This And That

I have now been retired for about 15 months. I'm not sure what I expected but I have to tell you it is better than I dreamed. I spent my years from college until 15 months ago as a type A+ personality. There wasn't a project I wouldn't tackle and there wasn't a promotion I didn't want (I didn't always get them). My days were filled with commuting back and forth to work, meetings, trips, more meetings, Jazzercize, parent teacher conferences, Little League practices and games, working the snack shack at Little League games and on and on. I get tired just writing this. I didn't think I would ever enjoy slowing down. Of course when you slow down you have time to think. Lots of folks shy away from that. I used to, but not now. I figure whatever comes into my head bears looking at even if it's just for a few minutes.

During the past 15 months I have learned about peace and quiet. Many of my family and friends find it hard to believe that I have become so mellow. I can still rise to the occasion as I did with my sister's care when I felt I had to step in and be assertive. But for the most part Kerry and I really enjoy a very laid back life. He's never been a Type A. If anything he's a B-.

I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of taking my first quilt class. I'm knee-deep in projects with all types of fabrics and techniques. Right now I'm working on a table runner that features the roadrunner (got the kit in New Mexico where the bird is as prevalent as a sparrow is in Minnesota).

The move to the country from the San Francisco Bay Area was a touch of genius on our part. Sometimes I wish we had moved even farther from civilization. Back then I needed to be close to an airport so we couldn't go as far as Kerry wanted.

Our days are made up of sightings of the new turkey flock in the area, going to farmers' markets, getting eggs from our neighbor, cooking, reading, and very little television (that's me not Kerry; he loves his TV).

Surprise. Today I ordered the things I will need to make my own cheese (not expensive). I was listening to a wonderful book by Barbara Kingsolver. It's called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com

It's sort of a less academic "Omnivore's Dilemma. Her family decides to spend a year living off the land in southern Appalachia where her husband owns an old farm (the best part of the recording is Kingsolver's Kentucky accent. She makes the word "Appalachia" sound so special.) The part I'm listening to right now is about cheese making. It sounded great and very tasty. I'm starting out small with cream cheese, mozzarella and ricotta. Italians have this crazy way of using double consonants sometimes and then not other times. So if I've spelled stuff wrong...well, so be it. I'm a Type A- now. Or maybe a B+.

Reading this book has made me even more committed to eating locally and healthfully. The cruise in late December will be a test. I've already decided that I will eat vegetarian. I don't want to think about where the meat and fish will have come from. So I'll stick with veggies, cheese and eggs and, of course, dessert.

Those are my musings on a Sunday afternoon. It's a lot cooler today. The air conditioning has not come on once today.