Change can be its’ own stress.

I am one of those folks who do better with some structure in my life. Being a retired person, this can occasionally be an issue. Recently I mused that I missed having what has been called appointment TV. The schedule where shows landed on a certain day of the week and I either had to sit down and watch or make effort to record. The recording aspect was an unexpected bonus for my folks. The very idea of recording for later viewing arrived decades later in their lives…

The thing is, I tend to get stuck in my particular moat and don’t always seek out new things to watch. This can be an issue in mid Summer when my regular shows are on hiatus. (There’s a word we don’t hear often these days.) I recently gifted myself a subscription to watch a show I’d been eyeing for a few months. The trouble is, I’ve watched the show and now look at that subscription and realize…there isn’t much else I am interested in. Queue cancelling the subscription.

I do think the streaming model is a better option than cable but…too much is too much just as too little is too little. That being said, I am seeing the same pit falls that cable tripped over happening with streaming. The sad truth is you can’t be everything to everybody.

Anyway…reset time has come and I’ve gone through my watch lists and reading lists, etc. removing things I’d forgotten about or out grown while not quite adding things…yet. The truth is interests change (on both sides) and sometimes we sign on for reasons that no longer apply…

At the moment (95 degree temps with more to come) I’m contemplating pot roasts and casseroles and cozy kitchens where baking (!!!) is being done.

You too? 😀

I don’t think we are actually ‘done’ yet, just getting ready for the next round…

Cheers!

Everything Old Is New Again. At least that is what the old song says.

Honestly, however, I do see those <cough> reruns of ideas gussied up to be presented as Brand New. The reboot that is advertised as something totally brand new.

Advertisers have made a point of telling the consumer a lot of things that might, or might not, be actually true but the goal isn’t honesty, the goal is to get the consumer to consume. Think Fast Fashion. Fast food. Convenience foods.

I don’t know about you but I have noticed a trend from the clinical monocolor environment (think grey walls, neutral furnishing colors, ‘modern’ looks) to something more in line with Granny homes, mid century modern, bright colors and patterns. While I have no objection to the first my preference is more toward the latter. Color and texture give my eye something to look at. Design adds a touch of warmth in ways that isn’t easy to explain (for me at least). Over all, it gives me something to be interested in rather than existing in.

Real Vintage Dolls House recently posted a topic that I found interesting and inspiring.

Besides being practical and budget worthy, these thoughts provide some creativity. On the one hand, for example, it might be less expensive to dive into the nearest shops and spend less money than making things ourselves, how long will those items last? What we we do with them when they’ve outlived their life expectancy? For a little more considered cost and our time, we can create things that will more than likely have a longer use time while creating the environment that makes us happy. Said environment could be your home and your closet.

Granted many of those skills are not always part of the current standard education in schools – and I would argue they should be – they can be learned in a variety of ways.

Self reliance, self dependence, skill sharing were things our parents and grand parents knew all too well because they were the currency of the day. People worked together, helped each other, shared the load when they could but when they couldn’t, they could depend upon themselves.

Everything old is new once again.

Food for thought.

And, yes, I am going to be checking out Fogpoint radio. Details are in the description of the video…

August started out not quite the way I anticipated. Which could be good, by the way. I won’t really know for a few days yet.

My Summer Binge began in July and has extended itself into August. I have to admit I am enjoying myself but the truth is that the unexpected effects are a bit startling. Lack of sleep. Upended schedule. Gratitude that I don’t have a regular job – being retired has been a blessing because I am no longer at the age when what I’ve been doing won’t impact my regular 9 to 5 job. Who would’ve thought?

In the meantime I have been clearing out my Watch List as well as my Want List. I’ve also been doing a deep dive into Sherlock Holmes via Stephen Fry’s wonderful audio collection. The stories are just as wonderful but now I know them much better. A new Lady Sherlock book will be out this month and I am so looking forward to it!

So far, so good…

I grew up using paper maps. Yeah, I know, very Old School. But a map is one of those magical tools that invites you to explore. My dad always had the latest Rand McNally atlas in the house and we would spend hours following the interstate highways seeing where they went and what we could find to visit as we drove through.

When I moved to Los Angeles, one of the first things I did was get my very own copy of the Thomas Guide. It was an atlas of the Los Angeles and Orange Counties. A wealth of information, a valuable tool, a reliable resource.

Thomas Guides were the one thing you needed to have in your vehicle. With that guide you could go anywhere in the area and get home on your own.

Now I know lots of folks swear by GPS systems but I have had far too many instances (my own and other folks) where that system failed. In my own case one will lead you to my door while another will take you on a wild goose chase. And that is when they are working. We all know the Internet never, ever goes down and there is service everywhere, right? /s Paper maps can be the one tool you need to make sure you get home.

Old school tools can often still be reliable even when it might be ‘easier’ to use a GPS. And you can spend hours browsing, planning, dreaming your next adventure.

Speaking of Old School Tools, AllRecipes recently did a piece on Route 66. It is a wonderful read, but I particularly liked Samantha Brown’s comment about actually finding Route 66. Click HERE to read more.

Happy Adventuring!