Retirement is not for sissies!

Busy, busy, busy! In the past week I traveled to Cleveland, OH, then to Dallas, TX, and finally back home to California.

In Cleveland I attended an orientation for my upcoming trip to Turkey and Greece. I met my roommate, a PhD. and a professor of Classical Languages at John Carroll University. She promises to be fun.

Now I must begin preparations. I have logged onto the airline site and completed all the required TSA information. I have contacted my doctor to arrange for any required vaccinations. Now all I must do is get the shots. Ich!

I was in Frisco, TX, for five days visiting my son's family. Didn't see much of him because until tax season is over he is working 12 and 14 hour days. But I got to spend time with my daughter-in-law and my two grandsons. The newest is just a month old, and Nana got lots of holding time. I didn't ignore the two year old, however. He also got lots of attention from Nana.

Believe me, retirement is not for sissies.

Live long and prosper!

Coats for Cubs

I have a mink coat hanging in my closet gathering dust. The coat has been there for almost ten years since my mother died. Before her death it hung in her closet for approximately 40 years. I am certain that she must have worn it on occasion; long before wearing animal fur was recognized as being inhumane.

The question was, after her death, what could I do with an old mink coat? I didn’t want to donate it to a thrift store and have it sold for someone else to wear. I didn’t want to put it on e-Bay for the same reason. If I will not wear the coat because I am opposed to animal cruelty, then why would I make it available for someone else to wear?

So that mink coat continued to hang in my closet until this past week when I learned about Coats for Cubs, a program sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States. HSUS, www.humanesociety.org/, collects fur coats, hats, muffs, etc. and gives them back to animals. They receive the furs, cut them into appropriate sizes and ship them to wild life refuges and rehabilitation centers for injured or sick wildlife. The fur, used as bedding, reduces stress and fear in injured animals and abandoned cubs of all species.

The best thing about the program, from my point of view, is that I don’t need to package up that coat and ship it to Washington, D.C. Buffalo Exchange, www.buffaloexchange.com/, which has stores or franchises in 14 states, collects and ships them at no cost. They have an outlet in Berkeley, which is approximately 20 miles from my house. I called to confirm their location and hours and also to inquire if they accept fake fur. Nope, only the real thing! But I am delighted to find such a simple and satisfying solution for disposing of something I didn’t want in the first place.

Live long and prosper!

And the Rains Came

As most of my readers are aware, we are experiencing rain and snow of biblical proportions here in California. After four years of below normal accumulations, the moisture is much needed and gratefully accepted by most. But even drought relief comes with a price.

This is brought to my attention by Red, my big tomcat companion. Multiple times each day he goes to the patio door and asks for me to open it. Which I do. After providing food and a warm lap, opening doors is my next most important duty. But I have not been doing a very good job lately. When I open the door he is presented with driving rain and gusty winds. He sits and looks out at the weather, then he looks at me with a long suffering disdain, lastly he gets up and walks away from the patio door and toward the front entry door where the performance is repeated. Red is definitely being inconvenience by drought relief.

I would think his behavior exceptional, except this same scenario was described in 1957 by Robert Heinlein in his wonderful book, The Door into Summer. Petronius the Arbiter (a.k.a. Pete) is a similar tomcat who is not fond of winter and behaves exactly like my Red cat. They both are always looking for dry warm sunny weather on the other side of the door.

For many other residents of California, the price is much higher than mere inconvenience. A state of emergency has been declared in five California counties. A week of storms has brought 8 to 10 inches of rain to the Los Angeles-area mountains. In the Bay Area we have accumulated nearly 5 inches of rain. People have been evacuated from their homes because of the danger of mudslides. In Pacifica, 20 feet of cliffside crumbled under heavy rains, leaving an apartment building in danger of collapsing into the ocean. There has been urban and small stream flooding. Large trees have been uprooted by rain and wind, causing much damage. And sadly, a number of deaths have resulted from the brutal storms.

So while we celebrate the rain and snow, we must be aware that some are paying a very high price for our good fortune.

Live long & prosper!

New Beginnings

¡feliz año nuevo!

I am retired and beginning a whole new life in the year 2010. Some of the things I plan to do this year, I started before retirement, just so I could get "my feet wet" and have a sense of direction. It is exciting to be looking out over a brand new landscape.

Since I am not required to do anything I don't want to do, except die and pay taxes, I made a list of objectives for myself. I no longer plan on having goals. In my mind, the difference is that goals require plans of action, they require systematic progression toward completion, they require success or failure. Goals must be specific, they must be achievable and they must be measurable. Objectives on the other hand, are just things I want to do.

If I do a little or a lot of something I have succeeded in pursuing that objective, and I can continue that pursuit as long as I wish.

One objective includes studying Spanish. If it were a goal, I would be required to learn to speak Spanish with some predetermined degree of fluency. As an objective, I may continue to study the language and may or may not become fluent. No pressure.

Another objective is to work on Joe's memoirs. If it were a goal, I would be required to finish and publish Letters to Ethan. Even if that never happens I will still leave my grandson memories of his granddad.

Other objectives include clearing some of the clutter from my life, travel to places near and far, and now that I have more time enjoy more physical exercise.

For sixty-plus years I have been goal oriented. I have worked to accomplish specific goals by a specific time using a well thought out plan. And I always measured by my success or failure. I have divested myself of all that pressure and compulsion.

Chris Dunbar on her website Creativity Portal explains "When people say, 'I have no idea what I want to do,' I smile and think, yes you do. Just sit quietly with yourself and listen. You'll feel it. Whatever it is that excites you when you think about it, that thing that brings you joy and creative fulfillment when you act on it, that's what you want to do. And sometimes, you'll make remarkable, puzzling decisions in order to do it."

This is what I have done and is what I am pursuing.

Live Long & Prosper!

Golden Bough

Friday evening I had the pleasure of attending a concert of traditional Celtic music at the Amador Theater in Pleasanton. While my Celtic heritage is sparse - a little Welsh, a little Scots, a little Irish - I truly enjoy the sounds of Celtic folk music, the harp, the penny whistle, the fiddle and the Bohdran, as if I grew up on the Old Sod.

Golden Bough, the group I had the pleasure of hearing last Friday, performed both traditional and newly written folk songs. In addition to being excellent musicians they were fine entertainers as well. They challenged the audience to join in at the chorus and so we did. One of my favorite pieces was a Cornish carol titled Sans Day Carol. So we, the audience, sang the last two lines of the chorus: Holly! Holly! And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly! At one point the performers surprised the audience by going mute leaving only the audience to finish the chorus. At first our voices were weak without the support of the trio, but instead of fading away to nothing the audience pick up the challenge and by the end of the chorus, we could actually be heard.

I was reminded of my visit to a true Irish pub near Dublin some years ago. Craic (Irish fun) was alive and well. In that Irish pub and in Friday's performance as well, we also enjoyed the vigorous movement of Irish stepdance. How those young women can move their feet so fleetingly and not trip themselves I will never know.

I must say that we were a good audience. I am sure you have attended events where the spectators were more interested in listening to themselves talk than to listen to the performers. Or they felt it necessary to exit a row in the middle of the show disturbing all around them. We had none of that on Friday. I was proud that, as an audience, we showed proper respect and attention to the performance and each other.

I was truly impressed by this group and if they come this way again, I will make a point to see another performance. If you enjoy Celtic music and wish to learn more about Golden Bough or to purchase a CD visit their website at http://www.goldenboughmusic.com/

Live long and prosper!

Go Ducks!

I am sitting next to a large window in Panera’s enjoying my Sunday coffee and reading my Kindle. The weather outside is chilly but very sunny and I enjoy looking up and seeing the bright unoccupied patio area.

As I glance up this November morning, I see a very large charter bus pull into the parking lot. This is not a regular sight; in fact I have never seen this before at this location. As passengers begin to leave the bus, I notice that many of them are wearing bright yellow and dark green jackets, shirts, and caps. They are Ducks fans!

The University of Oregon played Stanford yesterday, and these lovely people, obviously diehard fans, had chartered a bus and come down for the game. They were cheerful and smiling, patiently waiting in line for bathroom visits and coffee and chattering away. I inquired of one lady, who passed close enough to speak to, who had won. She smiled ruefully and replied that Stanford had won the game. But she continued in a brighter vein as she said they all had a wonderful time and enjoyed the bright sunny weather immensely.

In the days of Joey Harrington and Justin Peelle the Ducks would have been victorious.

It is really pleasing to see such camaraderie. The passengers varied in age from late thirties early forties to at least one gentleman I judged to be in his eighties. They proudly wore Oregon’s colors and big smiles. Even the bus driver had a smile on his face when he came into the restaurant.

In less than half an hour they were on their way again, up I-680 to Highway 80 to I-505 to Highway 5 and home. While Panera’s is not far off the interstate, tucked away in a small shopping center this watering place was not something the driver found by accident.

While these people touched me in the most fleeting way, their pleasure gave me pleasure and brightened my day. I hope they have a lovely trip home. GO DUCKS!

Live long and prosper!

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

When all seems wrong with my little slice of the world and I am frustrated by my inability to make it right, I realize that I can’t change the world, I can only change myself or my attitude.

For example, one of my favorite interludes is a Sunday morning visit to Panera for hazelnut coffee and a bear claw. I settle in with my book, either the one I am reading or the one I am writing. I enjoy the low classical music playing in the background and the gentle hum of soft voices engaged in conversation. I find peace and contentment for a brief span of time.

Occasionally, however, my peace is disturbed and I become a grouch. To my mind there is nothing worse than a rude, loud month patron who feels entitled to talk at a volume loud enough to be heard throughout the entire restaurant. (Isn’t it amazing how we dislike most the failings of which we ourselves are guilty? I must work very hard to modify my own voice when dining with others, which may be why it is best for me to dine alone.)

Since I am a struggling writer, I am always looking for ideas. This phenomenon has brought about an attitude change on my part. Now, when this type of disturbance takes place, instead of getting angry I unabashedly eavesdrop on the speaker. It is amazing the things you can learn about a stranger you have never met. I take notes with the intention of perhaps using some of the dialog or the characteristics of the speaker. Indeed the speaker may well become an irritating character in a future novel. I have found this speech behavior occurring on BART trains, Muni buses, waiting rooms at doctor’s offices or any number of other places where people find themselves with too little to occupy their time. On many occasions this loud speech is into the mouth piece of cell phones. Apparently the users believe that the person on the other end of the conversation is hearing impaired.

So now that I recognize I may become an irritating character in someone else’s novel, I work hard at keeping my mouth shut and my ears open.

Live long and prosper!