Recounting the day: We saw two bald eagles today on the ground in a field alongside the Kings river. I saw one in a tree on Friday. Bedraggled and head tucked, it looked as if it had just finished an arduous journey to that perch. In reality, it probably had. Bald eagles migrate to our area from more northern reaches to overwinter here.

On our drive back to the house, we stopped by Felkins creek so I could look for some Osage balls (the ‘oranges’). The Osage trees there are declining, not sure why but suspect all the vines are choking them. Each year looks like it might be their last. So I wanted some fruits to try and start some seeds to grow some on our land.

While walking along the creek to reach the trees, I found a couple of nice pigment rocks, so carried them back with me.

I only found two of the fruits, and they were smaller than usual. Hopefully the seeds will sprout anyway.

Multi-Tasking

We went to Lowes today. I needed some screws and washers for real estate signs and Rob needed some chain and hooks. All the way to town, I did real estate work. Rob was driving, just so you don’t worry.

I’ve come to realize that this profession has infiltrated pretty much every waking moment of my days.

If I’m not doing research on properties to answer questions for buyers or sellers, I’m sending text messages, answering text messages, making phone calls, answering phone calls, or scheduling showings. Or waiting to do those things.

Once a property is under contract, then there’s a flurry of contract work and a time-governed task list to stay on top of (or help the client stay on top of).

This ‘constant-ness’ used to really stress me out. I’m relieved that it feels normal now, and that I can manage to get things done that need to be done in my own life, and my work life if not at the same times, then at least in tandem. I’m settling into a comfortable space with it, and that makes me happy.

Am I Rude? Maybe Sometimes

It probably bothers the people I’m around whenever I suddenly drop out of conversations to take a call, answer a text, or have a sudden urgent problem that needs attention. On some occasions, I need to get my computer out to get something done that can’t be done with the phone.

It may not always be an urgency to make the calls, answer the calls or send the texts. Sometimes I can wait a few hours to get to it. But the saying that opportunity only knocks once is somewhat true. Right now I’m still building my business and I can’t afford to miss opportunities.

On the way back from town, I had a conversation unresolved by text and I knew I’d soon be losing signal in a few minutes. It would be another hour before I got home to the WiFi. So, the urgency there was to let the person on the other end know that I’d pick them back up when I got to my house.

Taking time away from Wifi or cell signal has become a key part of ‘taking a break’ for me.

Communication is Key

Customer service and communication are my strong points, whether I’m selling my art, or whether it’s real estate. And if this real estate work thrives on any one element, it’s definitely customer service, which is dependent on communication. Happy clients are happy to refer new clients. So I really try hard to make clients happy and minimize their worries as much as possible.

But today is the day of the week I usually try to give to myself.

Today is Sunday and that’s usually my day to paint. I’m also waiting on a contract to reach me. Now that the errands for the day is done, I think I’m just going to paint until I have to do something with that contract or go make supper. I’ll publish this post after I get a little work done on it, so I can give you an update.

Old Shed Update

I had time to get one board done. This is painfully slow going on these boards, but to make it look like wood is time-consuming, lol. So, I’m happy to have one more board done. 7 or 8 more to go!

Recounting the Day

So that’s a summary of how my day went. It’s a typical errand day for us, except that on this morning we stopped to eat breakfast at a restaurant, whereas usually I cook breakfast. On Mondays and Fridays I usually go to the office in Berryville, and in between it’s projects in and out of the house to work on.