Four Months to Freedom

I have completed all of the applications, informed all of the right people, now it is a mere four months to retirement. I have spent the last 10 years in state service for various departments in California. The game is to keep moving up so you can max out your monthly retirement benefit. 

There are three departments that I would recommend to anyone entering state service. All in Sacramento, they are:

Attorney General's Office
California Department of Health Care Services
California Department of Public Health

I won't list the two departments where I had sub-par experiences and left as quickly as possible. At one location, I lasted 3 months and requested a return to the AG's office. The other awful place was a 100% remote position where I struggled for over a year and left on medical leave. 

The beauty of the state's safety net for an older worker is if you don't succeed at a promotional position, you have the right to return to your last passed probationary position. Medical leave is also available if the stress of the job becomes overwhelming. 

I will miss Sacramento. It is just now starting to revive. State departments have mandated a two day return to office in the upcoming months. New restaurants are in the works. The mourning period from the last few years is starting to lift. 

I will not miss the commute. It is a one hour one way trek on a good day. Two hours on the road each in-office work day meant I listened to a lot of music. 

If you are someone in your 30s or 40s, my advice is to have a 3-legged stool in retirement. That stool represents your social security, retirement from your job, and your personal IRA. A fourth leg to a stool would be extra income such as eBay sales. The studier that stool is, the more comfortable you will be.

Surprise gift for a supervisor - quilted kennel cover

Having finally landed a public sector paralegal job, I wanted to give a surprise gift to my supervisor who had agreed to act as a reference. She had also given me the print material in the right and left corners of the image below. She had asked me if I could use the material and I said, "yes" all the while planning to do something special for her.

My "sup" is also involved in feral cat rescue so I made her a quilted kennel cover. The cat-related fabric was the basis for a quasi strip-quilt top. She uses blankets over cat carriers as temporary homes for captured feral cats. Once the animal is either spayed/neutered, treated for any ailments, they are released back into the area from which they were captured. Some are recruited as barn cats in rural areas.

It seems to meet with my cat's approval.

Quilt sandwich layout. I cut it close on that batting but supplemented it later.

Rather than put a separate binding on this, I kept 3" leftover from backing, brought it around the front and sewed in down with a 1/4" seam allowance. My first mitered corners too!

I had so much fun putting together that kennel cover, I zipped together another one for quilting. I have decided my patchwork style of piecing is a little ADHD. I kind of "wing it" sewing fabric together and then trimming off excess and squaring it up. I treat it more like I would paint on a canvas, rather than adhering to rigid rules and procedures.
Mystery box of fabric from New York provided material to supplement a baby quilt, son's and patriotic quilts. The kitty print panels and calico prints courtesy of East Coast mystery quilter.

Hospice thrift shopping resulted in $8 worth of 5 Christmas CDs for my annual Countdown to Christmas, a Style & Co. grey long sleeved pin striped shirt, t-shirt and material.

On Instagram as tamaschen, I am participating in this month's  #IGQuiltFest with 31 quilt-related prompts. One prompt being "pillow finish" so it was motivation enough to complete this pink and lavender based log cabin square block with thrifted pillow form.

I certainly had a very productive weekend with a fast finish of one kennel cover, prep for another, and a pillow done!

Linking up with Lorna at sewfreshquilts for:

 

Kelly at myquiltinfatuation for:

 

 

And Amanda at crazymomquilts for Finish it Up Friday.





Persistence Pays Off

When I began as a State worker over two years ago, I believed it would be easy to promote what with all of my experience and background. I applied to take a certain exam with a certain department and was rejected.

I was devastated. One of the major routes I was interested in was closed off to me. I watched as others promoted into the very position I had hoped to attain.

Part of the process of promoting in the public sector is getting on the list. If you are not on the list, you cannot apply for the job.

Last year, I promoted to another position with another agency with disastrous results. It really wasn't the job that I wanted but felt I had no other options. I did learn one thing about myself, that I did not want to work in administration, that the legal field was my first love. I needed to accept my leopard spots and stick with what I knew - law.

Now, I have made it on the eligibility list I have wanted all along. The next part is landing that job!