Maintaining social distance via the pointy end of a hiking pole. Photo taken by Joanne via the self-timer function on the camera. When I still had 2 fully functioning ankles…Stay back, woman! Trail selfie in the time of COVID-19
How the hell is everyone doing in this strange time? Part of me is just riveted to the news and finding this pandemic so intensely interesting. And then part of me is horrified at how some people are behaving (badly, very badly). And lastly, a big part of me is so cheered by how some other people are revealing their best, most humorous, most altruistic selves during this crisis.
I’m also chuffed at how our Canadian government is handling COVID-19. Maybe not perfectly, but certainly doing the best they can with this novel virus and situation. Kudos to PM Justin Trudeau and (NEVER thought I would say this) Premier Doug Ford, and their teams for science-based and compassionate leadership and for keeping us well informed. What a time to be living through!
Joanne and I are endeavouring to still meet – safely – for our weekly hiking adventure. Now we don’t hug or even get close. And no lunch out afterwards either (restaurants all closed, anyways). But we are still having fun…or at least we were until I took a tumble right at the end of our hike (thankfully!), and strained my ankle. I have every confidence on being back on the trail with her by next week, barring Ontario being put into total lockdown that is!
I hobbled to the grocery store this morning for some staples and perishables and was faced with an unreal scenario. I mean, of course I have seen pictures of other stores throughout North America, but naively, I thought the people of my little community would keep their heads. Yeah. Right.
Not a single egg to be had. And signs everywhere telling people “We have limited supplies in stock. In an effort to ensure all customers have access products will be a limit of 2 per customer. This includes meat, breads, milk and eggs.” So sad we need these signs.The last, lonely package of arborio rice made it into my cart. I anticipate a comforting risotto in my (near) future. I’d invite you over to join me but well, you know…And of course, the paper products aisle. Sigh!
Grocery store workers must be having their faith in humanity severely challenged at this time. And to add injury to insult, they must come to work, no matter what. Grocery store workers (and those of you in health care), you have my utmost respect.
Up until yesterday when I injured myself, I have been keeping busy at home alone, and only venturing out for a daily walks in nature. I find getting out in the woods essential for walking off stress and for taking care of my mental (and physical) health right now. I had planned on a much needed visit to my local nail salon this week to refresh my dip nails but – as much as I want to support this business in a difficult time – I have to listen to our leadership, whose message is loud and clear: STAY HOME.
I’m calling these my 10 Social Distancing Badges of Honour. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. And imagine the trouble getting an appointment once we can go out again!
I’ll end this post with a song I heard playing over the grocery store’s PA system when I was shopping this morning. Made me laugh out loud…and get some stares.
Rock on safely and healthily, in these Trying Times…
Well, I’m still feeling tough with this cold. A full week after coming back to Canada and about 10 days in since I started feeling symptoms. Enough already! I am becoming so weak from inactivity that I am forcing myself now to log more steps and do more things, no matter how tired I get. Yesterday I pushed myself hit to 5,000 steps (usual for me is 10-15K per day), and I finally started doing my vacation laundry. Those 2 things exhausted me. I have decided that tomorrow I resume my normal life no matter what. This is my last “sick day”. Wish me luck. Anyway…
People are mostly surprised when I tell them I only take carry-on luggage for my annual 2 week vacation in the tropics. I don’t get it because really, how many clothes do you need when it’s 28 degrees Celsius and you’re on the beach for 6-8 hrs/day?
When I worked, I only took a carry-on bag when I had to fly anywhere for business. Work travel was stressful enough without having to wait at the luggage carousel, hoping that your bag shows up.
But I am also a go-with-the-flow kinda person, so if my travel buddy is checking luggage, I’ll probably do the same.
My first trip with CJ to Barbados, I assumed she would be checking a bag as most people do. I will never underestimate her again! Imagine my shock when she showed me the tiny pink bag that she shoved under the seat ahead of her, that contained all her worldly goods for our vacay. Mind blown! She was definitely the Badass Boss of that trip. Meanwhile, I had actually checked my bag for a change, figuring “might as well – no doubt she will.” WRONG. I did not like keeping her waiting as I was impatiently scanning the carousel for my bag to show up. And wouldn’t you know, my bag was the absolute last to be off-loaded after we arrived on the island! I confess I had visions of having to buy myself everything due to my luggage being lost.Never again.
I have been using the typical carry-on size luggage for this vacation ever since – the type that gets stowed in the overhead bin. However, these winter get-away flights are typically very full and sometimes it’s hard to find room above your seat due to inconsiderate souls putting more stuff than their regulation-size carry-on in those compartments. Like their winter gear. So I started looking for something even smaller. And because I love the challenge of seeing how little I can actually pack and still have a great vacation. Enter the underseat carry-on bag.
Left: my regulation-size carry-on bag. Which looks ginormous compared to… Right: my new underseat carry-on bag. CJ was so tickled by it that she bought the same one as me, but in a different colour. This Travelon bag comes with a matching small duffel bag. Did not use the duffel on this trip to Barbados but did use it on my last trip to Vancouver Island. Because I needed to pack more and bulkier clothes, natch.Arriving in our room at the hotel with all of my luggage 🙂 Including the travel mascot (Spot!) and new luggage tag (with attitude!) as part of the retirement gift package from my work buddies.What was inside my little purple bag, clockwise left to right: hat, bag containing cotton swabs, clothes pins and towel clips, snorkel and mask, bar of laundry soap, water socks, pink bag containing cables and chargers for electronics, liquids, non-liquid toiletries, beach bag, iPad Pro, sunglasses, spare plastic storage bags, GoPro camera, cell phone, assorted toiletries and meds, compression sacks full of clothes, sandals. Still in bag: wipes for electronics and cameras, some tea bags. Ignore the cell phone – was not in the carry-on.
What did I pack for clothes, you may be wondering? Here’s a list:
1 quick dry underwear (I was wearing the only other pair)
2 two-piece bathing suits
1 Eddie Bauer travel skort
1 tank top
1 beach cover-up (Land’s End) that can also double as a housecoat or even a dress
1 bikini top that also did double duty as a bra
1 pair summer-weight pajamas
For the flight down (and back) I wore a pair of light-weight travel pants from Eddie Bauer that could be rolled up and fixed to become capri-length (thanks again to my Badass Boss travel buddy for twigging me onto this and the Eddie Bauer travel skort!), my only other tank top over a stick-on bra, a rash guard that doubles as a full-zip hoodie/jacket, a scarf, my Sash bag (containing all my $$, cell phone, air pods, Canon G7X camera and ID), and a light puffy jacket. With a pair of Vans on my feet. That outfit kept me comfortable enough in either of the climates I was travelling in.
While I was in Barbados I fell in love with a simple dress I saw in the hotel gift shop. I tried it on and couldn’t resist it.
My $16USD wonder of a dress. So floaty and comfortable!
Now I not only had to fit everything I brought to Barbados back into my bag but also this dress. What was I thinking?
How am I going to manage to get all of this stuff back into the bag?Done! Thank you compression sacks!
Things to note: I did hand-wash some items every day during the trip (hence the laundry soap and the clothes pins). If that takes away from your vacation experience, this type of travel is not for you. It doesn’t bother us. We buy a tube of body lotion to share once we are at our destination (along with some grocery items for our room). I tried solid shampoo and conditioner bars this trip. They were OK, but I think going forward I am fine with whatever toiletries the room provides.
Other things I learned this trip: I much preferred one bathing outfit to the other and wore it almost exclusively. It was one I put together from a swim top I picked up at WalMart, paired with a “swimshort” from Land’s End. I bought a pair of these to test drive on the vacation and I am a convert! I put them on first thing in the morning with a tank top (and bikini top as bra) for my morning walks, and then swapped the tank/bikini top out for the swim top after breakfast, and I was set for the day – until it was time to shower and dress for evening. Easy peasy. Clothes that do double duty make this kind of ultra-light packing work! Another eye-opener: I could blog easily from my new iPad Pro, meaning I could leave the bigger laptop at home. This is old news to some of you, I know – but it was my first-time using an iPad this way, and I was chuffed.
I hope this post was entertaining at least, if not helpful. For me the best vacation is the one with less hassle. And less stuff to lug around = less hassle in my books.
Rock on,
The WB
P.S. I did find room in the overheard compartment for my bag, during this trip. But I knew I could stuff it under the seat ahead of me if I had to – and that, my friends, is EVERYTHING.
Barn cat taking shelter under the sheep milking stand
One of the nice things about working in a leadership position is you sometimes get to choose and build your team. And every once in a while you get someone applying for a position that you know immediately not only has the potential to be a great fit, but also a great friend. And so you hire her!
Jeanette and I met back in the early 00’s (I think?) when I was working at a large lab in Kitchener. She was instrumental in helping me implement the quality management system at that place. This transplant from South Africa with the no-nonsense attitude and the easy laugh made this tough job much more bearable. Even after we both went our separate ways to other careers, we still managed to keep in touch – mostly through social media but occasionally with an IRL meetup.
When last I saw Jeanette, she and her family were living in a beautiful backsplit in Kitchener, and she was working as a Six-Sigma Black Belt for a very large corporation, and baking and decorating gorgeous cakes in her “spare” time. Impressive!
Then, a few years back I noticed a change in her Facebook posts…it looked like she had moved and become a…farmer? I knew her corporation has closed the large local plant where Jeanette was based out of, but she was sent all over the country to work and seldom there, so I didn’t think much of it. Little did I know that Jeanette has used that closure as a decision point to springboard into a new life that was better in tune with her and her husband’s values. Thus, Red Maple Homestead was born. I was and am impressed – she is actually living my hippy-dippy dream, in harmony and alignment (my WOTY!) with nature and the land, and in the process of creating a bio-diverse, sustainable homestead.
In addition to keeping various farm animals and also bees, Jeanette grows and cans a lot of her family’s food. She estimates she has enough food stored in her pantry to keep them going for at least 2 years. If the apocalypse happens, I know whose doorstep I will be landing on. 😉
We had been making plans for a couple of years now, to have me come up to the farm but they had never worked out. Now here I was freshly retired, with much more time to coordinate a visit. So this past Monday (a gorgeous sunny day for a change), I hopped in the car and headed north to Jeanette’s – about an hour and half drive from my door.
We had a great catch-up, and fell back into our friendship at her bright and sunny kitchen table like the years apart never happened. After lunch it was time to tour the farm.
First up, one of 2 flocks of chickens at the homestead. These lovely birds are out and about, enjoying the nice weather along with Jeanette and me and the wool sheep and the dogs. The beautiful Phoebe, who provides some of the wool for Jeanette’s spinning and weaving. I think she is an Icelandic sheep but don’t quote me on this. 🙂Jeanette, giving some sheep the LOVE. Two of these ladies are quite pregnant but decided to hang on to their babies instead of giving me some lambs to photograph, much to our consternation. Next visit!Fuzzy, a newly “de-fuzzed” Angora rabbit whose additional job is to be a baby daddy to more of the same. A real sweetheart and oh-so soft.Cute little quail. I could watch and listen to these guys all day.Some of the other flock, enticed outside of the coop by some grains.
After meeting all of Jeanette’s “employees” and a walk around the property where we discussed future plans for the homestead, it was back inside for a slice of pie and a tour of her passion project – spinning and weaving!
A single raw fleece, from one of the “employees”. 🙂 Not from a wool sheep, but from a meat sheep – also can be spun into yarn. Close up of the springy fleece. Wool is such an amazing natural fibre.Jeanette handwashed a little piece of the raw wool, to show me its potential. Beautiful and so soft!Bats of washed and carded wool, reading for spinning. Is that some of Phoebe’s wool I see?One of several spinning wheels in Jeanette’s large, warm and welcoming family/craft room.Full bobbins of newly spun yarn.Skein of merino yarn spun by Jeanette. Not from her sheep though – apparently merino sheep don’t do well in our cold winters.Two of Jeanette’s 4 looms. She also has 2 knitting machines. Truly a passion!The other 2 looms. Besides wool rugs, there are also cotton tea towels and other textile projects on the looms for Jeanette and now her daughter to work on. (Clearly the weaving bug is contagious – hehehe!)A sampler Jeanette made in a weaving course she took. Look at the variety of patterns that can be created. I don’t think one could ever get bored.
By the end of this lovely tour and primer on spinning and weaving of yarn, I was itching to pick up my needles and get to work on some of my own wool stash, back at home. Of course, I think we could all predict this was gonna happen:
My haul from Red Maple Homestead, including a skein of Jeanette’s beautiful hand-dyed wool yarn for a future project!
What a wonderful day spent in the company of my friend! I’m looking so forward to coming back post-Barbados, and before I leave for the west coast. Jeanette and I have already made plans for my return visit, including a trip to some local businesses such as the Mennonite bakery down the road. Yes!
This trip checked so many boxes for me: meeting up with and supporting a friend, crafting, cute animals, beautiful countryside, and sustainability. And the chance to support an artisan and small business whose values align (that word, again!) with mine. Why did it take me so long to get up to Red Maple Homestead?!?!
Learn from my poor example and be sure to make the time to support your friends and small businesses and….
It’s been a little over a week now that I have been untethered from full-time work, and friends: I have to say that it is pretty sweet. I know it’s early days but I seem to have taken to retirement life like a duck to water. When my SIL texted me to ask how I was liking being a lady of leisure, I replied immediately that I was born for this role.
I keep waiting to feel guilty for not being “productive” and it hasn’t hit me yet. I don’t think it will. I feel more like a marathon runner who has finally crossed the finish line, upright and smiling. I did it, everyone saw me do it, and no one can ever take my medal away.
In other words: Yup, these are my laurels and I’m gonna happily rest on them.
I’ve had one work dream (that I can remember) so far. I was dealing with a scheduling issue in my dream and when I woke up and realized I didn’t work anymore, I burst out laughing.
I considered my very first day of retirement to be January 2 as that is the first day I would have been back at work, in my old life. Instead, I went with my BIL and SIL to the McMichael Gallery. We had no idea what was being exhibited in addition to their permanent collection and I was literally screaming with delight when I saw who was being featured.
Beloved Nova Scotian folk artist, Maud Lewis (1903-1970). Her paintings (done with house paint, someone said) evoke a happy, simple life – even though Maud’s life was not that happy.
Another gallery I really enjoyed was the exhibit of miniatures by Quebec artist, Clarence Gagnon. I felt we really lucked out with our spontaneous visit to this beautiful gallery of Canadian art. A great way to start off retired life!
So, what else have I been doing with all my new-found free time you may be wondering. Well, the decluttering has begun. I am starting with my home office (I guess it’s my only office now, duh!).
The desk, the iMac and the chest of drawers have already gone to new homes. In their places are boxes I have been collecting, to fill with items bound for my new home out west.
I’ve also updated my LinkedIn profile. I find that website difficult to deal with, and there was no option to change my status to “Retired” so I had to get a bit creative. I marked the end date of my last position and created a new “job” for myself: CEO of Everything at Widow Badass Retirement Industries. The comments from my colleagues upon my “new role” have been heart-warming. I still get random people wanting to join my network though, so I don’t think everyone got the joke.
I suppose I just could have taken my profile down, but there are some friends that I only communicate with through LinkedIn so up it stays. For now.
In other news: I went for a mid-week lunch with a couple of retired friends last week, at a lovely bistro in Elora. We supped on roasted apple and brie soup and enjoyed fresh salads while we watched the snow fall with increasing ferocity outside. By the time lunch was finished I couldn’t see the opposing bank of the river through the flakes, so it was a good time to head back home in case the highway got closed due to whiteouts. Despite the weather, a gal could used to this kinda life! And I fully intend to.
Other than these activities, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and relaxing (including enjoying more time to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Crave TV)…and getting out almost every day for a hearty walk.
There’s beauty to be found in all seasons and all kinds of weather.
How’s that for an click-baity enticing title, eh? Last weekend was planned several months ago, after coordination with another blogging buddy and IRL friend, Karen Hume. Joanne (aka trail name: Blaze) and I visited Karen last in the summer of 2018 and another visit was definitely overdue!
Joanne asked me if there was anything in particular I wanted to see on our little road trip (besides Karen, of course) and without much hesitation I said “Tweed, in Smiths Falls!” This was more than cool with our intrepid Joanne as well, so off we went on Friday morning to see what this facility that grows cannabis was all about. Joanne wrote about her observations on our tour here and she has some great pictures of pot production at “Ganga University” as I call it, because our tour guide kept referring to the facility as a “campus”.
So, without replicating Joanne’s photos…we were both snapping away so a lot are the same…here are some of mine, from our tour:
There was a bit of a museum at the beginning of the tour, along with a video presentation on the history of cannabis. Worth watching!These overhead lights are depicting the chemical structure of THC – the stuff in weed that gets you high.These vials were filled with cotton balls doused in the different terpenes found in weed (also found in other organic items such as lemons and pine) – the chemicals that contribute to the taste and scent of cannabis. So we sniffed away, and cleansed our nasal palates in between with coffee beans. Apparently there are people who smoke weed for the flavour so descriptions of cannabis products talk about this. Sorry highly informative and cute little tour guide: I have yet to talk to someone whose first concern is the flavour of the weed they are smoking despite you assuring me of the existence of such unicorns connoisseurs.Here is the source of one of Joanne’s disappointments : a chocolate room not making chocolate, even though it was supposed to be Day One of production. So clean! So shiny! So devoid of activity and chocolate! Sorry, Joanne! 🙁Smiling despite the lack of chocolate and free (or otherwise) cannabis to try.
After a couple of hours spent gaining an education about ye olde electric lettuce, bhang, mary jane, dank, green goddess etc., we were off to meet up with Karen for some pub grub and plans for our Saturday together. Which included visiting:
The Brockville Farmer’s Market! Bursting with fall produce.
Joanne and Karen admiring the mineral deposits forming in the tunnel interior.Our tunnel experience included quite the light and music show! But you know what was missing though? Some Tweed product samples would have put the cherry on the icing on the cake of our railway tunnel visit, doncha think? 😉
While visiting with Karen, we stayed at a lovely little complex on the banks of the St. Lawrence River:
St. Lawrence sunrise, from the deck surrounding our rooms.Signs of a beautiful fall all around us.
And it really was lovely, except for the paper thin walls between the rooms. On Saturday night Joanne and I turned in early, in our respective but far apart rooms – we’d had a full day of catching up and touring the area with Karen, and had filled up on some delicious Chinese food for supper as well. We were both looking forward to relaxing with a good book and catching up on our (a-hem) beauty sleep.
Joanne was treated to a loudly battling father and son in the room next to hers while I was treated to something else entirely.
There I was, safely tucked into bed and enjoying a good book, when I heard the unmistakeable sounds of…er…knockin’ boots, from the other side of the wall behind my headboard. Which was not at all unusual I suppose, except that I was also treated to some loud and (I sincerely hope) playful slapping going on, besides! Talk about your “slap and tickle” – it was a veritable slap and tickle festival happening next door to me. Hah! Thankfully it was at a decent hour in the evening and the festivities um climaxed died down before they cut into my ability to sleep.
The next morning we shared our experiences at breakfast while I scanned the couples in the complex’s dining room to try and figure out who was the slapper and who was the slappee of the previous evening. I think I figured it out. Not only that, we ran into those same people at a highway rest stop on the way back to our respective homes later that morning! The woman seemed in quite a jolly mood so I inferred from this that apparently all that slapping was done in a loving and consensual manner.
Joanne asked me how long I had to listen to this symphony of slap-happy sex. I said long enough that I didn’t have to feel sorry for the female partner. 😉
Have you ever had your rest interrupted by a loud couple next door? Do tell, and…
Yes – I know, I know! The fall equinox is not officially until the 23rd (@ 03:50 Eastern Time – thanks Interwebs) but that’s on a Monday – and still a workday for yours truly. So I’m posting this on the first day of Old-school FallTM, you know – September 21st? Like June 21 is the start of Old-school SummerTM, March 21 is Old-school SpringTM and December 21 is Old-school WinterTM?
Imagine my chagrin at seeing this sign at the start of my favourite, local walking trail:
WTF? Not THIS again. The trail was closed last fall too. Hmmmph! It’s almost as if the City is saying: Let’s see, what is the best time for people to enjoy this trail? Fall? Right, then – that’s when we’ll shut ‘er down. Again. For the second year running.
I shrugged my shoulders and sauntered past the sign, to see what was the issue. I walked on and on, thoroughly enjoying my lawlessness the scenery for many glorious minutes, until I came upon this sign:
Oh goody. They are going to replace the bridge. But work hasn’t begun yet. I appreciate the City looking out for my personal safety. They can consider their asses well and truly covered with this sign. I’ll be sure not to sue no matter what happens.
You guessed it, my fellow Badassians! I blew past this sign too. With not even a wobble on the bridge. That looked and behaved exactly as it had the week before and every day I’ve been on it for the past – oh – 15 years. And was I ever glad I took a chance.
(Sometimes my rebellious nature does come in handy – are you reading this in the Hereafter, Mom and Dad?)
Because I caught sight of this majestic blue heron, and this lovely Monarch,and these gorgeous leaves changing colour already,and these beautiful asters,and these wild grapes and viburnum berries, nicely intermingled…and these lovely viburnum berries with the glorious blue sky peeking through.
I suppose one day soon I will come upon the bridge (or more likely where the bridge USED to be) and be thwarted from walking further until it is repaired and replaced. But until then, it will take more than a couple of signs to keep me off this trail in the Fall!
And that’s a Badass promise!
What rules have you been breaking lately? Do tell!
Last week I travelled to Dallas, Texas for my last-ever North American Lab Managers meeting. Over the past 14 years I have been able to travel to places like California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Minnesota, New York and Maine to meet up with my fellow lab managers to discuss various topics related to our jobs testing milk for the purpose of dairy herd improvement.
The usual suspects appear at these meetings year-after-year and you get to know and respect them soon enough and look forward to catching up with them at this annual conference. So this last meeting was bittersweet, for me.
I was pleased to hear from so many of my colleagues that I will be missed. A couple of my partners-in-crime at this meeting have promised to drop in on me at my new home on Vancouver Island. I may wake up one day to find an RV full of these rascals parked in my driveway. Which would be way cool, as they are a fun bunch, and we had a lotta laughs after the first day’s very full agenda of speakers and discussions, when we headed to the hotel bar to kick back and shoot the you-know-what. 😉
The second day of this 2-day conference is always a tour day. I didn’t know where we were going until the day before, so had low to no expectations as to what we were going to be treated to. The agenda said we would first tour a Federal Milk Marketing Order lab (always cool to see someone else’s facility), then after lunch we would visit the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and then the Fort Worth Stockyards before having dinner in Fort Worth. (George W. Bush was not exactly my favourite American president and I had no idea what we would see at the stockyards so my expectations remained low.)
Imposing entrance. It’s presidential, after all!
I was very pleasantly surprised and impressed at the quality of exhibits at this museum, and I would encourage anyone visiting the Dallas area to take the time to visit. (I didn’t have time to check out the library portion so can’t comment on that.)
There was of course a large part of the museum dedicated to 9/11 artifacts, as this occurred during Dubya’s presidency. It was very moving to see this, especially as we visited on September 10 – one day before the 18th anniversary of this horrific day.
Twisted, heat-damaged steel beams from the World Trade Center in front of a wall with the names of every victim and some of the stories from that awful time.
There were many exhibits (including short videos) on the Bush presidency – all aspects of their lives and the initiatives undertaken by the Bushes – as well as a recreation of the Oval Office, as it existed during that time.
Clothes worn by the Bushes along with place settings used at state dinners. First Dog, Spot
Like I said earlier, I was not a fan of Dubya. Although after seeing the projects he and Mrs. Bush championed during his terms, and contrasting and comparing that to who is in charge now, I’ve decided he wasn’t really all that bad. In fact, he seems like a bit of a moral and mental giant to me now, considering…a-hem! 😉
An American I was with at the time said much the same to me as we walked through the halls of the museum. Said he’d like to shake Bush’s hand NOW as he didn’t realize at the time how much worse things could get. See, all you need to be remembered kindly is to have someone come later who’s a complete villain/moron.
Gosh, part of me very selfishly hopes the next lab manager makes people remember me fondly too! 😉
After seeing these artifacts, and an exhibit across the hall on presidential retreats (also hella interesting – so interesting I forgot to take pics, sorry!), it was “Back on the bus, people!” to get to the Fort Worth stockyards just in time for a CATTLE DRIVE!
Twice a day Texas longhorn cattle are driven down the street in a recreation of the time when these animals were herded from the natural pastures of Fort Worth along the Chisholm Trail to railheads in Kansas. “C’mon cows!”, the cowboys sang out as they passed. (Although even a city slicker like me could tell they were mostly steers, not cows.)
I flew home on September 11. Didn’t notice any heightened security or anything like that, and at the airports it was just another day. As it should be.
Then on September 12 – the day I had been eagerly anticipating for weeks – I went to Thrive Studios to meet with Angela McDonald to get a major piece inked onto my forearm. My first large black and grey tattoo!
My “Mucha Mermaid”, freshly inked. Took a little over 2 hours. I am beyond pleased with Angela’s artistry in realizing my vision for this piece. 48 hours later. Still healing. Sorry about the poor light. I have it heavily moisturized and there was a glare on my arm if I was in better light.
This piece has multiple meanings for me. One is that is symbolizes my future, surrounded by the ocean on Vancouver Island.
The other, larger meaning is that it is in honour of my mother (mostly) and representative of my family. My mother (the mermaid) loved the water, loved to swim, was a lifeguard, taught water aerobics and supervised a therapy pool at a retirement home before she retired. My dad (the damaged anchor) was also in love with the sea and worked for a bit for the Dutch Merchant Marine as a young man. He would have kept with it, but the papers came through for immigration to Canada soon after joining, so that ended that dream for him. The cracks in the anchor speak to the demons that plagued him (and that the family bore the brunt of), especially as he got older. The three little fish are me and my two sisters. When I mentioned to my daughter the tattoo she reminded me that this was initially her idea for a tattoo many years ago, minus the cracks in the anchor and the little sister fishies. I had forgotten about this and obviously had stolen (unknowingly) her idea. Sorry, kiddo!
Speaking of stealing others’ good ideas – just before I left for Dallas, I received an order from Vistaprint of “business” cards, for handing out to friends and such once I am retired. (Really, what do you call these damn things when you aren’t working anymore??? They need a better name than business cards!)
I know of several retired people who have gotten cards done for this purpose, and I was especially inspired by Janis of Retirementally Challenged, who designed a beautiful card with a quote on it! So once again I stole (knowingly, this time). Behold:
What you can’t see is that I ordered a pearlescent sheen on these cards. Oh, I be so FANCY. This quote sums up just about everything I’d love to be/have/do in my retirement. Well, plus family, and assorted adventures with plenty of “shenanigans” involved. Yeah, I want it all.
I’m back to “normal life” for the next couple of weeks until Joanne and I hit the road for a weekend adventure. Sixteen weeks left at my work. Time is flying now.
And how are you all making out as we head into Autumn? Do tell!
…I’d have taken better care of myself. “- Eubie Blake
This week I got some news that I’d been waiting for – my health traits analysis, from My Heritage. They were able to pull this information from the sample I had submitted last year, for my genetic makeup.
I was absolutely sure that I would be told I was at increased risk for cardiac disease, given my history with TIAs, and my family history (father dying at 63 from a massive heart attack, younger sister experiencing a heart attack, other relatives with coronary artery disease). However, I am only at average risk for this and other biggies that people don’t want to know about – like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. My Heritage warns you before they give you the data that this information is in there, and asks you to assent that you actually do want to see your genetic propensity for these devastating diseases. Of course, I clicked a resounding YES. Information is power, people. If I am at an elevated risk for Alzheimers, damn straight I want to know about it so I can plan accordingly!
Long story short – I am at average risk for heart disease, various cancers, Crohn’s disease, some stuff I never heard of, and the aforementioned Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Whew!
I am slightly increased risk for Celiac disease. Hmmm…perhaps this explains my heartburn when I eat wheat, currently under control thanks to modern medicine?
And last but certainly not least, my health report states I am at significantly decreased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration – this is a relief, especially for someone with plans to play a lot with paint in retirement!
So now that it looks like I might live a lot longer than I had anticipated, maybe it’s time to take better care of myself. I’ve noticed I’ve been in a gradual decline of energy this summer.
I’ve been severely anemic before, and this is starting to feel a lot like that. Brain fog, overall fatigue and lack of stamina, lack of focus, falling asleep whenever I am “quiet”. I couldn’t even whip up the energy to make it to Riverfest Elora last weekend so there went the $99 I spent last August on a weekend pass for this year’s festival…ah well, that water is so far under the bridge, it’s already made it to the ocean. 🙂
This is so not me.
I did save my energy so I could go see P!nk on Sunday night though – the ticket was a birthday gift from a good friend of mine!
P!nk performing Just Like Fire. Guess who forgot her good camera at home, and had to rely on ye olde iPhonne? See aforementioned brain fog…sigh.So What? She’s still a rock star, and she flew all around the arena in that harness. While singing. And doing all sorts of acrobatic maneuvers. BADASS.
OK, where was I? Ah yes. Feeling anemic. I mentioned in a comment to Donna, of Retirement Reflections, that I was needing an iron supplement to keep up with the schedule of things I have lined up. She thought I was joking. I was not, Donna! Behold:
This wonder elixir made me feel 20 years younger when I was anemic, years ago. One week after taking this liquid, I felt restored, and back to my old go-get ’em self again. Something months of swallowing iron tablets failed to do.
I purchased a bottle this week and will be taking it faithfully. My iron levels are on the low side of normal at the best of times, but I feel they may have slipped even further as I haven’t been eating a lot of red meat for many months now (and I’ve started really craving beef – another sign from my body that iron is needed). If this doesn’t pep me up, I’ll be making a visit to the doc for a thorough checkup.
Also on the self-care theme: I splashed out today on a Philips Sonicare toothbrush. My faithful Oral B toothbrush is showing signs of imminent battery failure, as it needs to be charged every other day now…and I am on my last brush head before needing to buy more. So it was definitely time to fish or cut bait as I’ve been dithering about what to do next for the past few months of watching my Oral B steadily go downhill.
This was a pretty expensive purchase. What to do? Get another Oral B, go back to a regular toothbrush, check out the Sonicare…Ultimately I decided on the latter. These were the thoughts that were going through my head:
I’ll be retired in a matter of months and won’t be able to afford it as easily then. (Already I am having these fearful thoughts about no more paycheques…shit!)
What’s the most environmentally friendly option? (Probably rubbing at your teeth with a twig…sigh. Moving on…)
I spent 6 grand on my smile these past 2 years (hello, Invisalign!); an electric toothbrush is protecting my investment.
I’ll have to pay for dental benefits once I retire and my coverage might not be as good as when I was employed; I’d better take the best care possible of my teeth. (More fearful thoughts! Double shit!!)
So, this is what’s going on with me at the moment – trying to get back some energy, and trying to keep my mouth healthy. And realizing that I am worrying already, about finances post-work life. Even though I have done the math over and over again. And my head knows I WILL BE FINE.
What about you, recent retirees or old hands at it? Did you have fearful thoughts about finances when contemplating your retirement? Do tell…
A few weeks ago something pretty much unheard of where I live happened. A woman was shot to death in a parking lot in broad daylight. Police weren’t releasing too many details, other than her name and a couple of pictures of the vehicle they think that the suspect was using at the time the crime was committed. A couple of days later, the police acted on a tip and found the suspect and his vehicle in another parking lot in town. But as they closed in, he shot himself, and – despite intense medical efforts – passed away. So ends another tragic, shocking story in my part of the world – with two sets of grieving families and friends (victim’s and murderer’s).
The woman’s name sounded strangely familiar to me so I paid this story more attention than I normally would. It didn’t take me long to piece together that the victim was indeed the sister of someone that lived one house away from me during my first marriage. In another lifetime, the victim’s sister and I used to hang out once in a while when our kids were small and we were both lonely and bored out of my mind stay-at-home moms.
Then, as these things happen, I became privy to more details about the murder, through another acquaintance. Here’s what I was told.
The victim was irked that the murderer was dealing drugs in plain view in the parking lot of the victim’s building. She confronted the murderer about it and then started taking photos of the murderer’s car with her cell phone. That’s when she was shot with intent to kill (which happened), and her cell phone smashed by the murderer and left on the ground in the parking lot. The police were able to get the photos of the car from the broken cell phone they retrieved from the scene of the crime.
No doubt in my mind this woman was a Badass. She was of a certain age (very close to mine), where latent Badassery will manifest itself, whether resulting from life circumstances, declining hormone levels, increasing wisdom, or all of the above. I like to think all women eventually come into this Badass stage of life, and that it is one to be welcomed and applauded. Also known as the Zero Fucks Given, Sick of Always Being “Nice”, Sick of Taking Other People’s Shit stage of life.
However, there is a cautionary tale here. No doubt about it – realizing your true nature as a Badass is a wonderful thing…BUT! There is a BUT…and it’s a big ‘un.
BUT! PLEASE BE CAREFUL. The world needs us wise old lady Badasses (whether they know it or not) and now there is one less of us in the world. Don’t risk your personal safety to right the world’s wrongs.
You may be are fierce, but not fierce enough to stop a bullet or to overcome someone who is physically bigger and stronger than you. And then there is the futility of dealing with someone who may be mentally unstable.
Choose your battles wisely and with care, and think first and foremost of your own safety and well-being.
That is certainly the personal lesson I took away from this tragic event.
Stay safe out there fellow Badasses – and rock on,
When last I left off, gentle readers, I was planning to take a portion of my dead husband’s ashes down with me to Augusta, to scatter them on the hallowed grounds of the golf course there, during the 2019 Masters event.
Well, I am happy to report that my mission was accomplished with no drama. Kinda anticlimactic, really.
Not only did I NOT get dragged off the course in ignominy, but my own people didn’t realize what I had done. Even though I made a point of making eye contact with them while I was doing it. I was amazed when I was asked – safely back at the hospitality suite – did I do what I set out to do? Perhaps I need to go into the spy business. I seem to be (too) good at covert operations.
I scattered some of JD at 2 different locations, during the 2 days we spent at the tournament. Saturday was at the Amen Corner; Sunday was near the pond on Hole 16 – another pretty spot. Do I feel guilty about doing so? Not one bit. I am sure I am not the first, nor will I be the last to do so. Plus, the tablespoon of cremains I deposited is nothing compared to the amount of cigar ash deposited on the grounds daily, based on my observations.
As I mentioned in my previous post, no electronics were allowed on the course during the final days of the tournament so I don’t have any pictures to share…yet! I did get sent some pictures taken by someone who was on the course on the practice round days, when photography was allowed. I’ll post those after first debuting them in a slideshow at a special event I will be attending next week.
These (and accompanying verbiage) will probably make up the most of my upcoming Changing Seasons post for April.
