Reflections of the Unemployed Week - 11

It is now week 11 of being unemployed. Nothing new really to report. I want to thank everyone who has commented on my writing. At least I feel like I'm being productive and I'm making a few bucks in the process (and I do mean, only a "few" bucks) I could easily spend an eight hour day writing about whats going on in the news and I have a few odd ideas just for giggles but I, for some reason, feel guilty spending so much time at the computer because its not a "real job". I've made more money from just one poem than I have over a dozen blog posts. It was enough to purchase two pair of much needed glasses at the time but my poetic muse seems to have left me and who has the entrance fees anyway to enter contests? But I sure could use a pair of bifocals.

My newest endeavor is entering some of my photos in contests being hosted by a couple of big nature magazines and I've been sorting through hundreds of my photos. I don't carry my camera with me at all times, which I'm learning I should. I was leaving the grocery store on Friday and sitting at the red light, it began raining feathers. My first thought was that a bird was hit by a car but the feathers continued to fall in front of my van. I glanced up to see where they were falling from and on the top of a telephone poll, on one of our cities busiest streets was a Redtail Hawk, defeathering his dinner, one feather at a time. Now that was a shot for a Nature Photo contest (kicking self in rear for not having camera).

In the news from the workforce, more businesses are closing and more layoffs are coming on June 1st from Alcoa. One of the businesses closing is a car dealership and its not a GM dealership and a tanning salon closed its doors unexpectedly last week. I'm a bit discouraged on the job hunting, there's not much out there and our community is saturated with people looking. Every so often, the thought of relocating comes to mind but who has the money to relocate and where would one go? Its the same story nearly everywhere.

I've been spending a lot of time with the Grandsons and now that the weather is nicer we can spend more time outside. Last week I drug their toys outside and let them play until dark. Joseph learned how to climb "down" stairs, only one stair off the deck so he's in no danger, however he found the cellar doors and climbed to the top, I heard him whimpering around the corner only to find him stuck. I was running around the yard with the camera and asked Joseph what he was doing "way up there", he stopped whimpering and threw his hands in the air, indicating he really didn't know. Geffory learned how to fly helicopters and I had to teach him how not to crunch them all up in his hands before he tossed them in the air, otherwise they wouldn't fly. They have provided many great photo ops. Geffory is quite the ham and when he's doing something he deems interesting enough I hear "Grandma, take a picture". If only I knew where to send those photos?

Peace
Liz