Joyfully Retired

Last week I finished reading Heather Lende’s If You Lived Here I’d Know Your Name. I so thoroughly enjoyed the book and spending time in Heather’s world in small-town Alaska. I felt in sync with this woman in many of her beliefs and habits. For one, she and I are in complete agreement in our [...]

My two granddaughters live over 600 miles away. I miss them a lot but I try to make the best of the times when we are together. I especially like the times when I can have one-on-ones with each one of the girls. Recently we were all together in Portland over the holidays. A good [...]

I don’t know about your crowd, but the party food around here has changed in the last few years. Three organizations I belong to have asked each member to bring an appetizer. I’m okay with that. I think it makes for a fun party – everyone walks around taking just a bite of this and [...]

At the risk of what you might think about the health of my food choices, I haven’t told you that, while traveling on the road, I like to stop at McDonald’s for breakfast. To be specific, I stop for their Egg McMuffin. I really like those little sandwiches. [To be fair, I should say that [...]

I read Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls with my book club last month. We all loved the main character, Lily. I believe she was beloved by her family because they carried the stories of her life down through the generations. Her granddaughter, the author, fictionalized Lily’s life in this book. Lily and her husband managed [...]

When it comes to lunch, I’ve always been a sandwich person. Sandwiches are quick to make and easy to tote. And, while at work, they can be eaten in a snap. But for me now, things are different. I now have the luxury of eating lunch slowly and I’ve been told to cut back on [...]

Here in the northern hemisphere, this is the perfect time to relish the taste of asparagus. This is the only time of the year when we know it’s fresh. When asparagus is for sale in the summer, fall or winter, I know it took a lot of gasoline to get it to me. So, I [...]

Here is my amazing parsley plant. Isn’t it beautiful? The reason I find it so amazing is this: the plant will have it’s one year birthday this coming week. I bought it as a one-inch seedling and planted it among flowers in my big pot outside the door. It has been the most faithful of [...]