Peace and quiet

Today I am sitting in my easy chair with my feet up, reading . I've sent Tim off to the golf course and I have the house to myself. Ahhh, the quiet! I didn't realize how relaxing quiet could be until I got it back if only for a few hours. I definitely miss my "quiet time" that I have in the mornings when Tim goes off to work. I will definitely appreciate it more when I am back in the retired ranks. It's time to stop and smell the roses (flowers)!

Mistletoe Murder - a touch of the holidays in April

I came across this series of Cozy mysteries when Christmas was already passed for 2008 but decided that I could still read it in April and I enjoyed a touch of the holidays this far from the actual time. That said here is my review of MISTLETOE MURDER by Leslie Meier.

Lucy Stone is a working mother and I mean a working mother. By day she takes care of three children, at 5 she heads to work at the Country Cousins mail order facility were she has a shift until 1AM. One night needing a breath of cold air, Lucy finds the company founder dead in his car with the engine running. Since she is in at the beginning of the crime, Lucy proceeds to dig searching for the solution to this murder. The holidays are used as a backdrop for this cozy mystery and the family interactions and seasonal characteristics only blend the story together so that small parts make the whole entertaining and delightful.

Change vs. no change?

I'm the type of person who understands people who like to remain in their own little comfort zone. After all, I am one of them most of the time. But sometimes, change is good. The question is - when should that change be considered and when should change be avoided?

I'm working in my husband Tim's, office filling in for a worker on maternity leave. She will be out until at least the end of June. I have noticed that a form that is used every day is not designed in an efficient manner. The form is used to gather the info for data entry but the fuelds on the form are not in the same order as the data entry screen. So I suggested that the form be redesigned. (One of the reasons Tim wanted me to work there was a fresh pair of eyes to possibly identify things that could work better.) However, when I presented my suggestion, Tim said it wasn't necessary that the form worked fine. I explained that while keying from this form, gong from the middle to the top then to the bottom - did not make the data entry flow as speedily as it could if the fields were in the same area and order as the screen.

Should I have pushed a little harder in trying to get this change made or learn to live it for the time that I will be there? Apparently, comfort zones win out.