where oh where has my little dog gone....

because he is HUGIFEROUS!!!

Yep, Jambalaya turned 1 on November 1st. God, a Scorpio temperament as such as I have never dealt with :)
Actually he does remind me of Leslie in a lot of ways.
He will bring me all kinds of toys. He is protective to a point but pretty happy when on an adventure. He is a tad skittish of strangers...today he actually growled a little at one of my neighbors. She is gay and rides a motorcycle. He did sniff her though. THAT is a start :)
Soon as she tosses a ball for him he will be fine :)

70+ pounds he is now. We were walking yesterday morning. Slow walk because I have been sick as sin since Thursday night. Feeling better today (thank you for asking, by the way)
Anyway... we were walking on the back side of the apartment complex along this retaining wall (Jamba insists on walking on top of it) and POOF* he takes of right and I follow with feet flying in the air.
All I could do was do a push up to get my hips under me instead of being bent on the retaining wall. Sit upright and start laughing.

It has been a long while since A) I was so weak that my dog could pull me that hard B) musta been a sight to see me flying off my feet with Jamba chasing a squirrel and C) I laughed that hard.

I did do a little testing on Jambalaya's pull-ability
HE can do a hard pull of 150 lbs. That is a HUGE amount for me to control at times. I have learned to not have a lead attached to me on my bike :)
Jambalaya does really well following (sorta ziggy zaggy) ...okay, he likes to lead. Trust me when he is tired he will stop. Sit in the middle of the trail and stare at me in my eyes like "you CRAZY old woman! STOP!!!" After a few minutes he is ready to run again. :)

He cuddles me at night safely guarding my feet and knees from hidden night dangers. Sometimes I hear him sigh deeply like I do....ahhh, FINALLY sleeping! Then he gets down and rests on his bed. I think it is so he can look out the window at night to make sure the local area is safe.
Jambalaya LOVES Zephyr very much! Z will chase him and they play tag. So far, Jamba has not knocked him over which WILL be a site to see :) Zephyr will let Jamba kiss him for a little while...then he is off running and chasing the dog again :) Z loves to hug and pet Jambalaya. Jambalaya tries to approach all the kids he sees...looking for a fun time and pets and rubs. He is big though and it scares some little ones that have not been raised with dogs.

Steve and Toni are bring Z home today with them for a little "pre-visit" on the holiday. I hope that there is a way that I get to see him, too. Jambalaya needs his boy time, too. I cannot take Jambalaya over there to Steve and Toni's. They have 3 adorable kitty cats and their home could not deal with Jambalaya's ability to reach ANYTHING he is curious about :)

To look at the previous years pictures of Jambalaya and to see him today. Amazing at how the pup has just gotten swallowed up by a beautiful non shedding coat and need to RUN from sleeping all the time at my feet or on my lap. Oh yeah... Jambalaya thinks he is the size of Grace (Annavee's long haired Chihuahua) so you will find him CONSTANTLY perched on the arms of my couch. Kinda reminds me of the Peanut's cartoons and watching Snoopy hanging off his doghouse.

Jambalaya is a wonderful companion for me. He is excited to see me always. He is willing to go anywhere I wish to go. He loves for me to touch him and love on him. He even understands when I need to just sit and think. All in all I am glad he is in my life for as long as his heart will beat. All he wants to do is play which seems to be a "thinking" of mine. Come on! Let's PLAY!
I do it with my grandson and I can do that with my dog.

Although SOME of the walks don't exactly look like play :)

Considerations

Reading Jobs - Overall Outlook for Surrounding Area

According to the most recent government statistics, there are 818,283 Reading jobs. Jobs in Reading's Private Sector make up the majority of employment with 733,516 jobs in the Reading, MA surrounding area (Middlesex County). This accounts for 89.64% of the Reading jobs market. The rest of the market comprises Local Government employment totaling 58,953 jobs, which is 7.2% of the Reading workforce. State Government and Federal Government make up 12,794 (1.56%) and 13,020 (1.59%) Reading jobs respectively.

To get an idea of the opportunity, there are 47,455 employers in Reading. The Private Sector includes 46,397 firms, which make up 97.77% of companies hiring in Reading. In other sectors, 721 Local Government employers (1.52%), 147 State Government employers (0.31%), and 190 Federal Government employers (0.4%) hire workers in the Reading vicinity.

The average weekly wage in Reading, MA is $1,176, which translates to $61,152 annually. Private Sector wages are $1,192 per week or roughly $61,984 per year, on average. Local Government wages are $917 per week or $47,684 per year. State Government wages are $1,019 per week or $52,988 per year. Federal Government wages are $1,339 per week or $69,628 per year.

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This is what I have to consider.

My company is closing down the office here in Texas. I have an offer to move to Reading, MA by January.... or accept a severance package and look for work here.

Research shows that the earnings there are more than I make here.

Cost of living there is expensive for a single individual. Makes roommate situations a must.

I think I need to research a job here.

Zephyr and Jordan take flight

This past Friday, Jordan and Zephyr had a most wonderful adventure together!
Father and Son had their FIRST airplane ride!

Amanda's stepmother and father went with them all for the wonderful moment of flight :)
Rachael ( Toni's daughter) works at McKinney airport. She was able to get a ride for the "boys" along with momma! The Cessna ride was a HIT!
The family also got a tour of a helicopter (Medivac I think)
Zephyr would not go into a helicopter until he saw his Papa sitting in it first :) Steve I believe was thrilled to accomplish the task. Amanda reported that all day all Z would enlighten EVERYONE to was "I was on a PLANE!!!!"

Zephyr loves airplanes and always searches for them in the air. I hear that Jordan has been bitten by the flight bug too :)

I am so thankful that the extended family is so into bringing happy moments to each other. Rachael.....what a wonderful young woman you have grown into being.
To think of such an adventure.... I am clapping my hands at how thrilled Zephyr and Jordan were about it. I loved hearing Z say "where is the plane? All gone?" on Sunday :)
Always looking for the sound of the engine to guide his sight to something that may become a love of his.

Thank you for the wonderful smiles I got to see in the video.
Thank you for sharing :)