A whole lot of nothing

Seems like the summer is full of big plans—the wedding of a close friend this weekend, a weeklong visit from my oldest daughter and her youngest son so he can go to basketball camp with Jacob, my (gulp) 80^th birthday, a Great Lakes Cruise. Sometimes I think life is too much about anticipation.

Too often, I find myself wishing away the days until this or that highly anticipated event occurs, and then I scold myself. As I approach eighty I should be savoring every day, every minute, instead of wishing time away. Who knows how much time I have left? But I have this incurable habit of thinking something wonderful is just around the corner—and often it is. So that’s where I am today—anticipating.

Meantime, the ever-present reality is quiet but quite pleasant. Some cooking—a huge pasta salad I’m offering to all comers, since it grew out of bounds when I made it.. With chicken, cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, scallions, it tastes great. Yesterday for Heather, my chef friend, I added a dollop of mayo. She declared she particularly liked the mixture of vinaigrette with the touch of mayo. Mostly I prefer to eat it with plain vinaigrette.

Guess I’ll add that to my cookbook, though the cookbook has now been edited and is at the point where I add things with great care and trepidation. Even the editor added some things—a suggested addition to scrambled eggs and her mom’s spaghetti sauce, both of which sound good.

And that’s how I’ve spent the last two days—going through edits on the cookbook, watching a marketing video that supposedly will help me sell thousands of books (I’m keep waiting for the part where it will cost me money I don’t have). I’ve got books to read for the Mae Sarton competition, a manuscript sample to evaluate for Sisters in Crime, and a newsletter to write. Yes, retirement keeps me busy, and I love it.

Last night I had supper with three old friends (younger than me but old in the amount of time we go back), all former wives of doctors, three divorcees and one widow. The tales we told! The waiter said politely, “I’ll give you some time to catch up,” and Linda said, “How much time do you have? We have twenty years to work on.” I realized that each of us have seen each other once or twice, but Linda and one of the women have literally not seen each other for twenty years. Odd tricks that fate plays on us. The good thing, great really, is that we laughed over the past. We are not the ex-wives who harbor bitterness, and I think that’s to our credit. And we share a rich past.

And for me that’s how this part of the early summer goes. Jacob went away with friends last night for six days, and I realize the void when I look at the back windows of the house and don’t see the TV on. But I’ll be working and having supper with friends the next couple of days and then we’ll be into wedding festivities. I’m so glad life is never dull

Note that I’m avoiding political rants. So much that I want to yell and scream about. We are in a perilous situation, and I hope each of you are keeping informed as developments come fast and furious. We can’t afford to be caught complacent or sleeping.