Goodbye leaves! About 90% of the leaves are off of the trees in the
neighborhood. Our Maple out front still has leaves but almost all of the
backyard trees have half a dozen leaves. We are expecting rain tomorrow. Joe
decided it was time to get the leaves over to the compost center so they would
not be caked onto the lawn over the winter. The leaf pile in the above photo
represents four black garbage bags worth of leaves. We had twenty-three bags
total.
Weathered
Post-retirement reflections, travels, and discoveries about life at a slower pace.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Goodbyes
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Ambition
I was surprised this morning during my morning reflection time to discover that I
am still ambitious. The reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought when I
retired, I'd stop with the need to succeed.
When I cook, I search for the "best" recipes. In my mind that
is the most often rated along with the five-star rating. If the recipe has five
stars but only one hundred people reviewed it, I won't use the recipe. I would
rather have a 4.9 with one thousand reviews.
While serving as a poll judge, I want to behave in a way that reflects
well on the voting process. I am not happy to just do the bare minimum. It is
not like this is a new career move for me. I want to be one of the best, so I
have the option of doing it next year. I am being very mindful of how I present
myself to others so there is no question of election integrity.
While moderating the recent Pampered Chef (PC) fundraiser for Homeward
Bound Golden Retriever Rescue (HBGRR), I was very aware that I wanted to
present PC and HBGRR in the best possible light.
Tonight, while sorting candy for trick or treaters into cellophane gift
bags, I tried to make sure that no child got two pieces of the same kind of
candy.
Whew! I am not going for perfection, here. Even in preparing for our
company this weekend, I looked around the house and told Joe that the house
looks good to me so I will only clean a bit on Friday. I try to always keep the
house up; however, a little bit ago I realized that I may have seen
fingerprints on a cabinet door I had not noticed until right then. Sigh.
I am not sure I want to be ambitious or a perfectionist or any other
label that may be flung my way. It may be too late, though. This just may be
who I am. For better or worse.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Monday in Minnesota
Retirement life means I can get up on a Monday morning and bake brownies (I wanted to try out a new brownie pan), bake a skillet chocolate chip cookie, and make up a batch of potato salad. We are having leftovers for dinner because yesterday I made meatloaf and twice-baked potatoes.
The brownies came out perfect! The cookie is good as well. I
never, ever get complaints from Joe on potato salad. I am surprised to discover
that cooking is more fun when (1) I don't have to go to work at a job, and (2)
I have the tools to do it right and not always trying to figure out a work
around.
This morning, I closed the fundraiser we did Homeward Bound
Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. I am incredibly happy that my first
fundraiser was a success. Great feedback from four of the participants about the
fun they had checking out recipes, reading about the work HBGRR does, and
learning about Pampered Chef products. I came away feeling like I had new
friends! If you know of a non-profit organization that would benefit from a
fundraiser, please let me know! I want to bless as many non-profits as
possible. I am not 'selling' Pampered Chef for income.
I am sharing a % of my commission with the non-profit and I
use part of the commission to cover the expense of prizes for the
fundraiser/party. If someone wants to host a regular party where a host can
earn discounted and free products, I will. Pampered Chef also has a bridal registry,
and we can link this to a "Wedding Shower" party. I guess I could
even have an in-home party if it were local. I like the virtual parties though
as I don't have to (1) haul everything to someone's home; (2) cook in front of
other people; and (3) the host doesn't have to spend money on ingredients or
clean her house.
Nine days until election day! I am scheduled for three more
stints as a poll worker. So far, I have enjoyed learning the process!
I hope more people will serve as a poll worker in future
elections. It really helps to see the work that is done in Minnesota to protect
anonymity and to make sure there is a fair election. I have confidence in the
process.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Brief Check In
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Learning the Poll Ropes
On October 13th we attended the Flannel-Up Festival. During the event they took photos. So here we are in our flannel!
Today I did a 3-hour shift as a poll judge at City Hall
during early voting. I am so glad for this experience. Everyone who has
concerns about voting security would be well served to understand the processes
in their own states. I love watching people of all ages exercise their right to
vote. The number of voters was steady, and the time flew by! It was actually
quite satisfying to answer "how-to" questions of first-time voters. A
couple of today's first-time voters were beyond the age of eighteen. One person
told us, "This is my first time voting! I thought they picked jurors from
the voter pool. But I got called for jury duty anyway, so I figured I might as
well vote."
It is funny what people choose to share! We just smile,
answer 'how-to' questions and direct people to the voting booths. During my
shift we had two people on crutches come into vote. I asked each of them if
they would be more comfortable sitting to vote. Each person's face lit up and
they gave a huge sigh, and you could tell they were relieved. It is difficult
to stand on crutches and fill in bubbles on a ballot in a lightweight booth.
The person working in my area with me turned to me and said, "Wow! That
was really nice of you to think about their comfort. I would never have thought
to ask either one of them." I was surprised that the other person would
not have automatically thought there might be a problem for the person to vote
with limited mobility. My poll judge partner has been working at the polls for
thirty-five years.
Joe made the decision this morning to forgo buying the lathe
we saw yesterday. We drove over this morning and picked up the deposit we had
given the seller. She was understanding about Joe changing his mind. Once he
had gotten home and started looking into putting it in the shop, he realized it
was going to be more of a project getting it up and ready to use than he wanted
to take on at this time.
After I finished at City Hall, we drove to Maple Grove and
bought groceries at Costco. When we got home Joe washed all of the fruit while
I cleaned vegetables and chopped and diced them for our meals for the next five
days.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Homeward Bound Golden
Retriever Rescue fundraiser. It has been a terrific experience for me. I have
enjoyed getting to know online guests through the past six days. I made new
friends in the process!
Friday, October 25, 2024
Banking Exhaustion
This drawing is the closest I could find to explain how I felt dealing
with the reality of withdrawing cash from my own credit union accounts today.
Of course, this is not limited to credit unions - it applies to regular banks
as well. I know this from an experience with local banks when we moved from
California to Minnesota in 2023.
We went to two different credit unions and three different ATMs that
have a co-op agreement with Golden1 to get $4000. Each credit union had a
different maximum that could be withdrawn. We did not know, until later, that
we had hit paydirt when the first credit union agreed to give us $2500 of our
money at the counter. The maximum ATM withdrawal at the first place was 600.00
which, even though they were a co-op, they charged us $2.50. Joe ran into Kwik
Trip and got $200.00 from a co-op ATM (no charge!). We used this $3300 to put a
deposit on the lathe. The second credit union maximum was $500.00 with a teller
and $200 at the ATM. Still, $2400 shy of our goal, I was exhausted.
Frustrated, I called Golden 1 - this time the customer service
representative explained that the first representative explained things to us
incorrectly. That the maximum withdrawal of cash is $1000 at an ATM and $3000
at the window/counter.
Fortunately, we have until Wednesday to get the remaining cash to pick
up the lathe on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, I am harboring ill feelings toward the entire banking and
credit union industry ...
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Cozy and Quiet
It was a quiet day at our house. Joe practiced welding. His goal is to
brush up on his welding skills by practicing for two hours every day. Every day,
until he believes he has reached his previous skill level at the time he welded
almost every day. He did a little bit of welding in his job during the past
thirty years.
Yesterday we drove over to the machine shop that thought they might
want to hire him in a week or two on a part-time basis. The guy basically told
him that the shop had slowed down and he'd call Joe when it picks up again. He
mentioned it would most likely be after the election. Joe stopped in at another
shop across the street from the first guy. This business was a husband-and-wife
team and their two adult sons. The guy told Joe that he could use an extra hand
during busy times but doesn't expect it to pick up again until after the
election.
So, I am waiting for the election to be through so I can stop seeing
political requests for money and of course the results of the presidency and
congressional seats. Joe is waiting for the election to be over in hopes of
hearing about a job.
It is raining tonight. It is dark outside so I cannot see the rain. The
weather app reads "Heavy Rain" for the next hour with a 40% chance it
will rain for three more hours. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny again with
a high of 57 degrees. Our house feels cozy, so the rain is welcome! In the
sunroom I can turn on the fireplace and feel even cozier.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Happy Dancing!
Two things have made me really excited today. One is that the Pampered
Chef Fundraiser I am doing with my friend Deb for Homeward Bound Golden
Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary is loads of fun and it is all about the dogs!
Well, and Deb's funny recipes she shares daily alongside the 'serious' recipes
I share. If you are looking for gift ideas or want Pampered Chef for yourself,
please consider buying - 15% is donated directly to the Rescue by Pampered
Chef. Here is the link to purchase:
https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/hbgrrfundraiser?redirect=shop-landing-page
One of the products that people are excited about is a temporary
special on a guacamole gift set:
The fundraiser closes on Sunday!
The second thing I am excited about is that my friend Kim is coming to Minnesota and will stay with us for three days before she heads to her corporate office a couple of hours north of us. There are no words for how happy I am that I will be seeing her! There is a lot of happy dancing going on.
In more mundane news, I had my 6-month dental visit and cleaning.
Everything is good. No cavities. I had chipped a front tooth about 3 or 4
months ago - on a loaf of my homemade sourdough bread. It was in the evening
and didn't hurt but the rough edges were making my tongue crazy. I got a file
from Joe and was able to file off the sharp edges. My dentist’s response,
today? "That is not a procedure we recommend. Still since it doesn't look
rough now, and isn't bothering you, we will keep an eye on it." That
cracked me up. I told him he needn't worry, I was retired and not looking to
begin dentistry practice. He did not laugh.
Joe was at the dentist at the same time having an old filling
replaced.
From the dentist we met with a CPA. I have been doing our taxes for the
past three years. This year is a bit more complex with the sale of the house in
California. After experiencing sticker shock on the cost to have our taxes done
this year, I appreciated that I will not have to pay someone to do this next
year.
So here is Deb's recipe for today on the Fundraiser site. I know it is
one you will want to try right away.
Let me know if you try this recipe and how it worked out for you!
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Worthy
Somedays the universe sends me messages to reinforce the need for
kindness in the world. I appreciate all of the help I can get. This one came in
a moment after my sweet husband had asked, "Why did she call YOU?" He
was referring to a 45-minute phone call from someone I met once for five
minutes. Her dad knows me though, and she was calling to talk about his health.
So, she talked for forty of the forty-five minutes and at the end, she said
thank you for listening to me.
I realized she had nobody else to talk to and that she felt safe with
me. I told Joe that and he seemed to understand why I would listen to someone
that I hardly know. Then the above popped up on my Facebook feed and it hit me
that I don't have to know someone for me to listen to them.
And maybe, just maybe, I can learn to be grateful when someone trusts me enough
to feel safe.
Anyway, all of this to say, I love the thought that our job is to love
others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.
Monday, October 21, 2024
Election Work
Today was the first day I worked at the election office. There were six
people in our conference room and at least ten in the larger conference room at
City Hall. Our job was to remove completed mail-in ballots from an outer and an
inner envelope. The outer envelopes are stored separately as they have personal
voter information on them. Once these envelopes were set aside, we opened the
second envelope which contained the actual ballot.
This process is done so that nobody knows who the voter is for a
specific ballot. Once the ballots are opened and the precinct is checked, the
ballots are put in stacks of 25 and two judges initial the top of the ballot.
After all of the ballots for a specific precinct are compiled and the ballot
count is verified, the ballots are fed into the voting machine.
The voting machine has a flash drive that stores the data. This flash
drive is behind a sealed door. The seal will be opened on November 5th at
8:00pm when the polls close and the results of these ballots will be learned at
that time. Meanwhile, the paper ballots are handled/stored by election
officials.
Two of us in our room were new to working at the polls. The other four
people were supportive and nice. I love Minnesota nice so much. There are three
more days I am scheduled to help at the polls. This coming Saturday is my next
shift of three hours. I am a bit excited to see which job I will be assigned.
Meanwhile, Joe continues to work in his shop. He had another delivery
today - I think it was the surface plate that weighs 600 pounds. I know he
loves that he has an engine hoist that can lift up to two and a half
tons.
And the fundraiser for Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue started
today! I am so excited at the online turn-out so far. And the host, Deb, is
AMAZING. She is witty and is making her own recipe posts as we go along. See
the thing is that Deb does not cook ... So here is her first recipe!
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Joe's Shop
Joe took photos of his shop to share with you. He still has equipment he will be buying in a few months, once he replenishes his bank account. Today, he installed new lighting in the garage.
Joe's shop is one-half of our two-car garage. He says it is plenty of
space. Remember he still wants to add a manual lathe and mill and thinks he has
space to put them??
*********
I did not make it to the couch last night. Instead, I found chores to do. That is how I roll.
I DID make it to the couch this afternoon. It turns out it is a lovely
nap spot. Joe claimed he could not find me, which means that part of my nap was
uninterrupted.
Today, I had a lovely virtual chat with two friends, Jen and Elizabeth. We were in three different time zones and my internet seemed to be on the fritz. Again! On Wednesday, during my chat with Eleanor I was getting messages that the internet was unstable. On Thursday, I experienced internet issues while chatting with Jen. There were no messages so Jen and I thought it might be at her end. Now, I suspect it is something to do with our provider. They recently upgraded our service at no charge BUT did they really? We did not ask for an upgrade. Something is happening because we had better service BEFORE their supposed upgrade. Very definitely a first-world problem.
Anyway, it has been a good week catching up with friends, virtually.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Couch Time!
I finished the fundraiser content I have been working on today and plan to spend the evening watching my favorite video podcast at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSiQ26g5nio.
With a
teaser of "The One with a New Puppy" it sure sounds relaxing. For me.
I am not sure that people with new puppies will get to relax for the first six
weeks or so.
The other
treat for myself is to have an alcoholic drink and sit on the new sectional in
the family room. And you might have thought my retired life was boring. Obviously,
I am a bit of an introvert if my idea of having an enjoyable time is sitting on
the sofa.
Since I have been developing and writing for the upcoming fundraiser over the past three days, I am going to make this short this evening.
Joe has
promised I can take a photo of his garage shop when it is "a little more
cleaned up." It looks good to me now. He wants to get two more pieces of
equipment staged properly before I take photos. He has been running back and
forth to hardware stores today getting bits and pieces for the air compressor
installation. I guess air compressors are often hardwired so they do not come
with electrical cords.
When Megan
was over the other day, she helped me to order orange, purple, and black light
bulbs for the porch and outdoor garage light receptacles. Joe was a bit
resistive at first to putting them up as he does not like drawing attention to
himself (or the house). I told him he didn't have to do it; I'd get someone
else to do it for me. He went ahead and did it - after all it is for the
neighborhood kids when they come by for trick or treating. Who can resist doing
things for children? Certainly, not Joe. The light bulbs are now installed.
I'll try to get a photo tonight to post tomorrow.
Now it is
off to evaluate the new sofa!
Friday, October 18, 2024
Forgot I Was Retired ...
Well, another day got away from me. I have been busy creating content
for upcoming fundraisers. I probably would have been simply fine with my time
except we started our morning by driving to Delano to dispose of a couch.
The old couch was left behind by the sellers of our home. They had
cautioned us that it still looked nice but that the support was worn out. We
had temporarily used cardboard between the cushions and the couch to give it support.
Otherwise, I would occasionally lay on it and then have to roll off and onto
the floor to get up out of it. Earlier this week we purchased a sectional that
is like new (only 6 months old). I am no longer required to roll onto the
floor!
Yesterday, when cooking split pea soup, I accidentally cleaned lentils.
So today, I made lentil and rib soup. This specific recipe has multiple steps
and takes more time than other soups I make. Since my method of cooking
involves prepping everything before I actually begin cooking, I had a boatload
of dishes to wash as I went along.
Sigh. I discovered in the process of cooking, trying to complete
self-imposed deadlines on content, cleaning, and errands - all in one day - is
like having a job! I can like all of the bits and pieces individually BUT I
need to learn to pace myself a bit better. Some habits never die, I always get
wrapped up and engaged in what I am doing and before I know it it is bedtime.
I did manage to text with Megan a bit today and check out her Facebook
post of her most recent cookie order.
And I also managed to sign up for another year of Universal Yum so we
can continue with our international family nights through 2025. We are going to
go big this year with their Super Yum box which contains 12-15 snacks with a
beverage.
Joe went off this afternoon to visit Toll Welding Supplies, Lowe's, and
Menards for shop supplies. None of these stores are here in town so it was a
big adventure for him to do his own navigating. He got home so we will count
that as success!
It was an excellent and productive day for both of us!
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Italy - October's International Family Night
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Night Out
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Very Funny Ladies
I have been following Liza Donnelly's work for at least a year. When
she decided to produce a documentary based on her book about the New Yorker's
Women cartoonists, I donated. As a thank you she sent out a signed book with a
personal cartoon to donors at a certain level. Here is my cartoon on the inside
title page:
Donnelly's daily work, writing and cartoons, can be found at https://substack.com/@lizadonnelly.
In case you are unfamiliar with Substack, there are many writers you can follow
without a subscription. Usually, a paid subscription gives you more access to
more content than an unpaid subscription allows.
Even though my stick figures are sadly poor, I enjoy watching the
videos Donnelly posts while drawing. She makes it look effortless.
Monday, October 14, 2024
Cooler Temperatures and Celebrating Tools
I made a Hungarian mushroom soup for dinner this evening. It tasted incredible.
There is enough left over for tomorrow night's dinner as well. Chopping two
cups of onions and one pound of mushrooms only took minutes with my Pampered
Chef Rapid-Prep mandolin. On any given day, my favorite kitchen tool is the one
that makes prepping recipes easier! We had a romaine salad with fresh
vegetables and oven-baked crostini with our soup.
Now I am writing and drinking a cup of dark hot chocolate with
marshmallows. Much of my day was spent designing a plan for an upcoming
Pampered Chef fundraiser for Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and
Sanctuary. The good news is that once the content is created, I can schedule it
to post on the actual days of the event (October 22nd through October 27th).
Having a plan makes me happy. Engaging in the creative process also makes me
happy!
Another "something" I am excited about is a new book that
arrived today: Writing Tools - 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer"
by Roy Peter Clark. My writer friend, Marjorie, recommended the book on her
blog this week. Check her out at https://marjorieapple.substack.com/.
Meanwhile, Joe spent the day watering the lawn and plants ahead of the
expected frost. Late this afternoon he went to the garage to work on setting up
his shop. He came in for dinner and helped with the dishes before heading back
out to do more shop organizational work. He is happiest when he has the right
tool(s) to fix or make items.
Come to think of it, I appreciate the right tools for the job I am
doing as well. This idea is from years of hearing Joe talk about how easy it is
to do almost anything if you have the right tool(s).
What is your favorite tool today?
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Flannel Up! Festival
Joe and I spent the afternoon at a fall harvest festival in Buffalo.
Our real estate agency invited the community to the first annual Flannel Up!
Festival. The weather cooperated with winds up to twenty-one miles per hour and
a temperature of 51 degrees. This is the first official chilly day this fall.
We got to pick a pumpkin, a free event T-shirt for Joe, drink hot
chocolate or apple cider, and eat hamburgers, hot dogs, and bratwurst. We also
had a photo taken - I'll share when we get our copy. It was a lovely free
event, and we enjoyed seeing so many people come out to spend two hours
mingling with other people. Upstairs in the barn loft there was an area set up
for people to paint and decorate their pumpkins. A man was making ballon
figures for the children.
The festival was held at Howling Moon Weddings and Events Center which
is a beautiful property. I borrowed two photos from their website.
After the festival we headed over to Menards so Joe could shop for more
items for his home shop. From there we drove to Home Depot in Monticello for a
new toolbox to hold his welding stuff. He is now at nine toolbox/rolling carts
plus eight of them have a tool chest on top. In the future I will get you
photos of his work area.
On our way home we stopped for dinner at Ton Ramen as I wanted ramen
for dinner. It was a lovely day, and I am ready to take a nap even though it is
5:20 pm. I am thinking of getting into jammies and going to bed early if I can
hold out for another two hours.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Please Be Right Terry Pratchett
Tens of thousands of Evangelicals marched in support of Donald Trump in
Washington DC today. It seemed appropriate to drag out a favorite Terry
Pratchett quote to offset my anxiety over this election and what it means for
us as a nation.
I do not want to live in a nation that is ruled by evangelicals who believe Trump is God’s chosen candidate. He is not a decent or honest person. Why would any God choose an indecent, cruel, and dishonest man to lead us? I will scream if I see, one more time, the words "You don't have to love a candidate to vote for him" in my Facebook feed. It is not about love, it is about respect.
While I do not want to take the Evangelicals seriously, I don't think we are supposed to bury our head in the sand.
It is exceedingly difficult for me to believe the ideas shared during today's
march. "Don't Mess with Our Kids: an anti-LGBTQ activist group claims that
library books, public school teachers, and pop culture are tricking children
into changing genders. One woman told a reporter she is concerned her ten-month-old
grandson will grow up in a nation where he's pressured to identify as a girl. I
can't even think how our public-school teachers have somehow become the
culprits. Educators are already overworked, saddled with the responsibility of
teaching children how to survive a school shooting, and in the event of an
active shooter situation trying to keep children alive.
We cannot ban automatic or semi-automatic guns or enact legislation to
keep guns out of the hands of certain people. Now we have people vilifying
teachers for a non-existent problem? WTF.
I have to go meditate to lower my blood pressure.
Friday, October 11, 2024
A Family Tradition
I checked in with one of the neighbors yesterday to find out how many
children come to trick or treat in our cul-de-sac as we were buying candy at
Costco. It sounds like we can expect maybe thirty children. In California we
stopped handing out candy. Joe and I would give candy to the four little girls
old enough to eat candy who lived in our neighborhood. I am looking forward to
seeing our neighborhood children all dressed up.
Goodbyes
Goodbye leaves! About 90% of the leaves are off of the trees in the neighborhood. Our Maple out front still has leaves but almost all of the...
-
Megan and Jeremy Formo Married March 8, 2024 Megan and Jeremy were married today in a simple civil ceremony at the Wright County Justice Cen...
-
Today, Jeremy and Megan posted this news privately on their Facebook, so now Grandma finally gets to be publicly excited. Back on July 9th...
-
Yesterday afternoon, before the 50 th class reunion, Joe and I stopped in to see my Uncle Dick and Aunt Sue. We enjoyed visiting with them....