Book: Still Life With Bread Crumbs
Author: Anna Quindlen
Group meeting: Tuesday, Feb 17, 2015 at Jean's
Dessert: Bread pudding with whiskey sauce and pecans. Yum.
60-year-old NYC photographer retreats alone to the woods and falls in love with her roofer, a younger man. I thought I would dislike the book but actually loved it. Quick read, fun characters, and bigger themes than the first sentence suggests: personal expression/style, luxury vs. sparsity, level of caring/help for family, juggling the finances of three generations. Worked for me. Loved the dog! Quindlen is a great storyteller.
It's mid-February, 2015. My tin Mexican cactus reminds me of where I'd like be. But, this year, I'm home for the duration. Since this is a journal of how I'm spending my retirement time I will resist the temptation to remain silent in my winter hibernation.
Tennis: Playing as much as possible. Recent locking of the left knee put me in panic mode, but it actually feels better when I play than when I'm stationery. (Note: the orthopedic surgeon recommends replacing my right knee. I'm of the opinion my left is worse than my right. Putting off any decision while I'm still mobile.)
Spanish: Attending my Monday night class with a group of 6 or 7 with our maestro Karen. Also working through the tedious Rossetta Stone. Just started Level 2. Still feels like review, but that's not bad for me. Need to plan a trip to keep motivated. . .
Food: I considered posting this photo as my profile picture on Facebook, but decided it was a bit decadent. These are the three staples of my diet. Coffee for breakfast; wine with my main meal; whiskey at bedtime. These are also my preferred drinking vessels at this time. Maintaining weight loss from last year (motivated by the Type 2 diabetes diagnosis) and enjoying the seafood from Sitka Salmon Shares.
Projects: 1) I've begun working on Pancremaniac stuff. The Minneapolis Tour de Cure is May 30 and Heather asked me to co-captain to help her coordinate the team when things heat up. I'm having fun playing with my helmet. 2) Heather gave me an online class as a Christmas present: "The Joy of Assemblage." The problem is that I don't feel very motivated to do random assemblages, but I'm not ready to commit to the significant ones that are percolating in my mind. I'm doing the assignments in hopes of learning techniques that will help me in the long run. 3) I'm nearly finished with the glass work in the kitchen. I'll photograph it and make a separate post when it's done. 4) Photos still confound me. I can't seem to manage the Oaxaca collection. But, I don't want that frustration to thwart efforts to get better.
Socializing: We hosted a few gatherings around the holidays. I still enjoy planning the menu, getting out the good stuff, and being with friends. But it is an effort. I wonder how long I'll want to keep doing that. (Note: the tablecloth in this photo was my mom's. I bought it in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. It's always been my favorite one from there and now it's mine. But, I feel sad when I use it because I miss her.)
Volunteering: I'm helping out at a library program for little kids. It's called "Toddlers in Motion." I find myself smiling for most of the sessions because these kids are SO CUTE! They're 0 - 3 years old and are just learning to navigate group interactions. Cindy, the leader, sings and does rhymes and dances and keeps things going for an hour. And we do two sessions on Thursday mornings at the Goodman South Madison Public Library. I herd people to the sessions, prepare the snacks, and manage the music on the iPad. Heady stuff!!!! But I get to see kids and they are rare in my life.
Snow and Cold: I stupidly monitor the weather in Oaxaca and Saddlebrook and Gulf Shores and compare ours to theirs. Maybe spring will come early. The days are getting longer, at least. My days are full but there is a sense of treading water, waiting for the next big thing. Or, maybe I'll settle into this scene a little better. We'll see.
That's my life in the winter of 2015.
