Monday Mood: Get Out and Go

I enjoy traveling.  I enjoy spending time with people I know. I enjoy seeing different places. And so I make plans and I get out and go. I am Chicago as this posts. 

Doc Spo lamented recently that a friend was in town to close out some business and he feared it might be the last time they meet for lunch as the friend will have little reason to return the Valley of the Sun, once this business is concluded. My comment, was "make reservations, go to the airport, and go." Don't wait for others to come see you, get out and go see them.  This is often a one way street, I go to Florida to see my brothers or my one and only first cousin, but they have never come the other way to visit me.  If I don't go, the next time we "see" one another with be at a funeral with one of us being the guest of honor. 

If you are physically, mentally and fiscally able to travel, get out and go. 

Travel is a great privilege. Most people alive today will never fly on an airliner. Many will never leave the country or state they are born in. Less than 1% of the population will ever travel on a cruise ship.  We learn so much and see so many interesting people when we travel. Don't fear it, just get out and go. 

I will never understand people who sit in a window seat on an airliner, and close the shade. The awe and wonder is outside the window, not on their phone, or in their book. 

I will work on a list of ideas to reduce the stress of travel. 

The Sunday Five: Zoom Zoom

1: Have you ever been to a car race? 

2: How do you respond to heavy traffic? 

3: Are you a fast driver or a slow driver? 

4: What is the fastest car you have ever owned? 

5: What is the fastest you have ever driven? 

My answers: 

1: Have you ever been to a car race? Not the race itself, but qualifying weekend at Indianapolis - a couple of times. 

2: How do you respond to heavy traffic?  I have become much more tolerant,  an extra few minutes and we will all get there. 

3: Are you a fast driver or a slow driver? I am annoyingly slow. 

4: What is the fastest car you have ever owned?  A 1999 Cadillac Eldorado with the Northstar V8, I don't know how fast it would go.  

5: What is the fastest you have ever driven? About 110 miles per hour, on the Autobahn in Germany. That is when the little gray dot in the rearview mirror became a Porsche that passed me. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Touch the Art

I was in a studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in old town Alexandria Virginia, and there was a sign on the door, and several signs inside that simply said, "Please Touch the Art." The small gallery was filled with sculpture, most of it made from recycled materials, and handmade jewelry. The artist behind the counter, said, Please feel free to touch or pick up everything in the shop. This is art made to be seen and touched. Some pieces made sounds, I sure, if she could she would have them give off scents, or encourage you to taste them. 

Food should not be the only art form that we experience with more than one or two senses.  As I type this I can smell a loaf of bread baking, later I will feel chunks of it in my hands, and taste it, hear the crunch of the crust as I do. 

Find ways to engage as many senses as you can with your art. We see, we hear, we smell, we feel, we taste, creativity and art can touch all of the senses. 

Foodie Friday: Pickle It

 It is pickle season. I started doing this about 5 or 6 years ago. I buy a dozen or so pickling cucumbers at the farmers market, I prefer smaller ones. Give them a rinse, trim the ends, and put them in a brine of 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar, 2 tablespoons salt, fresh dill, a couple of crushed garlic cloves, and some kind of peppers, fresh or dried. Weigh them down so the cucumbers stay submerged in the brine, and let them sit at room temperature for 4 to 7 days. You can see and smell as they pickle. You can vary the spicing. These are then refrigerated and eaten fresh. They are not preserved for long term storage. I go through about a dozen of these a week, for three or four months in the summer when fresh fruit is available. 

Try it, is as easy as it sounds. There are a ton of how to pickle books out there. You can probably find one in the library or your neighborhood used book store.   At least to start with, stick with the fresh pickles and not ones that are processed in a boiling water bath or pressure cooker. These are easy, and if made on small quantities you will consume them long before they spoil (most of the time, about once a year I have a batch go moldy and toss them out.) 

The Thursday Ramble: Get Out There and Go!

I am on the email marketing list for four major cruise lines, needless to say I get a couple of messages a day, touting their most recent offerings. I have two pending cruise reservations at the moment. 

One day last week Holland America sent an email announcing that an around the world cruise was opening for reservations. An around the world cruise is very much a fantasy item for me. The one they are promoting is about six months long, and I didn't want to look at the pricing, probably $50,000 per person. If I win the lottery I might do that. 

As part of the promotion they have an essay content with the grand prize being the around the world cruise.  The question was in 250 words or less, “Why do you want to see the world with Holland America, and which ship would you choose to take you there?”

What do I have to lose?

Here is what I wrote:

Inspired by the words of Henry David Thoreau in Walden when explaining why he went to live in the woods, I “wish to see the world on Holland America” to see if I can learn what the world has to teach, so that “ when I came to die,” I don’t  “discover that I had not lived.” Life is a grand adventure, part of this for me was crossing the Atlantic via the northern route on the Rotterdam, a ship I will gladly sail on anytime. Despite being considered very well traveled, I have not seen Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica. There is so much more to explore and learn from. And I can’t think of a better way to do that than to savor the journey in the warm embrace of  Holland America. 

So yes, there is so much more to see, get out there and GO!  

My World of Wonders: July 29, 2026

Where have I been this week? Home, the treadmill, the pool, the grocery store, the ABC store, the Dentist, Cambridge Maryland. 

What did I do in the kitchen this week? I made multi-grain bread. Macaroni and cheese and baked chicken. Pork schnitzel and a nice mushroom gravy. A cherry clafoutis. Meatballs with a stroganoff sauce, a nice sald. 

Who have I talked with this week? Amy, Giuseppe, Paul, Ruth, Rebecca, my Sweet Bear, Lillian at the Gallery in Maryland, the dental hygienist, and Doctor Z. 

What have I been writing? An article on creating retirement job descriptions and goals, written ethics materials, written materials on health-care decision making, and an article on advocacy and the National Aging and Law Conference. 

What made me angry this week? Hearing the repeated lies by Delusional Donny about an election that everyone knows he LOST. If he truly believes he won it, he is delusional - a strongly held belief that has no rational basis in fact. There is a Constitutional provision for this, Congress needs to do their job.  His delusions are dangerous. And he punishes anyone who speaks out against him.  

What am I doubting this week? That Mitch McConnell is alive. It may be that he is just an animated corpse on life support until it is too late to call a special election.  

What travel planning am I doing? I worked out some details on a road trip in October, booked air and a hotel for my Florida trip in February. When we get back from Chicago I need to work out the details on the May cruise. 

What is on the easel this week? Hmm, nothing. I have some ideas but nothing in process. 

Travel Tuesday: Ft Wayne Children's Zoo

 

Monday Mood: What Did I have to Lose?

I am sure I have shown this photo before. I had it printed and I framed it. I was going to use it in a community gallery show, then the show filled up and I brought it home and it is on the wall just inside my bedroom door. 

Every month or so I receive an email from Artomatic, a local group that when they can takes over a vacant commercial space or empty office building and turns it into an temporary art space. In the email were listings of regional events, including a call for submissions for the Graham Slaughter Biannual Photography Competition at the Dorchester Center for the Arts in Maryland.  It was interesting, but I have not had much luck in juried competitions.  But I already had the photo printed and framed, what did I have to lose? So I sent it in. 

As they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day. I received an email saying the work has been accepted for the show.  I will drive over and drop it off today. How fun. 

Anytime you are thinking, I don't know, maybe I am not talented enough, my work is not that great, stop and ask yourself, what do I have to lose? Not much, take the chance. 
 

The Sunday Five: Aging Gracefully

1: What has been your "best" decade of life? 

2:What age range is middle age? 

3: What do you plan to do while you can? 

4: When do we stop saving for old age? 

5: Is the best yet to come? 

My answers:

1: What has been your "best" decade of life? So far, my 60s. I had five years of high achieving work, and now 2 1/2 years of engaged retirement. 

2:What age range is middle age? 35 to 45, life expectancy is about 80, so that is about half way. 

3: What do you plan to do while you can? Stay engaged in life. 

4: When do we stop saving for old age? NOW! 

5: Is the best yet to come? I think I have a few great years left to come. 

Please share your answers int he comments. 

The Sunday Five: Have You Ever

1: Have you ever ridden a skateboard? 

2: Have you ever ridden a bicycle? 

3: Have you ever ridden a bicycle more than 30 miles per hour? 

4: Have you ever sat and watched a skate park? 

5: Have you ever wished you could fly? 

My answers:

1: Have you ever ridden a skateboard? I tried a couple of times when I was a teenager, unsuccessfully. 

2: Have you ever ridden a bicycle? Lots and lots. 

3: Have you ever ridden a bicycle more than 30 miles per hour? Yes, it is thrilling and terrifying at the same time. 

4: Have you ever sat and watched a skate park? A couple of times. It can be very entertaining. 

5: Have you ever wished you could fly? Hasn't everyone? 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Don't Let Others Crush You Creativity

Sadly, I remember the year, we crushed my mother's creative spirit. One year, she made paper napkin rings for a holiday table. Instead of praise for her creative effort, the family found them silly and useless.  I don't remember if they actually made it to the table on the holiday. 

I am very sorry that I was a part of that criticism. I missed the opportunity to learn from this. To use it as a teachable moment. 

A few harsh words, can crush our creativity. Even the most talented of artists have fragile egos. 

There are two sides to this. 

First, always, always, always be kind. As my Grandmother told me, if you don't have anything kind to say, don't say anything. It is okay to not like someone's creative effort, but keep that to yourself. Be careful and kind in what you say. Always encourage others. 

Second, as creative people, we need to not let criticism destroy our creativity. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, their opinion does not make your work good or bad. 

Work that is criticized today, is often seen as cutting edge brilliance later. 

Often the critic, is channeling insecurities about their own abilities. 

If your work has meaning for one person, it is great work. 

Please don't crush the creativity of others. Never let your critics crush your creative spirit. 

 

Funky Friday: Strange Farm Facts

I can tell if the barnyard is home to pigs, chickens, cows, sheep, or horses - from the smell alone.

Honeybees smell, actually they stink. In the spring on the farm we would have several hundred pounds of them in a heated garage - you buy worker bees by the pound. 

Pigs and chickens are omnivores, they will eat anything, including each other. 

Cows are vegetarians by nature, but indiscriminate eaters - they sometimes swallow wire, nails, and screws. You then feed them a magnet to gather the metal. Commercial cattle feed often has byproduct meal, in other words dried and ground-up cow bits in it to increase the protein content.  

Horses are fussy eaters and will spit out anything that feels wrong, but are unable to vomit. Their teeth grow continuously through their lifespan. When a horses's teeth stop growing they don't have long left to live. 

Most grain crops are grown from hybrid seed. Planting the resulting grain is often prohibited as a patent violation, and will often result in a plant that is unlike the parent. The seed companies have a near monopoly on the grain that is grown. 

Most seed corn is covered in a toxic coating. Animals and humans have died from eating it. 

The Thursday Ramble: A Few Of My Favorite Things

 There is a challenge in taking 10,000 photos a year, for a few decades, and painting 15 or 20 canvases a year, and buying a few things over 50 years - there is not enough wall space. A couple of weeks ago, John over at Going Gently asked his readers to send in photos of their art wall. Well I don't have an art wall, I have a bunch of art walls. A quick dash around the house with my phone yielded the photos above. 

All but two of the photos on the walls are one's I have taken over the years. Some of them are 50 years old, some very recent. All of the paintings are from the last 15 years. There is a watercolor and a pencil drawing bought in Italy about 20 years ago. One silhouette print that was in my parents bedroom for 60 plus years, one of a pair, my sister has the other one. Oh and a print that was a fundraiser for Channel 24, the now defunct public television station in Orlando. 

This is just a part of the wallscaping. There are other walls full. Some of it gets changed out from time to time, some of it has been in place for years. 

When I started the job in DC, I commented to my boss that I would bring in the diplomas and licenses and put up the wall of credibility. He said, "you don't need that, put up things that make you happy." And most of what is in the 6th photo was in my office for several years. Photos from my travels. 

The first photo, is the land of unhung art.  That pile keeps growing.  I need to go buy a couple of frames. 

My World of Wonders - July 22, 2026

 

Where have I been this week? A long walk along King Street in Alexandria, the treadmill at the gym, the pool, the Alexandria Farmers Market. A shopping run to Home Goods and Aldi. 

Who have I talked with this week? Karen and Sharon, two of Sweet Bear's nieces. My Sweet Bear. Rebecca. Susan, Ana, and Gillespie. 

What artsy stuff am I up to this week? A photo and a painting.

What have I been up to in the kitchen?  Chicken Marsala and saffron rice. Started a jar of dill pickles, made gazpacho. Fried chicken, macaroni salad.  Pork Tenderloin, mushrooms and onions, baked potato, and multi grain bread (made with a little of this and a little of that and see if it works - it did.) Started a batch of coffee liqueur - I haven't made that in a couple of years.  

What has the weather been like? Smokey - blocking out the sun, to an extent that the outside air is reported to be unhealthy for a few days, then it rained and cleared out.

What am I reading? A book about adults and play, titled PlayFul.  

What have I started planning? A friends and family visit to Florida, in mid-winter. 

Travel Tuesday: Ft Wayne Museum of Art - the Glass collection