My Little Red Scooter

This is my new transportation. A 2005 Honda Metropolitan. It gets about 90 mpg but only goes 40 mph on a good day. A good day is wind at the back and a hill going down. I'm also in my "school work uniform." I've been working every day at Les Boise Jr. High. It's a 26 mile round trip ride so I figure it costs me less than a $1 on this scooter. That's important because they don't pay enough to drive a real car. My shifts are only 2-3 hrs. long and at $8.50 it seems hardly worth it. But, I'm aiming for the Verizon phone discount, remember? Govt. discount to all employees. And, No... I don't ride dressed like this. I have a helmet, gloves, and jacket. I even like to wear a reflective vest when traveling further than the corner gym.

I have wished for a Vespa for years, and they still make them. The problem is they are expensive and I can't imagine that I would ever drive enough to make up for a $5,000 scooter. They have a new one that is a remake of a 1979 model, but it's still $3,000 as used. I've noticed people have scooters for sale, and they ask way more than Blue Book Value because they are sold out every where. I guess they are a HOT item when gas prices get so high. I've been waiting for a deal, and this one came along. The Honda dealership told me that I could probably drive this for 3 years and still sell for at least what I paid, if not more. Now that's a deal! Of course, it will get a little chilly in the winter and I'm more a fair weather type, so I'll probably have to put it away soon.

I Got my Call

But, I didn't get the job. Boo Hoo. I was left a polite message on my machine...
Thank you for coming in to interview.... Basically it was a really hard decision for them but they picked one after the last interview today. Good news is they want to keep my application to call again if there is another opening soon. Bad news is I need a job before then.

Interview Over, Now Wait

I drove straight from the Jr. High cafeteria to the Ada County Courthouse and waited for my interview. I was a little stressed over it. It's the first one in 19 years. I was also underdressed, since I wore my cafeteria uniform with a quick switch of shirt in the bathroom.

I was introduced to the elected official Treasurer, along with 2 other ladies. It was a little bigger of a deal than I was anticipating. They informed me that 80 people applied for this job! 5 of us are getting the privilege of interviewing. That boosted my confidence for a moment. Then they asked a load of questions. I felt like I did ok and when they were done they handed me a test! Yes, a 3 page test on basics (or not so basic) Word, Excel and english grammar. Ugh.
It might have been multiple choice, but I'm rusty. I guessed at 3 of the answers, and now that I look at the menu for Word, I see I missed one that I thought I had right. Oops. But, looking in my dictionary, I'm thinking the 2 words I guessed at I got right. Hmmm.... I wonder if I'll ever know??

They had one remaining interview for tomorrow and hoped to be able to get back to us afterwards or by Wed. Until then, I wait for news. Good news is that benefits start 30 days after working, and I can start in just 2-3 weeks.

I Get the Interview!

I was so disappointed on Thursday morning when I saw that the job posting with the Treasurer's Office had been removed. The FAQ said that we would get an email if they were not interested in our application, and a call to schedule an interview if they were. I had gotten neither. I scootered all the way to work that morning praying that God would will it to happen.

I went off to work at the cafeteria and Dave called by 10 am that I had gotten a call from the Treasurer's Office! Whoo Hoo! I was just about bursting the rest of my morning.

Immediately after getting home I called them back and got an interview for Monday at 2. Pray hard for me. We could really use this job, and I think it would be a perfect reintroduction back into the work force. It's part time 25 hrs. per week with full govt. benefits. I know, only government would do that. The catch is that I work full time up to 16 weeks of the year during tax time. Since that is Dave's slowest time for work, it should work out fine with the boys. We need the benefits. Well, need is relative and since we've had none in 14 years, I don't know that we "need" them. But they sure would make life easier.

I had a full week substituting at the Jr. High this week, and they asked me back for next week. They have a permanent spot to fill and were hoping I would apply for the job. But, it is hard work, back breaking, and my hands are bleached dry and I feel like I'm volunteering for the money they pay. There are no benefits either. Sorry Les Bois. I'm starting to feel like I need to go back to what I was experienced in to make the best use of my time and get paid for it. This tax clerk job comes closest to what I think I can handle. We'll see if they think so on Monday.

Mom Visits

Happy Birthday Mom!

We had a fun filled, activity packed weekend. We only had 2 days, and beautiful weather to do everything we had planned. Saturday we got up "early" after a tiring week and the boys just wanted to sleep in.

We got to the Farmer's Market downtown and browsed and sampled and purchased a few choice items. I love my Huckleberry syrup and vinegrette dressing!

Then, we walked up 8th street while the guys dropped off the food items at the truck to keep cool and out of our hands.

We stopped at the STICKS art gallery where Steve made a purchase for himself, and Mom bought us this really cute mirror for Birthday/Christmas gifts for Dave and I for the rest of our lives. Thanks Mom! It fits the entry wall just perfect and it gets lots of fun comments too.

We continued up 8th street until we reached the Julia Davis Park where there was Art in the Park festivities. We ate, browsed the booths, made purchases and left he boys sitting on the grass waiting for us. I'm sure Steve stocked up on postcards, while Dave and I spent another $15 on a real nice key chain holder. Holds all the keys! and is so "Idaho" like.

Then, we needed to go back and get the truck to bring it over to the other side of the river so we wouldn't have to walk so far after our show. For Mom's birthday, we took her to the Terry Fator show at the Morrison Center. He's the one that won the America's Got Talent show last year. He had a fun show! Everyone enjoyed it, and he did a great job with his puppets and singing, and was truely funny. We didn't get home until almost 11pm. It was a full day downtown.

Sunday morning came along, and we dragged the boys out of bed again, and headed off to Idaho City. We were aiming for lunch and ice cream cones and just browse through the old mining town. Along the way we stopped at this old bridge and were amazed at how few boats were enjoying the lake on such a beautiful day. We're anxious for Patrick to get here from AZ this fall so that we can boat with him next year :)


We did make it finally to Idaho City where we immediately went to lunch at Donna's Place. We sat outside to take advantage of the perfect temperature. Then, off to the gift shops so Steve could buy more postcards. Then we wandered the streets looking at the old buildings. After about an hour of that we were ready for ice cream cones so we headed back to the diner and enjoyed yummy Blue Bunny ice cream, Dave's favorite.

We got home early enough to make some dinner at home, and then get the boys ready for school the next morning. Mom and Steve left just before 6am for the 14 hr. drive back home. The boys were off to school and I went and did my gym workout then came home and took a nap!

My First Day of Work

Monday was Labor Day, and we simply enjoyed being home.

Tuesday morning rolls around and I just hung up the phone after the Sears repair guy told me he would be another hr. or so. Then, I got a call to sub in the lunch room. I was so relieved that I had a good excuse. They wanted me there by 9:30 and the repair man wouldn't even be here unti then. I just haven't been convinced that I want to work in the lunch room at the public school since I went to the 2nd orientation. Yes, the hours are good because they never need me when the kids have no school , but the pay isn't that great and I'm not looking forward to bleached hands. I promptly filled my day and forgot all about it.

The Sears repair man came and fixed our fridge. It was freezing up on the top half, and icing over the fridge side but keeping the temp too low. They replaced 3 parts and boy was I glad that I decided to do the extended warranty 6 months ago. At that time, they fixed the ice maker that would have cost $200. This time, the bill would have come to $442! Seems like the $60 ext. warranty was a good deal, this time.

We had the micro go out just 1 day before the warranty expired. We moved in Aug. 15. On the 14th, the micro quit displaying numbers. Only the 30 sec. button worked. The Sears repair guy came and ordered a part and came back again the next week only to find that the part ordered was white instead of stainless. However, in the process, he unplugged the micro and found out that when he plugged it back in, it rebooted, and appears all is working fine! He ordered the correct part anyway, and now if it does go back out, even though the warranty is over, we'll have the part and Dave can install it. WHew!

So, Wednesday morning comes around, and I thought I was safe from the school calls because I told them I couldn't work on Wednesdays. (I'm going to the church bible study this year and it's Wed. morning, starting next week.) Well, they were so desperate that they called me anyway. I got myself cleaned up from the gym workout I had just done, and went all the way out to East Boise to Les Bois Jr. High. Turns out it is the newest, biggest cafeteria in the Boise district. That was a relief. I was having a big problem with the space issues they warned us about. Some lunch rooms are the size of our son's bedroom but 3 people work in there and deal with all the appliances and lack of sink space. So, I cut hoggie buns, counted wheat vs. white, served Domino's pizza, cleaned lunch tables, stalked the line watching for kids without lunch cards, and washed up all the dishes when done. It wasn't so bad afterall. The people were nice, and the cafeteria was big and clean. So, now I can get that pay stub that shows I'm a "govt" employ and use that for some needed discount to get Josh a cell phone.

As much as I was pleasantly surprised with my first day, I am still not convinced that I want to work in various schools for $8.50-9.50/hr. I've been watching the job postings, looking for something that is accounting related that doesn't require full time. They are far and few between! The bookkeeping jobs are slow to find, and wouldn't amount to much at first, and would require alot of driving around. Plus, it is another self employed business subject to the pit falls of no holiday, vacation, or benefits.

I did come across this job posting with the Ada County Treasurer's office.: Tax Clerk part time with excellent full benefits! Hmmm.... the benefits of govt. work and accounting experience and benefits, with only part time! After talking to Dave about it, I applied this morning. Everything is online these days, so I have no idea how long it takes for them to route it to the right dept.
Anyway, I think this would be a perfect job for me this winter while Dave will again be struggling to keep busy. This job is 25hrs/week most of the year, and turns full time for 8 weeks when property tax bills are due. Nov-Jan and May-June. Perfect for this winter when we'll need the income, but I'm still hesitant about the summer. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. But, I'm excited about this job because it has great potential, and sounds like something I would like.

In the mean time, we're anxiously awaiting my mom and Steve to arrive in town tomorrow. It's a short stay, only the weekend, on a stop over from Glacier National Park on their way to Northern Ca. I'm looking forward to seeing them!

The Idaho Fair

This weekend was the last of the fair (there are only 2 weekends). Since everyone was sick last weekend and school started midweek, we hadn't yet been to see the fair. We didn't get here in time for it last year. By the way, Aug. 15 marks our 1 yr. anniversary of moving to Boise!

Josh went to the youth group pool party Sat. It was a time for the incoming 9th graders to meet the other high schoolers. We took him over at 3:30 and we was brought back home at 9:30 that night by someone who lived in this direction.

That left Zachary, and he just wanted to sit and veg on the couch. So, Dave and I went together Sat afternoon. It was a nice time, although it was 100 degrees. I think we've only had about 5 days of over 100 this summer, and it just had to be one of these days. We enjoyed watching the dogs compete for the longest jump into a splash pool. Aussies were taking the lead when we moved on. We had a huge tasty "Saladman" dish of grilled veggies on a bed of lettuce.

We bought some household and car polish. Today I have been testing it out, and polished everything in all 3 baths. Mirrors, tubs, showers, toilets, shower doors, sinks, faucets..... Everything feels so nice and clean and smooth! I love helpful gadgets like that. My arms will be sore from the circular motions up over my head though.

I watched with lust over the demonstration of the professional pressure cooker. How I would love to cook beans from dry in 40 minutes. Or full chickens in 20. But, at $280 for a size that would also can quart jars, I figured we would come back next year and drool some more. There was a booth giving out brochures on a class at BSU learning to can. I've always wanted to learn to can. The neighbor gal said that she buys crates of fruits from the local orchard, and cans 300 quart jars of pears and 300 peaches! I'm not sure where I would store all those, myself. But, I'd love to have some of the fresh summer fruits/veggies to last into the winter.

It's only Tues, and I've finished a whole book on my 888 list, and working on the next in the Hannay series by Buchan. These are fun mystery/thriller type books from the early 1900's. Great literary quality for the genre. There are 5 in the series. I've only been able to come up with the first 4. And I'm reading number 2 now.

Dave is off working in Nampa, so yesterday the boys got a treat, and he picked them up soon after school was over. We noticed the carpool car came home at 6:30 last night! Those are long days.

I haven't been called to sub for the lunch room at the school district, so I'm getting plenty done around the house. But, Dave was talking with his customer in Nampa about me, and it may work out that she needs a bookkeeper for her coffee shop, and for her husband's construction business. She also thought that she knew enough other small businesses that I could keep myself busy enough making a nice tidy income from them all. I'm anxiously awaiting for her to call me when she gets off work! It would sure beat the lunch room dish washing! My only hesitation in getting regular clients as such is that they continue to do business when it is vacation and break time from school. I hate to be having to work when the boys are home. I'll have to be very picky in choosing some clients. But, I suppose I should use my previous skills that can make some decent income for us. I'm sure it will be another slow winter for Dave.