Tag: Dogs

Photo-a-day 14: Vary your quiet times.

 

buddy and tim reduced

I honestly don’t remember.
Chocolate zucchini cake
Emergency Chocolate Cake

Sometimes, you read. Sometimes, you watch a thoughtful TV show [that DVR lets you race past the annoying ads]. Sometimes it’s music and closed eyes.

And sometimes, a loved one tracks you down.

It all works.

Here is a little more insight on quiet time for retirees.

I’m working on a short book about lessons and realizations during my first year of retirement.

If you’re interested in this and/or
and a fun [in development] community site for retirees, just add the information below.

 

A promise: Your email address will not be shared and will be used to inform you of the book’s status

Photo-a-day 11: Resist the list.

to do list

Fellow retirees, yes, some list items can’t be put off. [That brake job, for instance.]

But if you’re in a tug-of-war between cleaning up after breakfast and phoning your friend, well, let’s just say your buddy’s schedule is more of a moving target than those coffee mugs in the sink.

And consider the payoff. A few laughs, a listening ear [in both directions], and quite possibly a meetup in the near future.

Take a look at this list. I say, five of the seven items support my ‘call your friend’ suggestion.

Photo-a-day 10: When in doubt, push the envelope.

cinnamon roll dough and cranberry filling
Dried cranberries, hazelnuts, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a futile effort to escape.

Oh, sure, this dough looks a little overstuffed, but hey! time’s a wastin’!

I figure, in retirement, why not risk overstuffing a day, an hour, a month with new and/or favorite adventures?

Link of the day: 21 Fulfilling Ways to Pass Time in Retirement
Flaw: Baking isn’t specifically mentioned.

Current favorites from the above list:

  • Take a class [For me, one on Publishing on Amazon at the local community college.]
  • Write a book/blog. [see above]
  • Adopt a pet [By far, my favorite. I’m hoping Buddy feels the same way.]

    picture of black dog in photo frame

What’s been working for you? What are your favorite pastimes in retirement?

A photo a day…the journey starts.

Buddy and Kindle speech bubble

I’m sitting here on Christmas Day and, as a retiree–every day I’m not working at my school,  I enter my ‘retiree’ state of mind–I’ve decided to continue my ‘try something new’ exploits.

And so, my latest foray is ‘a photo a day’. A photo shares lots of information, is open to translation, and serves as a simple springboard for retirees’ topics.

This is my latest obstacle to productivity…Buddy. who joined us in October and, as you might surmise, is rather adamant about priorities…his priorities.

A new retirement weekend goal: 10 new ventures [updated]

buddy on my chest caption

Let’s define ventures : forays into something new.

Goal: At least ten new ventures for the weekend. I’m giving my Do Something Dice a week off. Hey, we retirees write our own rules! Here is the list so far…I’ll be adding incrementally through the weekend.

1. A Reading to Fight Hunger  Magic Barrel

2. Friday afternoon: Attended the dedication of statue to Dick Fosbury, the 1968 Olympic gold medalist from Oregon State University. Fifty years ago today, he revolutionized the high jump event with his patented flop.

3. Start a new board game design. Lots of mental math involved, that much is certain.

4. The crust is made, the apples from our backyard tree are sliced/diced, now it’s time to explore:  https://www.delish.com/cooking/g326/apple-pies/  And the decision is ‘Apple Pie with Salted Pecan Crumble  with some variations. I used hazel nuts instead of pecans and I added plumped-up dried cranberries.

salted pecan crumble apple pie

5. New place to walk Buddy, our recently-adopted Aussie Shepherd mix.
buddy new walk

6. New TV Show: The Rookie. I liked the characters, but didn’t need the gritty gore.

7. New music to listen to—I started with a new playlist on Spotify: Good Morning Jazz. That led me to Kokoroko, an Afrobeat Collective

8. A new breakfast burrito for lunch at La Rockita, along with their quality chicken torta.

9. New books:

Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process

The Wizard of Foz [Subject: Dick Fosbury]

How to Bake by Paul Hollywood

10. A new tofu cheese recipe from Green Evi . No, it doesn’t completely replace real cheese, but I like the flavors and the protein and the lower fat content. [i.e. less guilt].

11. A Sunday where I read only the comics. Done! 

12. Two new biscuit recipes. Sweet potato biscuits and savory herb biscuits. As I usually do, I improvised by adding cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, and maple syrup to the sweet potato version. My starting point is usually Bert Greene’s  half-white flour, half whole wheat Sky High Biscuits recipe from The Grains Cookbook.

I opted for bite-size for more concentrated flavors…and less guilt.

[Same calories….but less guilt.]

biscuits bisqettes

 

 

Sharing Your Retirement With a New Family Member [10 Reasons Why]

Tried to adopt last August but that one didn’t work out.

DUF [Dog Under Foot] showed up at a Senior Dog Rescue of Oregon pet adoption event two days ago. We were there only to accompany friends in their search, as we had postponed our search…until we looked into this seven-year-old’s eyes.

So, why not share retirement years with a guy like DUF? [Note: Official name not determined till my wife comes home from work.]

I could prattle on forever about a dog’s benefits, but I’ll let U.S. News do that for me.

Note: I retired for twelve months and learned plenty. I’ll aim to post at least one stepping stone per week. Each of these lessons or impressions from that year off will constitute a mini-chapter of my book-in-progress.

Along with my book-in-progress, I’m also looking at setting up an online community.
If you’re interested… [Honest! I’m scaling back my ‘shiny objects’ list!]

Yes, keep me updated!

 

A promise: Your email address will be used to inform you of the status of the book and community and will not be shared.