I hate people

Recently I've mention that I work in HR. Which is short for Human Resources. Which, in my case, means I deal with people. All.Day.Long.

I used to really, really like people.

Now I generally hate them.

This has spilled into my private life in a way I was surprised about.

I've been slowly coming to the realization that I hate my neighbors. I hate my suburban life. My neighbor on my left mows AND weed wacks his lawn BOTH days of the weekend. At 7am.

Then neighbors to the right of me feel as if their lives are not complete unless they have a party and invite the entire state of Rhode Island (who feel obliged to show up. EVERY WEEKEND.) and leave their dogs penned up in a crappy homemade 6 x 6 pen attached to my fence. Which means the dogs bark everytime I go outside.

The neighbors across the street hate each other. I know this because I hear them screaming at each other every 2 days or so from the happy spot in my living room. They are both screaming "I hate you." Good times.

The neighbors directly behind me are a blended family who are having trouble blending. I hear them fight with their kids, each other and at nothing. Plus their teenagers like to light fireworks when their parents aren't home.

I can not enjoy my back yard. I can not enjoy my front yard. I can not enjoy the sanctuary of my own home.

So I am done.

I've informed my husband we need to pay off all remaining debt in order to save money/afford a larger mortgage payment and get the flock out of here.

I don't think he minds the idea. He's been looking forward to getting away from barking dogs, angry people and stupid teenagers since he moved in here 3 years ago.

Wish me luck!

Canning Lessons

I may have mentioned this before but in the outside world I work in Human Resources. I solve problems for employees of my company. I'm good at what I do.

I also teach my co-workers proper procedures and practices. Every job I've ever had that was a team environment I have always ended up teaching and training. Which is interesting since I don't ever see myself going into training (an aspect of HR) and the thought of formal teaching makes me roll my eyes.

Recently my teaching and HR world collided with my prepping world in an interesting and mild way.

I was mentioning that I had canned the Cherry Amaretto Jam a few weeks ago and a co-worker said that sounded incredibly interesting. We talked about the process (easy) and I guess I began to get a little passionate about it because the next thing I know she's telling me she'd love to learn how to make it and I'm telling her I'd love to teach her.

Within a few days she was at my house learning to make Blueberry Jam. Well, Blueberry Grand Marnier Jam.

I find making and canning jam to be incredibly easy and so it was that Sunday. It took about 3 hours and she left with 10 half pints of blueberry deliciousness. I traded her one of her pints for one of my pints of Cherry Amaretto.

Monday we brought in bread and the new Blueberry Grand Marnier plus last years Strawberry Vanilla and Carmel Apple Butter.

Which lead to lots of oohhhs and ahhhhhs and "Ohmygoshthisissogood" mumbled around bread stuffed mouths. My ego was thoroughly stoked.

But it also led to more "I can't believe you made that" discussions in which both I and my new canning friend assured everyone that it's not as hard as it looks.

Which led to me offering to do another "Jam session". Probably later this month I'll gather strawberries from the strawberry farm and at least another 3 co-workers and we will make strawberry jam.

Well, they will. I'm considering Strawberry Margarita jam. I'm going for a boozy kind of year.

Who would have thought that last year when I make my first batch of Strawberry Vanilla Jam that a year later I'd be teaching corporate women how to make their own?

Prepping sometimes can be funny that way I guess.