Category Archives: work

Working from home

May 19, 2020work, writingsusanmanzke

After losing Bob, I could have quit, quit writing, quit everything. Instead, I ramped things up by blogging and now doing YouTube.com column readings.

These self-imposed jobs give me a reason to get up, get dressed, and even comb my hair each morning.

In the beginning, I thought about taking over Bob’s office. Instead, I’ve set up my workspace at the kitchen table.

It doesn’t bother me if I move things around to find a place for my plate at mealtime. I can always move them back again.

There’s no one else to please but myself.

What I do like is that I work next to a big window when at the table. It opens up the world to me.

So, for now, I’ll continue to write one way or another. I hope my little efforts are entertaining enough to keep people reading and listening, that way I’ll have a reason to get up every morning.

Dream a little dream

May 5, 2020Bob, worksusanmanzke

My dream last night was about Bob. Usually, when I wake up, my dreams fade away, but not this one.

It started with me looking up at our home. In the dream, it was a brick home, though we had never lived in a brick home.

There were a few loose bricks at the corner of this house and Bob was going to fix them.

But fixing two bricks wasn’t on Bob’s itinerary. In my dream, my husband had a sledgehammer and was banging away at an opening in the wall, making way for a large window–if there was a job to do, Bob could always make it bigger.

All I remember thinking in the dream was that he shouldn’t be working so hard because he was a sick man. Still, I let him bang away because working made him happy.

Memories of Bob pop up often, now especially. It’s spring planting season and farm machinery is moving up and down fields. I expect Bob is watching from above, cheering on our neighbors and hoping for a better season than last year.

Well, that’s my little thought for today.

It’s about time

May 1, 2020pets, Sunny, worksusanmanzke

I know I’ve washed the kitchen floor in the past, but when I don’t exactly remember… It’s only me here after all.

Today, I ended my moratorium on floor washing.

As spring rains arrived, Sunny dog left tracks on the linoleum before I could stop him at the door. He was in a hurry to have breakfast and didn’t care about wiping his feet.

I bit the bullet, moved table and chairs, and mopped the floor.

No one will see my work, as no one comes into my house these days. It still is a good feeling to get this done.

The next time Sunny comes in with wet/muddy paws, I’m going to make sure I catch him and wipe his feet. It was my fault that he decorated the kitchen floor with his footprints. I need to be faster with the dog towel. After all, Sunny doesn’t care if the floor sparkles or not when food is on his mind.

FYI: Don’t forget to search for Susan Manzke on YouTube.com for more stories read by me. There are over 30 now.

Showing signs of life

April 27, 2020Odds and ends, technology, worksusanmanzke

Russell asked me if I had gotten the cart going. When he first asked, I hadn’t even tried turning the key to our maintenance golf cart. Well, yesterday I turned the key.

There was nothing. No buzz, no gage movement, not a flicker of light. The directional signal had been on all winter, sucking power.

The battery was drained. It was time for a charger.

I took my time connecting the charger to the terminals. First, I made sure which was positive and which was the ground. Once the positive and negative signs were visible it was easy to snap on the charger clamps.

After a couple of hours charging this old battery, the cart did buzz. After a few more hours, it almost acted like it wanted to start–that made me happy but not excited.

I’m still scratching my head, trying to get it to pop.

What I think is the best thing to do now is to get a new battery.

The new addition will come in the near future, but until then I’ll keep trying to encourage the cart to roll again.

Getting out of doors

April 4, 2020Sunnybook Farm, worksusanmanzke

A farmyard is larger than most yards in town, times ten. So far I’ve raked about one percent of the lawn around my house. Yesterday, I raked and moved three wheelbarrows full of fallen sticks and last year’s leaves.

The day wasn’t as pretty as the day before, which took away the ‘fun’ of raking. I kept Sunny outside with me. After taking him for a potty walk, I slipped his lead over a heavy wooden chair and let him watch me work.

The soft soil makes pushing the wheelbarrow work, too, but it seems the best way I can move things right now.

See Sunny watching me from a distance through the glider.

I took a timeout from work on the glider. It needs oil as it squeaks. Bob hated its squeak. The squeak doesn’t bother me much. It actually reminds me of Bob. My husband couldn’t use the glider much as his bad hip made it difficult for him to get in and out of it.

This is just another day on Sunnybook Farm where I am self-isolating. This isn’t as bad as it sounds as I live in the best place on earth and Bob continues to be with me, even if in spirit.