Jessica's Rose Garden

[Dawn Kellie]

Glad to hear you had a successful and safe trip

[ChrissyRyan]

Jess,


I am glad you got done what you had planned!
I am also glad that you did not have much bad weather.

Welcome home!


Chrissy

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Thanks for the warm 'welcome home'.

I usually meet with my manager every other Wednesday. Since I was travelling last week and we missed our meeting, yesterday my manager asked for a 'catch up' meeting. For a little background, I've had the same manager since about two months after I transitioned, and he has always been incredibly supportive.

My manager is currently looking for a highly experienced person to fill an opening our our team. While Mainframe Db2 Engineers are needed by many large companies, there are not that many of us. My manager discussed this with the Group Manager, and the possibility of adding an extra, less-experienced person to the team was also considered. When he mentioned this, I decided to tell him about my plans.

Unless something changes, I plan to retire in Feb or March 2028. I told him that I would stay past that date under certain conditions:

1 - No more on-call (it causes too much stress)
2 - I would only support the products I currently work with
3 - I would not be required to work on any new technologies
4 - I would work part-time (reduced hours, reduced pay, but full benefits)

My manager asked how soon would I consider starting reduced hours, and I told him early next year would be fine. Going on reduced hours would reduce employees expenses, and that 'savings' could help offset bringing in an extra person (our team has never had more than four people). He said he would discuss this with the Group Manager to see what we can do. I have known several IT folks who have gone on 'reduced hours' at our company, but we have never had someone on our team take advantage of that option.

Many of the products I support have been on our systems over 10 years. I installed them, and I'm the only person who has ever performed maintenance on them. While some would say that is 'job security', I have no intention of using that as any form of leverage. The company, and my team, has been very good to me. I want to train someone on how to take care of the products, and I want to provide a smooth turnover.

For some reason, I suddenly have a profound sense of relief.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[ChrissyRyan]

I look forward to hearing the sequel or SQL on this Jess.


Christine

[Lori Dee ✅]

Hopefully, they will find someone they can bring in who can train with you before you go to reduced hours. That would be the smoothest transition for the company. But shareholders don't always see it that way.

It's good that you had the chance to talk to management about your plans.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

My manager discussed 'reduced hours' with the group manager, and the GM said they weren't sure about the process and referred him to HR. I expect it will be another week or two before I get any additional information.

I was doing some shopping yesterday and went to the garden center to get a bag of sand. On the way back inside, and older gentleman paused to let me through the door first. I gave him a big smile, and he said 'for that smile, I'd wait all day!' Which made me smile again.

My sister-in-law is still concerned about a tax refund (under $1000) that my dad's estate should have received. When we checked the IRS website, it indicated 'action required' and provided a number to call. I've called many times, and so far all I've discovered is a new level of frustration. I'm tempted to send my sister-in-law a check for their share of the refund, but only if she promises to let the matter drop.

We've had some new birds visiting lately, some curve-billed thrashers, several Bullock's orioles, and even a roadrunner.  The roadrunner caught a lizard on our deck, then danced around for several minutes before jumping off the deck. He stopped for a few minutes on a small hill next to our house and posed for a few publicity photos. We did not see any coyotes or Acme delivery trucks.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Stottie Girl]

My manager discussed 'reduced hours' with the group manager, and the GM said they weren't sure about the process and referred him to HR. I expect it will be another week or two before I get any additional information.

I was doing some shopping yesterday and went to the garden center to get a bag of sand. On the way back inside, and older gentleman paused to let me through the door first. I gave him a big smile, and he said 'for that smile, I'd wait all day!' Which made me smile again.

My sister-in-law is still concerned about a tax refund (under $1000) that my dad's estate should have received. When we checked the IRS website, it indicated 'action required' and provided a number to call. I've called many times, and so far all I've discovered is a new level of frustration. I'm tempted to send my sister-in-law a check for their share of the refund, but only if she promises to let the matter drop.

We've had some new birds visiting lately, some curve-billed thrashers, several Bullock's orioles, and even a roadrunner.  The roadrunner caught a lizard on our deck, then danced around for several minutes before jumping off the deck. He stopped for a few minutes on a small hill next to our house and posed for a few publicity photos. We did not see any coyotes or Acme delivery trucks.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Didn't realise roadrunnners were partial to a victory dance!

You get some interesting bird life where you are Jessica.

That roadrunner doesn't look like the cartoons!

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Didn't realise roadrunnners were partial to a victory dance!

You get some interesting bird life where you are Jessica.

That roadrunner doesn't look like the cartoons!

We were also surprised by the dance. It seemed to be very proud of a successful hunt! Considering the roadrunner did not eat the lizard immediately, it's possible he was taking it back to a nest for someone else. Although I have seen roadrunners before, I never got a really good look at them. They are actually quite colorful.

The Bollock's orioles love our hummingbird feeders. There are several pairs of them, and they are visiting frequently. Since we live in a more rural area, we see quite a few birds that don't venture in to more populated areas.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

That roadrunner doesn't look like the cartoons!

I grew up in the California desert, so they were a common sight. But I never noticed the colors on them before. Great pictures, Jessica! My brothers and I would run after them to try to catch one. No luck. They don't fly (like chickens, only short bursts of flight), but they are fast runners!

We also learned that they do not say "meep-meep"!

😆

[Dawn Kellie]

I grew up in the California desert, so they were a common sight. But I never noticed the colors on them before. Great pictures, Jessica! My brothers and I would run after them to try to catch one. No luck. They don't fly (like chickens, only short bursts of flight), but they are fast runners!

We also learned that they do not say "meep-meep"!

😆

I also found out coyotes run faster. My childhood was destroyed.
Meep_meep

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Susan was making apple chips last Saturday, and she left the dehydrator outside overnight. Someone found it. I suspect there is now one or more very happy raccoons in the area. I was worried Susan would be upset, but she actually laughed about it. I'll be picking up another bag of apples soon.

We have two hummingbird feeders, but our hummingbirds have been losing their battle against the finches and orioles. The larger birds have been keeping the hummingbirds away. Last week we bought an oriole feeder. The feeder has two glass cups we fill with a 50/50 mixture of water and grape jelly, and it has two pegs for oranges. Both the finches and orioles visit it often.  Unfortunately, they continued to visit the hummingbird feeders. We bought some new hummingbird feeders with very small perches. The perches are too small for the finches and orioles, so for now they have given up on the hummingbird feeders. The hummingbirds have already started visiting more frequently.

My manager has not yet met with HR to discuss my desire to go on reduced hours next year, but he plans to meet with them soon.

We have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that our boiler failed about a week ago. The boiler provides heated water for the in-floor heating system, while hot water for household use comes from a tankless water heater. The boiler manufacturer went out of business last November, and replacement parts are no longer available. We're having a new boiler installed next week. Although they are expensive, hopefully it will last a very long time. The technician said the new boiler is more efficient than the old one, so it may help lower our gas bill.

The good news? Our original wedding was on 2 June 1984. Today is our 42nd anniversary. It's uncommon for marriages to survive that long, and even more special when one of the spouses transitions. That deserves a special gift. On Sunday I submitted a bank wire transfer for our anniversary gift, one that Susan and I hope to enjoy for a very long time. It was the payoff for our mortgage. Our house is... ours.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Congratulations on your anniversary. That is indeed quite the achievement.

[Lori Dee ✅]

That is so awesome! Congrats!

Happy Anniversary!

[davina61]

Love to you and Susan XX Some thing to be celebrated for sure.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Thanks @Charlotte Kitty , @Lori Dee , and @davina61 !

I'm taking Friday off so we can celebrate a little. Friday is the fifth anniversary of our second wedding, with two brides. We plan to visit a friend in Colorado Springs and maybe do some shopping.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Stottie Girl]

Happy anniversary!!