Monday, June 16, 2008
No more Mondays for Jed
I am so glad to be back on the compact work week. When I first came to the Facilities Department we had the four ten hour day work week and I really loved it. Then the powers that be became frustrated that many crew members wanted to return to eight hour days and managing a mixed group of workers on different schedules was confusing with holidays and off time. Now that fuel prices are out of the roof the majority of us agreed to go back to save 4.3 driving days a month. Thats almost 20% less commuting. I was always a proponent of this compact work week because it seemed I could get more done because we get tools and equipment all scattered out to do a project then at the end of the day had to allow time to repack and transport back to the shop with only another hour or so to finish, so we had to return the next day with all of the same equipment to finish which ate the heart of the next day too.
Jed is always putting a bug in the right ear or two to get things changed without wanting credit, just the benefit. My next mission is to get Red Cross training and professional courses prepaid not reimbursed because many of us have no means to "imburse" in the first place. As the Heuristic Prophet of the Obvious that I am, I made an observation the other day I am adding to my life soundtrack. Observation: I like working for public service because my underpaid efforts are not going to make some selfish person rich, but to enrich the area where my children will live.
It can't make matters worse to throw ideas around to make others look good when their is political gain for them and benefit for me and mine.
Jed is always putting a bug in the right ear or two to get things changed without wanting credit, just the benefit. My next mission is to get Red Cross training and professional courses prepaid not reimbursed because many of us have no means to "imburse" in the first place. As the Heuristic Prophet of the Obvious that I am, I made an observation the other day I am adding to my life soundtrack. Observation: I like working for public service because my underpaid efforts are not going to make some selfish person rich, but to enrich the area where my children will live.
It can't make matters worse to throw ideas around to make others look good when their is political gain for them and benefit for me and mine.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Mulberry Jed
You may well know of Huckleberry Fin, but this is a story about Jed and a quest for something seasonal to eat and not making matters worse.
Today as I was in Adair park to fix a pump timer. I pulled the city truck in next to the pond where some days ago we installed a fountain to decorate the water, and as I started to the back of the truck I noticed the small boom and tool boxes had about three quarts of mulberries strewn all about them. I started looking at my path and spied the mother of all these berries, a huge red mulberry tree as big as red mulberry trees ever get, full, and I do mean full of the sweetest most ripe berries.
This spring has been plentiful with conditions for growing things like this around here and it has reminded me so much of springtimes I remember from my youth. The mulberry trees normally give up all of their fruit to the birds, but this year the bounty was so plentyful that the birds are full and left plenty for Jed and his kin. Mrs. Jed and I went back after I got off work and spread a small tarp and bumped the branches with a rake and gathered over two gallons in about five minutes, all perfectly ripe. The ground around the tree was stained a purple that matched my hands after cleaning a few quarts of fruit.
The area where this tree lives, which is now a park, was the sight of the city tree and flower nursery many years ago with a natural spring which feeds the aforementioned pond and many trees. All the trees at Adair Park seem to be there by intention and I am glad someone planted this one. The trees are very mature now many years after the city abandoned the idea of keeping its own plant nursery, but with transportation cost higher than the love of trees who knows what will happen.
After much work washing and cutting the bitter stems off the berries I had lots left to share with my newest neighbor even after Mrs. Jed made a fine cobbler.
I hope you enjoy the photos of Mulberry Jed's adventures.
Today as I was in Adair park to fix a pump timer. I pulled the city truck in next to the pond where some days ago we installed a fountain to decorate the water, and as I started to the back of the truck I noticed the small boom and tool boxes had about three quarts of mulberries strewn all about them. I started looking at my path and spied the mother of all these berries, a huge red mulberry tree as big as red mulberry trees ever get, full, and I do mean full of the sweetest most ripe berries.
This spring has been plentiful with conditions for growing things like this around here and it has reminded me so much of springtimes I remember from my youth. The mulberry trees normally give up all of their fruit to the birds, but this year the bounty was so plentyful that the birds are full and left plenty for Jed and his kin. Mrs. Jed and I went back after I got off work and spread a small tarp and bumped the branches with a rake and gathered over two gallons in about five minutes, all perfectly ripe. The ground around the tree was stained a purple that matched my hands after cleaning a few quarts of fruit.
The area where this tree lives, which is now a park, was the sight of the city tree and flower nursery many years ago with a natural spring which feeds the aforementioned pond and many trees. All the trees at Adair Park seem to be there by intention and I am glad someone planted this one. The trees are very mature now many years after the city abandoned the idea of keeping its own plant nursery, but with transportation cost higher than the love of trees who knows what will happen.
After much work washing and cutting the bitter stems off the berries I had lots left to share with my newest neighbor even after Mrs. Jed made a fine cobbler.
I hope you enjoy the photos of Mulberry Jed's adventures.
