The Fat Lady Sang

My job is over. Finished. Kaput. Ended. I am officially unemployed for the first time in 10 1/2 years. All ties to my former employer ended a few moments ago as I sent off the computer and periphery items I had used at home, where I worked from pretty much the outset of the pandemic. A brave new world awaits.

I’m leaving with my former employer’s goodwill and best wishes. And I wish them all the best. I would have preferred things turned out a little different, but I think we may both be better off moving forward.

I’ve got a lot of lingering emotions, but ultimately, I am grateful to have had the job, and even more so that the company shepherded us through a pandemic that could have been even worse than it was if not for so many people treating it with the seriousness it deserved.

A bonus of sorts is that I could leave at a time that would allow me to spend time with family and looking after the home front for longer than I had expected. I will also be able to study for my new position.

One aspect of that development is that I get to look after a little angel (remembering at times that Lucifer was also an angel at first and our cherub has similar traits).

We’ve got Uyu staying with us for a couple of weeks.

She is the most adorable border collie imaginable.

We have had a great time, though limited by the searing heat of the summer.

We’ve been going for long walks from 4 in the morning, allowing me to discover some of the delightful little paths in the area that were probably walking tracks dating back centuries.

Daytime so far has been a mixture of work, preparing to leave one job and working toward starting another, so we haven’t done much.

But we do get a late afternoon or evening walkies, too.

And then we have our nighttime fights in the living room where Uyu gives me her stuffed toy and demands a tug-of-war over it.

It’s such fun and I will now finally be able to devote a bit of time to her, almost one week into her stay with us. I would have liked to have devoted more time.

Our resident dinosaur is less than impressed, though.

Uyu and Dino do not get along. The mere sight of Dino sparks Uyu into a frenzy and only the power of flight has saved our modern-day pterror.

I’ve tried to give Dino as much time as I can, but she seems less than impressed when left in her cage and knows we are in the living room at the opposite end of the house.

She has managed to escape her cage a few times in the past week and fly almost literally into the jaws of danger, but either myself or Mrs. Kangaeroo have managaed to rescue her before anything untoward happens.

I grew up with a border collie who I adored and a part of me has never really recovered from his demise all those decades ago. Having Uyu around is a kind of reminder of the perceived idylls of childhood, so I feel absolutely blessed and am thoroughly enjoying this time.

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