Stop and Smell the Roses Pink Saturday

Stop and smell the roses!

 

On my way home from grocery shopping this morning I decided to take a small detour and literally, stop and smell the roses. I couldn't stay long because of the frozen foods in my grocery bag, but I could sit for a few minutes and enjoy the flowers around me. There were only a few other people in the garden this morning and I flowers and peace and quiet in this beautiful urban oasis only two blocks from home. Yes, I did this when I was working, but not as often as I have done for the last five years since my retirement. 

 

On the last day of May, 2013 I formally retired from working full-time. I didn't anticipate retiring and expected to keep working full-time for much longer. But circumstances -- neurosurgery for a spinal cord tumor in 2012 -- helped make my decision for me. I don't regret a relatively early retirement, though from time to time I ponder what it might have meant financially to keep working. But I didn't keep working and instead focus on what these five years have meant to me. Time and lots of it to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively. My working years were hectic and highly scheduled and while I am grateful for working in challenging positions, I am equally grateful for few daily events not of my own choice. I enjoy the flexibility of my daily life more than I ever anticipated. 

 

I took a writing seminar this week and one of the comments the moderator made was that retirement was boring and only boring people retired. I was both amused and offended by his remark, but more the former. I look upon these years as one of the greatest gifts of my life. I haven't spent one day that I would describe as boring. Instead, I've been given the gift of time to explore, to walk, to travel, to read and to smell the roses. For those who have also retired, what is your greatest gift of retirement?

 



  Another view of the West Side Community Garden

I'm happy to join with my friends at Pink Saturday for some weekend fun. Hope you're enjoying your weekend, too.

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a great week.



There's No Place Like Home

 

I love this beautiful view -- only half a mile from home. 

When I retired a little over three years ago the first thing many people said to me was that now I could really travel. I definitely had travel in mind, but at that time I was still recovering from neurosurgery and hadn't been on a plane in over a year. I had two short flights scheduled, but world travel wasn't at the top of my retirement list. I was diligent about exercise and healthy eating and I was able to plan trips to places I'd always hoped to visit. In the last few years I've added Ireland, Iceland, Japan, South Korea and Peru to my far flung travel list. I was wary two summers ago when I set off for Ireland, but happily it worked out well and I've kept planning trips.

I've kept planning trips a little too well and this summer I've been away almost every other week. The fabulous wedding weekend has long been on my calendar -- and I wouldn't have missed it -- but going to Wellness Weekend was a spur of the moment decision, made not very long before the event. Honestly, I think I've overdone being away. I missed being home. I like being home, even when it's hot and New York in August can be too hot and just a little smelly. I get out of routine when I'm away too often and it takes me days to get back to eating healthy, going to the gym and returning my library books on time.

I've happily been home this week. I returned my library books, decluttered papers and organized my book shelves. I've gotten back into healthier eating and the refrigerator is neatly cleaned out, and yes, I'm back to a longer blog post.   

There's been lots of Olympic viewing -- including getting the schedule and scores on these new kiosks on Broadway.

Last weekend was spent visiting at Breezy Point in Queens. It felt a million miles from Manhattan, but in reality it was just an hour and a half. Enjoyed a great visit with my work colleagues past, two cookouts and this fabulous day at the beach.  It wasn't too hot and the water was delightful.

 

 

I loved the bright colored beach umbrellas and the kite circling in the sky.

There was one amazing experience last week and I will be featuring it in a Pink Saturday (on Sunday) post tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow is planned as a quiet day -- Weight Watchers, the gym, blogging, more book organizing, and yes, packing. I'm off for my last adventure of the summer to visit my dear friend K and my goddaughter.  There's no place like home, but being with Jess and K is where the heart is and I will be home.

 

I hope you're enjoying the weekend and keeping cool. Prayers for everyone in the Baton Rouge area. As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 



What I Learned on my Summer Staycation

Some people might ask why I needed a staycation. Isn't retirement a permanent staycation? And I will answer, yes. I have been on a staycation for the last 26 months. But even though I'm no longer on the subway each weekday morning at 8:15 and I am able to do my errands at the very civilized hour of noon, life can still settle into a routine. Exactly where I found myself last Tuesday.

So I stopped the routine and took a staycation. For a few days I stopped going to the gym and I stopped blogging. I did minimal errands and I threw my routine out the window. It felt great. I did get to Weight Watchers, walked miles in place of the gym and took lots of pictures for blog posts. I tucked away my planner, ate cookies and let myself dream. For five days I broke out of my routine and thought and dreamed about what I'd like to do, not what I needed to do.

The results weren't that wild, but I enjoyed the summer air instead of the gym and thought of travel ideas that were long buried. I realized I'd scheduled a lot of things when I retired -- I am a scheduler -- but I forgot to schedule my dreams. I don't think I'll make that mistake again.

The rooftops of Manhattan 

 

 

Tomorrow afternoon I leave for a Maine -- time with a friend of long-standing, blueberries, lobster and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. I promise you photographs, but I can't say when. I may be away from internet connectivity and that could be a very nice break, too. 

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a sweet week!

 

 

Happy Birthday, July Babies!

A few days ago I noted that a post from 2011, Happy Birthday, July Babies, was on my list of the five most read posts this week. Today I observed that it's at the top of the list. I don't generally reuse content, but everyone loves a birthday, especially this July baby.

My thoughts are somewhat different than they were four years ago. I still love laughter, respect honor more each year and I can be demanding. In 2011 I didn't think I'd amassed great wealth, and as was pointed out to me, wealth comes in many varieties. I'm profoundly wealthy in family, friends and health and blessed to be able to take care of my material needs. I can take no credit for quiet bravery, but hope I have courage to handle difficult situations as they present themselves. I've got a few days until my new age comes around, and for the next week I can still hum "When I'm Sixty-Four." Who else in Buttercupland is a July baby?

Four years ago I was savoring the long weekend and now every weekend and every week is a long weekend. I still find it amazing that I am retired and that each day is mine to plan and enjoy. This morning I was on the subway at rush hour for a dental appointment and I remembered getting up and out every morning and heading into the crush of people. Now it's a rare event and one that I choose. These days of leisure are the best gift I can think of, and one that I am enjoying infinitely.  

I'm spending this weekend in New York and relatively quietly. I'm planning a visit with friends in Brooklyn tomorrow. They have a lovely backyard and I'm looking forward to lemonade and laughter on their deck. Sunday is movie day. I'm also hoping to catch up on a dozen errands that didn't get done this week in the next few days. Next week there's some birthday fun planned and the week after is BlogHer and I want to be relaxed to enjoy both. What holiday plans do you have?

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

Unsubscribe, Unsubscribe and Then Unsubscribe Again...

I know this is an unwieldy title for today's post -- and I'm certainly not suggesting unsubscribing from Buttercupland -- but I spent several hours today unsubscribing to dozens of websites. In some cases I not only unsubscribed, but I deleted any posts remaining in my inbox. Hopefully they will be gone for a long, long time.

Happily I'm feeling back to my regular self, allergies under control and sleeping in this time zone.  But there's always something and my bathroom plumbing had a little hiccup. Instead of going to the gym I spent the morning waiting for my super. As I waited I started to clean up my inbox. I started simply to delete/read mail I received while I was away and hadn't read. But I very quickly realized that I needed to go much further to get some control over my inbox. I kept my work inbox much more organized. There were fewer items that simply needed reading and many items I needed to handle quickly. But in the last almost two years I've gotten lackadasical.

Things aren't perfect -- I think another session later this month will be in order -- but I have a plan. I realize that if I haven't read an email in a week, it's not likely I will and it needs to be deleted. I found dozens of emails from travel sites that I thought might be useful about long distance flights. I've just taken several long distance flights and don't need an article on how to pack. Remedy, delete and unsubscribe.

At then end of this month I will be retired for two years -- yes, it's flown by -- and many of the good habits that kept me going in the office are needed at home. I've gotten closets and drawers under control and now it's time to move on to "office" organization. There's lots of paper sorting to be done, especially as I move into Medicare land this summer.

I'm glad I'm feeling better because I am so enjoying the beautiful weather we've had in New York City for the last few days. I had a wonderful day yesterday, visiting the Central Park gardens. I took dozens of pictures and I think they deserve a post of their own, but I wanted to share at least one picture. I'm pleased to report it's not all work for Buttercup.

 

 

I hope it's not all work for all of you, too. As always, thanks for visiting and happy spring wishes!

Gift Shop Pink Saturday

One of the things I was concerned about when I retired eighteen months ago was shopping. I hadn't done much shopping in the last few years I was working, but I was worried that with all of my new free time I would be shopping all the time -- bad for this retiree's budget and bad for bringing more clutter into my one bedroom apartment. I made a conscious decision to think twice before buying anything and after the first year of retirement went by it became less of a temptation. I am feeling much more relieved about this issue. I'm a looker and a picture taker, but I'm not a big shopper and I do think twice -- or three times -- before I make a purchase.

I still have a lot of temptation in museum gift shops, a lot. But I've found that taking pictures of the things that catch my eye goes a long way to stop random purchases. Usually when I look through my pictures I reconsider my eagerness to buy. The only thing I've bought after picture taking is the Madeline doll I saw about the New York Historical Society. It made the perfect baby present. Last Sunday I took lots of pictures at the Brooklyn Museum gift shop and I'm happy to share them for our Pink Saturday fun.

These plastic shoe necklaces caught my eye. I wasn't tempted, but I thought they were perfect for Pink Saturday.

 



  I was slightly more tempted by these fun earrings, but held myself back. I'm glad I restrained myself. They are fun, but I would probably wear them once and they would end up in the back of my top drawer. I love to look at jewelry, but seem to wear the same two pairs of earrings 95% of the time. Do you change your earrings or do you stick with a few favorites?

 

Love these pillows! I think they would make great gifts.

 

So would these fabulous Brooklyn dish towels. I'm going to a shower in May and I think these would be a fun addition to my gift.

 

Chocolate -- always the perfect purchase. The wrappers on these chocolate bars are among the loveliest I've seen. 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed our Pink Saturday shopping fun. I know I have. Please stop by Pink Saturday and enjoy the great posts.

 

Despite the still winter weather I had a great weekend. My friend Lonni came to visit and we had a fabulous time at the Radio City Spring Spectacular. Please visit tomorrow for pictures.

 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and wishes for a springtime Monday! 

Six Things I've Learned This Christmas Season



On December 26 it was as though a wind had come through Manhattan and blown most of the remnants of Christmas away. I realize that was only the second day of Christmas, but Valentines now were placed where Christmas cards had been. I realized I needed to hustle to find Christmas cards for next year.

On the afternoon of December 25 this was all that remained of my beloved Christmas tree stands in the neighborhood.

 

 

This led me to think about what I learned from this season, and surprisingly it was a lot. I sometimes think that this aging dog can't learn new tricks, but happily there are still new tricks to learn. In no special order -- and with random Christmas pictures -- here are six things I've learned this year. 

 

 

1) I am not crafty and it's not likely that I ever will be. My goal was to make cards this year and I bought the supplies in October. They are still on my craft shelf and I used the cards I had on hand. I had more than enough time, but I really had little interest. Next year I won't even kid myself that I will be making cards and I have already bought my cards for next year. 

 

 The Municipal Building, Manhattan, decorated for the season

 

 

2) I like to start my shopping early and have it finished early. With a few exceptions I bought everything by December 1, and a number of things over the summer while I was in Ireland. I did misplace one ornament -- I am hoping it turns up for next year -- but it saved a lot of time and I had a great time picking out gifts in fun places. My big trip for this year is in April and I hope to do some shopping while I'm away.  

 

 

I especially liked the mix of orchids and Christmas greenery at this florist in Chinatown.

 

 

3) Not unlike the last thirty -- maybe forty -- years I did not get out all of my cards before Christmas, and I couldn't face seasonal cards on December 26. Happily there is still a nice assortment of New Year cards and I've enjoyed writing notes in a very leisurely way the last few days. I've got a few more to go and I'm enjoying corresponding a lot.

 

 One of my favorite scenes at the Union Square Holiday Market

 

 

4) Inventory, inventory, inventory. I've been putting away cards and the remnants of wrapping paper and making notes about what I need. I'm on the lookout for tags and one nice roll of paper and I'm going to discard/donate things that have sat on the bottom of the holiday bags for years unused. 

 

5) Since retiring my life is very different  and my life at Christmas is no exception. During my working life there was a lot going on and I had many obligations. Some of these obligations were also fun, but most weren't very much fun. Now I have very few things that I consider to be obligations and the things I've been doing in the last month have been fun,  a lot of fun. I've made up for all the years of office obligations and I've been able to enjoy some of my favorite places in New York this year.

 

The Annunciation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

 

6) No doubt about it, I love this season and I've loved sharing it. This has been a wonderful December and I am so grateful for friends throughout the world to enjoy it with.  Thank you for cards, notes, emails and comments. You all contributed to making this a wonderful Christmas time.

 

I'm going to savor the snowmen and Socko and Pepe in his Father Christmas outfit for just a few more days. Then they will go back to their regular homes until next year. But I will keep the memories in my heart for a long time to come.

 

 

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

 

 

Another Retirement Fantasy Bites the Dust

When I was growing up life seemed to be about the future. I was waiting for winter vacation or spring vacation or the big prize, summer vacation. I was waiting for high school, college, graduation and foolishly enough, looking grown up. My mother told me many times that it would all be here soon enough, but I still dreamed of high heels and little black dresses.

Too many times in the years between growing up and now I seemed to be looking back in time. I was remembering the fun days of high school, my college friends and then before I knew it, my parents and grandparents who were no longer in my daily life. The first six decades of my life flew by at an almost dizzying speed, my head flipping from the past to the future and back again and again.

One of my retirement fantasies was that I would live in the present and time would let me savor and enjoy life. I would cut down my commitments and not spend my life rushing from one meeting to another. I would strive to live now. The corollary to this would be that the seasons would not fly by. Summers would be long and sweet. I'd treasure every falling leaf in the fall and every crocus popping up in the spring, and somehow, perhaps magically I would have my fill of every seasonal joy.

Not so...so not so. I do live much more in the present, but the seasons continue to fly by, perhaps even more than ever before. I've enjoyed this summer very much. The weather has been great. I've walked more in the early evenings and enjoyed being outside a lot. But the days have grown shorter and it's time to take my jacket out of the closet. I will embrace pumpkins and bright leaves, the family event in October long planned and my trip to Savannah, also planned months ago and now only six weeks away. I am living in the now, season by season, but time stands still for no one, not even this lucky retiree.

But today I got to savor one last perfect day of beach summer, visiting friends at Breezy Point. We ate hamburgers, watched football and walked and walked. It was warm, sunny and glorious. The ocean water was as warm as it will be this year and it was a treat to wade in the waves. There may be other days at Breezy this year, but this will be the sweet last of summer, and I am so grateful.

Sky, sand and ocean

The Bay view...Manhattan is in the distance and the World Trade Center is to the right of the sailboat. 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Wishes for many sweet moments savoring the last of summer days. 

This Is Your Brain in Retirement

I've had a few people express concern about my brain in retirement. There's been a veiled concern that my slower days may have led to my brain becoming less sharp. This question -- meant with genuine concern -- implies that my working days kept me sharp, or at least sharper. Folks, let me chat first about my working days, at least the last few years.

I spent approximately two hours a day riding rush hour subways. My days in the office frequently had brain numbing meetings and too often the time not spent in meetings was spent being a referee for personal issues and reminding staff that they needed to fill out time cards if they wanted to get paid. None of this stimulated my brain. Yes, there were some interesting projects, and I worked with some bright people, but every day wasn't all brilliant thoughts and expanding horizons.

Now...I actually keep up with the news, for better or worse. I keep up with sports, especially baseball and football. I'm following Derek Jeter's last season with the Yankees -- wish it was a better one for the Yankees -- and Eli Manning and Rueben Randle's season with the Giants. I keep up with exercise and have far surpassed any exercise I did in the last few years.

And I've been reading, something that got pushed aside. This weekend I finished two mystery novels and have a good start on the third. I've discovered several new writers, including John Connolly, who kept me totally engrossed for the weekend. His books focus on former New York City Police Officer, Charlie Parker, and are mystery novels with more than a splash of Stephen King thriller included. I started with his latest book, "The Wolf in Winter," via NetGalley, which offers digital galleys to bloggers and reviewers. I liked "The Wolf in Winter" so well that I had to go back and learn more about the characters. It's a complicated set of stories, but they have totally kept my interest.When I finish the book I am reading I need to take a rest. The characters and the plots kept me reading, but they are dark, dark stories. My next reading project is "The Goldfinch."

Best of all, there are times just to think and not be rushed, which might be the best gift of all. Is two months too young for a tutu for Baby Nora? Where should my group eat when we're in Savannah next month? Who in my life needs prayer?

There has been one issue that has come out of having more time. I seem to blog less. When I was working I didn't have the time to worry over every post. Now I am turning into somewhat of a perfectionist. Is the post good enough? Are the pictures well cropped? Do I have a vision for Buttercupland? In an effort to blog more, I will be blogging every day this week. They may not be the most polished posts, but I will be getting back into the writing and blogging I've enjoyed so much.

That's the state of Buttercup's brain. Happily, perking along. To end this post on a fun note, let's have some Monkey Monday pretty-in-pink fun.

This snowsuit would cheer up a cold winter day, and not just on Monkey Monday. 

It's been fun catching up. Now I think I'll tootle over to Talbot's and try on the "Happy Thoughts" shirt. It's been on my mind. As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

Lucky Thirteen

The Big R -- Retirement Reflections, Thirteen Months Later

A little over thirteen months ago I signed my last time sheet, completed piles of paperwork and cleaned out my office. That was my prelude to completing forty years of working full-time. I approached retirement as I had approached everything else in my life, with lots of planning. I've always been a planner and my approach to retiring consisted of lots of plans. I reviewed my finances weekly, signed up for social and volunteer activities and thought I knew exactly how I would be spending my time. I didn't take into account whim, chance or how one step in a different direction can change things. 

Fortunately my financial review was accurate, but no matter how worthwhile, I didn't find the volunteer activities I'd chosen engaging. That is still a work in progress. I had also hoped to become more fit, but breaking my foot in September derailed that plan temporarily. I'm not completely where I had been, but I am getting around much better. 

There was one area where I completely followed my heart and that was writing. I knew I wanted to write more and that activity has completely engaged me. Two columns for Manilla -- alas, now out of business -- and a number of Litfuse book reviews, plus hundreds of blog posts later, I now think of myself as a writer and I am loving it. This time last year I hadn't heard of Manilla or Litfuse and they became a big part of 2014.

I've long kept a list of places I'd hoped to travel to and diverged from the list almost immediately after retirement by planning my trip to England, Iceland, Norway and Ireland. Dublin was high on the list, but the other places weren't near the top. I'm glad I diverged from my plans and lists and followed whim and my heart to find adventures I couldn't have imagined when I booked the trip. 

I've learned a few things. I've learned to follow whim and diverge from my plans without regret. I've learned that I get half as much done as I thought I would do, but that I'm having twice the fun. I've learned, too, that it's a good trade. I've learned and relearned that despite all the plans I can make my ship of life doesn't always go in the direction I'm steering. The winds have brought me to places that weren't on my map and I'm grateful for the new horizons I've discovered. It's been a lucky, lucky thirteen for me and I am excited for the new horizons I'm yet to find.  

A toast to new horizons

The Monday After

It's now the Monday after BookExpo and I'm trying to settle back into my usual life in New York City. Between being in Connecticut for Memorial Day weekend and BookExpo, it's taking a little effort to return to my daily rhythms. But there's nothing like an empty refrigerator for motivation and I made the trip to my favorite fruit and veggie market. I love markets all over the world, and while this one isn't exotic, it's colorful and has a great assortment. My snack for the next few days is cherries, one of my favorite fruits.

 I love the rainbow look of the fruits and vegetables. 

Yes, my eye immediately went to the super special sign in the front of the photograph.

 Grapes are on my shopping list for later in the week. Are you a red or green grape fan? I like them both.

This is a shout-out to my dear friend and devoted blog reader, K, on the first Monday of her retirement. Welcome to a wonderful club! K, I have no advice for enjoying retirement, because I know you will and have great plans already. I do think you'd be a wonderful addition to BlogWorld. 

Just one year ago -- literally -- it was my first Monday not going into a workplace. I'll be doing a recap on my year of retirement later this week. This year has taken me places I never dreamed I'd go. I'm grateful for all of the opportunities I've had, but again more later.   

A little blog housekeeping...Dear friends, please leave me a way to get in touch with you if there's a giveaway. This is especially important if you don't have a blog or are a "no-reply" blogger. I left a message on Google+ over a week ago for the winner of the "4 Ingredients" cookbook and I haven't had any response. If I don't hear from Maria Simon in the next few days I'm going to pick another winner. Maria, if you are out there, please leave me your email in a comment. There are a couple of readers who asked for Grumpy Cat postcards and I don't have a way to get their addresses. If you're reading please leave me an email address. Grumpy Cat wants to come and visit you!  

As always, thanks for visiting. Take good care and happy reading. 

Office Pink Saturday

One of my goals for this first year of retirement is to set up a new place to write and blog. I made my first step this week and bought an office chair. I am embarrassed to admit that for the last fourteen years I've been using one of my dining room chairs at the computer. The new chair did not come assembled and it did not come in three easy-to-put together parts as the salesperson promised. I will work on that hurdle next week, but it is good to be moving forward with my plans.

Besides the completely practical -- having a good chair -- I am dreaming of design ideas. Last week I went and explored and thought of pink as a work space color theme. I am also thinking about green, which would match more of the things I already own. I like the idea of pink or green and either one would be a lot more fun that the office color scheme I left behind of gray and more gray with oatmeal accents.

I like these stacking bins. I'm not exactly sure what I would use them for, but the colors caught my attention. 

I have ideas on how I would use these great boxes, and I like both the pink and the purple. 

I'm not sure that these would be practical -- I'm leaning to having hanging files -- but I love the colors.  

I'm moving along in my 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge. I've decluttered four bags for the Salvation Army, three bags of paper and have a bag of paper that needs to be shredded. I actually have extra space in my clothes closet and no intention of filling it. I am looking for another pair of pants for the summer and a black t-shirt, but that's about the extent of the clothes shopping I want to do.

Today was glorious. It was in the low 60s and I saw the first real sign of warm weather, the sidewalk tables on Broadway. I thought it was a little cool in the shade to be sitting outside, but other people were enjoying the warmer weather. There's a prediction of snow for next week, but I'm happy for every sunny day we get.

Thanks so much for joining me for Pink Saturday fun.  Take good care and have a very sunlit Sunday!

The Big R Retirement Recap...

...which might also be titled, "Very little that I had in mind six months ago seems particularly relevant today."

I've been meaning to do a recap on retirement at the six month milestone, and at the request of one of my most devoted readers, K, I am looking back.

When I retired at the beginning of June I had three major concerns.

I'd be lonely.
I'd gain a lot of weight.
I'd spend my days shopping and would spend lots of money aimlessly.

No, no and more no.

I'm not lonely, though I realized I am a very social person. There are times I need to plan more activities with friends. At those times I reach out, but I don't have feelings of being alone in the world.

I weigh two pounds more than I did when I retired, but I'm sure it's more from a lack of exercise because of the broken bone in my foot, than eating. I start physical therapy in the next ten days and plan to be back to a more active exercise schedule after the first of the year.

I do very little shopping and don't find it especially interesting at all. I can barely get myself in a store and buy very little on-line unless it's something I've thought about. I've got a few sweaters that need replacing, but I probably won't get to the stores until after the first of the year for this, too. I may make an exception and when I go to Macy's to take pictures I will try on sweaters. Yes, I'm that old-fashioned. I like to try clothes on before I buy them.  

I signed up for a senior program the month after I retired, primarily for the exercise classes. The program is first-rate and I like the classes, but I don't participate in many of the other activities. I also signed up for volunteer programs and they, too, are great. But I'm not sure any of this is for me. I signed up for activities I knew about and they worked for a transition to not working. They were the things I knew, not the things I dreamed.

I had a travel list, but I've realized a number of places have been on it forever and are not necessarily places I wanted to visit now. I kept thinking I'd go on a "big" trip, but I haven't and it's not a priority. I have enjoyed the four trips I've taken a lot, but with the exception of Orlando, there wasn't one new place on the list. I learned I especially enjoy spending time with friends and learning new things at conferences.

My main goal was blogging and writing and this has been an unqualified pleasure. Yes, I almost lost my nerve a few months ago and started to look for a job, but that was a blip on the radar. I'm still a little wary to describe myself as a writer, but it's beginning to feel more comfortable. I'll report back on that in six months.

Moving forward...There are two major areas of focus, but they deserve their own post down the road. I do have a "big" trip planned, but that, too, gets its own post. My travel plans are looking more to the United States and I definitely plan to attend another blog conference -- or two! I'm reading, I'm writing, I'm spending time with friends and I'm really enjoying New York City. I can't ask for more.

It turns out my cold was actually bronchitis and I'm taking it easy. With a  second day of antibiotics I'm feeling better. As always, thanks for visiting and take good care of yourself!

Autumn Brunch Time

One of the things I hoped to do when I retired was to entertain more. Actually I've been so remiss in entertaining that I should subtract the word more and amend my wish to simply, entertain.  I've given lunches and dinners in the past over the Jewish New Year, but for the last few years I've been convalescing and not in shape for party-giving. I return to the orthopedist tomorrow for what, I hope, will be my last visit. But I've decided boot or no boot. I'm going to give a brunch. I'm going to start small and ask a few friends for an autumn brunch, and to make sure that it's not too much for me to handle I'm going to turn to my online grocery friends at Peapod for assistance.

I have two major concerns with entertaining. One is a universal concern, and that's cost. We all think about keeping costs under control no matter where we live. The second is getting groceries home from the store, which is more of a big city/no car concern. When I was growing up we had a car and a pantry, so shopping and storing things was easy. We also had a big freezer and by now my mother would have started to bake for Thanksgiving.

I've found good prices at Peapod. I'm going to make my butternut squash soup and I found a container of pre-cut butternut squash for $2.29, which is more than competitive for Manhattan. I love butternut squash, but I don't love cutting it up. Thanks, Peapod. I'm also going to make a broccoli salad with cranberries -- love everything with cranberries at this time of year. I was delighted to find a head of broccoli for seventy-nine cents.  I'm thinking of serving the soup with cornbread -- I am a cornbread fan -- and baked apples with vanilla ice cream for dessert. I found I could use my favorite autumn foods, keep the budget in check and know my friends at Peapod would deliver everything I need. Delivery makes all the difference to me. I can buy in some quantity and I don't have to worry about running out of essentials or buying more than I can comfortably carry.

I want to do something fun and seasonal for the table. I'm not a great crafter, but Pinterest gave me some inspiration and voila, the pumpkin vase. I really like it and next year I'm going to do this as soon as pumpkins are available.

      Nothing says autumn to me the way a pumpkin does!

It's been fun putting the menu together and creating my decoration for the table. I had just about forgotten how much I enjoyed having people over and liked the planning and recipe browsing. Thanks, Peapod, for helping to get me back on track. 

We were fortunate to have a lovely autumn day today and tomorrow is forecast to be in the 60s. I hope you have a great Wednesday. Thanks so much for visiting and take good care of yourself.  

This Old Dog Learned a New Trick

Last week I posted my thoughts about my retirement honeymoon being over. I realized that I was ambivalent and anxious about actually wading out into the deep water of making my dreams come true. I also realized after I finished the post that I had probably been ambivalent and anxious about every major adventure in my life. This would include going to college. I hated to leave my parents and high school friends. Of course, I had been thinking about college for years, but I didn't skip off without several hundred looks back. It would include moving to New York and getting a job in publishing. I had dreamed about moving to New York since I was twelve, fourteen, sixteen, but when the time actually arrived, I was scared. 

I have long believed that maturity isn't the lack of making mistakes, but it's the ability not to make the same mistakes. I thought my inborn anxiety was simply a mistake I made and one I could just ignore. I am certainly less anxious than I have been in the past, but new situations bring anxiety out full-force. I don't think that will change no matter how "mature" I become. At sixty-three I came to this realization. I am happy to report that this old dog learned a new trick about herself. 

No fear, I'm sticking to blogging, to writing and to the pursuit of the dream of publishing for the next eight months, just as I planned when I retired. I once again learned that everything worth doing takes more time and a lot more work than one would suppose. I also learned -- for the hundredth time at least -- that it very rarely goes as quickly as I would like. But if history has taught me anything I have learned that keeping at one's dream is the best course to pursue, and that makes for one happy old pup. 

Please come by tomorrow for our Random 5 Friday fun. As always, thanks for visiting and take good care of yourself. 

The Honeymoon Is Over (Sort Of)

I think the official retirement honeymoon is over. In the last three days three people have asked if I wanted to be working and my answer was maybe. I don't think I want to be working at the job I retired from and I know I don't want to take on the same set of responsibilities, but I like the idea of working. The latter isn't surprising. I liked working and there were jobs I really loved, but I was ready to stop doing what I was doing. To be honest, I would have liked to stay on part-time, which is theoretically possible, but didn't happen for me. I think that would have been a good transition and reduced any financial worries I have.

My focus last June was to take a year, do a lot of blogging and work on a book. I am doing this. I blog almost every day very happily, and the book is one third finished. This puts me on track to complete my book dream by next spring, exactly when I hoped to have it done. But I realize there's a level of anxiety between living my dream and not meeting my expectations. Going back to working would quiet the anxiety, but raise a new set of issues. This is my dream and I am scared and anxious I might fail at it. I think I've got "fear of  success," a term I haven't heard in ages but remember from my college days.

In any new relationship the first days and months are fabulous. We don't see the flaws and if we do, we can generally ignore them. As the days go by, the little habits that were cute become annoying. But if the relationship is solid and we don't get distracted by small issues a solid relationship grows deeper and sweeter. It's the same for a new phase of life, whether it's summer camp and not getting distracted by being homesick or moving half-way across the country to take advantage of a fellowship for graduate school. It was easy to think about how lonely I was and forget the opportunity that was right before me. The retirement honeymoon is over and now to work on making reality of my dreams.

It's another summer day in New York City. I did get to the post office -- despite the tornado (!) warnings -- and in an effort to have a taste of autumn (literally) treated myself to my first pumpkin muffin.

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care of yourself.

Semi-Tourist Pink Saturday

Most of the time I'm feeling like a tourist in New York City. Actually I feel like a semi-tourist, because I know the transportation  system, understand the currency and generally know we're I'm going. I'm also probably more relaxed than most tourists because I'm not trying to see a dozen attractions every day and if a bus appears too crowded I just wait for the next one. It's a whole new universe for me.

I was at a friend's retirement party on Friday and the question I was most asked was about my travels. I mentioned Florida and Chicago, but on reflection I should have said that I was on vacation in New York City. I'm doing a lot more want-tos than have-tos and I'm a lot more punctual than I've been for the last thirty years. My library books will be returned tomorrow and I spent the afternoon picking up snacks for book club tomorrow night. I'm checking things off my to-do list every day. I'm not so much stopping to smell the roses -- there aren't very many roses in the neighborhood -- but I'm stopping to see the roses or mums or pink t-shirts in all their lurid glory.

I'm joining up with my friends at Pink Saturday for some pink weekend fun. We've been blessed with another beautiful autumn day. There's just a slight nip in the air -- my capris will be retired very shortly -- and it's dry and clear.  I hope you've had a great day, too. As always so happy you stopped by to visit and take good care of yourself.

No-Spending September

I've "celebrated" No-Spending January, April and October and Low-Spending February, and now I'm adding September to the No-Spending list. Adding September to the list came to me when I was thinking about my glorious week on the river. There was lots of talking, reading, movie watching and visits with friends. One thing I didn't do was shop. I did spend twenty minutes in the college gift store, but without the intent to buy anything. I just enjoyed looking. We did do some grocery shopping, but I wasn't stocking the kitchen. Thanks to K's organization and thoughtfulness we had great meals and there were snacks and coffee whenever I wanted.

I've been an organized shopper this summer, but I've been a shopper.  I bought exercise clothes, makeup, new sneakers, a tote bag, sweater and socks. These are all things I've needed, but a lot more than I've bought for quite awhile.  For the last couple of years I've kept a list of things I planned to buy when I retired -- bigger purchases -- and I checked the first item off that list, too, my new and beloved iPad. It was a lot of shopping for someone who has tried to refrain from buying things.

I've decided to that it's time for another No-Spending month, and officially declare this No-Spending September. Whatever I own can last for the next month. The search for the out-of-stock lipstick I've been looking for can resume in October. Halloween decorations can be bought next month, too. Michael's won't be sold out.

One of the things I heard most before I retired was that I would save money if I wasn't working. I am spending more money. I brought my lunch most working days for years, didn't frequent pricey coffee stores and didn't invest in a lot of work clothes. Now I have time to meet friends for lunch, coffee and dinner seven days a week and there's a cute place on every corner in the neighborhood. Being at home during the day during the hottest summer in years has given me truly horrifying electric bills. I go through paper goods at an astounding rate. I don't want to feel deprived or be a candidate for an extreme thrifter reality show, but I do want to find ways to be economical and still enjoy living in New York City. I've got some ideas for grocery thriftiness, but that's for October. One month at a time!

I did get some of my errands done today, but a mishap in the middle of the day derailed me. I slipped on a puddle in the entryway of the grocery around the corner. At least four women shoppers offered to help me up and they couldn't have been nicer. My foot isn't too badly swollen, but it isn't as it should be despite spending the rest of the day elevating it with ice. If it's not better in the morning I will get an x-ray, but I wanted to give the ice a chance to work. I also couldn't see sitting in the emergency room on Labor Day for hours. I'll keep you posted and of course, appreciate prayers.

Always enjoy your visits and hope you had a much less eventful Labor Day than I did. Sweet dreams!

Pink (Yarn) Saturday

In the last month of work people asked me what I would do once I retired. I had a number of things in mind -- primarily exercise and blogging -- but most people looked at me as though I had two heads when I said I wanted to blog. I then came up with a new response that was true, but not the top of my list. I told people I wanted to learn to crochet and write a novel. I've started an outline for a novel -- pretty amazing, but true -- but I haven't done anything about learning to crochet. The thought of touching wool in the summer was beyond me. I know people knit and crochet in warm weather, but it wasn't for me.

The other day I was at Michael's and the idea of crocheting came back to me. I was transfixed in the yarn aisle. Sensible me thinks I should make a scarf or hat in a sensible color, with sturdy wool. Something like this...

But fun me fell in love with this pretty pink yarn...

...and especially this pretty pink yarn. 

I'm not quite sure what to make with this, but I love the soft, sweet colors. Any suggestions, dear crafty crocheting blog friends?

I definitely got inspired to take the crocheting lessons I've been thinking about. Someone's going to look pretty in pink. 

Happy to join Pink Saturday once again for some blogging fun. It's been a nice Saturday in Buttercupland. I went to services this morning and had a great time catching up with friends I hadn't seen much of this summer. I'm almost inspired to entertain over the upcoming holidays. I enjoyed lunch with a blog buddy and happily blog visited this evening. I even found a few new blogs -- to me -- that look terrific.  

Wishes for a fun Sunday!

Confessions of a (Re) Forming Run-Arounder

A run-arounder -- a term I coined this morning -- is not what you think. I just thought I'd perk up this day that started out rainy and dreary with a racy title. At least a racier title than I generally put on a post.

I've been a little fanatic about putting structure in my retired life. My work life -- in the last three jobs I've had -- has been extremely structured. For the last nineteen years I was part of a government agency that was based on military structure, with most of the employees wearing uniforms, and we even had badges. Surprisingly, I did okay with it. We operated a large system that ran 365 days a year. Snow, sleet and rain didn't stop us. We only closed for two hurricanes and a strike. There was always something to do and generally more than I could get done in a day.

One of my biggest worries was that I would retire and become a complete slug. I would play games, watch television and eat candy all day, every day. I would go from one hundred miles an hour to zero. I couldn't comprehend that I might settle at a nice cruising speed, with a few fast turns and some idling, and that would be just fine. Actually, that would be great.

I became a "run-arounder," even in retirement. I ran around a lot, and just like my working days. I kept to a tight schedule, even if there were mornings I just wanted to watch "Today." Thursday mornings at 9:05 a.m. are for exercise class and no slacking off. This morning I heard the alarm at 7:30 and saw the rain coming down. It was gray and dreary and I turned off the alarm, flipped on "Today," and enjoyed being at home. I think I'm starting to get it. I don't have cruise control yet, but I'm getting there and it's sweet.

One thing I did find on my neighborhood walk today is that the "cronut" has become part of our landscape. It is a doughnut/croissant with cream filling. It is also a nutritional nightmare. I will probably break down at some point and try one, but I am happy to announce that I walked by the store not once, but twice and did not buy one. Maybe when Trish and Sheilagh are here, we can buy one for the three of us. They are the food fad for this summer.

Tomorrow I'm off on a shopping expedition. My list is pretty practical. I've got new sneakers at the top, followed by a black sweater. They are the two basics of my wardrobe. No worry, I'll be back for Random 5 Friday, one of my favorite parts of the week. Have a great Friday!