Is age 60 always this busy?

Climbing the stop sign.  Seems appropriate.  (Real Simple Magazine)

Over the past couple of months, I haven't had time to write this blog. I know that sounds crazy, but since turning 60 in April, life has been crazy fast, like its' on steroids.  In fact I thought about discontinuing the blog, but here I am again writing about this busy retirement life.

If I ever thought retirement would be relaxing, I was dead wrong.  Most of the time I am wishing for a few days to relax.  Here's a quick look back at May and June...

Speedway, Indiana-home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

We love auto racing, and Indianapolis is the place to be in the month of May.  This year we attended the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and the Indy 500.  This year was the 100th running of the Indy 500, and over 300,000 people attended the race! Our friends Gretchen and Craig joined us for race weekend, and we celebrated in style.

Tailgating with Gretchen and Craig

Enjoying Bloody Mary's before the race

June was concert month in Indy.  Over the past 2 weeks, we attended 2 concerts at Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville(north of Indy).  We joined Brian and Stacy for Bad Company and Joe Walsh concerts.  We did a little tailgating before the concert, and then we headed in for some amazing music.

Concert time with Brian and Stacy

Bad Company Stage

The next concert was Huey Lewis and the News and Jimmy Buffett.  You know, I've heard a lot of people talk about a Jimmy Buffett concert, but until I attended one in person, I really didn't get it.  Talk about a party scene.  People started arriving to the tailgate party about 12:30 PM though the concert didn't start until 7:00 PM.  We went with our friends Kevin and Kathy, and we set up a tent, the grill and lots of decorations.  It was a blast wandering around the parking lot visiting with people and enjoying a few libations along the way.

And the concerts were great.  The entire crowd stood for both concerts and sang along to both Huey Lewis and Jimmy Buffet songs.  I never saw so many beach balls in my life.  It was a wonderful evening, and though I'm not quite sure if I'll ever see myself as a "parrothead", I likely will jump at a chance to go to another Buffet concert.  This concert was billed as the "I don't know" concert, and the song lyric keeps floating through my head... "I don't know.  I don't know.  I don't know where I'm a gonna go when the volcano blows."

Tailgating with Kevin and Kathy

Party Atmosphere

Drinking games

Mom, Mike, Judy, Diane, Violet, Alice and Ron

We enjoyed a couple of visits to see mom and family during June.  We did some landscaping work trimming bushes and replacing a dead bush.  We enjoyed seeing Judy and Ron and Diane and the kids on one of these visits.

I enjoyed babysitting for my great-niece Violet for a couple of hours while her mom and sister went to the dentist.  We ran around the house a few times, dot painted and chalk painted.  We read books and shot water guns.  I never laughed so hard, and I have to admit I was totally exhausted after a mere two hours.


Mike and I enjoyed a wonderful day at the Talbot Street Art Festival where we found a beautiful copper wind spinner...

We enjoyed a wonderful visit with friends Garth and Chris at the Italian Festival.  Interesting processional by children of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

Italian Fest with Chris and Garth

School children in processional

Elena and her friend Miley stopped over for a visit.  Miley was visiting from Bulgaria, and I had a great time learning about her life.  We were able to communicate primarily in English with a little help from Elena's translations.  We laughed like crazy proving once again that laughter is a universal language.

Elena and Miley

 Mike and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary at a wonderful new restaurant called Union 50.

Anniversary dinner

Union 50

We've been enjoying this very hot June by cooling off several times in our friends' pool.  Kevin and Kathy have this amazingly large pool, and there is nothing better on a very hot day...












And I took some time to make a denim tablecloth for our friend Stan.

Blue Belle testing the denim patches

So finally it's the last week of June, and we have a few days without plans.  Unbelievable!  Even Mike (the energizer bunny) is exhausted from 2 crazy busy months. We've enjoyed lots of great times with friends and family and house guests, but now it's time to breathe and unwind and simply do nothing.  I doubt if this nirvana lasts long, but for now, I'll enjoy it!

Take care and enjoy your week!
Diane

If you have to turn 60...get free stuff!

Ok, I haven't been thrilled about turning 60.

When I was in my 50's, I would say I "retired early", and everyone would comment that I looked so young.

So what happens when you say you are 60? Friends try to make you feel better by commiserating that they are in their 50's... Well, that doesn't really work!

So what did I do?  Act like an old person and get all the free stuff possible on my birthday...

Here's a list of my birthday"haul":

A free chocolate brownie dessert at Charbonos Restaurant

A free flan dessert at Delicia restaurant

Enjoying a fantastic birthday dinner at Delicia Restaurant

$10 "cash" at Kohl's (new towels)

$5 "cash" at Sullivan's Hardware(good until 5/31)

A free cookie at McAlister's

$15 bag of free bird seed at Wild Birds Unlimited

$5 off a purchase at Soma (ok, I am not showing a picture of panties)

And best of all...a coupon at Frazee Gardeens for 60 percent off one item (percent equal to your age.  Do you believe that?). And I bought the BIGGEST geranium I could find.  

And yes, I realize that I sound like an OLD PERSON.  

And if you are going to turn 60, you are compelled to party.  So Mike and I had a small party to celebrate our 6oth birthdays.  Great friends, good food, a few cocktails and beautiful weather added up to a perfect party...

Thanks Chris for this wonderful Strawberry Champagne Cheesecake!

Bryan, Chris, Jane and Garth 

John, Atanas, Mike and Elena 

And no, I don't really expect to ride off into the sunset quite yet.  Maybe I should be acting my age, whatever that means.  But really I plan to keep living day to day enjoying the people and beauty all around me! 

Hope you are having a great week!
Diane

60 is just a number

Celebrating with Guinness

It's approaching fast.  Age 60 is closing in on me. And it sounds SO OLD!

Fortunately Mike is about 5 weeks older than me, and he is my inspiration on staying young after 60!

Mom giving Mike a noogie?  It's a long story!

Antique shopping with Mike is always crazy!

As is grocery shopping with him at Easter...

Another day...another antique mall!

And his new Irish look...

And so my new aspiration for age 60?  

hellraiser.  And I plan to be the best one around! (Thanks to sister Angie for the inspiration).

So I decided to start getting in the groove BEFORE my 60th...

Girls just gotta have fun.

This kiss!

Enjoying St. Patrick's Day with a few hundred close friends.

Storm Troopers.  Protectors of the aged!

Of course there can be the down side to turning 60.  I may be the new poster child for the commercial "Help.  I've fallen and I can't get up."  Last week I got out of the car with my hands full of stuff.  My shoe lodged in a crack between the driveway and sidewalk, and down I went.  Really!  I couldn't make this stuff up.  Mike was still in the car, and he said I just disappeared from view.  

I lay there for awhile trying to assess everything that hurt.  Shoulder, hip, knee and hand were all vying for my attention.  Fortunately I don't have any broken bones, but I do have some nice bruises to commemorate this little spill.  So the moral of the story?  Take your time and make multiple trips between the car and the house. Don't be a Diane!  OK, maybe I should take this hellraiser thing slowly!!!

Etched copper that will be forged into a cuff bracelet.

And in addition to contemplating turning 60, I've been keeping busy with jewelry class.  I am taking classes two days a week, and it's a blast. Oops, maybe that's not the right choice of words given that we are working with torches...  

Here is what I'm working on:

Hollow silver ring with flower petals.

Mike, Diane, Angie & Eric at Bru Burger on Mass Ave.

And there's been some great family time this past week.  My sister Angie and her family stayed with us a couple of days while they made several college visits.  We enjoyed hanging out with them and taking in the city...

Nephews Dane and Adam grooving with the Dancing Lady 

Dane biked 8 miles with me like it was nothing.  Holy cow!

As usual, I'll end with the sights and sounds around me.  Make no mistake.  It's definitely an interesting life!

Layers of clouds.

Foreboding sunset.

Red trail.

Pretty in pink.

Farmer with a sense of humor.

 And don't worry.  I'm being VERY CAREFUL as 60 races at me.  Keep your feet out of cracks I say!

Take care and have a great week!
Diane

Catch up time

Power lines at sunset

And you thought I forgot how to write a blog, right?  It's been a long time, and I'm starting to wonder about that myself.  So bear with me as I play catch up...














Mike and I started a second jewelry class at the Indianapolis Art Center.  Since the class started about a month ago, I've finished several pairs of earrings and a necklace.

Silver sawed earrings

Brass lentil beads(textured and hollow inside) made into a necklace and earrings.  

Brass textured earrings with beads 

Our instructor encouraged us to enter the Annual Student Art Show.  I was shocked to find out that I won a $100 award for the spinner ring I made last semester!

Spinner ring

Spinner ring in display case and Rio Grande Award.

We received the Art Center Spring Catalog in the mail last week.  Since we were already taking a class, I almost tossed the catalog.  For some reason I decided to see what jewelry classes were offered, and I was quite surprised to find a picture of Mike in the catalog!

Mike sawing silver earrings.

And as you might expect, I've worked on a few craft projects.  I visited mom recently, and I came up with a project we could work on together: making wreaths out of fabric. So with a supply of Styrofoam wreaths, fabric, felt and pins in hand, we set out to make wreaths.  In a typical fashion, we got a bit carried away, and by the end of the weekend we were sick of wreaths!

Mom working on a wreath

Mom with finished wreath

Green version

Orange version

Gold and white version

Recently I got to babysit for my great nieces Alice and Violet while their mom went to a doctor appointment. They started the afternoon with naps, but of course that didn't last long.  We spent most of the time reading books and more books and...well, you get the idea.  It was a blast!

Me and Alice

Violet and Alice

After a long winter of being a slug, I started my walking routine again.  The first thing I noticed was that my feet hurt.  I researched how long you should keep a pair of walking shoes.  Using statistics from my Fitbit, I was able to determine I had walked about 500 miles on these shoes, and it was definitely time to replace them.  The recent warmer weather and new shoes that feel like I'm walking on clouds add up to steps, steps and more steps.  And it feels great!

Yesterday I found a crocus in bloom in my flower bed.  Today it's 70 degrees , and I was able to head out for a walk without a jacket.  It's amazing how much this nice weather just lifts your spirits...

Stormy sunset

Fluffy spring clouds

And last but not least, here are a few signs to ponder...

Not being familiar with men's haircuts, I was puzzled by this one...

Wish I was in this place!  Picture by Elena.

Joe Schmo.  Gotta love this humor!

 Take care and have a great week!
Diane