Mini-retirement - Day 3

8:40 AM

Blast! Got up too late to watch CBS Sunday Morning. I was up till 1 AM which never would happen if I were not retired. I am allowing myself the luxtury of reverting to my night owl ways for my mini-retirement.

9:04 AM

Am doing something I haven't done in years - I'm keeping a food journal. Not because I am on a [fill in the 'D-word' here], but because it forces me to think about what goes in my mouth. I'm continuing to eat my usual healthy stuff. I'm totally slipping on my campaign to drink a minimum of 5 glasses of water per day. Even being at home hasn't gotten past more than three glasses per day and that is not enough. Anyway, here I am, a whole day for myself... what do I feel like doing?

11:00 AM

Bored. Ought to make phone calls but as usual I am not making them. I have no clue why I don't call people, particularly family. I'm fine when going for visits, but calling just doesn't happen. My medium is either face-to-face, the Internet, i.e., e-mail or Internet forums, this blog and such. I love chatting so why don't I love picking up the phone?

5:45 PM

Can't say I got nothing done today - I cut and sewed curtains for that last window in my bedroom and I made a nice go of it thankyouverymuch. Still I was bored so decided a trip out was the only thing for it.

Thanksgiving will be at Mommy Nancy's & Rick's this year; small crowd, Fran & Mark, Ingrid. Really small and I will be free to go to the State Indian Museum on Friday or Saturday to help out with the Thanksgiving weekend arts & crafts sale. Everyone loves if I prepare 'my' speciality - Sugar Pumpkins baked with a filling of bison (yes, real buffalo meat) and wild rice. Really a showy dish and what everyone loves it combines foods that were on the continent pre-Europeans. Unfortunately, that means I have to find suitable Sugar Pumkins and some years - like this one - it just doesn't happen. The pumpkins at Corti Brothers gourmet market were for carving, not eating (and they were HUMONGOUS.). And Whole Foods had Sugar Pumpkins but they were the size of freakn' apples - way to small to be of any use. Damn, damn, damn. Will have to use some other cool recipe from my Spirit of the Harvest cook book.

Anyway, I decided my outing out would be to hit Corti Bro & Whole Foods in search of pumpkins. How can explain how dangerous shopping at those two stores are? Their prices are as spectactular as their produce sections. If a Pink Lady apple costs 50 cents at a Safeway market, the same apples are bound to cost a buck fifty each at Whole Foods. Food at Corti Bro & Whole Foods are as incredible as they are expensive. You want venison, fresh chantrelle mushrooms, imported Bel Pase cheese or double chocolate stout from a little known micro beer brewery? You know where to go. I spent the afternoon perusing the aisles at those markets and I did good - not totally breaking the bank.

Honestly, I am THRILLED that Whole Foods charges so much for their baked goods. My choice there is 'pay the mortgage this month' or 'buy cheesecake at Whole Foods': I can't afford to do both. If Whole Foods ever drops the prices of its goodies I am doomed; will be featured on a medical channel undergoing surgery to remove my entire digestive tract & replacing my throat with a padlock.

Is nice being retired for a few days. Plan to sit up past 11 o'clock so as to watch South Park. Tee hee! *Nibbles on lovely fresh tuna and salmon sushi (Whole Foods) that will be followed up by a rose-flavored Turkish Delight (Corti Brothers)*

Mini-retirement - Day 2

3:16 AM

Woke in freakn' middle of freakn' night. Hate that - but since I'm retired it was ok! Turned on lights and read for a bit, after all when one is retired one can do whatevertheef one feels like, whenever. HAHAHAHA! Am mad with the sudden power over my life.

7:23 AM

Woke. Stripped bed, preparatory to laundering sheets. Did dance of joy (in my head). Took shower. Decided deserved lovely facial scrub so got out of tub, grabbing lovely Philosophy microdermsomething facial scrub. Took about 30 seconds of scrubbing to realize was scrubbing face, not with lovely Philosophy microdermsomething face scrub but scrubbing face with Philosphy 'Soul Owner' exsfolliating foot cream with horrifying salicylic acid. Remarkable the vivid carnation-red the whites of one's eyes can achieve.

Note to self: read freakn' labels before applying products. Right.

9:13 AM

Decided to go to lovely Farmer's Market for the specific purpose of purchasing week's veggies and nice bouquet of flowers to bring hint of spring into arctic-frigid household.

Humongous green BOOGERS! Is raining. Ah! Make lemons into lemonade by realizing nasty weather means I need not venture into the backyard to care for long neglected flower beds which admittedly is where I ought to be gathering my fresh cut flowers. Must find alternate method of brightening my surroundings. Green is colorful... perhaps a festoon of vivid boogers?

10:30 PM

Went to Mommy Nancy & Rick's house. It was the third Saturday in a row I've done so. Have gone there to meet with a few other women to discuss a chapter or two from The Power of Intention by Dwayne Dyer. Interesting book, stuff I've heard before. Although I mostly go for the socializing though I'm getting benefit from the book, i.e., can brag I have actually read a book.

Tonight there was no meeting but Nancy invited me over for dinnner which was, as usual, yummy. Key food note was baked carrots that carmelized & were yummy. I'm going to try more oven roasted veggies myself. Veggies = good.

Gave Nancy her second crochet lesson. She gets a bit nervous, something to do with expecting critisism when she was a kid. Teaching her last night felt like I was working with a skittish filly who is likely to bolt at any minute. Nancy did well tonight though, learning single crocheting. I'm hoping to inspire her on to knitting her own scarf. We'll see!

One thing I know about my ultimate retirement is I will have to plan social events or I'll just drop from the lonliness. I must have my alone time but too much of it is just that, too much. Oh, and outings! When I retire outings will also be a must on a daily basis.

Mini-retirement

1:38 PM

Hurrah, am retired!

Ok, I'm lying. Am most decidedly not retired. Am taking advantage of four-days off by pretending I am retired for four days. Even though the retirement is pretend, it feels marvellous.

I went to bed late, got up late and lounged over hot coffee & fresh fruit. When I damned well felt like it I went to Curves for exercise. Stopped at a garden store that was going out of business on the way home but ought have shopped there at least a week ago if had any hope of finding anything of interest to me.

Mini-retirement is so far, so good.

6:03 PM

This afternoon watched lovely Antonio Banderas movie, Take the Lead. The man is too elegant, too attractive to be straight. Whatever his preference some woman, man, sheep, whatever, is quite fortunate. Hum.... may have to learn ball room dancing when I retire.

I was dreadfully sleepy this afternoon, entirely from autumn pollens. Lungs feel like I breathed in fourteen pairs of parakeets - lungs are tweeting & wheezing that badly. Stupid pollens.

8:45 PM

Damn it. My normal wake-up time is 5-5:30 AM. Refuse to go to bed early! Will stay awake until I have to pick bats out of my teeth!