Sondra Carney:  

For those of you who knew I was in Fresno from September 2006 until December 2008, I'm back in Ohio, living out in the boondocks and have, against my will, become a country woman. I've learned to treat the well that provides my water to keep it safe for drinking, and to defrost the pump that delivers it to me during cold spells (like, lower than 10 degrees during prolonged periods of temps around zero. I now know which cleaning products can be safely used to make sure the septic tank remains healthy. I can waste all the water I want to, since every drop I use is immediately recycled and goes right back into the water table. I recently killed my first ground hog: the nasty sucker was chewing on the wires in the engine compartment of my car. Every time I showered and dressed to go into town, I'd jump into the car and ... nothing! If you ever need to know how to get rid of a groundhog or other similar pests, let me know... I've got a sure-fire way to do it without using a gun! Now, I start the car before I get ready to leave home. Once I'm sure it works, I get going as soon as I possibly can! So far, so good. A recent article in the New York Times online warned people considering retiring to hold onto their jobs as long as they could. It seems that these days, the majority of employers will not hire anyone over the age of 40 (a few will consider "senior citizens" as old as 50). Whatever happened to 60 being the new 40? Anyhow, it partly explains why I was unable to find a job in California while I was there. I did get a few interviews, but only after I "dumbed down" my resume. So, while it was a glorious year in many ways, and I was blissfully happy b...Expand for more