Your inner artist

While thinking about retirement, I imagined a little studio on the 2nd floor of a refurbished barn on our property where I would spend hours in front of sun washed windows painting and welding amazing sculptures.   And then my free time would be photography and fulfilling a life long dream-writing a novel.

So 16 months into retirement are things as I imagined?   Yes, though on a much smaller scale.  But isn't that how reality differs from dreams...

My studio

First of all, absent a barn on our property, I improvised by setting up a small studio in a seldom-used room adjacent to my study.  A fresh coat of yellow paint, new honeycomb blinds over an arched window, a 1960's Formica table that my parents gave me long ago and some storage units from the Container Store provide a great place for art and crafts.

And this is an example of what I like to do.  Re-purpose. Use ordinary objects for art. Whether it be antique glass creamers, old register grates, antique beads, old bar stools, prisms from chandeliers, old jeans or pennies, I enjoy these being the starting point for art.  Here are a few examples over these retirement months:

I created a small vase by painting an antique glass milk creamer with acrylic paint and added beads around the neck.

I purchased an old register grate at an antique store which became a great garden sculpture

I love making sun catchers. This one is from  old and new beads, a prism from an old light fixture and an old bus token.

Since the seat was falling out of this old chair that Mike picked up on trash day, I used it for a pot of geraniums.














I create purses using old jeans, handles from old purses and scarves.

Mom and I created a sign for the kitchen using pennies.










With my mom and sister Pam, we created felt Christmas trees and added bead ornaments.  (The EAT sign and the felt trees ideas came from the CraftedSparrow.com blog).

















I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas season.  I created tree toppers using old jewelry and beads.  Other tree toppers were made of felt and fabric paint.  Of course, there was that slight failure making a "Noel" sign...

One of my latest venture is painting on glass with fabric paint. 

And I continue to make jewelry from old and new beads...

As far as writing goes,  I am enjoying writing this blog.  Although I expected it to be about retirement,  I guess it's really about my life and what I'm up to. Sometimes writing takes twists and turns you don't expect.  And though I haven't written that novel yet,  I am working on a few other things.  Here are a couple of children's books that I wrote a few years ago and recently revised.

And photography lives strong through this blog.  I am always taking pictures of every event, much to the chagrin of friends and family.  

So it's not exactly what I imagined for retirement, but it's pretty darn close.  I love creating, whether with words, beads or paint!  I find myself looking at things and imagining what it could be.  And the time just races by when I'm working away in my studio...

I hope you are making time for your own creative outlet.  Your inner artist needs to come out!

Diane

Going stir crazy

Birds don't mind gray

Is anyone else going stir crazy this winter?  It's only the first of February, and it seems winter has lasted for years.  Cold, snow, gray skies, warmer weather.  Cold, snow, gray skies, warmer weather.  I mean really, who needs this?

So how do you pass the time when you are retired, and the winter is very long?  Good question, and one I've been asking myself a lot lately.

Normally I would be working on the house, but I'm at a bit of a standstill right now.  I have ideas for the family and dining rooms, but both require Mike's time, and he has been occupied with other stuff.  This week he's attending a machine automation conference where he is enjoying the automation classes and re-connecting with colleagues.

I think this will lead to consulting work for Mike, and I know it's on his mind as he is regularly coming up with company names for "our" consulting business.  Of course this implies that I will be consulting as well.  Program Management is the logical choice but I keep thinking about other possibilities.  I mean if you can't select a new path in retirement when can you? More to come on this subject, I'm sure...

Who is watching this game anyway?

The annual Super Bowl party at our friend Brian's was great.  It was fun to catch up with everyone though I may have been one of the people talking so much that others missed the commercials!  Oops!

Words escape me

And then the roller derby...
We ventured to the State Fairgrounds on a very cold and snowy Saturday night, and the place was packed! The Naptown Roller Girls were hosting the Bleeding Heartland team, and it was Star Wars night to boot.  Or as described in the program "Looking for Love in Alderaan Places".  Seriously, I couldn't make this up!








 I don't understand the nuances of the derby, but I finally got the fact that there is no ball or puck.  Instead the Lead Jammer (skater with star on their helmet) tries to complete a circle around the rink to score a point.  And then there's lots of confusion as other players try to hit, slam and block each other, trying to help or impede the Lead Jammer.  Ok, sports reporter is not one of my new careers (and I hope I didn't just offend any die hard roller derby fans)...

With Chuck and Melanie at roller derby

And Mike and I spent a couple of days with family in Southern Indiana.  We had a great family meal the first night we were in town.  Mom prepared wild boar (which is an interesting story in its' own right), and much to my surprise it was great!












Mike helped out with a few chores in the bone-chilling cold, and I worked on some painting techniques from my recent class, using fabric paint on glass.  The heart shaped bowl cost only $1 at the local dollar store, and the ink bottle is from an antique store.

And I have been using my new studio to make some stretch bead bracelets.  I love having a space to work!

And I find myself day dreaming about a Caribbean cruise, warm sunny days and umbrella drinks...

Have a great weekend!

Diane

On a lighter note

After writing about some "heavy" subjects in January, I thought it would be good to write about the fun times of family, friends, food and art...

We spent an evening with my niece Diane, her husband Andrew and daughter Alice.  It was great to catch up on how things are going with their new house, new job and life in Indy.














With friends Kevin and Kathy we went to a great little dive restaurant, Little Nugget, where we cooked our own steaks.  Awesome food!  We then headed to a local winery where we enjoyed a bottle of wine and listened to a great guitar player.  And Mike made friends with the winery cat...

















I took a painting class one evening last week where we used fabric paint on glass. You can pick up amazingly cheap glass at Goodwill.  The bottle with handles was only $1.00!

I've also continued making purses.  Amazing how much easier it's getting the more purses I make...



























And I am working on a latch hook rug my mom made by framing it with a lighter yarn.  This is the first I've picked up a latch hook rug for 15 years...

And work on our house continues...

Mike set up our new workout area in the basement, and this morning I got back on the exercise bike.  At least it's something I can do while my foot is healing.  Of course to maximize space, Mike also stores all the music CD's and DVD's in this area in the basement...

And finally the recliner in my study has been re-upholstered.  It's like an old friend with more padding.  Turned out great!

And then we are having 59 degree days in January.  Life is good!

Take care and enjoy your week!
Diane

Friends and family

Ok, I should have added "and death" in the title, but I didn't want you to turn away. I guess this is but another facet of getting older, more people die and you attend more funerals.  Last week I attended one funeral and thought a lot about a second funeral I didn't attend.  Both weigh heavy on me.

My friend's father died last week at home in hospice care at the age of 91.  Also my ex-mother-in-law died at the age of 85.

 I've been processing all of this over the past week, and here are some of my rambling thoughts.

A whole generation is passing away.  Our parent's generation is leaving us.  That saddens me and scares me that we are somehow left in charge.

At a time when so often hear about heroic medical efforts to prolong lives,  my friend's family honored their dad's wish to die at home.  Such a selfless act.

He and each family member shared goodbyes before he died.  This is a tough thing to do, but it was what he wanted, and the family did not hesitate.  Instead they drew strength from the fact that there were all with him when he passed on.

And I'm continuing to learn about funeral customs.  Open caskets.  Widows and children greeting each visitor.  Hearing the stories and listening to favorite songs.  And lots of tears.  I don't know that this is the best way, but maybe somebody more experienced than me understands how these things are important for closure.  I tell my friends I prefer a party when it's my time...but it will likely be the same familiar customs.

And I'm learning that the younger generation isn't afraid for their small kids to be around death.  When I was growing up my parents seemed to shield us from death and funerals.  Now kids are at funerals and open caskets, and parents answer their questions about death.  Seems to be a healthier way.

And you really don't know what to do or say for your friends who are grieving.  Lots of hugs and just being there when they need you.  It's awkward and hard and there isn't really a road map.

I was proud of my mom, 2 sisters, brother and nephews for going to my ex-mother-in-law's visitation.  Harder for me to know what to do, I sent condolences via email and card.  Probably the only way...

So it's another week now.  And the immediacy of funerals is behind us.  But the memories of two people are still in the forefront.  And tears still come easy.  And life is just a bit more precious...


Diane

Salsa, injured foot and library card

So what do salsa, injured foot and library card all have in common?  Simple.  My life.

Mike makes a great salsa using his own recipe.  People love it and aren't shy about asking for it (Andrew and Melanie, you know who you are).  So after making a small batch for holiday gifts, Mike wanted to make a LARGE BATCH.  Now I've often doubled a recipe, but I never "octupled"(hope that means 8 times) the recipe.  What can I say???  So, at the risk of becoming a foodie blogger, here is the recipe...

Wash a zillion jars

Buy tons of produce

Add red bell peppers

Lemons and limes

Cumin and chipotle

Result: a  proud chef

And we are now storing 26 quarts and 5 pints of salsa in the basement.  Kind of like those people who stock their bunkers with canned goods preparing for the end of days.  Hey, as long as we add tortilla chips and tequila, we are set!

And then there's a small foot injury which happened about a week ago when Mike and walked up the driveway of a new home being built in the neighborhood.  At the time it seemed like a small misstep on  a rock, but after a week of pain, I decided a trip to the doctor was in order.  Good news is that it's not broken, bad news is a ligament problem which will likely take longer to heal.  So prescription is lots of ibuprofen, ice it, elevate it and don't walk much.  Like I know how to sit still for a week to 10 days!  And then there's that shoe...  a sexy little number with the right socks!

And of course, that prompted me to find the local public library and get my library card so I have some good reading materials over the next week. Hopefully I won't be bored to tears.  

On a positive note, there's Mike waiting on me. Hmm...could get used to this.


Take care,
Diane

Heads or Tails?

Ok, I guess if you are going to write a blog about retirement, you have to include some aging and health related stuff.  So for some of you, that probably means closing the browser now...

Generally I try to keep up on all my checkups and physicals.  I guess a scare with cancer causes some paranoia here.  So, in December I  decided that January would be a good time to get some of this stuff out of the way because what else can you do when it's cold and snowy, right?   And then of course I got to January and began to question that decision.


So it's halfway through the month, and I've already been through a couple of "harrowing" appointments.  First was some dental work; my new dentist said I needed 2 new crowns.  So, lucky me,  I got to spend $1400 out of pocket for the lovely 2.5 hour experience of shots, drilling, building up the teeth, creating impressions for temporary and permanent crowns and installing temporary crowns.

I was so tense through the entire appointment that my body was stiff when I finally got out of the chair.  My favorite line was when the dentist asked "did anyone ever tell you that you have a small mouth?".  I guess it must have been difficult to get all of his "instruments of torture"in there.  And no, I don't recall anyone ever saying I had a small mouth before...

So, in a couple more weeks I get the pleasure of having the permanent crowns installed.  Hard to imagine why it would take 3 weeks to make them.  Must be made in France or something. I'm sure they will be BEAUTIFUL!

And for those of you over 50 who have experienced  a colonoscopy, you will remember the next experience.

Ok, I won't go into all the details here. Suffice it to say the prep day wasn't much fun. What with a liquid diet (this is the only time I eat jello) and drinking toxic solutions at 6 pm and again at 3 am that cause more than a few trips to the bathroom, I was ready for the procedure to be over.

And actually the procedure itself is the easy part.  They give you some good drugs like Versed and Demerol, and then you wake up like nothing happened.  Afterwards Mike helped me out to the car because I was stumbling about like a drunk.  And then it was  home for breakfast, and  I vaguely recall how difficult it was to put cream cheese on my bagel so I guess it's good advice when they tell you not to drive or make important decisions the day of the procedure.  After a whole day of napping, I feel normal again today.  The good news is that the procedure went well with no problems, and I don't have to think about it again for 5 years.

Wendy 

So I've been the "butt" of lots of jokes lately. From Mike saying it's a good "heads or tails" month, to Kevin asking "how my rear end procedure" went (sounds like I'm a car),  I just relied on my favorite black cat to stick with me (and read me all the big words).

Take care and stay healthy!
Diane

Strange weather!

Purple? Guess it means "transition"

Strange weather!  How many times have we said that lately?  Well, it was 60 degrees yesterday, and today there is ice on the trees.

Ice arrives

And then the flooding.  In the past few days 6 inches of snow melted,  and we got a couple of inches of rain.  The West Fork of the White Lick Creek runs through our neighborhood, and our eyes opened wide when we saw homes with water in their backyards.  We are happy that our home sits atop a hill...

White Lick Creek

Shouldn't they move those cars?

Flood waters approaching the cemetery

Road into the park

Mom and I crafted "EAT" during her December visit

Mike and I spent part of yesterday whipping up a meal of  jerk chicken (I got the recipe from a wonderful blog called "Iowa Girl Eats"), grilled potatoes and salad.  And I enjoyed trying a new brownie recipe that included Saigon cinnamon and Ancho  peppers.   Chuck and Melanie joined us for food, wine, stories and laughter.  Life is good!

And I was so happy to use some of my stoneware which I located in the storage unit.  Ok, my kitchen stuff is the final frontier of boxes remaining in storage. I find myself missing Iowa lately...don't know why now.  But somehow finding and using that stoneware made me smile!  Silly, I know.

And because this blog is supposed to be about retirement, I want to talk about jobs.  Chuck is starting a new job this week, and it was his wide range of work experience that helped him land the job.  And Melanie recently started working with an interior decorator who specifically wanted Melanie's experience so she didn't have to train a person new to the decorating field.

Could be these are limited cases, but  I think this bodes well for folks in their 50's and 60's who may wonder if they can find work or a "second career".  Seems there are jobs that want and need solid work experience!   Good to keep in mind, though I still haven't applied for any project manager jobs yet.  Today I did see an interesting facilities project manager role at my Alma Mater. I am mulling this over, but I'm not sure it's for me.   Don't know if it's too early for a job, or if I want to try something different....

And I was in my studio working on jewelry.  I loved having some space to spread out with tools and beads.

And as I watched the ice coat the trees, I lazed near the fire, reading and writing.   One of my favorite things about retirement is a relaxing Sunday where I'm not stressing about a Monday workday!  I know, it's always the small stuff!



Take care and have a great week!
Diane