Category: This and That
50 Ways to Fill Your Day
You have retired, now what? I hope these 50 ideas help you in your quest for what to do each day. Or maybe they will stimulate your mind toward something you would have never thought about. Go out there and enjoy your day.
- If you feel the need to keep working, look into getting a part-time job.
- Travel. Isn’t traveling what you planned to do in retirement? If you are alone, check into packages of group travel. Maybe take a cruise.
- Spare your children a multitude of decisions by decluttering your house now. Or give them the items you plan to give them in your will, now. Donate what you can. Or if you want to sell items, have a garage sale or sell them online through Facebook groups or Craig’s list.
- Start a garden. If you don’t have room in your yard check into a community garden. And if there isn’t a community garden, see if you can start one in your neighborhood or city.
- How about a compost pile to use in your garden? This is a great way to use or reuse produce leftovers, eggshells, used coffee grounds, newspapers, and even dryer lint and hair.
- Start a new hobby. Is there something you wished you had time for when you were working, but never could do it? Take up that hobby or maybe quilting, crafting, woodworking, model trains, writing, etc.
- Learn how to play chess. If you already know how, find someone to play with, or maybe teach a child how to play.
- Read all the books you have accumulated on your bookshelves. If you run out, buy more at a garage sale or estate sale.
- Once you have read those, visit your library for more books. If you don’t have a library card, sign up for one. You will be surprised how many things you can check out of a library, besides books. Things like movies, music, and magazines. Libraries usually have computers for you to use. Some cities have lending libraries that lend tools, or there may be a tool lending library in a different building. In my state of California, they include Berkeley, Oakland, Loma Linda, Tulare, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Sacramento. But there are many more, in states throughout the country. Check with your local library or PG&E.
- Put aside your former excuses and join a gym (be sure to check for a senior discount) or start walking or running.
- If you just want to relax, start taking a daily, or as needed, nap.
- Get to know your neighbors. They may end up being really great friends. Maybe they can keep an eye on your house when you are out of town. If your neighborhood doesn’t have a Neighborhood Watch, you can work on establishing one.
- Take a class or two at your local community college. In my city they usually offer classes in jewelry making, composting, music lessons, cooking, dance lessons, CPR and so much more. Or if you prefer, try Accounting, Music, Geology or Math.
- Get a college degree. Maybe you never did and now you have the time. Learn new things and once you have finished you can walk down the aisle for your diploma, as your proud children and grandchildren cheer you on. You won’t be the first person to graduate in their 60’s, 70’s or 80’s.
- Go golfing or learn how to golf. If golfing doesn’t appeal to you, try tennis.
- Load up the boat and go fishing. If you are lucky you might bring home dinner.
- Go out to lunch with a friend. Or track down an old friend from high school and go out for coffee.
- Travel to visit your grandchildren or if they are local, take them out for a special day at the zoo or the lake.
- Make a list of the states in the United States that you have never visited and start planning trips to visit them. A great way to show your progress is a scratch-off map that you can hang on the wall. Check Amazon for a nice selection.
- Go on a group excursion, offered through your local college or travel agent. Our Junior College offers shopping trips, theater trips and trips to sporting events.
- Start going to garage sales and estate sales. If you learn the value of old items, you may be able to resell the items on eBay or Craigslist for a profit. Or maybe you will find a hidden treasure to keep. Keep in mind #3.
- Change your hairstyle or if you are adventurous, change your hair color.
- Hike somewhere locally, or far away. If you are an expert think mountains.
- Make a budget to plan your future, so you can afford to finish off your Bucket List. If you don’t have a Bucket List, make one.
- Take a train ride on Amtrak. Be sure to take advantage of the 10% senior discount.
- Is it time to do a little updating in your home? Consider expanding your master closet, adding a shop in the garage, a wine cellar in your home or maybe a craft room.
- Take a hot air balloon ride. Or if you are really brave, go skydiving.
- Go on a date to the local putt putt golf course.
- Become a regular fan at the local minor league baseball games. Part-time jobs at baseball stadiums are plentiful if you are interested. Mascot anyone?
- Attend any local events like Chili-Cook-Offs, Annual Festivals, Craft Fairs, Car Shows, Farmers Markets and Fund-Raising Events.
- Check into the social opportunities through your local senior center.
- Take wellness classes through your insurance, a local yoga studio or local church. Possibilities include, but are not limited to grief counseling, monitoring your health, divorce care, caregiver support, women’s health, etc.
- Play board or card games with your friends or family.
- Attend City Council meetings and get to know what is happening in your community.
- Run for a political office in your local community, like mayor or city councilperson. Or set your sights higher.
- Do you love sports? Follow your team through their season, seeing every home and away game. Or possibly visit every professional baseball stadium, even if it takes you a few years.
- Join a Bible study.
- Go shopping, window, or real, depending on your budget from item #25. Take a trip to a local shopping outlet, Ikea, or maybe the big city.
- Start training for the next 5K, half-marathon, or marathon in your area. Enter it and have your fans cheer you on, as you pass the finish line.
- Visit your state capital.
- Get a DNA test. This will be very interesting for you and a conversation starter among your friends.
- Do a random act of kindness and pay for the person behind you in the drive-through. This is especially nice if there is a mother with small children behind you.
- Surprise someone you love with a romantic picnic.
- Go to a concert, symphony, or play. Maybe an outdoor one if you have them in your area.
- Roller skate or ice skate, like you, did as a kid. Extreme caution suggested.
- Take a cooking or baking class and impress your guests at your next dinner party. Homemade pasta, anyone?
- Go bowling. If you like it, try joining a daytime bowling league.
- Beat the crowd and see a matinee. When you see a movie always ask about their senior discount.
- Keep your brain working with crossword puzzles and Sudoku. Buy a paperback book full of them.
- Learn photography and take pictures of every trip you take. Enter them in your local county fair.
- Winery tours are common in California. What kind of tours do you have locally? Check them out.
- Don’t forget to have your annual medical checkup.
- Take a relaxing bath.
- Start a blog.
- Buy your Senior Lifetime National Park Pass for $80 and start seeing all the National Parks. It’s a super deal. https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/understanding-national-park-senior-pass-rate-increase
I hope you don’t mind that I got carried away and added a few extra. Learn something new every day. There is a world of knowledge out there, waiting for you to discover. Most of all, make the most of the rest of your life.
Let me know below which item is your favorite.
Can I Quit LinkedIn Now?
At one of my jobs, I was required to join LinkedIn. It wasn’t an option. The hope, I believe, was to get us all out there on the Internet. Maybe not so much us, but the name of the business where we worked. So I posted about myself and my favorite books and whatever else goes into LinkedIn. But, I was a failure at promoting the business, at which I worked. I should have never signed up at LinkedIn, but I was convinced the future of keeping my job, depended on it.
As a side note, I think there are millions of people out there, that really benefit from LinkedIn. I’m just not one of them.
Continue reading “Can I Quit LinkedIn Now?”Lemon Almond Paste Cake
This has to be one of the easiest cakes I’ve made, and probably one of the best. It’s a big hit with my husband’s friends. When they get together to watch a football game, they plan a big meal and quite often this is the dessert. It can be a bit pricey to make because it needs a full cup of almond paste.
Ingredients:
- Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake mix (and the 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil 1 cup of water it calls for)
- 1 Cup of Sugar
- 1 cup Almond Paste
- 1 Pound or less of Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar and water
Directions:
- Make cake according to the directions on the box, including greasing the bottom of the 9 x 13 pan.
- Pour 1/2 of the liquid cake into your pan.
- Combine the sugar and the almond paste and mix with a food processor (or a hand mixer) until well mixed.
- Take 1/2 of the crumbled mix of sugar and almost paste and crumble it over the cake.
- Gently pour the remaining liquid cake on top of the crumble.
- Then crumble the 2nd half of the crumble mixture on top.
- Bake as per the directions on the box, until it’s a light golden brown.
- After the cake has cooled drizzle powdered sugar and water frosting over the cake. I usually start with a cup or two of the powdered sugar and then whisk in water until it becomes drizzle consistency and is enough to cover the cake. (See the next paragraph for more details.)
I hate when someone gives me a recipe with non-exact ingredient amounts, but now, I’ve done it to you. Every time I make this the frosting is not exactly the same. But it tastes so good. Don’t completely cover the cake with frosting, just drizzle it around until you cover about 1/4 of the cake.
I rely on recipe cards for most of the recipes I use. If you do, too, occasionally it’s a good idea to weed out the recipes that you have stored in your recipe card box. Those recipes, that you haven’t made in years because they are just too complicated or no one really likes them that much. Why not get rid of them now, before your children inherit them.
A side note about the pronunciation of the word “almond.” You may think it’s pronounced all-mond. But ask any farmer that grows them and they will most likely say they are am-end farmers. Farmers know best. At least that is what I was told when we moved in close proximity to the Almond Capital of the World in Northern California.