On the Countdown...

Memory Matters

Click photo for short slide show

Thank you to Eileen, Jean and Doug, Sandra, Ann and Jan (my faithful readers) for the congratulatory messages.  Now that the decision has been made, I'm looking forward to retirement and have begun making a list of things to keep me busy while I'm adjusting to having more time available.  Thanks also for invitations to visit and for the use of spare rooms.......I will definitely keep those in mind. As of January, my schedule will also be much more conducive to entertaining guests.  My house continues to be on the market and that is totally unpredictable, but if you see cheap flights coming this way in the not too distant future, you have an open invitation.

Saturday was my day at home.  I should have gotten my car washed, but I have to have at least one day of the weehend when I don't leave the house and, since I did my grocery shopping on Friday night, Saturday was the day.  In the morning I made Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas, which turned out well.  It was a little more labor intensive (and seemed to dirty everything in the kitchen!) than I expected, but the sauce (which could be replaced with a purchased one) was very nice.......and I would probably make it again from scratch. I had purchased Queso Fresco to go on top, which is a crumbly cheese.  I'd never used it before and found it to be very bland......so, I'll use the old, delicious standyby - a dollop of sour cream - on top of each serving.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent watching a CD - The Namesake, which I found to be very good - and finishing a book.  Over the last two weekends, I've read three books, which is unusual for me.  I think after making the decision to retire, my mind has settled a bit and I'm able to sit a relax and focus (on something like reading, crosswords) more easily.  I hope that's a good sign!

Sunday was non-stop.  I left home around 11AM for a 60th anniversary brunch for a couple I know at the synagogue.  Their kids and grandkids from far and wide (CA, Spain, NY, etc.) were here to help them celebrate, and it's a lovely family (they are a lovely couple). It was a happy and light occasion, so I hung around longer than expected.  My plan was to browse around Belk's after the brunch, run a few errands and then head home.  Once all of that was done, at the last minute, I decided to stop and have my car washed at the service right outside the gate of my development.  There was a line up for the drying and vacuuming and I happened to finally look at my watch - and it was 4:10!!  I was meeting Sharon for dinner and a show (Cabaret) at 4:45 - so, right outside my door, I turned around and went back on island.  I was literally gone from 11AM until 10PM.  My kitties didn't know what had happened - there was attention all around once I got home!!  It was a very good day, but I was pooped.

Today is catch-up day - laundry, floors, changing beds, etc.  But, something nice just happened.  The phone rang and it was one of the ladies from the synagogue.  She isn't a "regular" but every time she stops in, we always have a nice,long conversation.  Her husband died about 6 months ago and she has mentioned getting together for dinner - I think she finds a lot of the single ladies to be much as I perceive them, so we have that in common, among other things.  Anyway, she called to say that she had just heard I was retiring.  She is happy for me and wanted to get the dinner date on the calendar.  She wanted us to start our get-togethers before I left the synagogue and got involved with other things.  It was very thoughtful and made my day, as I hope that will happen with other friends I have there.

The Photos are of my friend Sharon's pooch, Daxie.  She is a trained therapy dog and does lots of work at the Alzheimer's program, Memory Matters.  The photos are of her visit last week when she modeled her halloween costumes.  She also does lots of tricks and is a sweet girl, Sharon's pride and joy.  I hope you enjoy them.