A fault? Absolutely, but honestly, I just like doing lots of stuff.
And then, there’s the garden, which is about to envelop the house with produce.
This is about 1/20th of what’s out there.
These little hummers kind of sneak up on you.
These little hummers kind of sneak up on you.
This is about 1/20th of what’s out there.
The tomatoes photo shows about 1/20 of what’s within weeks of harvest time. And the raspberries? Those little hummers kind of sneak up on you.
And I can’t seem to get out of the kitchen. [Could someone please tell me how to cook without making a mess?]
This brioche dough is step one toward CrockPot cinnamon rolls for tomorrow. Thanks to Zoe Francois and Jeffrey Hertzberg [https://artisanbreadinfive.com] for the recipe.Finally, there is the ongoing AOK Writing project, which will soon show up in one form as a free mini-course, as a preface to a community ed course come late September. [If students ask me to wear a mask during the Zoom class, I might suspect it’s not for health and safety reasons.]
Their people skills are as high-quality as their food.
Found at a thrift store.
All this while under the watchful eye of Buddy…
I’ll be in touch, fellow retirees. [Still looking for another term…]
Fellow reinventors, a long while back I wrote about baking as a form of spontaneous creativity.
Well, sweet Georgia Brown if I didn’t find more justification for the art of mixing flour, sugar, eggs, [yeast, if you’re leaning toward bread], and heat.
“It’s nice to be able to bake and know that I’m creating something that has a beginning and an end and people can enjoy it,” she [Folu Akinkuotu] says. “A lot of people have jobs that traffic in ideas or theoretical things, so it’s nice to make physical things.”
“…baking does indeed force you to put down your phone, get your hands dirty, and pay close attention to what you’re doing.”
“Most baked goods still taste good even if they’re not perfectly executed…”
Need a little nudge into the kitchen and engage in a little culinary reinvention?
Here is the repeat of my post entitled, Celebrate spontaneous creativity.
Those can be magical moments.
For me, it happens most often in the kitchen.
Why? Consider all the available tools and ingredients.
And then there’s the love of food.
And spontaneity can also be fed by the time of day or the day of the week.
Sunday afternoons are a time for baking. Sure it’s fun to thumb through a cookbook or launch a Google search for quick and easy coffee cake [a more-than-occasional venture at our house], but it’s just as fun to use the recipe as a foundation for experimentation.
Case in point: Last Saturday morning.
I was all set for our traditional jaunt to the local farmer’s market. But I didn’t feel like waiting for breakfast.
Someone once proposed that hunger was the mother of invention. I think it was me.
The next thing I knew, amidst a cloud of two kinds of flour, a little corn meal mush, separated eggs, and the other expected ingredients, I had set up a waffle station. Soon after came the colby cheese for one batch, the almonds and dried cranberries for another. [The true miracle, however, was forgetting to add chocolate chips for ‘she who must have chocolate’.]
Soapbox time: We retirees should revel in times like this. Remember…’try new’.
I looked up ‘spontaneous creativity’ and there is a book with that title, but I was drawn instead to this 2013 post from Scott Myers:
That is where relying on our creativity is most important. This implies a kind of trust in our creative instincts and that implies having worked with our creativity enough to learn to trust it.
But in truth if we trust in our creativity, we can surprise ourselves with moments of deep insight to help us perform to our best ability.
Okay, waffles aren’t exactly a deep insight, nor was my dinner tonight, which was supposed to be bangers and mash, but ended up as mustard greens/caramelized onion/sausage/sun dried tomatoes swimming in a chicken broth base, topped with a splash of balsamic vinegar, served over a bed of cavatelli.
But while not profound or life-changing, the spontaneous creativity can’t be denied.
Last fall, I subscribed to the Washington Post’s Bold School email newsletter, aimed toward an audience ‘beyond 50’. Thank you to the Post’s Vicky Fogg for this valuable weekly delivery.
Here is an excerpt from today’s newsletter:
***
“Familiar music can comfort us, while listening or playing unfamiliar music challenges us by forcing our brains to work to make sense of the new sound.”
***
As I write this, I’m listening to a Peter, Paul, and Mary song [Ballad of Spring Hill] I’d never before heard, thanks to a Spotify playlist shared by Vicky. And now, Mama Tried by Merle Haggard and the Strangers…and now, the instrumental On Interstate 15 by Wall of Voodoo. [Had never heard of this group before. I like the sound.]
Interesting stuff.
Keep thinking ‘try new’.
No matter how seemingly insignificant, ‘new’ injects a bit of interest into your day, your way of thinking, your creative process.
It not only gave me some new ideas on how to enjoy these years, but it reaffirmed the following:
#1 : Take a walk through the park speaks to my penchant for wandering.
#6: Learn how to bake. So much comfort and with a few of these skills, so many opportunities to not only fill your days, but to brighten someone else’s.
#7: Build something with your hands. To quote the author Grace Ghazarian: “There’s an innate need to create in all of us.”
#14: Try a new food. Oh yeah. Food is perhaps the easiest venue to an opportunity to ‘try new’.
And, on this Memorial Day 2019,
a hearty nod of gratitude to those who gave their lives so we can savor a life of freedom and opportunity.
Why? Consider all the available tools and ingredients.
And then there’s the love of food.
And spontaneity can also be fed by the time of day or the day of the week.
Sunday afternoons are a time for baking. Sure it’s fun to thumb through a cookbook or launch a Google search for quick and easy coffee cake [a more-than-occasional venture at our house], but it’s just as fun to use the recipe as a foundation for experimentation.
Case in point: Last Saturday morning.
I was all set for our traditional jaunt to the local farmer’s market. But there was L on theand I didn’t feel like waiting for breakfast.
Someone once proposed that hunger was the mother of invention. I think it was me.
The next thing I knew, amidst a cloud of two kinds of flour, a little corn meal mush, separated eggs, and the other expected ingredients, I had set up a waffle station. Soon after came the colby cheese for one batch, the almonds and dried cranberries for another. [The true miracle, however, was forgetting to add chocolate chips for ‘she who must have chocolate’.]
Soapbox time: We retirees should revel in times like this. Remember…’try new’.
I looked up ‘spontaneous creativity’ and there is a book with that title, but I was drawn instead to this 2013 post from Scott Myers:
That is where relying on our creativity is most important. This implies a kind of trust in our creative instincts and that implies having worked with our creativity enough to learn to trust it.
But in truth if we trust in our creativity, we can surprise ourselves with moments of deep insight to help us perform to our best ability.
Okay, waffles aren’t exactly a deep insight, nor was my dinner tonight, which was supposed to be bangers and mash, but ended up as mustard greens/caramelized onion/sausage/sun dried tomatoes swimming in a chicken broth base, topped with a splash of balsamic vinegar, served over a bed of cavatelli.
But while not profound or life-changing, the spontaneous creativity can’t be denied.
— “Due to the lack of consequences in the kitchen, you’re able to defeat fear: fear of criticism, fear of inadequacy, and fear of failure.”
— “It’s a space waiting for you to experiment, explore, and discover new flavors, methods, and recipes.”
— “The kitchen provides you with a set of tools, but leaves it up to you on how to use them to get your desired result.”
Deal with variables.
Embrace the tactile.
Design for uniformity
Inspired? What is your next [of many, I hope] creative project?
Even if it’s to yourself. You will be surprised how many insights and realizations will pop up, not to mention special [and possibly long concealed] memories.
There have been countless times when I wished I had sat down with my mom and dad to get more of a sense of their early lives.
Do yourself and your kids a favor–revisit your life on paper.
I heard about it on Wednesday and knew immediately a day trip was inevitable.
Fortunate that the weather gods shined upon us, we hopped in the car and drove west.
After a recheck on directions [Thank you, Alsea library ladies!], it was hard–even for me–to miss the turnoff. [Better yet, there is a sign along the way telling drivers that pie was just 3.14 miles ahead. But let’s not get that confused with January 23, National Pie Day, though I would say it’s imperative that pie be celebrated on both days.
Once there, we checked into the not-so-imposing headquarters and picked up our cinnamon roll apple and key lime pies and made a beeline for home.
The leftovers in the fridge would have to wait a few extra hours…
Breaking news: Dinner was served much later than usual last night.
And if you’re really into pie, this show remains firmly planted on my DVR for repeat viewings. I just love the heart and soul of the people [and the pies] highlighted here.
***
I’m working on a short book about lessons and realizations during my first year of retirement.
If you’re interested in this and/or
and a fun [in development] community site for retirees, just add the information below.
A promise: Your email address will not be shared and will be used to inform you of the book’s status
Those can be magical moments.
Retire*Renew*Reinvent 