A Happy New Year's Eve

As we've done for many, many years, Rick and I spent our New Year's Eve at home enjoying each other's company and a good home-cooked meal. We wouldn't have much fun at a noisy, boisterous, hectic celebration, so it's a good thing we like each other so much. Rick barbequed carne asada, pasilla chiles, and jalapenos. I made buttered pasta with green squash and myzithra cheese. You may not think it sounds good, but we loved it!

We spent the day loading the motorhome for our trip to Indio and Quartzsite. We're going to meet up with friends we've made throughout this past year and we are soooo looking foward to being in our Mobile Fishing Lodge once again (even if we won't be anywhere near a river or lake).

After dinner we watched a movie I'd recorded on the DVR (Bridge to Terabithia, if you're curious) and then started looking at the New Year celebrations around the world. Lots of money spent on fireworks! Rick and I talked about the wonderful adventures we'd had this last year, and as Rick said, "We lived it up." We spent the year traveling up the west coast and at least 100 glorious summer days on the banks of our favorite river, fly fishing to our heart's content. Although we had a couple of personal "speed bumps" along the way, we were safe and healthy and did exactly what we had planned to do for so many years. It was nice to reflect back tonight with Rick on what we did and what we're planning for 2009. We both are feeling a renewed energy for what is to come. We wish you a similar positive energy for 2009. May it be a good year!

Happy Holidays!

The snow is beautiful on the surrounding mountains!

Christmas Day in the southwest! Magnificent!

No Bird Has Been Known to Lay a Square Egg

What you say, "no square eggs?" I believe I was in 1st grade (my Mom would know for sure) when I wrote my first school report. Although it was only one sentence long, it was profound. And very wise for a first grader I thought at the time and still think it. I even drew a picture to go with the one-sentence report.

No bird has been known to lay a square egg.

To this day, my Mom still teases me about that report. She can get herself laughing so hard, you can't help but laugh along with her. I bet she's laughing right now reading these profound words again.

This all came back to me when we were on the Oregon coast. At the Yaquina Lighthouse, there was an educational display on the Common Murres that nest on the ocean cliffs and they lay very pointed eggs. No, not square. You probably thought I'd say square. This odd, very pointed shape is to keep the eggs from rolling off the steep cliff edges. If the egg rolls, it pivots around and does not roll away. These birds have markings that resemble a penguin and there were thousands of Common Murres on the rocks near Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon.




Bet my Mom never thought she'd see my "No Square Egg" report published on the Internet. When you blog you can do just about anything.

A couple more hobbies that travel well

Keeping with hobbies for another post, I also take my yarn and crochet hooks with me on the road. A small crochet project actually travels well to the doctor appointment you have to wait for or a car trip, if I'm not driving of course. I think you can take plastic crochet hooks on airplanes once again, but who travels by commercial airlines anymore if they can avoid it?

Anyway, I love to crochet and I've never met a crocheter who wasn't willing to show a newbie the basics. We have a small group in our community, called the NeedleArt Group, who get together every Friday morning and share their latest projects. Any type of needle work.

Another hobby of mine, probably my second favorite behind fly fishing, is taking photos. With digital cameras you get instant results, although my love of photos started with Rick's 35mm Minolta 101 (circa 1970 Vietnam) and the macro lens. I remember 20 years ago taking pictures of wildflowers growing on the banks of a stream in Wyoming. On my belly, up close. But it wasn't until I got the film developed that I saw the results. With digital cameras you can tell fairly well what you have when you push the button. Gaining a little understanding of photography with that camera was a blessing. I'd like to take a photography class sometime. I think I'll put that on my to-do list. (There's probably a photography club in our community!)

Here are a couple shots of my favorite subjects from our last trip to CA.

Digital cameras are not so expensive anymore, for a small point and shoot type. It's a wonderful way to remember a trip or those kids who grow up so fast!

Hobbies - on the road & at home

When we're on the road, living in a 36' motorhome, it's a challenge to decide which hobbies to take with us. We're lucky that our motorhome has a high CCC or cargo carry capacity, so weight is not too much of an issue. Not counting our fluids and fuels, we can carry almost 5000 pounds of additional stuff like food, clothes, fishing equipment, and hobbies. The challenge comes with where to put it all. We like to keep things put away so our small living space doesn't feel even smaller. We don't travel with stuff piled on the bed, couch or stacked in boxes on the floor. We even put the sink covers away so they don't become flying projectiles.

We're lucky because we still have a house in a retirement community and we can leave things behind and come back to them. Our gated community has just about every amenity you can think of and it's chock full of clubs, shops, crafts, and classes. This gives us the chance to have fun with the hobbies that we can't take with us. I guess you could say even our hobbies are seasonal, like us snowbirds.

I've joined the stitchery club and the arts & crafts club. Although I have a sewing machine and a serger at home, it sure is nice to go to the club room, use any number of machines, spread out on nice cutting tables, and socialize with others. I'm back into sewing after 15 years and it's like remembering how to ride a bike. Lovin' it!

Rick's started carrying a tree saw in the back of the car. If he offers to cut down your old tree, watch out. He has an ulterior motive. Keep an eye on your orange tree, olive, avocado, mesquite - well any tree or woody scrub with a trunk bigger than 3 or 4 inches. His ulterior motive? He wants to make bowls. And other things.

Rick has enjoyed working with wood for as long as I've known him. He's done wood carving, refinished furniture, built cabinets, furniture and houses. So turning a piece of tree trunk into a bowl just seemed like the next hobby to tackle. So far he's completed 2 small bowls, about 3" to 5 " made from mesquite tree limbs. They're just big enough to hold a pound of M & M's.

Our community has a fabulous wood shop with every large and small piece of equipment you can name. Saws of all types, lathes, planers, drill presses, routers of all types, everything, all in a nice big airy shop! Rick's dad started making wooden bowls a couple years ago, both pieced and turned. It's one of the most common projects of the wood shops these days.

Of course fishing is our number one hobby, but we're not always on the water's edge. Many people love to golf. Some like to visit historical landmarks. We have many other interests to keep us busy. What is your favorite hobby or past time?

Quick stop in Quartzsite

On our way back from our last trip to CA we made a very quick stop at Quartzsite, THE most popular place in the USA for RVers. Especially popular with RVers who love to boondock. In the winter of course, not the summer.

We spent a little time in Quartzsite last January and plan to do the same this January. The weather was a comfy 80 degrees, blue skies, and not too many RVs yet. If we had the motorhome with us we would have stayed a few days.

The weather has turned cold and rainy this week so I'm sure the generators are running to keep warm.

Finally understanding retirement

We are in our 12th month of retirement and I think this week it has finally occurred to me. This is what retirement is truly about. It came with a weeklong cold, the kind of cold I get about every 5 years. I remember, in the past, going to work feeling rotten with a head cold. That twilight zone, everything in slow motion, once removed feeling, but still going to work. Because I could sequester myself in my office and pretend not to hear everyone question why I came in - to get them sick. Feeling much worst by the end of the day, driving an hour and a half to get home, all the time dreading getting up the next morning to do it all again.

Being able to do nothing, except rest and drink hot tea, has made me realize retirement. Being able to stay home. I not happy about cancelling a trip to CA to see family, but extremely relieved at the same time. My sleep schedule has changed with the onset of the 5-year-cold and being able to get the 8 hours sleep I've grown accustomed to is beyond words. I don't know how Rick can sleep through my constant coughing from 10 PM to 1 AM, but he does. Although we have a second bed, neither of us moves out of the warmth.

I've had the twilight zone, head-in-cement feeling, but I'm able to sit here, relaxed, looking out our big windows, in my favorite robe with the music down low. (I've found I like XM radio on DirecTV channel 818 - the Pulse.) I don't feel I have to go to the stitchery club meeting or anywhere, although I miss playing pickle ball every morning. I don't feel stressed about doing nothing. I'm thinking this is truly how retirement is supposed to be. Relaxed.

Photography - For fun, not for a living

While we were in California for Thanksgiving, my sister asked if I would take photos of her and the family for their Christmas cards. She found a professional photographer who would stage the photos at the beach, but that turned into a bad idea when the weather forecast was for rain and wind. Instead she asked me to give it a try. I like to focus on fish, flowers, and landscapes, but I thought it would be interesting.

So on Sunday after turkey-day, we drove to the Claremont Colleges - Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, McKenna, Keck and more. Beautiful architecture, manicured lawns, trees, gardens, fountains, and good weather. There were a number of families there enjoying the park-like setting and wide-open spaces. Being a long holiday weekend, there were literally no students to be found.

At times, trying to get the 2 year old and 5 year old boys to pose for photos was difficult when all they wanted to do was run and play. And climb trees. And kick through the leaves, go up and down the steps, play tag, find bugs, climb the low walls, and sit on the benches. Getting them to stay still was the hard part, but they are kids afterall. Here are a few of my favs.

And a slideshow of fun bloopers to give you an idea of the fun we had trying to get them all smiling and looking at me at the same time. Taking pics of fish and flowers is a lot easier. They don't move like a 2 year old! In hindsight I would try a couple different settings on the camera and I'd bring along a couple of props to get their attention.

I wish I could have explored the campuses, but taking the photos of them was a lot of fun. I think we all had fun. And I hope they are able to use a couple of the photos for their Christmas card.

"You have to earn your air"

Continued from prior post- "Something to share"

Steve,
Your email about the elderly gentleman really touched me, as I know he has touched you. I'd like to ask if I can put the story on my blog? What's your new friend hoping to do? Is he wanting to live closer to his sons? What does his future hold? Thanks for sharing this with us.
Mic & Rick

Rick and Mic,
A lot has happened since I wrote the email this morning: he has received a nice warm jacket and other clothes, he has a little more money in his pocket for food and he will be living in a home for at least a month. Tonight will be the first time in a very long while that he will be able to shower and sleep warmly and safely. The lady who owns the house is recently divorced, with the house in foreclosure and at least one child. She saw him on a bus bench last night and asked if he needed help. He said no, but she said I know you do because I've seen you around a lot sitting on the bus bench and doing odd jobs. She said she would make a place for him to stay at her house. When she found out he had a nominal budget for housing, she immediately agreed to give her master bedroom and bath to him for a month. When I took him to the house and paid the lady, he was so proud and happy, and he just had to show me the room. So, we have bought some time to formulate a plan and a backup. His belongings consisted of the clothes he had on and obituary articles about his mother and his grandmother.

Kenneth Jackson is 61 years old and does not have a plan for the life he has left. But he and I are talking about that, and I think plan number one will be to get him to Illinois where his sons live. I don't know what the sons will think, but I will talk to them on the phone to see if we can work something out, even if it means providing subsistence pay for his lodging there.

Kenneth is very articulate, humble and newly hopeful, in spite of his circumstances, and I find it a joy to be around him. As you can see, it's already a fairly long and complicated tale, with much more to come. He has a small social network on his side now, so things can only get better. He actually expected he would die on the streets. I would be pleased to have you use it on your blog. If any of us don't feel fortunate in our lives, then we haven't seen enough of the lives many others live and we haven't thought clearly about the subject.

I think my son is right in a way when he says, "You have to earn your air."
Steve

Steve,
I wish you were here so I could give you a big hug. The tears are running from my eyes. I feel so hopeful for his man. He is blessed to have you by his side. And it makes me want to be more thoughtful and caring in the way I treat people.

Thanks for sharing and I hope you let me know how he is doing.
Mic

Something to share

I'm still feeling a little puny, as my grandma used to say when one of us felt a little under the weather. It seems I've gotten away from my daily blogging just a little, what with all the activities going on and the holidays. But there are lots of words circling in my head, so stand by. And even though I'm not 100%, I'm far better off than many, many others. When I start to have a little self-pity party, I just have to look at what others are dealing with to get me off the pity wagon.

Rick and I are fortunate to be able to spend time with family this fall and I've got some photos from our visits to share later. But not everyone is so fortunate. Although we are all dealing with some personal hardship, be it health issues, relationships, or money problems, we tend to lose sight of others who are suffering much greater hardships.

We received a very touching email from our friend Steve and I felt compelled to share it with you. With his permission I'm sharing.

Wednesday, 10:25 AM

Rick and Mic,


Your recent comments about the good lives that most of us have were, I hope, taken to heart by your blog readers. I got a lesson of my own in thankfulness two days before Thanksgiving Day when I was approached at a market in a poor community by a slender old black man. He introduced himself by name and said he needed help, although he made it clear he wanted to work and was not a beggar. I had a cup of coffee that I had just bought and was in a hurry to get somewhere, but I talked with the man for a few minutes and ultimately gave him ten bucks.

Well, as you might imagine, I felt happy with myself as I drove off. But several hours later I began to realize that I needed to really help this man. So I looked for him around the market several hours later, feeling a certain sense of urgency. Luckily, I found him and we sat down together to talk. I heard this man's hard luck story from his childhood in Louisiana all the way up to the current time in his poor little community where had come two years ago to take care of his sick mother. She died a year ago, but he remains a polite, dignified man in spite of having no place to stay, no food, no transportation, no phone, only the clothes on his back, not having had any medical or dental care for as long as he can remember. He has as close to nothing as anyone I have ever met.

I gave him more money for food, hoping that he would have something to eat on Thanksgiving Day. But I still knew he needed more help than that. When I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, I couldn't stop thinking about how unbelievably blessed all of us are, having no idea what other human beings within our reach are going through. So, you can bet I was truly thankful, and I tried to share my feelings with my teenage grandchildren as well as the adults gathered around our table.

When I was younger my cynicism might have taken over, and I would have walked away after the first encounter. But now I have a project. I hope to find him a place to live today and to ultimately get him to Illinois where his adult sons live. They don't know how destitute he is, and he doesn't want to tell them for fear of worrying them. Besides, he has had no way to contact them.

I am telling you this because you know me and will understand that this is unexaggerated truth, and because we should all realize that we cannot be thankful enough. How lucky we are.

Steve

I sent an email back to Steve and asked to know more about this man and the outcome. I will share his reply with you.

Taking a "Sick Day"

Yesterday, after finishing a few games of pickleball, driving home on the golf cart with the cold wind blowing against our faces, I said to Rick that I felt like I was getting a sore throat! Just like that! Snap! A sore throat! No forewarning! I have not been sick for years! Neither of us! But now I was getting what seemed like a cold, perhaps. It only hurt when I swallowed, but boy did it hurt. No fever and no appitite either. I took an early shower (hot!) and got into my jammies. Some friends called and asked if we wanted to come over for happy hour and we had to take a raincheck. Today I slept in and missed our 8 AM pickleball games, but Rick went. I got up, took another hot shower, puttered around, went to the grocery store (Rick drove), dropped off some toys at the Toys For Tots, and when we got home I went back to bed.

I told Rick this would have been one of those days when I felt obligated to go to work, even though sick, but now that I'm retired I'm taking a sick day and staying home. This is the cold and flu season, so wash your hands often and stay healthy! From bed to the couch to bed, taking it easy and getting well.

Turkey still on my plate

Turkey enchiladas, turkey stroganoff, turkey soup, turkey fajitas, turkey sandwiches, turkey stir fry, and turkey/stuffing/mashed potatoes with gravy. Yep, we're into the leftover turkey season.

We usually cook more than one meal so we have leftovers for the next day (week, month). This habit started when we were working and we'd cook extra food on the weekend so that most of the work days, when we got home from the hour and a half drive, we could whip up a quick homemade meal.

Get creative. Use your taste-imagination. Anything you can do with cooked chicken, you can do with cooked turkey. Only better.

Here's a recipe for Southwestern Turkey Casserole

2 cups chopped cooked turkey
One 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of milk
One 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 cups crushed corn chips
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In saucepan, combine turkey, soup, milk, chilies, and olives; heat slowly, stirring until bubbly. Sprinkle 1/3 of corn chips on bottom of 2- quart casserole dish; pour in 1/2 of turkey mixture, 1/2 cup onion and 1/2 cup of each cheese. Layer another 1/3 of corn chips, remaining turkey mixture, onion and cheeses; top with remaining corn chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Let me know if you try it.

'Thanks' still on my mind

Although the date of Thanksgiving, the annual celebration, the feasting day, has passed us by, I still have the feeling of being thankful for what we have.

As Thanksgiving approached, I kept thinking that I should share with you and post here what I am so very thankful for. I kept coming up with the usual - good health, family, friends, the freedoms that come with being an American & living in the USA. Thanks to our military and armed forces for serving to keep us free. And thanks for my loving husband.

Thanksgiving is the day that commemorates the Pilgrims gratitude for their harvest and for survival in the new world. Our country seems to be facing comparatively tough times of its own right now. The economy specifically. This affects not only us retirees, but everyone. Everyone everywhere. I have to think that we will come out of these down times and be better for it. If I didn't think that I might be searching the jobs ads. My mom says we are faced with a challenge to do with less and find ways to save. My sister (to paraphrase) says it will bring us back to basics, bring us to understand what is important, bring us to live within our means. It's also a time when we, the citizens, are wanting to be a part of our future, our destiny, and our purpose. I feel more people are aware and involved with their communities, and this country, than ever. At least in my adulthood.

We see the news and know that many are facing tough times. At times I feel somewhat guilty for the 'good' that Rick and I have. (But then I remember our conservative spending habits, our savings plan, and our hard work to get where we are.) Our own family members are dealing with poor health, loss of loved ones, slow downs at work, but we're getting through it all with the belief and trust that it will get better. People are out of work and I've heard of retirees returning to work to get by. Rick and I both realize that we are living a good life and we don't take it for granted. We are thankful for our health, what we've done and the country we live in. I hope that you have reasons to be thankful, even in these tough times.