Hard to believe it is already mid-June, 2016 is flying by. My intentions to post more often are good but somehow I end of with these short weekend clips, nothing noteworthy of a singular blog post. So here is what I have been up to….
1. COMPLETED MY 2016 COMMUNITY SERVICE OBLIGATIONS….
My work requires so many hours of community service each year. Sound easy? Not so much, the service must be with a company sponsored event and finding a fun and interesting event can be tricky. So, although I was scheduled to (and did work) Saturday morning, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to volunteer to help host a free movie at the Princess Theater in Harriman, TN on Saturday night. Afterall, it is fun to visit the historic little towns within an hour’s drive of Knoxville and a historic old theater is a bonus!
The Princess was originally built in 1926 and has changed hands and been restored several times. Now owned by the City of Harriman, it is used for community events and rental. My company rented the theater for the evening and sponsered a showing of the movie “Finding Nemo” for residents of Harriman and the surrounding (even smaller) towns.
Harriman is a 50 minute drive from Knoxville so I was very happy when I discovered John planned to make the drive with me. We left town about 4:30 PM and (after a bit of misdirection from me “she said sheepishly”), we ended up right on time. While I stood outside in the heat and humidity greeting folks from the community, John sat in the comfort of the theater and read. We wrapped the evening up around 8:30 PM and headed home. Yea for wrapping up 2016 community service obligations.
That’s me on the left below. Sorry for the blurriness, the photo has been through several texts and emails….
Princess Theater, Harriman, TN
2. BOOKS FROM AMAZON…
I have been reading about several books on some of the assorted blogs I frequent. Two that I ordered in hard copy (versus Kindle) are “Julia Reed’s South”, ’cause who wants a cookbook on Kindle, and “30 Chic Days” by Fiona Ferris, ’cause I thought I might want to make some notes.
While I know Fiona Ferris is popular with the over 40 set, I have yet to finish any of her books (I confess to purchasing several). But based on positive comments, I had hopes I might find some interesting tips and ideas in this one. My problem is that telling me to “view my life” as if I am somewhere else is a real turnoff for me. I find my life fun and enjoyable and do not need to “filter” my life to make it so. With that said, I will work through the book and see what tips I can cull from the pages.
The other book, “Julia Reed’s South” is a delight of beautiful photographs, entertaining stories and recipes, mostly from the South. Since it is almost tomato time here, I have been looking for a great Gazpacho recipe to serve on steamy summer nights. I think this one might fit the bill and tomato sherbet? Hmmmm…
3. LONG, LEISURELY SUNDAY RUN….
My recent long runs have been a struggle. This weekend I set out with little plans other than to run as long as I could. My usual running partner, John, was bicycling with his son Lee so I was on my own with only myself to encourage me on.
The morning showed signs of warming quickly but the humidity was blissfully low. Early on I decided to give up “flat and sunny” for “hilly and mostly shady”, it was a good trade. I headed toward the nearby nature center and kept running. I moved at my usual slow, summer pace but I felt strong and happy! What a gift to have such a run after weeks and weeks of difficult runs.
Done: 7 glorious miles! The scenery pictures below were taken on the run but I did stop for a moment to take the flower photos.
Dappled sunlight
Greenway overlook on an inlet for the Tennessee River
Will Skelton Greenway just outside Ijams Nature Center
Mimosa flowers
Queen Anne’s Lace
One of the prettiest roadside flowers around!!! As kids we use to put them in bottles of water with food coloring. The flowers take on the food color. Glorious!
4. CELEBRATED FATHER’S DAY…
We had a lovely “Sunday Supper” on our side porch, celebrating John in fine style. We grilled ribeyes and shrimp and threw in a couple of insignificant sides. Who needs sides when you are eating steak and shrimp.
This was John’s last Father’s Day for a long time with one of his children living in town. He was was trying to savor the moments. We will miss this child of his but we still have a few more weeks…
My view from the dinner table
5. CONTEMPLATED “PROJECT RETIREMENT”…
Many years ago (about 37), my dad was thinking about his retirement. He was just 55 at the time but I remember him telling me that so many men he knew from the laboratory (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) developed health problems or had heart attacks and died within a few years of retirement. He believed it was because they had retired without a plan for life after retirement.
My dad worked hard over 10 years to begin his transition from work to retirement, which he did at 65. He renewed his interest in art and photography, he took classes, he volunteered for 30 years at Zoo Knoxville, he joined several clubs and he took up hiking again. He and my mother also entertained until they could no longer do so. My father passed away on April 18th of this at 92. He still painted, he keep up with the zoo (and the zoo kept up with him), and he still had friends for whom he remained in close contact.
As of June 1st, I am 3 years from retirement. This weekend I began to begun to read and seriously contemplate my life after retirement (I am a little late according to my father’s schedule). I am working on what I have dubbed “Project Retirement.” More on this later…
