#SoCS: I Met the Enemy

March 1, 2023 The enemy began its assault. It was met head on, but the dark horseman stood its ground and moved to intercept the army of immunity. Covid had a job to do and it would not accept defeat without a fight. An eight day fight. And so… My luck ran out. Almost four years without a cold, the flu or any indication of a virus lurking around the corner, Covid finally caught up with me and threw meRead more

Food, Family, Friends and Fellowship

My brother called last Thursday morning to wish me a happy Thanksgiving and inquire if I had plans. More on the plans in a few paragraphs, but we somehow got on the subject of foods eaten during our childhood. The not-good-for-us foods. My brother didn’t remember the Velveeta macaroni and cheese mom and dad made from scratch during lent and his better half bellowed a big “Ewww” when I recounted how dad made fried-in-butter bologna sandwiches on Wonder cardboard whiteRead more

What Day is it?

Today is Labor Day in the United States, so I’ll start off by saying “thank you” to those who are enjoying a day off from their jobs. As of September 1st, I haven’t had to acknowledge this holiday for two years, unless an invitation to a picnic is involved. It’s just another day off to anyone who is retired. Every so often, I wake up in a need-for-caffeine fog and wonder, “What day is it?” Because one can lose senseRead more

#SoCS – Filling Frames

“The key to happiness is not to get more, but to enjoy what we have and to fill the empty frame of our lives instead of enlarging it.” ~Albert Szent Gyorgyi~ I like this – a reminder that I have plenty to work with inside my own frame and don’t need to turn an 8×10″ into 20×24. Friday reminded me that I have special people who make up part of my life’s photograph…spending the morning with a friend who IRead more

SoCS: All Over the Place

Ubiquitous: Everywhere. In mind and body, this summer has been packed with places to go and things to do. I feel as if I’ve been all over the place the past eight or nine weeks. In other words…everywhere. Vacation, meet-ups with friends, appointments, keeping a kitten occupied, a music festival, watering flowers, walking at night with the neighbors, and volunteering for a week-long arts camp for kids through the church I attend. In between laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.Read more

Gibbs Sends His Congratulations

Geez. I’m still wondering how retired life got so busy, but it’s not a complaint. I rather like it this way because it beats spending too much time on the couch, watching mindless TV, in the midst of winter. Speaking of winter, my brother sent me this photo on Saturday morning. It snowed in Colorado, up to a foot in some places. This was my chance to laugh at his predicament and enjoy the cool 64F (18C) day in Wisconsin.Read more

Checking in with Priorities

“Instead of saying ‘I don’t have time,’ try saying ‘it’s not a priority,’ and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.”― Wall Street Journal Let me be honest. Blogging hasn’t been a priority of late. I could say that I don’t have timeRead more

SoCS: How Ya Doin’?

How many times have you asked that question of family and friends? A hundred? A thousand? Too many times to count? When we don’t stay in touch with our people on a regular basis, it’s a fairly common first question to ask. Right? So, how are you doing my fellow blogging peeps? I’ve been a tad busy the last couple of weeks, which means I haven’t published a post or been reading many of your posts. I apologize. I’m notRead more

#SoCS: Icing on the Cake

Mmmmm…cake. Chocolate cake, lemon cake, carrot cake, any cake. Icing is a great part of cake, but please don’t give me the sicky-sweet stuff. I prefer fluffy not-so-sweet icing that enhances the cake rather than overpowers it. But I digress. For now, I have to stay away from cake and lose the pounds that it and all of the holiday treats added to my waistline. Instead, I’ll focus on a different kind of icing…the type that makes life a littleRead more

A Cat’s Fake News

Gibbs has been on a diet for about a month. Natasha came for a visit one day in early December and asked, “Is Gibbs getting fat? He looks like he put on weight.” So, I weighed him and… Yup, he had gained about two and a half pounds since his early 2021 vet visit. His human slave had been over-feeding him last year, similar to how she had been over-feeding herself. I immediately took steps to control food portion andRead more

Obeying the Voice

Friend Natasha posted this on her Facebook page about ten days ago: My comment? “I only hear one voice and obey.” Friends…live long, be well and don’t wait for the other voice. This post has been brought to you by a singular chocolate voice and Linda Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday. If you are wondering what One-Liner Wednesday is all about, CLICK HERE. Linda G. Hill is the Queen of One-Liners and rules over her kingdom of followers. Check out today’s post and commit yourself toRead more

Our New Company Name

As many of you know, roommate Natasha moved into her own place at the end of April. We are both doing great, making spaces our own and enjoying the freedom to leave dirty dishes in the sink if deemed necessary. Before, during and after the move, my SUV has been a vessel for hauling the many things – boxes, furniture, a bicycle, camping essentials, lawn mowers, odds and ends, and an occasional item from the lumber/hardware store. We call ourselvesRead more