Cardinal Message
Iâm outside, on the deck (10â X10â of floor planks and rails, sadly in need of attention). For âattentionâ read ârestorationâ. Today is my day off. There is no chance of me doing anything that needs doing beyond the already accomplished sweeping of the arbor vitae droppings and cleaning of the patio table and two of its four chairs. One chair is to sit on. The other is to prop my feet up.
Behind me to my left is a thirty-foot oak tree. Behind me to my right is a small stand of similarly sized fir trees. From inside the firs a male cardinal is chip-chip-chipping away. Heâs been doing it for at least a half hour. I suppose heâs aiming his teeny little ire at me, since Iâm the only other living vertebrate thatâs foolish enough sit in the sweltering shade. I donât feel particularly guilty. His little birdbrain would be bored if I went inside to the air-conditioning to sit under a sweltering blanket of cat instead.
This Sunday I leave for two weeks of training in Arlington, VA. Supervisory training, of all things. Yet again, I start in the middle of the story. I canât remember if I wrote anything down in the diary about any of this. Iâll give a quick summary, just in case.
Late 2017, Obama signed an act aimed at retaining veterinarians in government service. In many situations, veterinarians who were currently Grade 11 (non-supervisory) were to be promoted to Grade 12 (supervisory) with concomitant pay increases as part of this act. Three years ago I took a voluntary downgrade from a 12 to an 11 to get my âdream jobâ, just to put things in perspective. Anybody who wants to be a supervisor is nuts, especially in the government. Get me drunk and Iâll expound more on that topic.
I didnât know about this, and wouldnât have wanted it had I known. Things continued as normal until early this year. Something (and I have no idea what) happened in our district about that time, and it suddenly became imperative that I be promoted to a 12. I turned it down thrice. Each time the issue was the issue up the chain of command and I was approached by the last personâs boss. Each time the story changed as to why the promotion was being offered. Frankly, I didnât care if it was more money. It was SUPERVISORY. If Iâve learned anything in forty years in various workplaces, it is to never, NEVER, NEVER be out in a position for being responsible for somebody elseâs work unless you are in complete control of hiring. In my area of the government, the only control you have over hiring is ⦠uh ⦠come to think of it, there is absolutely no control you have.
My immediate boss, already a 12 (obviously, or she couldnât be my boss) was dead set against this and made no bones about letting me know. She felt it was inappropriate to supervise someone who was her equal in rank. Whatever. I didnât want it anyhow. Make her happy, make me happy, and just keep saying no. Right?
(sigh) Wrong. The thing climbed the ranks until it got to the person who reported directly to the District Manager. By this time the story had changed from âyou can be called on to do this, that and the other thingâ to âyour job wonât change; youâll just be making more money to do the same workâ. I again said no, but was told that this wasnât going away, and I really would just be getting more money. In a moment of weakness and confusion, I agreed, just to make it go away.
My immediate boss told me after I accepted that she was still angry about it. Letâs just say that work has been frequently less a friendly, cordial environment since. And now, the inevitable. All Grade 12âs must receive two weeks supervisor training.
I wish I knew why they insisted on doing this. And I realize Iâll never know.
But none of that bears on my present. Thatâs future, to be dealt with at the appropriate time. That is, if it ever needs dealing with. The cardinal got tired of me ignoring him and has moved off to pester someone else somewhere else. A robin is proclaiming this territory as his somewhere on the grounds.
The weather app on my phone claims 89°F as the current temperature. My laptop is getting hot to the touch. The passing traffic begins to build as those who opted to sleep in arise and head out into this holiday. Proving that I know when to remove myself from the heat (sometimes), I opt to head indoors. Make that the cardinal message of this entry.