You must remember this...

Do you find pictures of yourself you don't remember anything about?
This is me, or a woman with the same stride, hair color, size and general build.

It must have been taken a few years back, when Brian was still alive. The clue is my son's dog, Butters, behind me, stopping to sniff another dog. My son must have taken this picture with his phone, when I wasn't watching, his object to chronicle Butters's better pursuits.

Butters was just a year old or so.

(I found this photo as I perused the downloads from his phone after his death.)

I can tell you that we walked, Brian and I, all through his neighborhood, and with his dog. I remember attempting to hold on to her leash with determination because she had a habit of grabbing the leash and playing tug with me. It was not a game I enjoyed with such a strong young dog. My son, on the other hand, enjoyed his dog's strength, agility, playfulness.

I worried out loud about this habit. He reassured me that he had all under control.
Grown up children don't know everything, I thought.

We've been there!

There is got to be something fishy about people who end up this far west of the Mississippi. Yesterday, while shopping in Coos at 3B's Nursery across the Coos River, we met Steven Michael, a young man with a penchant for talking and native plants.  He helped us choose woodland plants for an area frequented by deer.

He impressed me with his knowledge and helpfulness, and his interest in all things. He is a photographer and a traveler.

Fishy Ah?  A traveler who ends up by the westernmost point and has been everywhere. I wish I could say the same. Once, we wanted to travel all the time.

Now, we have too many requirements. We have become travel Divas.

Still, when we watch a movie like Iron Man (yesterday, at Coos, in a crowded theater where we had to take seats not to our liking) we recognized many of the sights. Yes, Malibu! There, New York!

Our bucket list of travel sights is enormous. We need to get going and not be derailed by bathroom remodeling or health issues.  Do you know that we haven't been to all of Europe, or all of South America, or none of Africa or the Middle East and Far East?

We are so inexperienced!
Moreover,  we're not very easy travelers when language or food can become big barriers.

So, meeting Steven was a joy. A young man who travels everywhere is living well, we thought. Good for him.

Do visit his blog by clicking this link: Oregon like no other

And take your Mother out of her kitchen and living room. Help her see the world. Remember, you were a detour in her life, a wonderful detour, but a very long one too. She probably never told you where she wanted to visit when she was your age.

Travel with her, and your lives will be forever linked.

Looking for jobs?

If you are reading this blog, you are adventurous and curious. You have looked at the description, the title and the images, and didn't take flight. I guess you love your grandmother and expect a tidy sum when she passes on. Or you are desperate, and any title with the word Jobs looks attractive. I could have put, girls, girls... or boys, boys... and you would pay attention.

Jobs may have titles that are convenient for that organization, but do not identify what the person actually does. So, if you are a new graduate, or in between professions, you want to concentrate on finding a place where your passion is appreciated. Even if they don't pay you much, you'll have a good time anyway.

Look for industries that appeal to your sense of community, fun, involvement. Knock at their doors and ask if they have internships. It's like dating. You both check each other out. Why, Barack Obama had an internship and look where he is today.

Or ask if they could use volunteers. Volunteering is a great way to get experience.

Look at the brochures that the company is producing. Why? Because brochures distill the company's identity. If they are too slick, too clever, too glittery, the company's identity may be untouchable. They are selling you a fantasy. Ask yourself if that's the life you want too.

Talk to the lowest paid people, the janitors, the errant boy, the security. Ask them about the company, ask them who is retiring, who is transfering. They might know of an opportunity coming up.

Find someone that knows someone. Tell everybody that you'd like to work in.....Go to industry conferences. Read industry's publications. Research and know everything about that industry. Your knowledge may not get you the job, but it will make you more knowledgeable and self assured.

Now, don't forget what got you to this blog in the first place. Your grandmother. Be sure to send her flowers on Mother's Day. (Don't forget your mother, either.) And if you are lucky enough to know other seniors, pal with them. They know a thing or two about work.