I've been less than motivated to do anything, whether it be indoor or outdoor, but I don't want to neglect this space or you. So I press on, and with the Letter L.
A long time ago I used to have a blog with my eldest son Jared called Stuff On Our List. We'd pick a topic and make a list of stuff under that topic and then chat about it. Some of the topics included Top 5 Sandwiches, 5 Worst Songs Of All Time, Top 5 Childhood Toys, and Pets I Grew Up With. It was a fun blog and a fun project to do with Jared.
I still like Lists (especially those that aren't To Do Lists), so here are a few random Lists for fun.
Songs I Recently Downloaded
1. Starboy by The Weeknd
2. Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode
3. Royals by Lorde
4. Year of the Cat (album) by Al Stewart
5. Delicate by Taylor Swift
6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
7. Larger Than Life by Backstreet Boys
8. Quit Playing Games With My Heart by Backstreet Boys
9. I Hope by Gabby Barrett
10. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
Obviously, I get nostalgic for something and then I need to hear it, which is the case with the older songs on here. It's irritating to me that I have so many CDs that are rendered useless by my car, which does not have a CD player. The backstory to the Backstreet Boys music gives me very fond memories: I used to blast their music when I picked up my son and his buddies from summer school gym (they took it to free up room in their high school schedules). We had so much fun.
Shows We've Streamed And Loved (In No Particular Order)
1. Kim's Convenience
2. Schitt's Creek
3. The Queen's Gambit
4. ER
5. The Kominsky Method
6. Broadchurch
7. Big Little Lies*
8. Grace And Frankie*
9. Hoarders
10. Baskets
*The asterisk means that this is a show only I watched. Rick and I are currently watching ER, the 1994-2009 TV series, and we are thoroughly enjoying it all over again. I highly recommend it. We've watched so many shows across so many streaming services (Sam and Jared are very generous) that at times we forget where to find things. The options are mind-numbing.
Summertime Dinners On Repeat
1. Flatbread Pizzas on the grill
2. Cold Tuna Pasta with Peas
3. Raw Veg and Dip
4. Snack Board/Charcuterie Board
5. Spinach Dip with Crackers and Raw Veg
6. Huge Salad with Pork Tenderloin
7. Sheet Pan Chicken with Roasted Veg
Rick and I are both so bored with food, and I am so sick of planning dinner. I feel like when the boys were young, I made the Meat, Veg, Starch dinners like a champ for twenty years. I AM OVER IT. Now, almost anything counts as dinner. Sometimes, even ice cream. I am a grownup and I can do that.
Small Joys In My Everyday Life
1. The Redheaded Woodpecker Frequenting My Feeder
2. My Lemony Body Spray And Lotion
3. The Dogs Next Door
4. Sam Coming For Lunch
5. The Quiet Of My Home
6. Snuggling Under My Comforter On The Couch In The Evening
7. Time
I wish every single one of my friends could be retired. It is truly the gift I hoped it would be. I have so much more Time at home and so much more Peace. It makes me able to observe and enjoy all the other Happinesses in my life. Those of you who know me--even by reading here--know that I am no Pollyanna or Gratitude Proselytizer. Once in a while, however, I think it's helpful to take a look at some of the Good Stuff in your life.
Summer Stuff I Don't Get Excited About
1. Baseball
2. The Beach
3. Eating Outdoors
4. Swimming
5. Pick Your Own Fruit/Veg
Lots of people are big baseball fans, and I am not one of them. I used to go to my brother's baseball games and my students' baseball games all the time. That was fun because I was personally invested. Now, as one of my son's friends said, with pro sports being the way they are, you're basically rooting for laundry; players come and go with regularity, and the names on jerseys don't stick around. I'm not a beach person because there's no good shade and so much sand (and that stuff comes home with you forever), and I do not know how to swim. I become panicky in water near my chin. I am not a farmhand, so I prefer to buy my produce, and because we have Evolved and Become Highly Civilized, I do not have to fight with the elements or insects for my food. I can eat inside a shelter with four walls and a roof and climate control. This is the twenty-first century, so I will act like it. Thank you.
Do not even think of asking my opinion of Camping. Ridiculous.
I'd like to see an entry or two of yours for these Lists. Please share--or just chat away about my Lists--in Comments.
Camping?! No, no, no. We have friends that actually make plans to camp, can you believe? And they have a toddler! I fear they have lost their minds.
ReplyDeleteI do love the beach - although, I do agree with you about the sand - and refuse to go into the ocean past my knees - one because I don't want to be eaten by a shark or touched by whatever that may be lurking in the water and two, because I can't swim AND I don't like water in my face.
Let me throw in popcorn for dinner - this works for me on however many nights I can coerce The Husband into making me some.
Gigi--I come from a long line of People Who Go Camping. My grandparents used to go camping all over the place in Canada and even Alaska before statehood. Some of my relatives go camping in huge bunches. It all makes me shudder.
DeleteThat I cannot eat popcorn is a Sadness always to me. It smells so good and is so easy to make, especially since the microwave versions have been improved. But no matter what, it bothers my stomach. If not for that, I'd eagerly embrace Popcorn For Dinner and add it to the rotation. Lucky, lucky you.
Last downloads - Brandi Carlisle and the Highwomen; Chris Stapleton's Starting Over.Yes, I'm an album person.
ReplyDeleteTV programs I'm enjoying - Escape to the Chateau, Why Women Kill
Summertime dining - tuna pasta salad loaded with veggies (beans, corn, peppers); BBQ steak; pineapple salsa; roasted or BBQ Italian sausages.
Small joys - visiting granddaughters (really, that's a big joy); visiting with friends now that pandemic restrictions are lifted; early morning quiet
Don't get excited about - excessive heat and no rain (we're in a drought). ditto on baseball and eating outside.
Love lists - activity lists with the girls, menu planning. I get a great deal of satisfaction when I cross entries off the list.
Mona--I have a friend who is big into Why Woman Kill. Her husband watches with her just so he can pick up on any sudden or subtle transformations. LOL.
DeleteI have a terrific recipe for Sausages with Roasted Grapes and Onions. The whole thing is done on a sheet pan. We then slice up the sausages and eat it by scooping it up with pieces of naan. As a matter of fact, we're having it tonight. So good.
I wish I could send you our incessant rain. We're soggy here. I feel guilty complaining when I know how dry the West is. How I wish there were a way to even things out!
I agree with you about List Satisfaction. Having that concrete evidence of Doneness is deeply rewarding. And writing things down is the best way to get things in order.
So sorry your still having our Florida weather! I enjoyed your lists Nance. I agree that retirement is the gift I had hoped for too. You know how I always talk about loving the beach? What would be ideal would be having a condo on the beach where I could sit on the balcony to enjoy it and never set foot in the sand (of course I would, but for my walks only). I don't think I've gone in the water at the beach passed my knees since the movie Jaws came out. Camping? Why would I want to pretend I was homeless? No thank you!
ReplyDeleteOMG, I'm mortified - you're not your at the beginning!
DeleteMartha--I'm willing to bet that Jaws was a defining moment for a lot of beach-goers.
DeleteI primarily go in water now to accompany (and satisfy) my little granddaughter. She is the only one who gets me in the water at the lake. Once in a while I go into the pool at my sister's house. Neither one really qualifies as Beach-Going. And I don't get my head wet.
I like your idea of Beach-Going, with the condo to overlook the ocean and sand. That way, you can experience the beach and the sound of the waves and the gorgeous sunsets, but you don't have to deal with any of the other stuff. Let me know when you get it, and I'll plan my trip.
I have dessert for dinner often. More so when we go out to dine. I get so full that making dinner isn't happening.
ReplyDeleteSummertime dislikes? For me FISHING!! I just don't see or feel any fascination in it. Oh and watching golf or playing it. Nope.
I could go on, but now, I can't think. lol
Anni--Dessert for dinner is rare here, but only because of Guilt and Health Reasons. I do try hard to behave.
DeleteIn Texas, isn't fishing year round? I like to fish once in a while, but if I don't get any bites after about a half hour, then I get frustrated and bored and give up. As long as I catch even one, I'll stay with it for quite some time.
Golf bores me silly. The only good thing I ever got out of it was my husband. We met in golf class. That's a story for another day. The only thing worse than watching golf is watching poker on TV. Who in the heck...?
Oh ya...poker.
DeleteOh my! That "Year of the Cat" brings back college memories. Sort of - in a vague way, if you know what I mean. Let's see...as you know, I'm not much of a TV person. I tried to get into Grace & Frankie, but after Season 1 (in the middle) it just annoyed the hell out of me. I liked seeing your dinners on repeat - thank you. I could do BLTs, deviled eggs, wings (grilled of course) burgers (likewise grilled) and pasta and/or potato salad on repeat ALL the time. Small joys (or BIG) would be: my quiet morning time when Fletch is still asleep; afternoons on the patio together sipping a beverage of choice; watching the wrens bring food to their young nesting in our apple tree; peaceful day next door with no kids screaming in the pool! for the record, I no longer am excited by the beach (thank you basil cell skin cancer), but I do enjoy camping and we have planned a get-away for late September/early October!
ReplyDeleteVera--I love "Year of the Cat." I was in high school when it came out, and I was also influenced heavily by my sister's (she is 7 years older) tastes in music.
DeleteI have gone off bacon in recent years. Smoky foods like bacon and ham kind of overwhelm me. And right now, there are really no decent big tomatoes. But we do like BLTs in summertime with corn on the cob. I just use very little bacon. I love devilled eggs, too, and when corn finally comes in, I could live on corn and tomato salad (with a simple red wine and light oil vinaigrette).
I know you are a camper--I just don't know why. LOL. I do think camping in the fall would be much nicer and more enjoyable. IF one were a camping sort of person.
LOL - one definitely needs to be a "camping sort" of person. I grew up "roughing it." My parents both were from VT and we would spend a month (or more) on a camp on a lake every summer...and then would go off backpacking on the Long Trail. I certainly don't do that these days, but our little camper is cozy and we do have a good time. plus I love food cooked outside!
DeleteI really REALLY miss having a CD player in my car.
ReplyDeleteI'm a list kind of person too. I have a lot of lists in my head that need to go on paper soon now that I'm switching to a new phase of moving.
Jean--It's terrible, isn't it? Think of all that good travelling music, going to waste now. It's so irritating.
DeleteDo you buy that special list paper they have in dollar stores and other places? The long column paper with lines? Some have a magnet on the back. I buy that and love it. But then, I've always been an Office Supply Junkie--pens, clips, folders, paper, etc. That's my jam.
OH I LOVE LISTS. I LOVE THAT YOU AND YOUR SON MADE LISTS OF SANDWICHES. THATS SO CUTE AND A GREAT IDEA FOR JUST TALKING. I MAY MAKE SOME LISTS ON MY BLOG TOMORROW THANKS
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS HAVE A TO DO LIST MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE THE NEX DAY.
YOU MAKE ME LAUGH. THANKS
kathy--We often do Top 5 lists just in conversation. It IS fun. And you're welcome!
DeleteI like the idea of a To Do list the night before. It seems like something that would be good for me to try. My grandfather used to say, "Always have something to look forward to the next day."
I'm glad to give you a chuckle.
Dee--Exactly! I am not one for Roughing It. I had two kids and taught high school in an urban school for thirty years. Been there, done that, you know?
ReplyDeleteI wish we could eat out more, but I get fussy about it. We don't have many good restaurants in our area, and the one that we love is $$$$$. Others are chains like Applebees and Olive Garden, and I just cannot. I end up saying, "I could make this at home so much better."
I do know how it is. I feel like I used up my Cooking Creativity and Desire several years back. Now, I just want to grab something and be done.
I just read "Redheaded Woodpecker" as "Redneck Woodpecker" so we'll see how the rest of this comment goes - ha!
ReplyDeleteI haven't downloaded (or listened) to new music in AGES. I'm all audiobook all the time in the car, and I like silence at home (unless a baseball game is on). We did burn all of our CDs to our computers years ago, so I can pick & choose old music to put on my iPhone & play in my car. Right now I have the Indigo Girls, Marc Cohn, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, Sheryl Crow, Girlyman, Joan Osborn, Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen and more on there. I'll listen on the way to church warm up my vocal cords.
We don't watch shows anymore - just hockey & baseball. I get very fraught with shows - and almost freakishly latched onto the TV (as in, I can't see, hear, or pay attention to anything else if a show is on - it's annoying). I probably would love some of the things you watch.
Our latest favorite easy dinner is chicken breasts cooked in the Instant Pot with some sort of sauce (Carolina BBQ is my fave, but we do teriyaki sometimes too), potatoes or rice, and asparagus. But the other night I had Cheetos & fudge Nekot cookies and that was equally fabulous.
I am a mountain person, but Mike loves the ocean. We go during off seasons and mostly sit on the balcony & watch the water. I do try to walk on the beach at least once per trip. The sand is VERY annoying though.
As I imagined, I have rambled instead of creating any lists. Perhaps some more caffeine is in order!
Bug--Perhaps burning CDs can be Rick's Wintertime Project this year. I like that idea immensely. He has a separate disc drive for his computer. I think I'll mention it to him. Strongly. Thank you.
DeleteYour Instant Pot dinner sounds like my Sheet Pan dinner. I pile everything on there and stick it in the oven at 375 or whatever, depending upon the protein, and in about an hour, it's Dinner. I especially love tossing cocktail sized tomatoes cut in half on there, sprinkled with oregano and/or basil and marinating my chicken in Italian dressing. It's so good.
I think you've kind of Listed! At any rate, I enjoyed chatting with you, as always.
My daughter is a big fan of Taylor Swift, so we hear a lot of it…I really like the song Delicate, too. Sorry your car doesn’t have a CD player. Could you get one installed? One more reason to NOT get a new car, I guess. Mine are 2005 and 2008, so surely the day is coming, but I am putting it off as long as possible. I hate car payments.
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed The Queens Gambit and Big Little Lies. I’ve gotten hooked on Leanne Moriarty’s books now. Not sure I spelled that right. :). Maya and I are rewatching The Crown right now.
Your meals all sound fabulous to me. We had a snack board for dinner last night, with a little meat thrown in for Ted, as he can’t really do the cheese or bread much these days. It was heaven.
I love the ocean, but the lack of shade is indeed an issue. When I was young I adored roasting myself and getting stupidly tan, and the beach was the best place to do it. Stupid, but there you go. I love to swim, but don’t do it often. I love the weightless feeling of swimming under water. I’m sorry that can’t happen for you, it’s a singular, wonderful feeling. I’m looking forward to going snorkeling this October in Hawaii!
J--I have some Taylor Swift on my phone, but not a lot. Isn't it wonderful now that you can just buy single songs and not have to buy an entire album that may contain music you don't particularly care for?
DeleteMy car is a 2020 Prius Prime. I do like many things about it, like the fact that I rarely use gas at all, but I very much miss the CD player. I don't see where a CD player would be installed since I now have one of those bigass touch screen thingies. It's ridiculous, but unavoidable.
Rick and I loved The Crown. He has gotten into British costume drama and European Historicals in a big way. Another show we both fell for is Versailles on Netflix. SO SO GOOD. I can't believe I forgot to list that. It was a huge fave for us both.
I'm jealous of your Hawaii trip! I know you'll have a fantastic time.
On rainy days I ride my Exercycle to music I find on YouTube. The other day it was ELO's greatest hits but I have also enjoyed the soundtrack tape from Guardians of the Galaxy. I think today I may look for Motown's greatest hits - that will get me going!
ReplyDeleteLast night I had trouble sleeping and ended up thinking of old neighbors who lived in my cul-de-sac but have moved away! That actually kept me awake so not a good idea!
Ellen--Oh, I love ELO! I have so many of their albums on vinyl. They really perfected the Wall Of Sound. And my husband is a huge fan of Motown. He made me an appreciator. We have a lot of Earth, Wind and Fire, The Temptations, War, and I love Aretha.
DeleteI also do Lists to help me fall asleep! I usually think of a general topic, like Fruits or Cities, and then think of two for each letter of the alphabet. Remembering old neighbors is a good idea, too.
I loved your Stuff on Our List blog! I still hop over there every now and then to re-read posts. Sadly, as with all of your older posts, none of my comments appear. Not that posterity is anxious about that, but it’s kinda fun to also see what one wrote.
ReplyDeleteMy entry for… Summer Stuff I Don’t Get Excited About:
1. The entire season of summer: it’s hotter than hell.
2. Public swimming pools: I can swim, but it’s basically a Petrie dish of everyone’s… uh, “germs.”
3. The 4th of July because so many idiots fire gunshots in the air. Forgetting that those bullets can come down and kill people.
4. Having too much work in the summer to ever go on vacation to somewhere cooler.
5. Sunburn, mosquitoes, flies… not my time of year.
Ortizzle--Thank you; I loved that blog as well. I was just over there last week to read and reminisce. It's hard to reconcile that Jared with the Jared who has three kids and is COO of a company now.
DeleteI wasn't aware that your comments were entirely gone! I do know that a lot of commenters merely appear now as Anonymous if they signed in under anything other than a Google/Blogger account. That's sad.
I'm starting to feel like lots of my friends here and dislike summer. Our weather has gotten less and less pleasant. It's more humid, hotter, and I feel like a prisoner. It may as well be winter.
And yes, Independence Day has become a month-long explosion around here. Someone is setting something off every night starting in mid-June, and it's annoying. Poor Zydrunas is terrified and practically tries to crawl inside of Sam.
When, dearest, can you retire? I hate to see you work yourself so hard. It has to be soon. Not soon enough, I'm sure. XO
Wow, congrats to Jared! What company is it? (Being nosy, of course, so no need to divulge private information.) -Retirement: I still need at least another year (maybe 2) before I can retire with full benefits, since SS increases retirement payment for up to 3 years after age 67. This fall I plan to get in gear and talk to HR about my options and timing for this. Stuff that's unfair about this all: (a) I am obliged by the state to pay into a teacher retirement fund every month, in addition to the SS payment. (b) When I retire, my SS pay will be greatly reduced because of the teacher retirement fund. This is due to something called the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). It's crazy, because by law, I *have* to pay into *both* retirement funds. But then they take a huge chunk of my money out of my SS retirement for having *2 retirement funds* because this is considered a 'windfall.' Where is the f*cking WINDFALL?! It's not a whopping amount of money. And, of course, retirees have to pay taxes on SS income if they get more than 25K annually. (That part is probably OK, since I am pretty sure I will be in the poverty bracket.) I have now worked in the States (since returning from Spain) for 22 years. So... I need to sort out a lot of questions about that. I will probably give private Spanish classes on the side to supplement the pathetic pension I will have. *SIGH*
DeleteOrtizzle--I'll email you with the news about Jared. We're very proud.
DeleteYour whole retirement situation sounds frustrating. I'm sorry. I was fortunate to retire at 52 before STRS (Ohio's State Teacher Retirement System) underwent an overhaul. I did not retire with full benefits, but 67%. If I had stayed long enough to get the "full" (93%), I'd have had to teach much longer due to the impending changes. I'd also have lost a payout of some of my accumulated sick days/personal days. It ended up being a good deal for me to exit when I did, take a lump sum, and let my financial advisor perform some magic. The best thing is the group health benefits (what an Old Person Thing To Say).
By and large, however, the pension is meagre. I'd be in trouble if I did not have Rick and his income. Most people are sorely ignorant about the pension of educators. They think we are sitting on a goldmine. What a joke.
"Sitting on a gold mine..." What a joke, indeed. (insert laughing emoji with tears) —Those are the same jerks who never taught a day in their lives and think teachers have a cush job because *they don't work in the summer.* And to them I say... ummm... in-service, professional development, curriculum mapping. And let's not forget the 9 months of the year when you spend evenings and weekends grading, planning, emailing. Or during your 'break' at school you get to do hall duty, lunch duty. And...hold 'office hours' for students, entertain your homeroom students, sponsor a club, chaperone school dances, attend sports events, parents' night (a different one for each different class you teach). All of that and... then the school asks you to fork out money from your meager salary for Annual Giving and posts shameful reminders about those who *don't.* (insert eye-roll emoji)
DeleteOrtizzle--Yes. And pay for your own supplies and many, many times for those of your students and your classroom. And, at least in my case, pay for food for your students because many of them are hungry, so I provided food for their entire class so as not to shame/embarrass them. The List is endless, and no matter what you do, it's never enough. To call it Teaching is a vast misnomer. There is no single word for what we do/did. Unless you use Everything.
DeleteOh, yes, supplies! When I taught high school, it was at a fancy private Catholic school (Melinda Gates being one of the alums), but I still spent money on a lot of what I considered 'the necessaries.' Absolutely *nothing* like what you had to deal with, though! And feeling like you had to feed your students? So shameful that so many kids go hungry. I hope the 'child tax credit' alleviates at least some of that. (Another topic fraught with complications.)
DeleteI was so grateful when I finished my M.A. and got my current job at the uni. Still a ton of incredible admin stuff to deal with, but it also eliminated certain 'extra-curricular' high school duties. I do actually volunteer for a lot of promo work for the department lately because foreign languages are being wiped out of college degree requirements in favor of STEM subjects. Our department offers Russian, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, French, German, ASL and... of course, Spanish. Enrollment has plummeted to bare survival levels over the last couple of years. Liberal Arts is in dire straits, but especially languages... can you imagine even having trouble filling Spanish classes in Texas? We now offer a B.A. in translating & interpreting as well as ‘certificate’ programs along the same lines. It has helped some, but most of our upper-level Spanish students are heritage speakers. The only thing that keeps me going (and teaching during the pandemic has been a hell on earth) is the fact that I work with such great people. But even that is not enough to sustain my interest for much longer. This fall we will report back to campus. Thanks to King Gregory, we are no longer allowed to require students to wear masks. We, the teachers, will be wearing ours, for sure. I am praying that the Delta variant doesn’t cause the progress we’ve made so far to go to hell in a handbasket. Only 40% of Texans are vaxxed. Oh, well. Sorry for this diatribe on current events, lol!
The teacher pension thing. I got a long and detailed letter from the Ontario Secondary Teachers' Pension a few years back, describing an error they had made in calculating my pension. They would, they said, send a cheque in compensation. And they did. For, wait for it, about nine dollars. Yeah.
DeleteMary--What a windfall! Not even enough for a glass of wine. (The good wine, anyway.)
DeleteYour lists give me an instant snapshot into who you really are. I agree with you about defining dinner. If I call it dinner, a bowl of popcorn with apple slices for instance, it is dinner. No need to be pedantic. Loved Schitt's Creek and Broadchurch-- and was fascinated by The Queen's Gambit. Hoarders gives me the heebie jeebies. I can't even...
ReplyDeleteAlly--You give me an idea! From now on I'm going to announce, "Dinner is served", and that will pretty much end all doubt as to what is and isn't Dinner. After all, I've proclaimed it as such. That seems easy.
DeleteI like Hoarders and its spin-off Hoarding: Buried Alive. The whole thing fascinates and blows me away. The psychology of it, the different levels of hoarding, the behaviour of the hoarder--all of it is so incredible and alien to me. I guess it's more the person/people than the tableau for me. But I get your aversion, for sure. One of my sons is like me and watches it; the other cannot stand it because it makes him feel incredibly uncomfortable and skin-crawly.
Yes, yes. Skin-crawly is the word for it.
DeleteI wish I was retired because of all of your lists, Time and Peace stood out to me. Yet I got so excited yesterday when a very, very physically involved baby I see, really one of the worst as far as her spine and ribcage asymmetries, well she rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time ever in therapy and I swear first I screamed a bit then I cried, right in front of her medical foster family. Me, Meredith, 57 years old and a therapist for 35 years cried like a baby. Guess I am not ready to retire quite yet, but I would still like the peace. Oh and a lot less weeds, humidity and mold which is still growing like crazy due to all the rain we are having.
ReplyDeleteMeredith--I know what you mean. Your job is incredibly important and rewarding. Seeing a huge breakthrough like you did is emotional and gratifying, and obviously due to your intervention. It gives you that Will To Go On, despite the aggravations and stresses your demanding job comes with.
DeleteI was there. So, so many times. I loved my job; it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But there came a time when the administrative stuff and the outside pressures (parents, society, government requirements, etc) began to intrude upon my Joy. I knew it was time. I'm still glad I retired. I think you'll know when it's time, too.
I completely understand. I love my work but the three plus hours of driving a day is wearing on me. But to see that very beautiful baby who is so compromised roll over, well that was the best thing I have seen in a very long time. It is those moments that make all the other stress and difficult children and families worth it all.
ReplyDeleteI want a heart emoji for this, for the miracle of what you saw, and how worthwhile and important your work is toward helping families. This will have to do. <3
DeleteYOU MADE ME LAUGH! "I am not a farmhand, so I prefer to buy my produce." And the Camping comment. OH MY. Thank you for the giggles.
ReplyDeleteI love your lists and I think they give us a good insight to Nance.
Coach and I love Kims Connivence; he makes us laugh. We have a lot of the same shows; Queens Gambit was amazing.
I live 20 minutes from the beach, but rarely go. I'm not a fan of being hot, sweaty AND sandy. NOPE. makes my skin itch just thinking about it. Baseball is such a long and boring game. Nope.
Time and peace; you've earned it and I'm so happy you are enjoying it all.
Suz--I'm glad I delivered a laugh or two for you, especially, since you're experiencing a Sadness.
DeleteI didn't think about it, but yes, I do see how these Lists say quite a bit about me. During the pandemic and the previous administration, Rick and I certainly tried to keep our television viewing lighter and more comedic overall. (We also watched The Great British Baking Show--a delight!--and Versailles, a completely immersive and wonderful historical series.) And would you be surprised to know that "Rainbow Connection" sung by Kermit the Frog is also on my phone?
I like The Idea of Baseball and even The Idea of The Beach. But both things are just terrible in reality and practice for all the reasons you and I have said.
Retirement is a Joy; another fulfillment of a dream, like my job was, and I never take it for granted. Thank you for sharing my happiness.
Fabulous blog
ReplyDeleteRR—Thanks.
DeleteFinally got here.
ReplyDeleteSmall Joys
1.) My grandkid's amazing showing on her High School graduation - there is a thing called the Governor General's medal for coming top in the class and she got it. In her second language. Her comment 'It's no big deal.' yeah.
2.) My best friend's daughter's new grandkid. The mother of this kid is a fashionista and the baby pics feature hair bows, hand knits and a gorgeous smile.
3.) My new knee brace that is mitigating the worst of the pain in the leg while surgery is still a long, long way off.
4.) Photos from my insane daughter's vacation trek - up to the base camp of K2 and over a glacier.
5.) Reading 24 comments, all fun, on this post.
In the meantime, I am swimming in a chlorinated pool and dreaming of warm August water in the Rideau system. Coming soon to a beach near me. I hope. If the rain gods quit with the hail and all that.
Mary--Impressive news of your granddaughter. I'm sure she is very proud despite her modesty.
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear that your knee is giving you so much pain and trouble. Ugh. The brace sounds like a good thing, but I hate that your surgery is a long ways away. (Not that knee surgery is usually an easy recovery. Been there!)
We are soggy and saturated with rain here in NEO. The lake overflowed our yard by three feet last weekend, and we had ducks practically at our steps. It covered our dock and beach. Thank goodness we thought to ease the boat ropes. Enjoy your swimming time.
On the cooking for supper thing - I am at 58 years and counting. SO over it.
ReplyDeleteMary--58 years of it. At that point, it must feel like 100. Goodness!
ReplyDeleteMy music list would include one band at the moment: BTS. I literally just discovered them a month ago and am now addicted. I never heard their music before but read about them in an article I was doing, believe it or not, on young adult depression/suicide. The band members are great advocates for mental health issues, have spoken before the UN, etc.; decided I had to hear them, found them on YouTube, and that is all she wrote. Addicted is all I can say. They are lovely and talented and they give me joy.
ReplyDeleteI also am not much of a baseball fan but I have to admit I like the new Guardians name. I absolutely love the bridge monuments so I'm glad of the tie-in. (And I enjoyed the Tom Hanks video announcing the new name. I know he is a big Indians fan, so that was sweet.)
Elle—I love the Guardians of Transportation on the Hope Memorial Bridge; they’re so iconic and definitively Cleveland. Did you happen to read Pluto’s article in the Plain Dealer today (Sunday)? The process by which the Indians organization arrived at the new name was deliberate and interesting. I like the name.
ReplyDeleteI’m familiar with the band BTS only in that they are Korean and have a huge and devoted fan base. If I’ve heard their music, I’ve been unaware that it was them. I’ll give them a listen and see what I think. Using their platform to bring awareness to the importance of mental health issues is admirable.
Oh my! I've hated lists all my life, resisted making any as best I could. I've concentrated on mental organization in my memory as good exercise. I have on occasion made grocery lists or things I needed to do but not routinely. Oh yes, a packing list always if I was going on a trip. I am "listing" a bit more now, in more ways than one, but still try to challenge my memory.
ReplyDeleteJoared--Well, these lists are just for fun. Certainly they aren't nudgers or naggers. I, too, like to challenge my memory, often eschewing Google for answers and instead putting my brain on Sort to come up with the name I'm trying to think of or the place or whatever. I think it's a good exercise.
DeleteI have truly enjoyed reading these lists & 'non-lists'. I will have to try your Sheet Pan method of cooking protein. Meredith's comment about the sweet child's successful turn was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI retired (as RN) at age 65 so do enjoy retirement. My retirement does not look like I imagined - my husband continues to work long hours (self-employed & cannot fathom retirement) and we have custody of our grandson who is now 13. We stay busy monitoring his XBox interactions with friends and attending his sporting events. Last night was his final softball game for this season. He injured his arm so we had medical visits this week. He's been attending computer & video-making camp this week so I've pretended to be on 'vacation' - going out for breakfast with friends, checking out new to me shops, reading my books - while he is at camp. School starts mid-August so we will soon be back in the thick of schoolwork.
and here in southwest Ohio, the rainy days continue to super-saturate our ground.
TV shows:
-Masterpiece Theatre on PBS - don't know the name of the show, but a woman detective attempting to solve a long-ago murder
-Professor T on PBS -always a life complication that the Professor helps the police solve.
-Escape to the Chateau
-MASH (on old-time MeTV)
Music:
whatever the 13 year old plays, often old-time rock & roll. A recent enjoyable one is called "I Love My Life"
if I'm on-my-own, country music or 1970/80's type music - through Alexa app
My car (2015) has a CD player and I like to listen to Enya or Alan Jackson (bizarre combo!)
enjoyed all the comments
JanL--I'm so very, very sorry for this late reply to your comment, which just showed up as Waiting In Moderation. I had no idea it was there. And no idea WHY it was there, In Timeout, twiddling its thumbs, awaiting publication to this entry. Mea culpa, on behalf of Blogger.
ReplyDeleteBless you for taking on guardianship of a new teenager. What a challenge for you both. By now, he's back at school in this time of the new COVID surge. I'll be hoping for the best for both of you.
I know you've enjoyed your Me Time while he was away at camp. More is coming now that he's in school, unless he'll be virtual. Tough call in SWOH.
Rick and I watch reruns of MASH on MeTV every evening during dinner. The later years are far less sexist and objectionable, aren't they? We miss Doc Martin on PBS.
I am not a fan of country music at all, but do like Enya now and then. I got introduced to her music via the film The Last of The Mohicans. The track she provided was hauntingly lovely.
Again, so sorry your comment was mired in Comment Limbo. Stay with me and I'll be sure to look for that next time.
Thanks for your comment/acknowledgement of my comment. When my grandson first came to live with us (at 22 months old), I would play Enya's song 'Who can say where the road goes...' at bedtime to help him relax. Her songs are ethereal in their sounds.
DeleteOne week into school year (8th grader) and we find an F on his Progress Book for Science. We are both stunned. After contacting the teacher, find there is a Parent Survey hidden deep within links of the Progress Book. The 'survey' was very involved and I felt rather invasive into our personal life... so now I have to each day check Progress Book for any Parent assignment that will cause him to get a failing grade. This is truly a new experience in education!
JanL--Goodness! I never heard of such a thing as penalizing the student for a parent not completing something. How ridiculous, in my opinion. That sounds more than invasive; it sounds authoritarian and punitive. But, rather than make a fuss and cause more upset for your grandson, I suppose it's better just to do your homework. Yikes!
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