Odd Jobs

You would think that I’d have outgrown or out-earned the need for summertime odd jobs by now. But such is not the case. Every summer I find myself in a financial pinch, looking to make an extra buck or two.

One problem is the yoga center closes for several weeks in August. No classes, no income. Last year, we only partially closed, running a skeleton schedule of classes. I opted to teach two classes on Monday through the partial shut-down so I’d still have some cash flow. This created a new problem. Burn out. Last summer was a rough one, with Dad in the Health Center and me driving Mom to visit him every day. I needed some down time and didn’t get it. So my nerves were pretty frayed. I swore that this year, I was taking my unpaid vacation to unwind and regroup.

Which is great, but still leaves me short on funds. Plus, summer registration was down so I’m only teaching two classes instead of three, so I’m going into the August break with less income than usual.

I’m not whining. Honest. Just leading up to how I make up the difference.

Several years ago, after we’d gotten out of the horse business, I sold my saddle. Got a decent chunk of change for it. Of course, now I’m riding again and wish I still had it. But if it had sat, untouched, in our basement for all these years, it would be green with mold, so it’s probably just as well.

Other times, I’ve cleaned house and loaded up the truck with “junk.” As in “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure.” I would take said junk/treasure to the flea market and spend one long, dusty, sweaty hot day selling it for whatever I could get. However, Ray has sworn off flea markets and yard sales…as sellers at least. Besides, I’ve already sold everything that was worth anything.

Which leads me to my current summer odd job. Pet sitting. Are you going away on vacation and need someone to check on/feed/clean litter boxes/medicate your kitty? Call me. Right now I’m keeping an eye on my nephew and niece’s three kitties while the family is away. I enjoy it. And the cats seem to enjoy my visits. Cocoa has taken a special liking to my shoes. He rubs on them, rolls on them, and then attacks them with a vengeance. I should mention my feet aren’t in them at the time.

I’ve sat other pets (and horses) belonging to friends and family over the years. I’ve even given insulin injections. I’ve thought about making it an official business. But I think I’ll keep it as an odd summer job. It’s more fun that way.

What I really need to do is sell some stories. That would definitely help get me through the summer income crunch. I’m working on it. At least having one less trip to the yoga center each week has given me more writing time and I’ve taken advantage. I’ve sent out a couple of submissions and am working on a couple more new short pieces.

I’ll keep you posted if anything sells. In the meantime, I’m hanging out a temporary shingle: Dashofy’s Pet Sitting Service. Will negotiate rates.

P.S. I’m only kidding. Sort of.