SOME STUFF DONE RECENTLY

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!! Thanks for stopping by!

Well, nothing exciting here. Thought I would just catch you up on a few things I've done recently.

First of all, my aunt's fabulous next-door neighbor, Susan L., showed up with one of the rescue dogs that will be up for adoption after it successfully finishes its heartworm treatment. She's a cutie!! She was very much a lover and content to sit in one's lap as long as there was petting involved. Here is Halle, happily situated in my aunt's lap!!

If you aren't aware of the difference between dogs and cats, let me point out that Halle was all about the affection. Looking for love. Wanting to be held. My cat, Dude, on the other hand... well, I think the look says it pretty well. "Leave me alone. This is MY basket and you better not try to move it or me!"

Okay. Those were close-to-home events. The spousal-unit and I decided to take a little day trip up to Fort Polk, specifically to the Kisatchie National Forest area, where there are some interesting places he had discovered on some of his previous trips there. Understand the entire park covers about 604,000 acres!! The area we visited is the Vernon Unit of the Calcasieu Ranger District which is about a 25-minute drive from home. The weather was cool but sunny with a little breeze and it was a great day to just "road trip" a little ways. We started out at the Blue Hole Recreation Area. It was a very lovely area with lots of trees, a very tiny pond and a rather substantial pond, a bird-watching area with a gazebo, and just a very nice ambiance. Here are a couple of shots.
The interesting things about traveling to this area are the signs one sees along the road.

Top: Endangered Species Site
Left: Do Not Disturb
Right: Restricted Activity
Bottom: Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

"Wildlife Management Area"
"No Guns, Dogs, or Trapping Allowed Without Permission"

My Personal Favorite below:

Remember... we ARE adjacent to an Army Base... and they DO use the property there. :)

Let's keep going. We went to the Fullerton Lake Campground. My aunt was particularly interested in this as she was actually born in Fullerton!! Technically, not much remains in the town... maybe a few homes... but it was a thriving community when she arrived! If you have time, the link will provide you with some VERY detailed and VERY interesting information on the town's beginning and end. It began in 1907. It ended in 1927.


Did I mention it was a little COOL that day? The shot above was after we had begun the 1.5 mile hike around the Lake and were headed to the area where the old mill and other buildings had stood. We were about 2/3 of the way through the hike when this is what we saw as our only option to continue: No, honey. I don't need to have DRY TENNIS SHOES AND SOCKS ON to continue this hike!! Of course I love you. Why do you ask? We sloshed through about three areas like this before regaining dry ground. Sigh. Honestly. Oh well... it's the adventure, right? :)

Near the end of the hike around the Lake and after marveling at all of the remaining concrete from the structures that had once proudly stood, we came upon this lovely sight.

Looking back...

A final shot before we head home... It was a lovely day and very interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It's one of the things one can do here in southwest Louisiana... and it's free! :)

I will post again soon about the Garden Forum but this has already run too long!

Until next post...

NOT AGAIN!!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals. I apologize for my tirade in the Title today. I just don't know what else to do!

So, you'll recall our little snowfall back on December 4, 2009. It was unusual enough I felt the need to inform you about it. Then there was our multiple day hard freeze back on January 8th & 9th, I believe. Again, it was unusual and I chose to chastise Al about it. Okay. Either of those would have qualified to allow for an "unusual winter" down here in southwest Louisiana. Combined, well they pretty much were the topic of conversation for a month... each! Apparently we ran out of things to talk about and so... it is happening again. I awoke this morning, 2/12/2010, to this:

... and it is STILL snowing! The temperature is only 32 degrees so the ground is clearly not frozen and there is no accumulation of anything but wetness on the streets... but I am OVER THIS!!! C'Mon!!!

There are at least six male Cardinals and an equal number of females vying for position at my safflower feeder. There are a plethora of little finches darting in and out amongst them going for whatever they can get their little beaks on! There are birds on the feeder, on the ground, and in the branches of the large shrub where the feeder hangs. I have another feeder I will be placing out as soon as the snow stops so at least they will have plenty of food if they are smart enough to hang out in my backyard! :) The birdbath is full, also.

So, Big Al... while you hide from the media these days, unwilling to answer the hard questions about WHY we are having such cold & snowy weather throughout the U.S., know that you will eventually have to come out and face us. Like Punxsutawney Phil, you will eventually be dragged from the darkness into the light and called upon to 'splain this!!!

I am a born-and-bred Southerner. This is NOT funny. The only saving grace here is that I know there will be garden seedlings available at every little nursery next month. You can't get THAT north of the Mason-Dixon line, now can you? LOL!!

In fact... I have pre-registered for the Beauregard Parish Garden Forum slated for Saturday, February 20th, 2010. Yep! I am going to immerse myself in the gardening nuances of this area. It is completely different from anything I know (acid soil, LOTS of rain) so I have some "larnin" to do. I am ready to "larn." I will have information and, hopefully, photos to share!

Until the next (and hopefully WARMER!) time...

PROOF OF MIRACLES!!

Hello again, Blogging Buddies!

I guess, for the sake of my present location, I need to at least mention the New Orleans Saints and their miraculous (albeit overdue) rise to Super Bowl Champion status.

Those of you from "around here" already know the long, painful history. This is more for those of you who are "foreigners"... from other states. :)

The Saints franchise was born in November of 1966, as an expansion team, with the first actual playing season in 1967. The very first Super Bowl was played January 15, 1967, in Los Angeles between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers (who won 35-10).

The Baltimore Colts lost the Super Bowl on January 12, 1969 but returned on January 17, 1971 to win it. They had a very early victory in Super Bowl history.

The "musical chairs" of the NFL led to a win by the INDIANAPOLIS Colts on February 4, 2007. Note that the Baltimore RAVENS had a win on January 28, 2001. So... technically... the Colts have had three victories and Baltimore has had three victories... within four games. You do the math.

The end of the 1980 season showed a 14-game consecutive losing streak for the poor Saints. This is when they were dubbed the "Ain'ts" although I can't tell you who started that one. Another question frequently asked is what does "Who Dat?" mean relative to the Saints? Wikipedia gives as much information as you'll find anywhere so check it out if you're interested.

Ah yes... our Saints. They had good seasons between 1987-1992 with four playoff appearances but without winning any of them. They finally actually WON a playoff in 2000 but managed nothing further. They got to the 2006 NFC Championship game but could not manage a win there either. So, they HAVE been improving... but slowly. :)

Now... am I a big screamin' football fan? Nope. Did I even WATCH the Super Bowl this year? Nope. Am I happy the Saints have FINALLY won it? You betcha'!! They have certainly had their share of trials and tribulations (ask any team that plays in a hurricane-prone area!) over the years and I am just plum pleased for them.

Besides... with Mardi Gras coming up, this gives the whole city of New Orleans... and probably even the whole state of Louisiana... absolutely good and valid reason to prolong the party!!!! If there is one thing this state does well, it is PARTY!!

So... we are happy for the miracle here in Louisiana. In a state with the 8th highest adult ranking and 7th highest child ranking of obesity, 47th in rank of student achievement, 47th in overall health rankings (up from 49th last year!), and Lord knows what else, it's good to have something to cheer about!!

Thanks for checking in.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES - HUH?

Good day, Blogging Buddies!! Again, I have waited too long between posts. Thank you for staying with me.

Before I begin today's post, I would like to remind you of a way you can help without doing anything more than "clicking" when you sign in to your computer each day. Whether your cause is Hunger, Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, the Rainforest, or Animal Rescue... or all of them (!)... you can bookmark any one of the links and go there each day. There is a prominent spot on each tab to click on. The Animal Rescue "click" provides value in the form of bowls of food for rescued critters. The Breast Cancer "click" provides value in the form of free mammograms for those in need. Each "click" will provide some value to an organization needing help. You get the idea.

Okay. Employment Opportunities!!!! I think I had mentioned before I would one day regale you with the list of employment opportunities I have applied for since my sojourn to this state. Today is your lucky day! With no specifics (company name, etc.), I give you my incredibly long list of jobs for which no one apparently thinks I am qualified!! :) Bear in mind that the town I am in does NOT offer most of these. Most would be a minimum one-way commute of 45 minutes each day while a few would be about 1-hour each way. A couple were even in Texas! Several have been at Fort Polk, the nearby Army installation.

THIS LIST is comprised of "black hole" submissions. I submitted an application and/or resume', and never heard another word!!

Assistant Marketing Associate
Plant Superintendent
Technical Trainer Senior Professional
Human Resource Manager
Communications Manager
Director of Information Systems
Retail Sales Manager
HR Rep and Case Manager
Social Services/Case Management Director
Help Desk Information Assurance
Business Analyst
Customer Management Consultant
Help Desk Manager
HR Generalist
Executive Assistant to Superintendent
Branch Manager Trainee
Risk Reduction Program Coordinator
Learning and Performance Specialist (Trainer)

THIS LIST is comprised of firms kind enough to at LEAST send me some form of rejection, whether email, snail mail, or carrier 'gator (we don't have pigeons here... the gators ate them all!)

Agency Communications Manager (had an interview here)
Case Manager I (had a phone call here)
Assistant Branch Manager Trainee (fastest rejection ever!)
Executive Director (non-profit) (had an interview here)
Senior Circle Director (email rejection)
Staff Writer (had a brief interview here)
Admitting Supervisor (email rejection)
Receptionist/Bookkeeper (had a phone call here)
Assistant Business Manager (had an interview here - read the story!)
Senior VP of Information Technology (very nice rejection letter)
Project Coordinator (had an interview here - very nice rejection letter)
Training Rep 3 (online rejection)
Vehicle Fleet Mgmt & Analysis Supv (online rejection)
Employee Benefits CSA II (had an interview here although I was NEVER notified at all... even after asking the young lady who sat in on the interview if all applicants would be notified to which she responded "Yes." ... Hmmmmmm.)
Branch Account Executive (email rejection)
Social Services Director (had an interview here which led to another interview although no job - was treated VERY well by these folks)
Undefined Position (yep... in a small town you sometimes just get your resume' out to the right person and end up with a very nice chat with some folks... I was told I would likely enjoy being a Lender but there were no current positions available - got the NICEST follow-up letter from these folks and they are holding my resume' on-file)

THIS LIST is the "too soon to call" list - Resumes sent out within the past 2 months on which I have heard nothing yet.

JNTC SE Analyst
Finance Manager
Operations Group Manager
Undefined Position (yep... another one)
Museum Specialist (History)

AND FINALLY, there is the position I found this morning for which I am debating whether or not to apply:

IM Application Analyst Sr. Suppt/IMP NAS

So... just in case you thought I was slacking over here... I assure you I am not! In fact, I am beginning to think that the Fast-Food Associate position might be one I should consider. I don't know what the magic is to find gainful employment here!!! I know with a BBA, an MBA, and a WHOLE lot of experience including Real Estate, IT, Customer Care, and Insurance, I SHOULD be able to find SOMEthing... don't you think? Oh well. Reckon I will just keep firing out those resumes and adding to the stack.

Oh... and if you are within 50 miles of the town I'm in... OR if you are in another state but know of a position that would allow me to work remotely... let me know!! :) I'm pretty flexible and I'm willing to consider just about anything at this point!!

Thanks for playing, Blogging Pals! Drive through, please!