Retire In Style Blog Too

Summer reads seem to fall into a category all of their own. They are light, a quick read, compelling and they usually don't fall into the "literature" category. I have never read one of that I did not want to edit. I feel the need to get a pen and put marks all over everything. I am just that way. Let it be known here that 1) I have never written a book 2) I am not an editor at all 3) I am eternally hopeful that a book will carry me away without a worry! I do not criticize willy nilly. I have just finished reading two book, one a romance and the other a mystery. The first, The Little Paris Bookshop   was popular in the airports I thing. The second,  Dead Water  by Ann Cleeves. They were both ***** reads. The story behind The Little Paris Bookshop  is so endearing. Lost love, a secret door revealed on the opening pages and an owner that has lost all hope for seeing a beautiful day are all set on a barge/bookshop tied up to a mooring in Paris. Part travelogue, part cra...

Just outside the front door at my daughter's house a sign stands as a warning. I says, "I saw that! Karma". I often note the sign when we go into the front door. What did Karma see today and how is that going to change what happens next. Well...somebody did something very good on Saturday. The sun, moon and stars were in alignment. We had an almost perfect party with family. I did lose part of the family on the walk to the pool.... Sigh! Stuff happens. Water babies with Uncle Doug and Aunt Susan Cousin Elena keep watch over little people. Bryson soon shed his water wings and wowed us all. Shay is a tiny 5 years old but she took to the water like she was an old pro. Our beautiful teen did what she liked most...she read through the whole pool gig! Then we went home, ate dinner and prepared for a serious game of water balloon tossing that disintegrated into a wonderous water fight. Even the smallest learned to get water out of the dog pool with a water gun. It was so wickedl...

Note: I wrote this post in 2010 because I feel so strongly about the influence we have on our children and I have never understood people apathy toward cherishing our Mother Earth.  I am reposting it for your enjoyment. Note: The is the post mentioned in the blurb about this blog on the Senior Lifestyle blog award website. I thought it was worth reposting. These two grandsons are now 7 and 9 years old. I really don't know where else to begin teaching our children about the necessity for keeping our earth clean. They need to know that it will mean a better life for them and their children. That is where my beautiful grandsons come into the picture. I want to teach them that it can be the simplest things that make the biggest impact. And believe me they are listening. They are at the age between wonder and delight. Last week we were taking care of our grandsons for a few days. Every visit to Grandma's house has to include a trip to a nearby park. The little green place is full of...

The Third Act  is the catch word for passing 50 years of age. Back when the phrase became all the rage Boomers were getting nearer to that part of their life.  Someone came up with the idea that boomers would bring a new "younger" feeling to what was once thought of as the beginning of old age. We wouldn't call that stage old anymore. I could tell you things about my Third Act but if you have been reading my blog or even websites that deal with aging, you will understand what it is all about. I always thought of that part of my life as a time of choosing and reinventing myself. On most website this stage of life is defined as the period after 50 years of age until death. I don't think that is true. I think that the Third Act is just an older young. The next act is when we are truly old. We are living longer now and a Fourth Act needs to be added. I know because I am entering the Fourth Act. If someone that is an expert defines that part of our life to fit a particular...

Best Senior Blogger Award SeniorHomes.com has nominated Retire in Style Blog for their 2017 Best Senior Living Awards! Since 2011, SeniorHomes.com has been featuring top websites, products, and organizations that help seniors lead healthy and vibrant lives. One of the ways our site can advance is through your popular votes. There are just 6 days to vote for Retire In Style Blog. We would appreciate all the support we could get. Please take a moment and cast your vote for us here . We really appreciate your time and efforts! I have been nominated for the best senior living award by Senior Homes.com . That is a big thing in my world. Why? Well, here is the deal. I write for my readers, old or young and I do not seek attention. I belong to Women of Midlife and that group of ladies has been great supporters. But other than that I just go skipping along through life. The little blurb looks like this: Retire In Style-  In her blog, Barbara uses  her own personal retirement  to ...

The Exchange Library my husband built for our neighborhood Are you the mayor or the president or a CEO? Are you the leader in your neighborhood or a important volunteer with a charity? Are you important? If you feel important, why is that? My husband and I were visiting yesterday about how empowered we feel in our little world. In a former life we were in positions that made us recognizable to people that we did not know. I suppose that is part of being important, although it depends on why that is true. The wanted posters come to mind. But now we just are doing what we do to live in peace with our neighbors and maybe make their life a little better because they know us. But we don't serve on committees or dig in the public flower beds. You would not know us for that reason. I really didn't realize how empowered I felt until we received a letter from our neighborhood association president that was pretty nasty. The letter was necessary but the wording was not. It was offensive....

Yesterday began at our local French breakfast place. We were going on a road trip to a winery up the Columbia near Biggs Junction across the river. I had not told anyone we were going and our oldest son/family was joining us for the day. We knew the way because we live here. We had not opened maps or even looked at my iphone that morning It was misty (liquid air we call it here in Oregon) and overcast. The restaurant was full even though it was early in the morning. We carried on a quiet conversation and our granddaughters either colored or read. We left by two door and as my husband and I approach our car, my iphone buzzed and a notification came up. It said: "It is 116 miles to the winery."  Nothing else. Chills went down my spine. HOW DID MY PHONE KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING???? All sorts of things went through my mind but nothing even made sense to me. Why would it do that? Travelogue of our day...was my phone listening to us all day? The winery we were headed to is called Mar...

I often wonder at the joy that my family brings my husband and me. Because we hear most frequently about the problems and heartache that families endure, I wonder...are we normal? This is a big week in our family and has been for more years than I can count. But this week it is even bigger and better. Our grandson is home for the weekend with our beautiful granddaughter-in-law and THEY ARE SLEEPING IN OUR HOUSE! He is in the Marines so we are extra thankful to have him home. And...she is pregnant with our second great-grandchild. Holy moly, it seems like a dream too good to even come true. We woke us this morning and there they were sitting on our couch. Before long our daughter and husband walked in the front door and we all had breakfast crowded around my round table. Day after tomorrow our son and his family will fly in from Dubai. We will have a picnic that evening and our youngest son's wife (the professional photographer) will take a picture of us all. There will be twenty or...