PIKS: People I Know Series 001: Diane

I have been writing my blog for over three years.  My original intent was to write about retirement so that friends retiring after me would know what to expect when they retired.

As time passed, I realized that each person’s retirement is an individual experience. And my blog morphed into the story of how I spend my time in retirement.   I talk about lifestyle topics as much as retirement.  And I am no longer “recently retired”.

It occurred to me that it might be fun to use the blog to highlight people in my life instead of just writing about me.  I know many interesting people, and so why not find out what makes them tick.

I plant to write one PIKS post a month, depending on how much I have to strong-arm my friends and family into doing an interview.  The rest of the blog will continue to be a chronicle of my crazy retired life, home improvement, crafts and DIY (do it yourself) posts.

I came up with a list of interview questions, and it seemed like I should be the guinea pig.   And why not start PIKS by talking about someone I know pretty well?  Me.

Here goes…

1. When and where were you born?

I was born in Evansville, Indiana in 1956, but I grew up in the country about 10 miles from there.

Sunbeam Bread Ad

2. What is your first, most vivid memory? 

I remember dad taking me to “the store”, Weinzapfel’s, which had something for everyone:  general store, tavern, restaurant and barber shop.  Bert Weinzapfel would call me “Little Miss Sunbeam”, before he and dad would tell the latest jokes.  And “the store” is still there although now it's just a bar and restaurant. 

Me and cousins Kathy, Linda and Donna.

3. What were you like as a child?  What did you do for fun?

I was a precocious and nerdy little kid.  I always wanted to sit with the adults at family gatherings because their conversations were more interesting than hanging out with the kids.

And I loved reading, riding my bike, teaching my younger siblings in our makeshift “school” in the basement.   And I was the fastest runner in 4^th grade…my claim to fame.

With my cousin Linda.  I'm the little fashionista on the right.

My grandma on far left.  

4.  Who was the oldest relative you remember, and what do you remember about them?

I also loved hanging out at my grandma’s house where I helped with baking, gardening and preparing meals for my grandpa and the farm helpers during the harvest.  She was a strong woman who stood her own in any situation. In other words, you didn’t mess with her.  She hated to lose at cards, and possibly she cheated a little bit...

5. Describe your parents. What were they like? Where did they meet?

My parents were hard-working people who raised 5 strong and independent kids.  My dad was a route salesman at Pepsi Cola Company.  He was very competitive and often won sales contests at work by asking his clients (friends) to help him out by buying more soft drinks.  Mom worked at Pioneer Seed Corn and helped germinate new types of seed.  With our parents leading the way, we laughed a lot in our house and enjoyed each other. And we still do.

Easter 1966, a few days before my 10th birthday.

6. What was the best gift you remember as a child?

It’s a toss-up between a beautiful turquoise Schwinn bike I got when I was 10, and my first guitar that my uncle Joe gave me when I was 13.  I wish I still had that bike and guitar.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up? 

At first I wanted to be a teacher, which I suppose is why I forced my siblings to attend my basement school.  Later in high school, I attended Indiana Girl’s State, and that got me interested in being an attorney.  But instead I had a career in banking and insurance.  Go figure.

8. Describe your first job.  What did you do with your first paycheck?

Like many kids in the area, I started de-tasseling corn at age 13. Basically, you pulled tassels off seed corn by walking through hot, wet corn fields.  If you were lucky, you got to ride a de-tasseling machine.  It was usually  at least 90 degrees, but you had to wear jeans and long sleeved shirts so the corn leaves would not cut you.  I hated the job, but it was a way to earn money.  I used my first paycheck to buy contact lenses.

9. What have you liked best about your life so far?  What is your happiest or proudest experience?

I have a natural curiosity that helps me get to know people (I ask a  lot of questions), tackle new jobs I know nothing about (my whole career) and enjoy new arts, crafts and music. I also have great people in my life who love and support me.  That along with my strong belief in God help me experience life to the fullest. 

Family weekend at our house

My proudest moment is getting my MBA from the University of Iowa while working full time.  It was 4 long years of night classes, and if that wasn't tough enough, during that time frame I started a new job and moved to another city.

10. What has been the most frustrating thing or biggest challenge in your life? 

In my career, the most frustrating thing was assessing and hiring the best job candidate.  I could always find something in each candidate that I liked, and it sometimes clouded my ability to assess future job performance.  

I always gave employees the benefit of the doubt, usually trying to help them improve, which was sometimes at odds with my manager who wanted me to fire the person if they weren’t meeting job expectations.  This caused me a lot of internal strife over the years.

11. What job did you do most of your life?  What did you like most about it?  Least?  

Most of my career was spent managing people and projects in banking and insurance. I loved the challenge of managing a wide variety of projects and departments while I was learning about the new subject matter.  I managed a a Programming Department though I was never a programmer, and I had to quickly learn about the construction trade while managing a new building project. All of this kept me on my toes and helped me learn something new each day.  The part I liked least was always pushing people to get the job done on time and despite all the obstacles.

12. If we asked a relative or good friend about your best and worst qualities, what would they say?

My worst qualities are being impatient and pushy. I finish people’s sentences because they are taking too long, and I am quick to tell someone how we need to solve a problem because I think I can readily assess the situation.  Oddly enough, I think these same qualities helped me be successful in my career.

My best quality is that I am kind, thoughtful and care about people.  And I have a good sense of humor.

13. What do you do for fun now?  Hobbies? Special Interests?

I now have time to be creative with arts and crafts. I love repurposing things like jeans into purses, beads and found objects into sun catchers and bistro chairs into planters for flowers.  I love writing, and this blog has given me a wonderful outlet for lots of words.  I enjoy live music, listening to music and playing guitar.  I like to take long walks and ride my bike around the neighborhood with my husband.  I enjoy hanging out with friends and family, laughing and telling stories.  

14. What one item in your life would you never give up? Why? 

It’s probably a car.  My husband and I used to drive about 500 miles one way to see each other on weekends when we lived in different cities. Nowadays I drive to lunch, to shop and to visit family and friends. Since we don’t have public transportation in our town, I would be stranded without a car.

15. What frightens you?  Why? 

Besides the obvious answer being “snakes”, what frightens me is the growing use of violence as an answer to problems.  The news is full of violence from shootings in our city to beheadings in the Middle East.  How has the value of human life taken a back seat to drugs, gangs and political and religious agendas?  As a person who tries to understand why, I can’t get my head around physical violence.

16. What is the best advice your parents gave you? 

My dad said “education is the one thing that no one can take away from you”.  And my parents always modeled the importance of working hard and “earning your keep”.

Mom, Dad and and 5 kids in 2004.

17. What’s your best advice for living a good life?

Be kind to people whether they are your friends and family or the checkout clerk at the grocery.  You never know when a simple kind act or conversation can brighten someone’s day.  Be generous with your time and talents, and live in the moment.  And don’t forget to have fun and laugh!

Family in 2015.

Live it up!

Illinois Weekend

We spent last weekend in Illinois visiting our friend Stan.  We offered to help him with chores around the house and yard, and he had a "few" things lined up.

Stan is afraid of heights so he asked me to help clean gutters.  He raised an extension ladder, and I VERY CAREFULLY climbed to the gutters at the top of the second story of this 100-year old house.  And if that wasn't tough enough, I had to use a screw driver to remove screws from and raise the gutter guard.  VERY SCARY!



Stan and I planted herbs and did general yard work while Mike fixed stuff.  All of our friends and family know that Mike can fix stuff, and so there are usually chores lined up for him.  During our weekend visit, he worked on Stan's pickup truck and minivan and repaired a toilet.




We all made a trip to Champaign to visit with niece Meghan who is a junior at University of Illinois.  We enjoyed learning more about her student life where she majors in music and is a member of the Illini Marching Band.  She plans to spend two months in Costa Rica this summer in a Spanish immersion program and will teach music in grade school or middle school upon graduation.

Ferret shampoo. No Tears Formula.

While we were in Champaign, Stan wanted to visit a pet store he has frequented since attending vet school at University of Illinois.  While he spent time visiting the owner, I saw a few interesting products on the shelves...

Who knew there was a ferret beauty market?

Patio furniture?

And a bed?

Bird snuggle sacks?

Turtle eye drops

We had a great weekend with Stan.  We completed lots of chores, but we also had great conversation and laughs along the way.  We talked a lot about our dear friend Mary and shared memories of her throughout the weekend.   We really miss her, and it's so hard to get used to her not being here with us.

And here are a few of the many flower pictures I took last week:

I am very excited that an article I wrote was published on the Retirement and Good Living web site.  It's titled "Retiree Speak", and you can find it here:
http://retirementandgoodliving.com/retiree-speak/

And on a final note, I would never recommend following the future...

Take care and have a great week!
Diane

April in Indiana

April in Indiana is all about color.

Yellows, purples, oranges, pinks, and the greens that transport me to Ireland.

I can't really breathe well with all the trees in bloom, but it's totally worth it for the color.

Here's a few pics I've taken while walking the neighborhood this past week...

Outside the kitchen window

Winding creek

Last week we had a great day with our friends Kevin, Kathy and Stan catching up on life and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

Kevin, Kathy, Stan, Diane and Mike

The guys

And who doesn't love celebrating their birthday?  Yesterday was a great day of food, friends and music!  First of all is the best chocolate cake in the world.  Taylor's Bakery in Indianapolis makes a fantastic chocolate ganache cake!  Wow!  Even I can get chocolate overload from this cake.

We enjoyed lunch in Broad Ripple at one of our favorite restaurants: The Monon Food Company.  It was a great day to sit outside and enjoy people watching and of course our favorite tacos: Jerk Chicken and MoFoCo Pork!
















Our good friend Chuck joined Mike and I for a birthday dinner (thanks for cooking, Mike!), and then we made some music with Chuck and me on guitars and Mike on keyboards.

And then there were the  weird signs I see along the way...

Best stick figure decals ever!  

I had some time for a bit of craft work this week...

Another wreath

Some bead work

Another wallet

What can I say?  Potato chip with a hole in it!

And just because I celebrated a birthday, do I have to act my age?





















I hope you are enjoying a beautiful April wherever you are!

Diane

Raspberries, flowers and exorcists. Oh my!

Ok, you might say it was an unusual week.

It started with our Easter baskets.  Hey, who said adults can't have an Easter basket?  Mike and I have a tradition of making each other a basket, but this year things took a new twist.  Chocolate and raspberries go together well, don't they?

We found this wonderful little artisan chocolate store in Carmel, called Chocolate for the Spirit.  The chocolate is handmade daily in small batches, and let's just say it's amazing!  I guess I should have taken a picture of the bunny earlier before the head was removed and eaten...














In 2010 I bought Mike several raspberry plants, and he created this wonderful garden in our back yard. Well, over the years we've neglected the garden somewhat with remodeling and selling my house in Des Moines, re-building a screen porch.

 And then there was the Fall when the lawn service people unexpectedly cut down all the raspberry plants (were they thinking weeds?).  So the garden needed some help.

3 new Heritage and 1 Latham Red Raspberry plants

I bought Mike 4 new raspberry plants to help fill out the garden.  And I thought this was an easy gift;  just plant them and go.  Somehow things are never that easy.  Mike thought we needed to fertilize the soil, and next thing you know we have the soil testing kit out.  I didn't know we had a soil testing kit in the garage!  But before you know it, I'm getting soil samples out of the garden and Mike is testing (playing with chemicals?).   After testing for ph, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, we bought  fertilizer, and we added 3.5 cups of sulphur and 3 cups of 12-10-10 fertilizer(proportion of nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium)  to approximately 150 square feet of garden.  

Mike testing the soil

Mike worked up the soil, and planted the raspberries while I rebuilt the "rabbit fence" which had worn down over the years.

Planting the raspberries

Chopping up the soil

After researching how to prevent weeds in this garden, we decided on pine needles which allows the soil to breathe and it adds valuable nutrients like calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus. And it just so happens that we have plenty of pine trees in the backyard to supply this free mulch.

New green plants in middle and older canes on right.  Covered in pine needle mulch.

We are looking forward to some wonderful raspberries over the coming months and years.  

And if you are at Lowe's buying fertilizer, why not pick up some pansies?  I love the bright color of pansies and the fact that they can withstand the cooler weather in the Spring and Fall.  So I filled a few planters, and I am SO happy to look outside and see the first beautiful flowers of the season.

And oh yes...the exorcist.

At our church's bi-weekly session called "Pizza with the Pastor" we heard a riveting talk by Father Vincent Lampert on exorcism and demons.  Father Lampert is one of 50 Catholic priest exorcists in the United States, and he officially holds that post for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  He has been an exorcist for 10 years, being trained in Rome where he participated in 40 exorcisms.

He discussed the various types exorcisms from infestations where there are inexplicable sounds or smells in the house to demonic possession where an individual may have superhuman strength, speak in other languages or growls like animals.  He showed us his exorcism kit consisting of holy water,  a crucifix and book of prayers.  He described witnessing a person levitate and an individual speaking in 7 voices at one time.  He read us the prayers he says during an exorcism and how he asks the demon to identify himself.

It was a chilling presentation, and Father Lampert entertained many questions from the 100 people in attendance.  He ended his discussion telling us that we should not sleep uneasily that night as God is stronger than demons.  Although I understand and believe that, I immediately locked the car doors when we left the church.  And I shut all the blinds and curtains in the house and set the alarms system when we arrived home.  As if that would help...

If you are interested in learning more about Father Lampert, you can find articles and You Tube videos by searching on Google.  

Wreath ingredients.

And last but not least, here are a few creative endeavors I attempted this week:

I have always wanted a wreath on the front door, but the typical wreath hangers would not fit. So Mike made one out of leftover stainless steel from our last grill.  Yes, he used the plasma cutter, metal bender (called a "brake") and belt sander to make this wreath hanger.  And then he painted it to match the door. It's lovely.


So of course I needed a wreath. After pricing them for $40-$50, I decided to try my own hand at a wreath.  I purchased a grapevine wreath and garland of flowers at JoAnn's for $10.  Using green florist wire, I attached the flowers to the wreath about every 3 inches or so.  I found a couple of ribbons in my supplies and this was possibly the most difficult part of the wreath: tying the bow. The wreath looks great on the front door.

Finished product.  Note that great wreath hanger.

Inside of wallet

And I tried my hand at a small fabric billfold that I could carry in my jeans pocket when shopping or anytime I didn't want to carry a purse.

 Looking through my fabric stash, I found a couple of coordinating fabrics and began cutting and sewing.

Outside of wallet

Folded wallet with elastic surround.

Maybe it's not the best sewing job ever, but I'll get better with practice.  I finished the wallet and tried it out yesterday.  It easily carried my license, credit card, insurance card and cash.  I love it!

So, it was a strange and crazy and informative week.  So life goes...

Diane