The Year Ends

I have been silent on this blog that was to document my activities and feelings as I age. It's been a tough fall. I was so hopeful that we as a country could continue on the path toward equality and justice while being good to the earth. Well, that's not going to happen. How much can one do? And how should that energy be directed?

My forays into volunteerism brought more ambiguity. But, I feel that I have been successful working with a special student at the Literacy Network and beginning in January I will become a personal tutor instead of working in the class setting. This gives me more control and us more flexibility with scheduling. I'm optimistic.

Today as I write this Jim is teaching his last tennis lessons at Nielsen. As he says, "I'm being retired." The University is being so short-sighted. The outpouring of kindness from his students is fun to watch. The Korean tennis group gave him some very cool tokens of appreciation. (I'll try to remember to add a picture here.) 

I've become a regular at a pilates class. The timing and convenience/location all make it work for me. Funny, how important that is. I still need to get more active. A diagnosis of Osteoporosis is yet another slam to the aging body.

Mother Nature has given us all the winter I need in just the month of December. We're heading to southern Florida on New Years Day. Sickness be gone! 

What lies ahead for two retired curmudgeons living in a small house is anyones guess. 

Book Group: Sept - Dec, 2016

Book: Make Your Home Among Strangers
Author: Jennine Capó Crucet
Meeting: Wednesday, Sept 21, 2016 at Jane's
Dessert: cranberry walnut pie with ice cream (of course)

This was a joy to read. It sucked me in from the start. A Cuban-American girl gets a scholarship to an exclusive liberal arts college in New England. Her struggles at home (near Miami, Florida) and at school made me think about the challenges of first generation college students. She makes mistakes (didn't we all?) but I really like the character (semi-autobiographical) although not everyone in the group did. This is a definite thumbs up for me.


Book: Euphoria
Author: Lily King
Meeting: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at Jennifer H's
Dessert: apple crisp w/ ice cream

Loosely based on the life of Margaret Mead, this rather fast paced book left me wondering. The group discussed what was real and what was made up, but it leaves me feeling like I'd rather have read a good biography.

Book: Bad Feminist
Author: Roxanne Gay
Meeting: Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at my house
Dessert: purchased cranberry pear tarts from Humble Pie w/ frozen custard

Overall I enjoyed this collection of essays/blog posts that look at women's place in current society from the perspective of a person much younger than me. I had a hard time relating to some of the pop culture references, but a lot of it rings as true as feminism was to me in the 70s.


Book: La Rose
Author: Louise Erdrich
Meeting: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at Julies
Food: Julie invited the group to come early for seafood stew and home made bread. Cookies for dessert. Delicious.

Louise Erdrich is our group go-to author. When she publishes a new book we read it. No one needs to pick it. La Rose did not disappoint. It's a multi-generational picture of the families surrounding a current day tragedy. An accidental shooting results in a son being given to the grieving family. I feel it is our duty to read American Indian history to understand the complexity of the genocide perpetuated on them. So, the book isn't fun to read, but it is important. I was happy to be immersing myself in the story that takes place so close to the Standing Rock tribe that is protecting their water rights right now. 

Apostle Islands, Wisconsin Summer 2016

Jim and I met Heather and Greg in Bayfield, WI for a late summer vacation. After lunch at a funky 50s-style restaurant we took the ferry over to Madeline Island.

Our rented cabin was quite deluxe with many amenities including WiFi wich can be hard to find up there. We took advantage of the nice weather to explore Big Bay State Park.

Saturday was a rainy day. We made the most of it. Heather and I finished binding the books we had started on my last trip to Minneapolis. I hope I'm brave enough to write and draw in mine!

We explored the town of La Pointe visiting the Madeline Island Historical Museum where Ojibwa basket makers were demonstrating their art. Gallery hopping, dinner in town and then a fierce game of Catan rounded out our day. We woke to sun on Sunday and after packing up we did some hiking. 

After a good lunch of fish tacos and sandwiches Heather and Greg boarded the ferry and headed back to Minneapolis. Jim and I went to set up our campsite at Big Bay State Park. 

The park includes a beautiful beach and the water was swimmable!

We took one hike along a boardwalk that parallels the beach. Another took us around the southeast edge of the park along the cliffs. The waves were crashing. It was quite lovely.

We biked to town, but probably won't take our bikes on trips like this in the future. The ride seemed more required than desired.

Our next camping spot was the city park and campground in Bayfield. We secured a beautiful site overlooking Lake Superior. What a treat! 

Although we don't need electricity for camping, I found the provided outlet handy for recharging my new lantern.

Bayfield is home to many area orchards and we were lucky enough to run into one that was selling Colorado peaches! Yum! They were the best! Can't beat peaches on your morning granola!

We took a cruise of the islands that are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The islands are not very accessible. One can take boat rides to a couple of the islands to hike and camp and there are some kayak opportunities, but the lake can be pretty intimidating. We learned a lot about the local history of the area and enjoyed our evening tour.

The sea caves on Devils Island were spectacular.

As the evening progressed the light became golden.

The lighthouse on Raspberry Island was glowing. 

 And we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

We took day trips to other parts of the park. On the western side we hiked at Meyer's Beach above the sea caves that are a winter destination if the lake freezes over. Many kayakers took in the sites from water level. We had some beach time and found a fish shop with smoked lake trout and whitefish (Halvorson Fisheries in Cornucopia, WI). Another treat!

As we headed south we stopped for a hike at Houghton Falls Nature Preserve. It is a magical area that leads to a great lake view. The history of the area is fascinating!

And once again I saw the "Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program" sign and gave thanks for those who have been forward thinking to preserve these special places. That program has been all but defunded in our current legislature. It is so sad.

Our last couple days were spent at our cabin. Great weather, no bugs. 

Tale of an Outhouse

An early morning call in mid-August from Julie, our cabin partner, alerted us to the fact that a tree had fallen on our northwoods cabin's outhouse. The good news was that she was not in it.

Julie's photo on the morning the tree fell.

View from the cabin. It was a BIG tree.

The bad news was that it was totally destroyed and with it my "Read Anywhere" poster signed by Nicole Hollander. 

What you can't see are the thousands of shards of glass that we are still finding.

We did some schedule rearranging and managed to go up the two following weekends to work on rebuilding. Julie helped and managed most of the food. It was like old times when we first had the cabin and every trip was a project weekend with fine food to keep us going.

We'll be set for firewood next winter.

Neighbor Rob and his powerful chain saw helped with removing the tree. The guys at Builder's Service in Elcho couldn't have been more helpful. The truck arrived with our delivery of supplies almost before we could get back to the cabin.

Jim actually found the original plans that we used more than 20 years ago and we were able to rebuild on the original base. The plexiglass ceiling was a must. 

We made a few minor changes, but it's back to being the best outhouse around.

I believe it's also the last outhouse that I will build. 

Some might think too much blue: outhouse, shed, cabin and new car!

Book Group: July and August 2016

Book: A More Perfect Heaven; How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos
Author: Dava Sobel
Meeting: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at Crystel's
Dessert: lemon blueberry tart (berries picked that day)

Pretty unanimously disliked in our group with many reading only part of it (me included). As a research project on the life of Copernicus and how his theories came to be published might provide interest to some, but the language of the times and the religious intolerance made it all a bit hard to read. Not a book I'd recommend.

Book: My Accidental Jihad; A Love Story
Author: Krista Bremer
Meeting: Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at Jean's
Dessert: Shortbread tart with homemade vanilla ice cream

From California surf girl to muslim mother. Interesting life choices but had a hard time knowing the man/husband/father. Some of the situations seemed hard to believe: Would they not have talked about where they were staying visiting relatives in Lybia? And that there would be no coffee? I disliked the Christmas put down; too pat. Some good discussion and we can all use more info about other cultures. Two non-fiction books in a row. Probably a first for us.

From Spring to Summer 2016

Biking

The annual Tour de Cure 2016 in Minneapolis saw a bump in Pancremaniac riders who are family. (The Pancremaniacss are daughter Heather’s team.) That was thanks mostly to JL who challenged family members last Thanksgiving to come and ride. He’d provide their minimum fundraising. The ride seemed to inspire people just like it did me the first time I rode. The red riders (with diabetes) are very visible and the support can be overwhelming. This disease that can be hidden is right out in the open. “Go Red Rider” is heard all along the route. For those who don’t live with it or with someone who does, it is not easy to imagine the amount of work it takes to keep life under control. The ride opened the eyes of family members who never really thought about how hard it is to live with diabetes.

And our team raised over $30,000 for the American Diabetes Association. WooHoo!!!

With Red Rider Heather at the Tour de Cure

(For a detailed explanation of daughter Heather's diabetes journey you can follow this link to a previous post on this blog:
http://aviewofaging.blogspot.com/2014/06/tour-de-cure-2014.html  )

Volunteer Transitions

I was sad to say a final good-bye to the First-Graders who I tutored this past school year. Although I only spent an hour with them every week, I came to know them and to care for them. I learned a lot about our current public school system and the challenges it faces in these turbulent times. I will probably sign on with Schools of Hope again next fall.

A couple other volunteer attempts did not go so well. I have learned that I do not volunteer to fill time. I need to feel that the time I spend is worthwhile; that I learn from it; and that what I am doing has the potential to make a difference in someone’s life.

Gardening

Typically, gardening in the UW Arboretum (where I live) ends when the mosquitoes come out. That is often in mid to late May. This year they are scarce into the end of June. It is quite a treat. We can sit out on the deck, work in some of the remote areas of the yard and generally feel like most people do about their yards. I know writing this will mean that the next time I go outside I’ll be bit!

I tried some new flowers this year; nothing fancy. And some of the old ones are doing quite well. For the record:

This climber goes crazy. I'm training it to circle on a tomato cage.

Donde están las monarcas?
The milkweed is waiting and so am I.

Zinnias were one of Mom's favorites.
I didn't like them until I started traveling to Mexico.

My weed whipper is making the yard more accessible.

 Health

I think I know why old people talk about their health so much. It’s not complaining. It gets complicated and hard to figure out. For the record: things seemed fine at my annual physical. I was recently back from the big road/hiking trip. I felt great. But there are always tests. I was very disappointed to learn that my A1C is back in the Type 2 diabetes range. We will retest to confirm and if it’s really there I will need to go on medication. I’m bummed. I’ve kept the weight off that I lost. I have really changed my quantity and pattern of eating. We’ll see.

And then, I was due for a bone density scan. It seems I now have osteoporosis. Oh, great. More exercise, more calcium. I was confused by the language and the numbers in the letter I received and when I questioned it I was referred to an osteoporosis specialist. Interestingly, she is in the endocrinology department where diabetes and other autoimmune diseases are treated. Maybe we can get a big picture look at what’s going on in my body---but I doubt it. The appointment isn’t until October.

But on a lighter note, tennis is in full swing and I’m having fun. I’m trying pilates and I can bike to the class. Win,win.

Overall, life is very good.

Book Group: May and June 2016

Book: The Japanese Lover
Author: Isabel Allende
Meeting: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at Nadine's
Dessert: cheesecake

This was my pick. I have loved Isabel Allende's books. She is a superb storyteller. In this case the story encompassed everything from the Holocaust, to the Japanese internment, to Aids. I enjoyed the story, but felt the content was too predictable with many stereotypes. It seemed like a good pick for May because it was a fast read in a busy month. Not Allende's best.

Book: The Dream Lover
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Meeting: Wednesday, June 16, 2016 at Barbara's
Dessert: fresh berry tart

This is a fictionalized version of the life of George Sand. I got into it and appreciated the insights on the mores of the 1800's, but it got a bit tedious. Her need for lovers became annoying and I kept worrying about her children. But, overall I liked the book and was amazed at her Paris connections.