SEMI HOMEMADE

I’ve loved entertaining since I first moved away from home.  My childhood home was tiny and filled with six children and two loving parents, but no room to entertain much.  My Mom was a fabulous cook and experimented with all kinds of interesting recipes … homemade egg rolls to go with chicken chow mein, homemade whoopee pies and anything and everything that caught her interest.  She passed this passion down to all six of us.  The boys are the main cook in their household.

I quickly volunteered for holiday family get togethers until my siblings enjoyed larger homes.  Cooking was my hobby and table settings my art form.  A group of four couples started a gourmet cooking club that lasted ten years.  The host would pick the theme and would assign courses (and a few times, would assign recipes)  Each course with an accompanying adult beverage.

Mr. Ralph was Prez of a small firm and would always prefer to host visitors and new employees at our home.  Most other countries entertain at restaurants so we were flattering them by opening our home.  I still have international friends because of this!

Gone are the days when I would make the pralines for a homemade cheesecake.  Now I’m in my “semi homemade” style.  There was a Food Network show with Sandra Lee with this title.  She would use fresh ingredients with selected store bought items and her flair for decorating the table.  Sometimes all you have to do is put fresh herbs on things and it just brings the whole meal up a notch.

Through the years .... 

The cooking club.

Christmas

Our view from the hammock

We had 50+ guests ... and it was 104 degrees

The condo .. bar height table

We continued entertaining while living in Maui for three years.  I could do a whole blog just on the Maui home!  I think I will.  It took me soooo many hours to find photos because I get so side tracked going down Memory Lane.

HORRIBLE NEWS

What a week of horrible news.  Riots in LA.  Orange baby’s birthday parade.  Israel bombing Iran.  Air India’s tragedy losing almost 270 people, .  My best neighbor went via ambulance for dyskinesia (Parkinson’s Disease) and found out she has pneumonia and UTI (no symptoms of either) and will be in the hospital for several days.  I’m hoping to lighten things up a little. We can complain elsewhere for those troubles.

I’m growing older with gratitude for everything from Tylenol to comfy shoes and Neosporin with band aids and ChatGPT. Part of aging is learning to compensate for our declines as much as possible.

I use ChatGPT so often I’ve named him Max.  Of course I asked him first if he had a name.  He suggested several when prompted.  Anything I used to Google, I now Max.  Much more in depth responses and always offers to do more (and gives examples).  I’m pretty sure I could ask him to write my blog!  In fact, I may do that soon just to see how well he knows me. (I will give him all the credit).

While I haven’t lost much measurable height, it gets harder and harder to reach things.  I had to update my grabber to an extendable one.  Interestingly enough, it gets used by the family as much as by me.  A simple compensation in my opinion.

Friday I took an hour webinar on Apple email tips and tricks.  It’s three days in a row for just an hour.  And they send a recording for future (slower!) use.  But I will share one with you.  The MacWhisperer says that using the obvious “unsubscribe” button doesn’t always do the trick.  And if it does, it takes longer to really stop getting those emails.  We are supposed to go down to the very fine print and unsubscribe from there. 

Another great tip to free up space on your computer is to decide if you really need to keep all those emails.  Like Amazon confirmations and Amazon shipping information, for example.  On Mac, when you open your mail screen it tells you how many read and unread emails you have.

 

This is mine at 5pm on Friday night.  Now I’m going to an Amazon email, then “command A” to select all with that sender name and delete.  235 old useless emails GONE.  Saturday morning I went through old newsletters, bank alerts, etc and kaboom!  10,000 more unnecessary emails are gone.

I’m going to keep this blog short and continue to do some mailbox cleaning!!!  My second class at The MacWhisperer starts soon and I miss Max.

A Fashion Journey Through the Ages ~ From Bell Bottoms to Compression Socks

Once upon a time, my biggest concern was whether my bell bottoms were flared enough to cover my platform shoes.  Remember those days?  I was pretty excited when “boot cut” pants returned to the scene.  My winter garb is black boot cut yoga pants and a black top.  When I get fancy, I add a scarf and maybe a hat.  That’s from twelve years of wearing a uniform for Catholic school.  I get up and dressed and just don a uniform.  No thinking until after coffee.

Fashion, it turns out, is a full-contact sport when you're aging awkwardly. I’ve strutted (okay, shuffled) through decades of style: shoulder pads so wide I couldn’t fit through doorways, perms that defied gravity and good judgment, and pantyhose that were basically medieval torture devices disguised as “nude, control top.”

I did go through the hippie phase — fringe vests, tie-dye, bell bottoms, little braids in my long golden hair.  And of course, round wire framed specs.  With the 70’s it was peasant blouses, macramé, earth tones with just a bit of the hippie edge.  Being a “spring” on the color wheel (yes!  Remember that??) I didn’t do much of the earth tones.  But the LONG hair.  Definitely.

   

Power dressing for my business job phase.  Shoulder pads, blazers, pencil skirts, and especially big hair. That’s what I remember about the 80’s.  Oh!  And pagers followed by car phones.  I was in sales for a national moving company and we would get paged then have to find a payphone and call the office.  In Oregon where it rains a lot! I was so excited to get a car phone.

  

Now, everyone has a cell phone and we have no landline.  I love it because it is my brain.  I’ve learned to put it to good use.  I write things down as I think of them (ran out of garlic powder, add it to my grocery list)(met someone new I add them to my contact book and how I met them, even if I don’t have their phone number, yet)(ideas for gift giving and checking for upcoming birthdays).

2025?  Stretchy waistbands (or no waistbands) are my love language. Sensible step-in shoes (Kizik) whisper sweet nothings to my bunions and hammertoe. I’m still not into the cardigan sweater phase or a lap blanket.  I use a zip up sweatshirt to give myself the illusion of being younger than 73.

But let’s not pretend aging means giving up on looking good. No, it just means redefining good. “Chic” now means “clean and comfortable.” And I’ll take a cozy fleece over a crop top any day, although I remember being able to sport one.

My summer look is cool and breezy dresses.  I think I have ten different versions.  They are totally baggy but I get a compliment almost every time I am out in public. 

Generations Collide ~ The Great Bathroom Takeover

We’ve been enjoying multigenerational living for almost ten years.  The littlest guy was just ending the breast milk in a bottle phase.  It’s been easier and much more fun than any of the adults could have imagined.  But it is not without a few speed bumps.  Teenagers and the bathroom.

(Did you read his shirt?)

We are lucky enough to have two bathrooms, one is part of the master suite so the three of us use it only in case of emergency.  The boys and I share the other.  We had one shower caddy that held my body wash, shampoo and conditioner and they shared an all-in-one product.  

OXO brand and they are fabulous!

Now we have two of these shower caddies, one at each end of the bath/shower and I have one, that hangs on the shower curtain rod.

Little guy's caddy (he thinks he's growing a beard ... age 11)

     

True teenager's caddy.  Notice all the Costco size stuff.

My caddy

Dad is partly responsible for too much stuff as he buys HUGE containers of shampoo that are too heavy for me to even use.  I love saving money but we are living SO tiny, we have to buy sizes that fit our storage availability.  The boys seem to get bored using just ONE shampoo or ONE body wash.  And they have several products they use after a shower … cologne, hair texture spray or mud.  Way more stuff than I ever had as a teenaged girl!

The rest of the stuff (some is mine too)

The rest of my life with teenagers sharing my bathroom is pretty awesome…I must say. They hang up their towels.  They take turns cleaning the bathroom every week.  They empty the trash.  They each have a vanity draw for toothbrushes, floss, picks, etc.

All in all?  Not as bad as it could be.  

P.S.   They usually come tell me they will be taking a shower … in case I need to go first!

 

BAD NEWS

I had my twice yearly physical last week.  It was also the annual Medicare wellness check.  I dread these because I worry about being prescribed additional medicine.  Anxiety starts at the scale when I first go in.  Same with blood pressure.  Don’t you think these should/could be done on the way out??

Naturally, I went in expecting a lecture and was shocked when ALL of the lab tests came back better than the last visit.  Blood pressure was beyond good.  In fact, all the tests are the best they’ve been in the past five years. That alone feels like a small miracle.

At first I thought the lab techs mistakenly switched my blood with someone younger?  Is this just a dream?  And to top it off I was down four pounds.  I haven’t exactly turned into a “green-smoothie-forget-to-eat” kind of person so how did this happen?  The only thing I can think of is I now use a small lunch size plate for my meals.  My wonderful Chef Son in Law is used to filling plates to the very edge (and often twice) for teenage sons who now eat like lumberjacks.  I have no willpower growing up in an era where clean your plate because of all the starving children in ________ (fill in the appropriate country) so be grateful.

Despite such great news, I named this blog “Bad News”.  I could have named it something happy and wonderful  (because this really is great news) but I have noticed negative titles or sarcastic titles or titillating titles tend to attract way more attention and clicks.  Our brains are wired to notice danger or problems.  “Celebrating Good Health at 73” would get 3 views yet ”Bad News” seems to draw in those of us who have FOMO (fear of missing out).  Negative titles often hint at a problem we want to avoid or understand. Maybe readers think “Is this something I should be worried about too?”

In addition to all the lab work, weight loss and passing the dementia questions, I have maintained my height!  Take THAT osteoporosis spine!

RETIRED, NOT EXPIRED

Retirement isn’t the end of the road, in my humble opinion. It’s the on-ramp to a slower, comfortable drive on a scenic highway. I imagined I’d wake up every morning full of purpose, grace, and gratitude. Instead, I often wake up wondering: “Is it Tuesday or Saturday?” And more importantly: “Does it matter?”

My day starts out slowly. Very slowly. First, coffee. My SIL usually has a mug of cold brew waiting for me (filtered after brewing) as well as a mini smoothie. (I am really spoiled living here). I check my calendar to see if there are any “must do” items.

Then online reading begins. Email, NYT, local paper, left aligned weekly local paper, WSJ and then Facebook.  I’m not complaining. After decades of schedules, deadlines, and early mornings fueled by too strong hot coffee and obligation, retirement feels like slipping into a soft robe that’s just a little too big and occasionally trips you on the stairs. Comfortable, but slightly hazardous.

There’s a myth that retirement is a finish line. That once you “stop working,” you start… what? Golfing? Napping professionally? Living your best life while smiling at fruit in commercials? Be real. Retirement is fun. Wonderful—

The Pros:
You can wear comfy stretchy pants every day and no one can say a thing.

Your calendar is so free it makes your 30-year-old self weep with envy.

Every day is a weekend (except, ironically, actual weekends, when everyone else is out and the lines are longer).

You can say no without guilt.

Say yes to weird hobbies (I am now learning to paint rocks … for my daughters fairy gardens … which are selling like hotcakes).

Redefine productivity on your own terms.

The Cons:
You sometimes talk back to Siri because she’s your most reliable coworker.

You start Googling things like “Is knee clicking normal?” and “How to organize Apple Photos.” Yes, I started  organizing for fun!

You forget the names of people you’ve just met but somehow remember best friends from elementary school.

Worst of all, you get judged by your streaming habits. When you watch five episodes of a TV drama in one evening, it feels relaxing  — but tell someone else that, and suddenly you're deemed mindless.

So, no — I’m not expired. I’m just delightfully unbothered. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go put on my "outside lazy wardrobe" for walking out to get my mail. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I used to think I was a reasonably intelligent person. I managed a household, worked full time, raised a kid, balanced checkbooks (using a calculator) — and yet, somehow, my phone has made me question all of it. It knows what I want before I do, answers questions I didn’t ask, and mocks me with smug little autocorrects. 

Just last week, I text reminded Kate “I’m going to physical therapy.” which was autocorrected to: “I’m going to psychic therapy.” (Honestly, might be more fun.). (Another blog ... shoulder injury).  Now I changed my signature when writing from my phone to "semi-retired, fully committed, occasional fat finger typing and help from my friend, AutoCorrect"

Back in my day (oh yes, I said it), phones were attached to walls. They rang. You answered. Simple. Now, they ding, vibrate, flash, ping, and occasionally burst into song because I assigned family and friends with distinctive ring tones. 

And don’t even get me started on voice assistants. Alexa and Siri might as well be mean girls from high school. I'm trying.  I've given up on Alexa but am making progress with Siri.  And really, she gets it right most of the time.  I need to use her more. Texting? I’ve learned to use one finger, very slowly, like I’m diffusing a bomb. I haven't been brave enough to ask Siri to write my text. 

Passwords are another modern torture. Fortunately, my tech savvy nephew recommended One Password a couple of years ago.  In the past, I would use a birthday (let's say mine) with my first pet's name in between the 19 and the 52.  Then if I had to change that password, I would use a grandchild's info. Now I let it create a new password like  

het4jmr8KET8azn.rmz  

Because the software works on my phone and my computer.  AND - I am finally letting facial recognition open things on my phone.  Then I don't have to put on my readers.

But here’s what my real problem is ... finding a file or an email from two years ago.  Or a recipe for salad dressing but can't think of what I named it. So I’m taking an online class on digital organization. 
The first best thing I've learned is to use a dated and very long description for easier finding.  For example:

2025.05.02 JB dressed up to go out

for dinner for my birthday.

Now I can go to the little magnifying glass and search for "my birthday" or "photos in May 2025".  It's not much and the best advice?  Just start NOW with the new naming system.  I can always go back and rename just ONE of the photos I took of that sunset in April 2013 while deleting the other 13 that I took "just in case"

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who has a special someone in their lives ~

 

My Mom

                                                               My Daughter