One of the best parts of being retired is being able to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather to take a road trip. Sometimes my husband and I go by ourselves and other times we go with another couple. Our usual traveling companions are my brother and sister-in-law. We have always gotten along well and make good traveling companions.
This time no one was available so we headed out by ourselves. Destination: New York. We traveled first to Cooperstown to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. We had 2 tickets from July 27 which was Hall of Fame Induction Day. This allowed us to enter free of charge. It was an incentive for this destination. We stayed at a beautiful old inn right in the center of town. Unfortunately the downtown is all restaurants and sports store. Very few of the cute little stores we've seen in other towns. But the restaurants we ate at were good and we were only there for a day and a half. The Hall of Fame was much more of a museum than I expected and we spent several hours exploring.
Our next stop was 2 hours away at Ithaca. Country scenery on the way, just a few weeks too early for fall foliage. Here we stayed in the outskirts of town near all the malls. We took a ride into town but the pedestrian mall was all torn up due to renovations. I'm sure it will be nice when it is done. We stayed long enough to eat and then took a drive up the mountain to the Cornell University campus.
Nothing makes you feel old like walking around a college campus. It felt like it hadn't been that long since I lived at college but in reality it is 40 years since I graduated. Anyhow the campus is beautiful. A mixture of old and new buildings and a view of the town that was spectacular.
Next day was hiking day. We hiked through 2 gorges. One was an easy walk the other all steps going up, up, up and then all the way down. The views were magnificent. After our hikes it was time to hit a winery. We did a wine tasting and surprise, I likes a lot of the wines. We bought 6 bottles since it is hard to find wine I like. We also stopped at a huge antique consignment store. We browsed for about an hour and bought a few things. The prices were quite good.
Bright and early the next day it was off to Corning. Now this was a downtown. At least 4 blocks of restaurants, antique stores, boutiques, and of course glass stores. We took a drive through then off to the Corning Glass Museum. We spent most of the day watching demonstrations, taking a tour, and making our own projects. Dinner downtown and a walk ended our evening. Next morning we spent a couple of hours browsing downtown again, picked up our projects, and saw one last gallery at the museum. Then the ride home and our trip was over. It was a perfect fall getaway.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Makeup
I discovered makeup when I was in 7th grade. I watched Yardley of London commercials and that's what I wanted. I remember gray and blue eye shadow, black eyeliner, brushes, and Eau de London perfume. I would practice applying eye liner every day after school. I also remember wearing pink lipstick mixed with white eye shadow to get a pale look. Once I was in high school I wore make up everyday.
In college I had some blemish problems and went to a dermatologist. He recommended oil free foundation. But in those days it was hard to find. I remember having to ask the pharmacist for it. It was hard to put on and it didn't last very long. One day that stands out is the last time I wore it. I walked out of class to find a misty rain. My friend turned to me and said it looks like you have oatmeal on your face. I ran to the bathroom and my face looked like I had cake batter on it! I quickly wiped it off. When I returned home the foundation went in the trash can.
During my working years I always wore makeup. I had a few eye shadows and lip glosses. I only wore mascara when going out. I was too busy during the day to retouch my lips so most of the time they were bare. I also didn't blend too much so how I placed the makeup on my eyes was how it stayed.
After I retired I discovered a whole world of makeup on line. I can't remember what I was searching for but I couldn't believe how many you tube videos were devoted to makeup. I started to try different products and techniques. Most were successful, a few were not. Since I had more time to put on makeup everyday I took my time and had fun with it. I discovered different brushes, brands, and colors. My husband made fun of me for watching the videos and for spending time browsing the makeup aisles in drugstores and Target. I was so happy when Sephora opened up nearby.
I did go a little overboard but I have since pared back. I still wear makeup everyday and I still have fun. I try not to buy new things until I finish something I already have. My favorite things are eye shadow and lipstick.
This is my guilty pleasure and it certainly is harmless. As I tell my husband, "You still look at tools in the hardware store even though you don't need any. That is how I feel about makeup. I don't need it, but it is fun to look"!
In college I had some blemish problems and went to a dermatologist. He recommended oil free foundation. But in those days it was hard to find. I remember having to ask the pharmacist for it. It was hard to put on and it didn't last very long. One day that stands out is the last time I wore it. I walked out of class to find a misty rain. My friend turned to me and said it looks like you have oatmeal on your face. I ran to the bathroom and my face looked like I had cake batter on it! I quickly wiped it off. When I returned home the foundation went in the trash can.
During my working years I always wore makeup. I had a few eye shadows and lip glosses. I only wore mascara when going out. I was too busy during the day to retouch my lips so most of the time they were bare. I also didn't blend too much so how I placed the makeup on my eyes was how it stayed.
After I retired I discovered a whole world of makeup on line. I can't remember what I was searching for but I couldn't believe how many you tube videos were devoted to makeup. I started to try different products and techniques. Most were successful, a few were not. Since I had more time to put on makeup everyday I took my time and had fun with it. I discovered different brushes, brands, and colors. My husband made fun of me for watching the videos and for spending time browsing the makeup aisles in drugstores and Target. I was so happy when Sephora opened up nearby.
I did go a little overboard but I have since pared back. I still wear makeup everyday and I still have fun. I try not to buy new things until I finish something I already have. My favorite things are eye shadow and lipstick.
This is my guilty pleasure and it certainly is harmless. As I tell my husband, "You still look at tools in the hardware store even though you don't need any. That is how I feel about makeup. I don't need it, but it is fun to look"!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Starting Over
Ok. So I really dropped the ball after only two posts. No excuses. And I can't remember why I didn't continue. I received a comment a few days ago about my first post. Somehow, someone found my little blog out there on the internet.It made me think about what I intended to do with this blog so I am going to start again.
I have many ideas floating in my brain about topics to write about. My problem is putting pen to paper. I have never felt confident in my writing. It was always a struggle in high school and college. I grew up in a time when teachers gave you a topic such as "What I Did on my Summer Vacation" (really, I remember writing about that). They didn't really teach us how to write. i guess they assumed we could just do it instinctively.
I didn't learn about the art of writing until I became a teacher. I learned all about the process from having to teach it. Many times I have thought that if I had been taught the way I was teaching I would have been a much better writer.
I also realized that what i had the most trouble with was synthesizing my ideas. I knew what I wanted to say, I could analyze information, but I could never put it all together so it was a coherent piece of writing. I am going to follow the advise I always gave my students. The way to become a better writer is to write, and write, and write some more.
I will try to add a new post once a week. The topics will vary according to what is going on inside my brain at any given time. See you soon.
I have many ideas floating in my brain about topics to write about. My problem is putting pen to paper. I have never felt confident in my writing. It was always a struggle in high school and college. I grew up in a time when teachers gave you a topic such as "What I Did on my Summer Vacation" (really, I remember writing about that). They didn't really teach us how to write. i guess they assumed we could just do it instinctively.
I didn't learn about the art of writing until I became a teacher. I learned all about the process from having to teach it. Many times I have thought that if I had been taught the way I was teaching I would have been a much better writer.
I also realized that what i had the most trouble with was synthesizing my ideas. I knew what I wanted to say, I could analyze information, but I could never put it all together so it was a coherent piece of writing. I am going to follow the advise I always gave my students. The way to become a better writer is to write, and write, and write some more.
I will try to add a new post once a week. The topics will vary according to what is going on inside my brain at any given time. See you soon.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Not Spending!
August will be a "no buy" month for me. Money was a little tight this month. A yearly life insurance payment was due, a tree fell down across 3 backyards, and my discretionary spending was a little high. Living on a monthly fixed income has taken some getting used too but after five years I am getting the hang of it. For 34 years I had to budget for every other week paychecks so I had to retrain myself to understand that the money left over after the first two weeks was not extra but had to last us two plus weeks more. But once in a while extra expenses get the best of my checking account so I try to cut back.
This is what I will not be buying in August:
clothes - I have plenty to get me through the rest of the summer
accessories - too early for scarves, have enough earrings (not really, there is never enough)
shoes - I will walk by shoe stores and departments
makeup - I will use what I have and if something gets used up I will find a replacement in what I already have
household items - finally found a table for my living room so if I stay away from Home Goods I should be okay
candles - you don't need anymore, keep repeating you don't need anymore!
and the hardest...no gifts for Lou - Hey he just had a birthday and come September when his sister is born he will rake it in!
I am a shopper by heart so this will be hard. But I can do it. It's only a month. Hey maybe I'll start doing the food shopping instead of Michael...NOT.
This is what I will not be buying in August:
clothes - I have plenty to get me through the rest of the summer
accessories - too early for scarves, have enough earrings (not really, there is never enough)
shoes - I will walk by shoe stores and departments
makeup - I will use what I have and if something gets used up I will find a replacement in what I already have
household items - finally found a table for my living room so if I stay away from Home Goods I should be okay
candles - you don't need anymore, keep repeating you don't need anymore!
and the hardest...no gifts for Lou - Hey he just had a birthday and come September when his sister is born he will rake it in!
I am a shopper by heart so this will be hard. But I can do it. It's only a month. Hey maybe I'll start doing the food shopping instead of Michael...NOT.
How You Feel Inside
Turning 60...How did that happen?
Time goes faster and faster. I still remember my father's 40th surprise party and now I am 60. The most surprising thing was he announced at the party he was really 41. My mother had miscalculated. The surprise was on her!
I also remember many years ago my mom told me that inside you always feel the same even when the way you look on the outside changes. She was right. I do not feel 60 or 50 or even 40! I still crush on Zac Efron, like new music, wear skinny jeans and love buying makeup.
To be continued...
Time goes faster and faster. I still remember my father's 40th surprise party and now I am 60. The most surprising thing was he announced at the party he was really 41. My mother had miscalculated. The surprise was on her!
I also remember many years ago my mom told me that inside you always feel the same even when the way you look on the outside changes. She was right. I do not feel 60 or 50 or even 40! I still crush on Zac Efron, like new music, wear skinny jeans and love buying makeup.
To be continued...
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