Quarantine Diary #178 9/10/2020 What retired people do all day …

This has been a nutty day. Not a bad day, just a day one hopes no one asks, “How is Retirement going, Mary Beth?” For those who are not retired and wonder what we do all day, perhaps this will illuminate what we dare not tell the young.

I woke at 6:30. I got right up because I am Purposeful. However, Len was still sleeping soundly (he stays up way later at night than I do) and he was tucked into the quilts like a large butterfly burrito-ed in a Target-brand comforter. I quietly looked at my favorite websites, the Washington Post, and Twitter for … an hour.

I dunno… hours happen.

Then I got up and got ready for my day. The first thing I did was eat strawberries and house-brand Cheerios because I love a breakfast that tastes like morning cartoon commercials.

The next thing I did was walk to the library to pick up 8 of the 16 picture books I’d ordered to read to our granddaughter. There are 99 reasons to hate Covid quarantine but there is this one reason to be thankful – and it is reading to our grandkid, on Facetime, every day, for a few minutes. We are closer to her than we ever expected we could be. This is pure grace in our lucky lives.

Yesterday she mentioned to us that she likes to have “doughnuts for the road.” We think this is something her dad may have mentioned. She didn’t know it was funny but ever since we have been mentioning “doughnuts for the road.”

We read to her today about noon-thirty. Then I went upstairs to read but I fell asleep. Naps happen. Especially if one went for an hour walk in the rain in the morning.

Woke up. Drank the rest of the (cold) coffee that I’m brought upstairs with me. Read some more.

Decided to do something purposeful I’ve been thinking about for ages.

I hate Facebook. I mean, I check it every day and if you are my FB pal (Mary Beth Danielson, feel free to ask) you know I repost new-to-me political info plus anything that makes me laugh. I hate how FB manipulates but I like how it passes along stuff I would have discovered no other way. So, I have a FB page plus associated with it, I have what I guess is a business page for Mary Beth Danielson Writes. I thought maybe that would increase my readership a few years ago but it didn’t work so I gave up using it. Yet it is still there and I get notifications every day that I’m letting the world down by not paying FB money to promote me.

I decided today would be a good day to figure out how to close that sucker down. Show Mark Zuckerberg who’s who. Right?

Well, about a decade ago in a debacle I can’t still can’t explain, I lost access to my FB page because I changed the password, didn’t write it down and a long time later encouraged someone I love to use my laptop. They logged into their FB account which led to an imbroglio worthy of the backstreets of 15th Florence, Italy. Months later Len and Dave, (he and my friend Otis make the beautiful braided fabric baskets I offer on this site sometimes) spent hours talking to each other in geek talk about this while Otis and I gossiped about normal things. Len and Dave fixed my FB life.

So I am not innocent of the chaos that can erupt when one attempts to change a FB account.

This afternoon I went to my regular account. I researched to ensure I knew my correct username and password. I noted that on my list of all my passwords etc, I have TWO passwords for FB. Just figures.

I asked Google how to find out my password. I needed to enter my password in order to update to a new password. I made up a new password that I would be changing to. The little window said my new password was awesome. Thank you. I entered it again just the way they ask you to. Cool.

Then they said they couldn’t use it because the password I entered in order to enter my password was incorrect. Would I like them to change it?

Deep breath. Yes.

Ok, l entered a temporary password; a very short one related to most of my passwords of the past couple years.

They sent a 6-digit safety code to my email. Except I have a Gmail account for FB in order to protect it from FB messing with the email address I use for everything. Oh great.

Found it the Gmail address I only use for a few things. Found the 6-digit code.

Went to FB, entered the new password which is not the fantastic password but just one good enough to get the job done.

I’m in.

I’ve been at this an hour.

I look at my FB business page that is associated with my FB account. Decide it just isn’t that important.

Go downstairs and ask Len if we have any doughnuts for the road. He says no but we do have grocery store wine.

...

This is what we do all day.

…

1. This morning I rechecked our house insurance. Most house insurances do not cover for sewer back-up unless you specifically ask them to cover that. I had asked them several years ago and I wondered if it was still valid. For an extra $20 a year we have $10,000 coverage in case the drains in our basement back up due to floods or problems with city water. I checked this today because my heart goes out to people living along the Pacific coast in all those incredible fires.

Take away? Climate change is here. If you have the luxury to think before it hits you, what will climate crisis most likely bring to your life? Is it something you can protect or insure against now?

2. Last night Len and I attended a Zoom meeting with Aaron Perry who is the Democratic candidate running against Scott Allen in our congressional district.

Tonight at 7PM we are attending a Zoom meeting of Tom Palzewicz and our (very cool) Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes. Meet us there? https://www.facebook.com/events/674827726779881

Have you gone to a Zoom meeting to meet your candidates? Please, please consider this. You don’t have to pay although they need our donations and Len and I donate modest amounts.

These Zoom groups seem to be small. Some ask in advance what your questions are. It is an AMAZING and intimate way to meet the people who want to represent us in state and federal places. Seldom have we individuals had such an easy way to meet the folks running to represent us. You don’t have to talk, although you can. It is usually just an hour or so to click in and listen.

Look on FB for your district. Find out who is running and what their virtual events are. Sign up – they send you the code you will need to click to get into the zoom meeting. It really is easy and really powerful.

You can do it inbunny slippers.

3. Do you want me to post my websites entries on FB? since, you know, I already have the b usiness site?

4. Do you want me to show you more baskets and masks that David and Otis have created? Might be fun to buy some this autumn for Xmas presents.

Add new comment

Comments

Questions

Submitted by Kathryn on September 10, 2020 - 6:27pm

3. Not necessary for those of us who already read your blog. Only if it might help you. 4. Sure, post the masks and baskets!

Baskets, masks

Submitted by Joyce on September 10, 2020 - 7:38pm

Yum! Would love to see them. I have been in quarantine sooooo long. I really need to punch up my living space. And I do buy Christmas presents early. I, too, am retired. Have no idea what I do all day most of the time. I usually baby sit my 1 yr old granddaughter once a week. She is a handful but fun. Each morning I pull veg from the garden but that will soon end. We attended a zoom meeting tonight on “white fragility”, through our church. It will be every Thursday for 7 weeks. Nice to have you back. Joyce

Hi! I just called Otis. He

Submitted by Mary Beth on September 11, 2020 - 10:42am

Hi! I just called Otis. He and Dave will send some photos of baskets and masks by next week and we will do this! They live in central Illinois in a tiny town (I think the population is 600) on a cliff overlooking the the Mississippi. There's a site of a British fort down the hill from them, that was built to fight the French. It's been there a while.

You crack me up! Good idea to

Submitted by Laura on September 10, 2020 - 7:43pm

You crack me up! Good idea to join a zoom meeting to learn about our reps. Thanks!

it's not just the retired

Submitted by lee lee on September 11, 2020 - 1:03pm

I'm "building a business" (whatever that means!) and lose whole hours of my day on social media, researching something business-related, and going out to the garden "just to check up on things." (3 hours later I come in hot, sweaty, and dirty in no mood to sit in front of a laptop.) At any rate, you're in good company. Re: facebook. I have a dream of ending my FB involvement. In the past, I've scoffed at people who left or took breaks. But my soul hurts every time I go on there. As you know, I have a lot of things happening on FB so I'd have to find another place to put all of that, or tell it goodbye. That's why I'm still on FB...for the time being. LOL.

Welcome Boost

Submitted by Diane Lange on September 17, 2020 - 4:44pm

Loved your separation of PURPOSEFUL versus all the other ways we fill our time. Procrastination of some things feels way less stressful in retirement mode too. I usually think of it as a substitution... Sometimes I have felt bad to sign up for a zoom meeting and then later forget to log-on. Getting donuts on the road would not be an event to procrastinate or forget about!

Add new comment

New Mexico & Power in the Dollhouse

Yesterday Dr. Angel Fairy "healed" dollhouse beings with cupcakes sprinkles.

...

This afternoon is sunny and 70 degrees. I guess this is why we are leaving here to go somewhere else? Oh, the irony of leaving the Midwest in May.

We are leaving in the next few days for a road trip to New Mexico. The theme of this vacation will be (da-dum, da-dum) “Destination Today.” Which says we learned some things two years ago when we drove and drove and drove to eastern Canada. And then drove and drove and drove coming back. Too much driving, not enough stopping.

Relief, Lauren Hough, April Snowstorm

Are we feeling the relief? Relief that we can see George Floyd’s face, his profile, that awful image of him under Chauvin’s knee – and feel some accountable closure to such a brazen murder?

I guess at least now, if one is a person of color and an officer kills you, I suppose they can kill you for a minute and still expect to get away with it but nine minutes is too long. Yes, that’s a cynical thing to say. We knew cops were entitled, but it's only in the past few years – because of cellphones – we have seen this entitled violence play out before our eyes.

Dancing Lessons & What’s Next on Your List?

“Unexpected travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” Kurt Vonnegut

Yesterday I got a text at 5AM from one of our kids. “Mom, are you awake?”

Heart stops.

Heart starts again.

Nancy Drew (her cat) was sick. Nancy had been stumbling, rolling to her side, couldn’t walk, tried to jump up to our daughter’s bed and fell. Daughter took Nancy to a 24/7 emergency vet clinic.

Obviously, she had already done the only thing there was to do. Get to a vet.

A Wonderful Photo, Brownies, Voting Rights, Kids & their Books

These are things I thought about this week:

1. I am a person who has to use self-discipline to not bake cookies and desserts ALL THE TIME. I can go from “Hmm, brownies would be tasty” to made-from-scratch brownies in my mouth a half hour later.

Every strength - is also a weakness - is also a strength.

Here’s my brownie recipe from a Lutheran cookbook I impulse bought at McDonald’s Bakery in my hometown in the middle 1980’s when we were visiting my mom. I made these so often the cookbook fell apart at this recipe, so I threw the rest of the book away and just kept this.

Your Favorite Poster’s Post-Easter Post

I don’t often share my physical challenges with you, but today, Friends, I have suffered. I own three barrettes and I cannot find any of them and my hair has been slip-sliding into my eyes all day.

Why is it the littlest stuff that trips us up?

I could buy more barrettes and perhaps someday I will. Though I have learned this tricky lesson in my life - the more one owns of a small item, the more likely it is one will not keep track of that thing and it will become utterly lost.

Anyway…

MB's "Twilight Bark"

Today I am writing what I could most accurately describe as a Twilight Bark. As in, one dog barking a heartfelt warning to many other dogs. (Do NOT miss this Twilight Bark clip from YouTube.)

On Friday Len went for his annual checkup. While there, he received a pneumonia vaccine, because after all the hoopla about the covid vaccines, the pneumonia shot is no big deal, right?

Len started feeling lousy that very afternoon and he still felt awful on Saturday. So we didn’t go to Chicago to visit our kids and grands.

FREE Subscription!