Sunday, August 23, 2009

The working conditions around here stink

(The road in front of DrTom's.  A major traffic jam can occur here at any minute.)

I don't like to complain about my new life at home, which involves working outside on 12 acres of forest and gardens, trading stocks from my Command Center in my new office, doing some house repairs or painting, feeding the dog, watering house plants, paying bills, etc. But though the work is not all that bad, the conditions under which I have to operate are sometimes oppressive.

Here are some examples:
1. waiting for the dog to finish his nap on our bed before I can take one

2. shielding myself from the sun at the exact hour I prefer to have Happy Hour in the Butterfly Bush garden (too much squinting)

3. having to go about 100 yards to get the mail on a noisy riding lawn mower (ever hear of a muffler), and they only deliver the mail six days a week

4. dealing with the noise from the 8-9 cars that drive past our house each day

5. trying to keep the humidity in my cigar humidor between 65-70% RH

6. needing to untwirl my hammock before I can use it, which the wind keeps spinning round and round

I have spoken to Management about these annoyances on several occasions, but she does nothing. All she can suggest is that we move Happy Hour later to avoid the sun, but if we do that, it coincides with the rush hour when 30% of our daily traffic goes by the house. That is simply unacceptable.

So I continue to do my chores, trying not to complain. If I act too dissatisfied, Management will stop bribing me with her home-made coconut cupcakes to keep my mouth shut. And besides, the new management is such an improvement over the last. Sometimes I feel like such a slut.