Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Just a few thoughts...

Waking early in the morning really helps the day start right. The ageless addage "early to bed, early to rise..." seems to be a bit of wisdom that truly works. Finding anything around these days that works is rare. Another thing that works is my morning cup of coffee; the caffeine that is.
Fueled by the bean and having washed night out of my eyes, my mind dances with delight at the rising sun, the cool, crisp air outside, and the fading darkness.
Recently my stress level got above 'meager' to 'noticable'. My secretary left for greener fields and I was left pondering the complexities of finance. One saving grace was that everything financial was organized within a program called QuickBooks. The stress came from having to learn this and then search out the truths of where everything is, how to extract it or place it, and then to see if what I did really worked at all. The program was a bit forgiving thankfully. You see, my wife does all our finances and I, very contently I might add, totally ignore them except to receive my allowance (which isn't much....but I'm happy with the setup). However, now I've had the opportunity to learn something about cash flow, reports, accounts, sub accounts....etc. Am I the better for it? Probably. Does it add stress to my life? Certainly. I'm most comfortable with the familiar, as we all are. But when the unfamiliar comes it's either fight or flight. I had no choice. And the fight wasn't all that bad either. It's amazing what we are capable of when we 'hunker down' and roll up our sleeves. I feel pretty confident that I could handle matters financial with a bit more training. So that is my learning curve for the month; my 'hilltop' experience. I'm still playing around in QuickBooks, but now my playing is more productivity than discovery.
I found my second dog, Hamlet, also. He was under the garden shed the whole time. Seems that he decided to take off and disappear for several days while my wife and I gossiped incessantly about him behind his back. We had him all but headed for the coast of California in the passengers seat of an 18 wheeler. But, alas, I was stepping out of the garden shed and there he was, tail between his legs. The looks translated in this way: "If you take me back, I'll try to behave more properly......Sir." I gave him a scratch behind his ears and checked his teeth to see if he'd maintained proper dental care. He didn't have any ticks or fleas on him at first glance so I was a bit confused if he had been out in the bigger world, or holed-up under the shed the whole time. Hamlet's a Jack Russel, you see, and is prone to flights (perhaps 'fits' is more fitting) of fanciful mayhem concerning wooden fences and walls that don't quite extend a couple feet underground. The only thing I've found to keep him in check is an electric fence. He doesn't like the electric fence..............neither do I. The other dog 'Ralphie' is sort of like the Christmas Story character and quite innocent of all the hoohah that Hamlet flourishes in. Hamlet is more like Scott Farkus.
Anyway, we are all here now and it's time to walk Ralphie and Scott...er, Hamlet.
L8r.