Self Employed Again

The summer cottage is vacuumed, aired out, and ready to receive me. De-cluttering still needs to be exercised, there, as well as in the house. Creativity for me, needs an organized, quiet, somewhat clean realm. My children are now rolling their eyes. Being clean and organized is not easy with four large rescue dogs, on a farm, with a loving spouse who grew up with maids and secretaries. Progress, due in part with the advent of more time on my part, no commute time, is being made.

My parents are lately involved in this transition from working stiff, to self-employed. They seep into my head more often than in the past. Perhaps they were always there? With fewer outside distractions, could it be I hear them better, or perhaps I am a better listener now?

My motto, “Onward and Upward” came from my mother. Clean floors and washed windows make a house look cleaner, came from my mother. One by one the windows are letting the sun shine in, minus the spider webs. Floors are being swept, vacuumed and mopped, just in time for mud season. Four large rescue dogs remember?

And then, there is the sofa. Many, many years ago my mother commissioned a Swedish design sofa. Her father was a Swedish furniture maker. With simple wood trim, ivory down cushions it was/is comfort personified. Every night my father would come home from work and take a cat nap on said sofa. The family admired the Christmas tree and enjoyed the fire on said sofa. I could not bear to part with it. We hoisted it up, with great difficulty, through a second story window when my widowed mother moved into an apartment on Comm Ave in Boston. My son slept there for a time when he lived with her.

The sofa has a soul, and it is interwoven into the fabric of our family. Now, it is time, however, for it’s tattered self to leave this world. Fear not, the down cushions will be re purposed. There is only so much cathartic-ism one can muster. A huge, really HUGE, step on my part. But, it is time. My parents are in my brain, my being, my soul. I do not need a once beautiful, custom made, down sofa to remind me of them. I hope. Onward and Upward.

My past life, I had my own brokerage company while living in KY. Long Run Investments. I loved that job and my clients, but that is a story unto itself. New Hampshire did not allow sole proprietorships of brokerage companies.

Discovered these photos while doing some digging for an article. These are from Tricked Out Trailers. A fun venture of mine I truly enjoyed. It wasn’t too long ago, but that is “Yet another story”.

While the benefits are incredible, working at home does have some drawbacks.

My husband is semi-retired and also works from home. Fortunately, he usually doesn’t come downstairs until lunch time. Mornings are mine. He is not used to having me trying to work while he is on the phone or working on his computer.

On my way to the summer cottage to spring clean so I can work there. Probably can hear his voice down there, but will play music.

I have two manuscripts to get out to my editor and two articles that need query letters sent. I need to concentrate.

Ramblings of the unemployed.

Monday, my self appointed day off. It is absolutely gorgeous. A spring day bonus in March.

The time change has no effect on me. I will not be late getting up or late to work.

What is this stress?

Perhaps days off are not good for me. Maybe it is the time change.

The garbage pick up was always the Friday after payday day. It is now an item in my google calendar.

Keep writing. There is a lot of prep work to queries and sending manuscripts out. The bathroom has been cleaned, dishes done, even the closets are clean.

Money. With the delay in severance and unemployment benefits money is an issue. This normally would be grocery week. Good thing the larder got stocked.

Movie on a Sunday night? Unheard of in the past. Popcorn at $7.00. Thank goodness for the Wilton Town Hall Theatre. There you find no cinematic rip off. And, Dennis doesn’t care if you sneak in a flask of bourbon to go with his $2.50 popcorn.

Since a job hunt must be performed for unemployment insurance, due diligence is done. No age discrimination. Get the damn manuscripts out to your editor friends and get going.

Miss my mechanical pencils from work.

The window next to my desk has cobwebs, the dogs need baths, laundry needs folding. Perhaps a query or two? Or, maybe I will clean the basement. At least I won’t have to whine about having to be in my office on a beautiful day such as this.

Wow, double digits!

Years ago, a very dear friend said she realized that where she was in life was as good as it was going to be. Wow, that depressed me. It seemed so defeatist! She was doing OK. Government job, adorable house. Then, everything turned upside down and right side up. She fell in love, sold her house, retired, eventually moved out of state. She now concentrates on campaigning for animals, hikes and does a bit of travelling. Her status quo was elevated and “all there is” is now in her rear view mirror.

My father spoiled me terribly. He was a stockbroker and he loved it. He vowed his little girl would be able to do what she loved. What made me happy, was being self-employed. That worked well for years. It was the consistency of a paycheque that brought me back into 9-5, Mon-Fri.

Since my surprise lay-off a lot of “retirement” age people, and others who find themselves suddenly out of a job, have contacted me with their stories. Working stiffs who are finally realizing their bliss. Some forced to change (no age discrimination remember) others fed up with the routine. I hope to share some of their stories. How they coped with unemployment, what made them decide to make the big move if not thrust upon them.

These stories will be on page two of this blog, and not part of my daily ramblings. If you have a story you would like to share. Shoot me an email at selfemployedagain@gmail.com

Good things. Woke up, always a good way to start the day, again fed the girls in my robe. The pockets are getting full. Bad things. Got on the scale and gained two pounds. Probably due to not walking back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth etc. through the warehouse. Note to self, get back on the trails with the dogs, but keep Rusty on a leash.

Good thing. Not doing as much laundry. Same old jeans, same old sweater. If this keeps up, gong to take a lot of clothes back to Goodwill. Another good thing. It has been over a week, and, even with my trip into Boston, there is over a half a tank of gas in my car. Bad things, well, quite honestly, except for cash flow, can’t think of any. Do miss my work buddies though.

More good things. Writing is my passion. You all have to suffer that. Now I wake up to it every day. Just please, help spread the words. The house is cleaner. After getting home from work, cleaning was the farthest thing from my mind. Now, because it is my work surroundings, it is important for my mental health. My kids will be glad.

Sorry to say all you 9-5ers, you know those beautiful days when we would go outside, some to smoke (you know that could kill you) some to walk dogs (good therapy) and some to climb the “leaving” hill, (the stigma is probably now gone) and wish that it would be declared a non work day? There is a place in the upper pasture where my hammock will find me with pencil and paper this summer.

“Procrastination just makes for hurridness and stress later” So wrote a friend who owns a local, very successful, open one day a week sometimes, bakery. When available, she supplies my yummy Saturday breakfast. She is so right. This morning saw me in a small panic. Unemployment requires you to log your job searches. They do not recognize job platforms on the internet such as Indeed. That doesn’t seem fair in this day and age. Insult to injury, because my lay off did not come until two hours into Tuesday morning, they won’t consider paying me for the rest of that week. We have everything covered for now, but going to be a rough few weeks. Severance won’t show up til the end of the month. The worst is the birds are hungry and I ran out of seed.

Opening my “Writer’s Market” and looking for the perfect venue for “Bwana Jim and the Ranger Cadets”. The next chapter begins. AFTER internet is restored.

Retraining my brain. Saturdays were always chore days. Do dishes, laundry, vacuum, you working stiffs know the drill. Sundays were my visit my grandson, after teaching lessons and hiking with the dogs day. Usually, if not heading into Boston, a “putter” day to gear up for Monday. Total discombobulation. Saturday I spent with my son and grandson. Sunday lesson cancelled, so hiked with the dogs, only to have one go temporarily AWOL. Two hours later than hoped we head home.

Brain to Miki. Get to work. Do the dishes. Wash that filthy window. Split the firewood. Get the laundry hung. “Whoa” brain I says. Chill. Tomorrow is another day. No need to panic. Chores don’t have a Sunday evening deadline. You got this. Going to take some training. Think I shall do the dishes and wash that window.

Perhaps Mondays should be my days off? Always thought it the best day off. But, will that make Tuesday, Monday? Lest you, or I, thought I cheated and took a weekend. Saturday was spent working on my “romance novel” working title Gone Away. Loosely based on years of fox-hunting and more than half way finished. Also, as one does need a back up, worked on my resume. There is no such thing as “age discrimination” and no insider trading. Not much optimism that a strong resume will really help. One should have a back up plan I suppose.

Ah the irony! No working in Jammies, but the girls needed hay and I was running late. Self employed and running late? What’s with that? There is a schedule to keep, and it starts with feeding the mares and then sitting down to work. Well, actually, it starts with a cup of coffee, at least one cup, and THEN feeding the mares. They get antsy after 7.15, so, wanting to take a shower, yes, that is still sometimes in the schedule, they got fed in robe and slippers. No longer hay on my work clothes. New sticking place, in my bathrobe pockets. Momentous change #2. (First was being laid off)

Switching gears. Yes, sticking to my guns and did finances today. Taking a deep breath as unemployment won’t kick in for a couple of weeks. Did I mention what a paperwork night mare that is! Judging doesn’t start until April. My severance package is delayed two weeks because even though the paperwork is filed, the powers that be are out of the country for two weeks. Lesson money is greatly appreciated. Optimism prevails. My bill log still shows depletion progress and my expenses are small right now. Might be a bumpy ride, but I DO NOT want to use my credit cards and oh my gosh, I am so loving being able to do what I love!

It has been a while since I got out of bed because wanted, not needed. What an unexpected pleasure for this morning person. Want to sleep past 6am? Horses won’t be upset til 7.30 latest. This is doable. Doesn’t happen, this sleeping in, but the idea that it can is delightful.

There are other perks to self employment. As mentioned, not a “jammie” person, however routinely a shower person. When you sleep with a dog, or sometimes don’t get sleep with two dogs, the thought of smelling like one, or two appalled. For the good of my co-workers, morning showers were routine. Now, my co-workers, hopefully you switched to my FB page for selfemployedagain to see, smell like dogs and don’t care a sniff. No worries world, on venture off the farm days, shower.

Another big plus, this is gross, you may want to skip this paragraph. Most of my work was done in the back of the warehouse. The sample room was affectionately called “the cave” as it was under the mezzanine. Warehouses are inherently dirty, dusty and filled with cardboard dust, as well as a myriad of other particles. So the grossness is/now was, that when my nose needed to clear itself, it was relieving my body of grey matter. Not my brain grey matter, at least one can hope. News flash. This morning clean and as pure as snot can be. Told you this was a gross subject. However, mud season is upon us so one must appreciate clean snot while one can. Dogs and horses are shedding and muddy.

YOU MAY NOW QUIT SCROLLING DOWN.

To end this post on a less “Ewwwie” note. Weekends no longer matter. Should it make sense and work with my schedule to work on Saturday and not Monday, that is a viable choice. Work from 7am to 2pm, again, my choice. Many of my CT friends are self employed. Now, with laptop slung over my shoulder and I can travel anywhere, even CT and work. Being laid off, for right now, has given me freedom, less stress, a dream come true. AH but in a future post we shall get into the scary world of finances. For now, taking a deep breath, heading to our local bakery, and into Boston to see my son and grandson. Life is amazing!