which takes ten people off the phones, so callers are on hold for ten minutes or more during large parts of the day. For the most part, consumers are still friendly so it's always a shock to get the odd, incredibly rude one. It has been a long time since I have been involved in customer service on the front lines and people have gotten ruder. The prevalence of automated lines, instant gratification of the Internet, the anonymity of the rep, and the hectic pace of everyone's lives have all contributed to this. Those of us who choose are now working through lunch. I don't believe I am going to continue doing this. While the weather is still good (not snowing), I think I am going to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
October is National Energy Month. I have been encouraging almost every consumer who asks for Website assistance to go online and fill out the Energy Audit Analysis. Our new Energy Efficiency Expert developed this for consumers who have a half hour and the willingness to take the responsibility of their energy consumption into their own hands to input electrical devices. It is quite thorough separating incandescent, LED, and CFL bulbs and takes into consideration the age of appliances but doesn't include such things as the AeroGarden (Approx. $6 per month for the Space Saver.), fish tanks, or hot tubs. I would include the website here but you have to be a Chugach customer to input. I am sure there are other websites out there with surveys.
I am part of a small group now testing Surge Protectors with on/off buttons. I remember Grandma going around unplugging all the electrical devices and it used to irk me. Lo and behold, they were right to do this as Phantom power consumption occur. I also have borrowed a Kill-A-Watt meter to measure consumption. The results have not really been surprising as this is an aging house that has not been cared for and was never well-built to begin with. The result is we are going to get On/Off surge protectors for all the major outlets in the house.
We are also slowly switching bulbs to the CFLs as we are able to. They are shockingly expensive but not when compared to the savings in the long run as they last far, far longer and use less energy. There is also an energy-efficient furnace fan we need to investigate as I believe the fan is going soon. Of course, we have always wanted an On-demand hot water heater, but that is going to wait. The Irish lad does a large number of laundry loads, but the clothesline will not be in use this winter, most likely.
I have applied for a new job within the company, more suited to my talents and experience. Although it came at an inconvenient time, I took a lot of time to survey my past work history (non-performing) and went through the bid qualifications one by one to prove my experience. I spent a lot of time on the cover letter and put together a nice little package. Even if I don't get it, I know I am fully capable and qualified for the position. 70 people applied for it. Over 90 applied for the two temporary customer service positions, so the economy has finally started to tank here. Of course all those who applied still have to pass the typing tests. The qualifications are 35 wpm for cus.svc. and 60 for the Admin job. I should know by the end of the month.
Pak, who is now ancient at 13!
Papa-san chair
Arch, with struggling morning glories. In the background is the firepit wood pile and raspberry plants and 2nd shed.
Overtaking the walkway under the arch!
You can tell how big the plant is because the papa-san chair is dwarfed! You can see the fish-drying rack over near the shed.
Heavenly!
Best kale I have ever had, next to French sorrel.
Post-script: The chicken with 50 garlic cloves was incredibly delicious but it did warm up substantially outside so it would have tasted better on a cooler day. It's a keeper!
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