Amenities

Today is the day we get to pick up our pool passes for the summer season, which starts in less than a month. I can't wait! 

The facility, a small rectangular community pool with a diving board at the deep end, has remained unchanged in the 27 summers we have lived here. We have spent countless hours over the years swimming, treading, floating, sunning, and playing there with the kids in our lives (most of whom are all grown up now). 

The pool saw us through the summer of 2020. The community instituted an online sign-up system to limit the number of people at a time, but it was still a great place to visit with neighbors when social distancing was still a very real thing, and several acquaintances became friends that summer.

The pool is also where Heidi has taught many of our friends' and colleagues' children to swim. It's always fun to see the kids tumble out of the car, blinking in the bright sunshine, eager to run up the hill to the pool in their Crocs. They love their time in the water almost as much as they love the snacks we bring for when the lessons are finished. The way they shiver on the hot chairs, wrapped tightly in their towels, trying to dry off a little before heading home, reminds me of when my brother, sister, and I were kids at our own neighborhood pool.

At the end of the season, we open the pool to the dogs. For a couple of hours on that last Sunday evening in September, they swim, fetch, and run around the deck at top speed, and Heidi always gets our dog to jump off the diving board at least once. It is quite a spectacle, and even neighbors without dogs come up to check out the action.

Living in a condo community can involve many compromises, but having a pool makes up for almost everything.

Just 'Cause

This challenge, which specifies action in a bit of a different way than the others, pretty much gets to the crux of my retirement angst. For decades my cause has been public education, and I have been on the frontlines. Belief in the value of my vocation got me up and out of bed every morning, and although sleeping a little later has been awesome, I miss that defining purpose.

The way I see it, to fulfill this challenge I have three options: find a new cause, redefine activism for the cause(s) I already have, or start believing in unstructured me time as a valuable cause.

Hm. That narrows it down. Sort of.

Walk and Talk

The afternoon was beautiful yesterday when I took Lucy for a walk. As we wound our way along a forested path in a nearby park, we passed several pairs of walkers headed in the opposite direction. Each duo was happily engaged in conversation as they strolled, and I overheard several interesting scraps of their chatter. 

"No, it's boneless chicken breast, and you marinate and roll it up!" one person reported breathlessly.

"I told him I would," shrugged another, "but then I met another guy and changed my mind."

And I did a surreptitious double-take when I heard, "We finally finished our rabies treatment, and it wasn't as bad as they said."

As we continued, I realized it had been a while since I walked and talked with a friend, and although I didn't make that happen today? I will soon.

A Cup of Joe

I've long been a stickler about coffee. I had a grinder and a Melita pot way back when I was in college in the early 80s. It was hard to even find whole bean coffee for sale in the States back then; it would be five years before Starbucks opened anywhere outside of Seattle. 

So in those days, I brought a couple of kilos of freshly roasted coffee beans from a shop in Saudi Arabia every time I went home. Like my parents, I used a half-light, half-dark blend. I don't know where the beans were sourced, but it was probably somewhere nearby, maybe Yemen or Eastern Africa, and they roasted the beans onsite, in plain view of anyone who patronized the store. 

Since I have never owned an electric coffee maker, I've spent a lot of time waiting for the kettle to boil. I used to be a big multitasker, unloading the dishwasher and packing lunch as I waited, but this year I took my coffee making up another notch. After enjoying the coffee bean advent calendar, I started paying attention to the nuances of brewing. In addition to the ceramic burr grinder my siblings gave me for my birthday several years ago, I got an electric Stagg kettle for Christmas that rapidly boils to a precise temperature. I also bought a scale with a timer and a few different-shaped cones, as well as some various-shaped and sized filters.

Now, coffee making has my full attention as I weigh my precisely ground beans and calculate the ideal water ratio and pour time. I don't really have much downtime while the kettle is doing its part, but it's still a joy to mindfully brew each single cup in the morning.

Walking in the Rain

Over the months I've been retired, Lucy and I have established a regular walking routine, usually covering from three to four miles daily. Of course, that was all blown up recently, first by spring break in Buffalo, and then by my temporary return to teaching. But today, the first Saturday of my working month, I was determined to resume our outings despite gray skies and predicted rain. 

Lucy had a grooming appointment this morning, and we had baseball tickets for a 4 o'clock game, so the window of opportunity was slim. We set out at about 1:30; the air was cool and damp, and it felt good to be doing something that had felt stale just a couple of weeks ago. 

About a mile from home, a steady rain began. We paused for a moment or two under a young sycamore, sheltered by its canopy, but soon enough the drops filtered down and we started getting wet. There was no way out but through, but as we stepped into the storm, I realized that I didn't care. 

Screen Test

As April draws to an end, I'm thinking ahead to May and the new challenge I have set for myself.  My intention is to make it a media-free month, which for me would be no news and no social media. I've taken a month off from social media before, but I want to see what difference taking a break from the news might make.

To prepare for that endeavor, starting tonight, I'll set down my devices as soon as I finish my daily post. And while this evening won't be completely screen-free because I am going to watch a little TV, it will be just the one screen.

Student IDs

This morning, we resumed our old habit of parking a little further away from the school building. The move may actually save a little time, because it spares us from fighting the other drop-off and arrival traffic. It also gives us a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy a wee bit of fresh air and sunshine before entering the school building for the day.

The final benefit of parking down by the tennis courts is that at the end of the day, we have to walk through the fields, which our school shares with the county parks and rec department. On a pleasant afternoon, there are probably between two and three hundred people playing soccer or lacrosse or field hockey or tennis or basketball, running the trail, or walking their dogs. There's always a lot of active energy in the air, and it feels good to be part of it even for a little while.

Today, there was also a track meet, and as I walked I scanned the events looking for kids I knew. In some of my spare time I have been studying the rosters and pictures of all the students in the science classes I'm subbing for, working hard to connect the faces to the names. If only I had that field guide with me this afternoon when several kids I recognized waved and greeted me by name, I might have been able to return the courtesy. 

Division of Labor

I knew that being retired would free up both my and Heidi's weekends and afternoons simply by virtue of the fact that I would have time to run errands and do chores while she was at work. And that's been true. 

And although I'm fond of pointing out that when you're retired, it seems possible to do every chore and errand you ever wanted and still have plenty of time to be bored, it's only taken two days back at full-time work to feel that time crunch again. In addition to being away from the house 9 or so hours a day, we also have plans this weekend, and Ive got my eye on the weather to pick a day or two I can get some work done in the garden after school.

That's why I dropped Heidi off at home this afternoon around 4:30 and headed straight back out to get a few essentials for her. It really wasn't a hardship, and it gave her a little extra time to spend walking Lucy, something I know she treasures.

 

Get Down

One of the items on our 25 for 25 list is to dance every day. To be honest, daily dancing? Has been a stretch. Sometimes Heidi will turn on the tunes, and I'm just not feeling it. Even so, if I make myself get up and boogie, I always feel better. So that's what I'm going to do today. 

Psst: for a couple of fresh, new, fun-to-dance-to songs, check out APT by Bruno Mars and Rose and End of the World by Miley Cyrus.

Making the Call

I have been meaning to call my aunt for weeks, maybe even months, and today, before I sat down to review the material for my debut science classes tomorrow, I took a deep breath and stretched my arm out to reach for my phone. As I tapped on her contact, I knew she wouldn't be mad-- she hasn't called me either-- but I missed our connection and regretted not reaching out sooner.

She didn't answer her cell, so I left a message and then dialed the number I knew by heart, the one she has had my entire life, and she picked up on the first ring. Oh! What a pleasure it was to hear her voice and spend time catching up. When I told her about my sub gig, she made me promise to send updates. "Kids are so different today!" the long-time middle school secretary lamented.

"I don't think they're that much different than last year when I was teaching!" I answered, and we laughed, acknowledging that at least that much hasn't been radically altered in the last few months.

Before we hung up, we promised to do a better job of keeping in touch in the future, and when I set my phone down, I breathed easy, because that promise didn't feel like a stretch at all.

Shopping for the Rainbow

I wasn't sure if the grocery store would be closed on Easter, but in this diverse area, of course, they were open for business when I ran up there for some last-minute additions to my menu. Since it's Sunday, the produce department was pretty picked over, and they were sold out of the microgreens and fennel I wanted to garnish my crudo with, so as I shopped, I pivoted, considering instead some of the ingredients I had on hand. 

I added radishes and a jalapeno to my hand basket, certain they would complement the snapper, along with the apples, chives, and redbud blossoms at home. With white balsamic, a little lime, and some meyer lemon olive oil, I'm confident the dish will be just great!
 

Saturday Shopping

Several fun birthday-related errands to prepare for my brother's dinner tomorrow night had me up and running today. I wasn't sure whether stores would be busy or not, but I found that most people were spending their Saturday in other ways, which was fine by me. 

Even so, every place I went, I ran into someone I knew, or rather, they ran into me. Since I was so absorbed in selecting the perfect ingredients for the meal, I never saw them until they came to say hello. Seeing my neighbors out and about gave me a warm, small-town kind of feeling, which was a nice welcome back after spending a week away.

Free Space

This challenge was pretty much a non-starter on this travel day, and try as I might, I couldn't think of a twist or a spin to make it work. So I'll take a mulligan and offer in my defense how I embraced earlier challenges. For example, once back at home, I nurtured my plants. I also noticed new things on the now familiar 400-mile journey from Buffalo, like all those cops in Pennsylvania. And I sang, too, holding that note in Lovely Day almost every time. All in all? It was a pretty active day, even if it was spent sitting on my butt. Oh, and I will definitely go to bed in good time.

Grow, Babies, Grow!

We have been watching the weather all week to find the best day to do the outside chores Heidi's mom requested, and when the sun returned today, and after a cold morning, we enjoyed a mild afternoon, so today was the day. We made quick work of hanging the swing, rolling out the grill, and placing the picnic table in its summer spot. Then, after we connected the garden hose and cut some forsythia branches for an early spring arrangement, it seemed like a natural next step to head over to the garden center. Their selection was still a bit sparse, but we came back with some thyme for the garden here, and a few little tomato plants, some leeks, and snap peas for our garden at home. 

They have been freshly watered and gently packed, ready to make the trip south tomorrow. I can't wait to get them in the ground!

April Flowers, Not So Much

The day was frigid and blustery. Snow flurries and ice pellets fell from the iron sky, but the dogs still needed walking, so we bundled up and headed out. 

Here in Buffalo, we are 4 degrees further north than DC, which translates to a much later spring. At home, the lilacs are blooming; the daffodils and red bud are nearly done, and the trees are leafy. Not so here. Only the earliest daffodils and sprays of forsythia lent color to the leaden day. This far north, the hours of sunlight are impressive, though, and spring will be here in glorious blossom before too long. They have so much to look forward to, if only they can last another cold week or three. 

But of course they can! It’s Buffalo. 

What's that Song Called?

Recently, after I drop Heidi off at work, I can't bear to listen to the morning news on the radio as I make the short drive home, so I've taken to tuning into the Morning Mashup on Sirius XM Hits 1. The show is kind of a throwback to the chatty DJs of the past, but with music from the present. And that's how I've found myself in a position of familiarity with today's pop charts. Rosé, Teddy Swims, Alex Warren, SZA, and many of their peers have incredibly catchy, sing-along songs out right now. 

When a Pennsylvania State Trooper pulled me over the other day for going 73 in a 55 and asked me for my license, registration, and insurance, he seemed a little surprised when I unplugged my phone to get the GEICO info and Morgan Wallen and Post Malone blared out of the speaker. "Nice tunes," he said appreciatively as he took my documents back to his cruiser. Admittedly, I didn't feel much like singing along right then, even though I knew the words to "I Had Some Help." But I'd like to think I did have some help, because he only cited me for 5 miles over the speed limit, allowing me to maintain my pointless driving record.

Falling Water

As today was predicted to be the mildest of our visit to Buffalo, we loaded the dogs in the car and headed up to the falls. Niagara Falls, that is. The state park on the US side of the river was more bustling than we expected, despite the fact that the observation area overlooking Horseshoe Falls was closed due to the eight inches of ice and snow still covering it. We walked the path that loops Goat Island, taking in the American Falls and being awed by all the ice chunks still floating down the Niagara River; it was a full 10 degrees cooler down by the water. 

Over in Canada, people strolled the well-manicured formal gardens that make up their river walk, and as usual, it seemed so strange to peer into another country, perhaps even more so these days. Our fellow tourists were also an international bunch: we heard many languages spoken as we shared the views with them, and I wondered what the border experience was like these days. 

Of course, the falls themselves remain as amazing and transcendent as ever, unmoved by our human struggles. Watching millions of gallons of aquamarine water plunge over the precipice is somehow both humbling and elevating. As Charles Dickens wrote in 1842, "It would be hard for a man to stand nearer to God than he does there." 

Good Day, Good Night

I woke this morning in Arlington, VA, and I'm going to bed in Buffalo, NY. As road trips go, today's was fine: light traffic, fair weather, and daylight all the way. Sadly? I did not close my rings, so my perfect month is kaput. I'm still a little tired from travel, though, and so I go to bed in good time.

In Progress

Lots of folks asked me about retirement in the two days I spent at school last week. And not surprisingly, those teachers still stuck in the grind of PTG+ (planning, teaching, grading, PLUS the countless hours spent meeting and completing paperwork) could not believe me when I told them that there were more than enough hours in the day for me to get the things done I wanted to and still be at loose ends. "You can only walk the dog so far and do so many puzzles," I confided several times. 

Likewise, there was a lot of movement possibilities today as we prepare for our roadtrip up to Buffalo tomorrow. Picking up, organizing, and packing were top of list, as well as last minute errands, including car snacks and choosing an audio book. But all is ready, and even after the dog and I walked 4 miles or so, I still had plenty of time to sit and do those puzzles.

Perfect is as Perfect Does

One of the features of my Apple Watch that I enjoy is the fitness app that comes standard with the device and pairs seamlessly with the corresponding app on my iPhone. The two of them act in tandem to track my daily activity and provide lots of data, as well as fun challenges, which I usually find motivating. 

It's been nearly 10 years since I bought my first watch, and in that time, I've only had 11 perfect weeks, where I met all three of my goals: activity, stand, and exercise. I've never had a perfect month, though, even back in 2020 when it seemed like my main source of entertainment during the shutdown was walking, swimming, and exercising. I came closest in July of that year, just missing it by two days.

My most recent perfect week was last week, and since it corresponded to the beginning of the month, I was hopeful that the stars might align and April would be perfect, in respect to closing my rings at least. But spending my second day at school and hours of non-stop rain may have derailed that plan today. 

Maybe not, though. As I write it's 5:42. I met my stand goal an hour ago (that's what getting up before 6 a.m. will do!). I have 70% of my move goal and only need 19 minutes of exercise. I could probably pull myself together to keep the streak alive.

But will I?

UPDATE 4/12: I DID IT! As soon as I posted, I put on boots and my raincoat and I went for a brisk 2 mile walk, closing all my rings before I got home!

IRL

I thought it might be for the best if I spent a couple of days in my friend's sixth-grade science class with her before taking over for a few weeks after spring break. Even though we worked on the same team in adjoining rooms for nearly 20 years, I don't think I ever actually saw her teach; I was always too busy doing my own job on the other side of the wall. We agreed that it would ease the transition for me and the kids if I got a chance to see how the class went, and they could meet me while she was still there.

It was a busy day! In addition to accomplishing our objectives, I caught up with many former students and colleagues. And after I got home, I returned to the garden to keep weeding ahead of the coming rain. I'd put my screen time for the day at 60 minutes or so, a fraction of the usual, but I really didn't miss it at all.

In the Weeds

One of the things I was most looking forward to in retirement was spending time in the garden in spring, which is by far the busiest season there. Unfortunately, I forgot that when, at the beginning of winter, a friend asked if I would take the long-term sub job while she was out for hip replacement, and I agreed. 

That upcoming commitment, paired with the crazy weather we've had the last couple of months, has put me, quite literally, in the weeds when it comes to getting my plot ready by the May 15 deadline. So, despite the freeze warning that was issued for last night, I have spent several hours weeding and cleaning both yesterday and today. 

In fact, I've filled 20 garbage bags full of henbit, dead nettle, ground ivy, spurge, crabgrass, bittercress, and mugwort. It has, however, been delightful. A combination of cool air, warm sun, and an audiobook has made that time spent patiently plucking plants by the roots perfectly pleasant. 

And next year? I'm going to have even more time to enjoy it!

A Good Place to Laugh

"What about The Good Place? Have you watched it?" a friend asked me recently when we were discussing our ideas about must-see TV.

"It's on the list," I shrugged, "but we haven't gotten to it yet."

"It's both really entertaining and deeply philosophical," she told me, which I considered high praise.

That conversation stuck with me because the other night, when we were looking for something relatively short to fit into our tight TV schedule, I pulled up the show. Of course, we knew the premise: an undeserving woman finds herself in heaven, but her presence seems to be causing unexplained problems in paradise. And we knew the cast, too: Kristen Bell and Ted Danson were both actors we liked.

But what I was unprepared for was how funny it is. I can't remember the last time I really laughed at a television show, but Heidi and I both giggle at every episode. So tonight? I'm going to make sure we watch another one. Because it really does feel great to laugh!

Light, Naturally

The tricky part about today's challenge was not the earliness of the hour—I'm up at 6:15 and out of the house by 7 to take Heidi to school—but rather the dearth of natural light this morning due to the gloomy weather. Even so, I did my best. 

On the first Monday of the month, I have to find something to do after I drop Heidi off because that's when our cleaning lady comes. When I retired, we scaled back that luxury from once a week to once a month because we didn't want Estela to lose that income all at once. I usually go grocery shopping at my favorite store, which is about 30 minutes away, but I'm finished before Estela is, so I need another activity. Today I took the scenic route home and stopped at an overlook with views of the Potomac and Mount Vernon. It was raining, but I spotted a couple of cormorants and a great blue heron. I'd like to think I got a little natural light as I enjoyed the vista.

And now? I'm writing in the dimness of a still rainy afternoon, the only artificial light is from my screen, and I'm about to shut that down until tomorrow.

RBF Begone

Body scan meditations are not new to me, but recently, I noticed that my face is super tense, especially around my mouth and forehead, and almost all the time. So lately, I have been focusing on relaxing my face whenever it occurs to me, but especially when I'm walking the dog. Whenever I pass someone, I make sure I have a neutral expression, and if they choose to make eye contact, I smile.

That may seem outrageously basic to some people, but other introverts can probably relate to the challenge. I will say this, though: a little nod and a smile can go a long way. Now, if I happen to see someone more than once, they often smile and nod at me first.

I think that's progress.

More than a Game

A few weeks ago I was cleaning out the closet and found my old basketball. It had been a really nice ball in its day, a luminous leather model, but the years had not been kind to it. Now it was faded and slick, an indoor ball no longer fit to play with. 

I set it aside, but kept it in mind, and the other day, when some errands landed us in a sporting goods store, their NCAA tourney display caught my eye immediately, and we walked out with a new WNBA-approved outdoor basketball. Today was the day when I convinced Heidi that our workout should include heading up to the school playground and shooting some hoops. 

The blue ball felt great in my hands, bouncy and grippy, and I dribbled my way up the stairs and across the parking lot to get to the hoop. "Let's play until we make a hundred shots!" I suggested to Heidi, and she shrugged and sighed, humoring me. As I lofted the ball up, I felt all the years since I last shot a basket. "Oof!" I reacted as it clanged off the rim. I rebounded and tried again without success, but the third time was the charm. Heidi was rusty, too, and as we shot and rebounded and passed and shot again and chased the ball all over the place, I knew it was going to be a pretty good workout. 

At one point, Heidi took a playful granny shot, and I was transported back to second grade. I remembered our PE teacher lining us up at the foul line on our playground court and instructing us on shooting. The boys were taught overhand, but the girls had to shoot granny-style. I could not make a shot for the life of me, and I really wanted to. So much so that I borrowed a basketball every day at recess and practiced, but I still couldn't do it. 

I told my mom about it, and she asked me each night at dinner if I had made it yet. Every night, I shook my head until one night, when she asked me, I said yes, even though I hadn't. 

"No, you didn't," she replied.

I was amazed she could tell I was lying, and a little scared, too. "I'm sorry, I just really wanted it to be true," I told her.

"When you make it," she said, "you'll be so excited that I'll know." 

And she was right. The day I finally got the ball in the hoop, it was the first thing I told her when I got home from school. "I knew you could do it!" she said and hugged me. "And I'm especially proud of how hard you worked to do it."

Today, it took Heidi and me a while to get our hundred shots, but you can bet we did it.

A Few Ounces of Prevention

I read recently that to stay hydrated, you should divide your body weight by half, and that's the number of ounces of water you should drink every day. So, for example, a 100-pound person should ideally consume 50 ounces of water daily. 

My recommended amount didn't seem like much of a stretch, and that's the goal I started with when I read this prompt this morning. At 5:45, I'm about three-quarters of the way there, and I won't switch over to my evening beer until I make it.

The healthy eating bit also seemed easy enough to me. I almost always eat food I have prepared myself from whole ingredients, and today was no different. I had homemade sourdough toast and an egg for breakfast, roasted carrot and avocado salad for lunch, and popcorn for a snack. For dinner, I'm baking organic chicken thighs and serving them with pasta,  mushrooms, and greens from our CSA share. 

I'm also having that beer, which can be described as natural, but not necessarily healthy. In fact, based on newer research,  the mainstream media has been refining its stance on drinking for the last couple of years, and most articles on that subject these days remind readers that despite some nutritional benefits of fermented beverages like beer and wine, no amount of alcohol can be considered healthy.

It's always kind of a bummer to me whenever I read that, but maybe? I'll have a little extra water to compensate. 😉

Hark!

There's a commercial on TV recently that makes me giggle every time I see it. The product is Repatha, a medication designed to lower LDL cholesterol, and in the ad, a woman and her CGI heart are sitting side-by-side on a couch, recounting the experience of a heart attack for a mostly unseen interview team. 

The recovering heart has a band-aid over her left eye, and what makes me laugh is both how earnest the two of them are, the lady and her heart, and also the genuine affection they have for each other: smiling, laughing, and finishing each other's sentences. Their determination to avoid another heart attack is very authentic. And what also cracks me up is the soft instrumental version of Listen to Your Heart, the '80s ballad with the slightly off lyrics by the Swedish band Roxette. 

The whole spot is as silly as an SNL sketch, and when I read today's prompt, I couldn't get either the song or the commercial out of my head. Even so, I did pay attention to what seemed easy and what seemed hard to do today. I was sleepy this morning, but grateful that I slept soundly last night. My legs were a little cranky walking up Superman Hill, and I was huffing a bit at the top, but I got there and continued for a nice 3-mile walk. I made a few modifications to the yoga kriya when I did it, but I stayed present for most of the meditation and felt good when I was done.

I still have that earworm, though!

As Possible

It was the "as possible" that turned out to be tricky for me. When you have a flexible schedule, as I do, it's theoretically possible to be outside all day. And yet the day dawned gray and cold with temperatures in the 40s. Even so, I bundled up and sat on the deck with my coffee, reading the morning news and puzzles. 

There was an unexpected twist to the day-- Heidi needed to get a gift for a colleague and had a block of free time from 11 to 1, so we spent that time together, which was lovely. And although my schedule is flexible, today I had a couple of commitments-- to bake bread for a neighbor and to go in after school to help Treat with some planning. Again, both activities were positive, and I felt great about them, but neither was outside.

But I did take Lucy for our now routine midday walk. Today it was 3 miles, and the brisk weather was invigorating rather than discouraging. The birds of the neighborhood seemed to agree with us, and we saw plenty of them-- crows, bluejays, sparrows, starlings, cardinals, doves, vultures, and hawks-- attending to their birdy business. 

And the blossoms! Forsythia, cherries, magnolias, crab apples, daffodils, the first tulips, and even some dogwoods all contribute to a gorgeous spring tableau. With every step, I tried to appreciate the beauty of the moment, and I think I did pretty well.

Active April

I get a monthly calendar from a group called Action for Happiness, which gives a daily wellness prompt based on a theme. This month's theme is "Active April," and here is today's challenge:

My plan is to commit to following the direction every day and then write about the experience. Here we go!

(Oh, and I also played pickleball and walked the dog 3 miles.)