What's After Work?

January 6, 2020 was my last day of work. I remember that it was rather anticlimactic. It was the day after Winter Break and a teacher work day. Everyone at work had just come back and it was a non-student day. I was there because if you work one day in a month our health insurance covers you for that month, If you have ever priced insurance a month is worth working a day. So after a number of very nice parties celebrating my retirement. (I know that is a strange concept now, getting together in large groups for any reason. ) I had a few weeks to just relax, sit back and contemplate my future. Ummm what should I do? I thought it would be sleep late and watch late night TV. No! My body had other plans . Even without the need to get up and go to work I was still waking up early and getting sleepy around 10 pm. I guess my body was having a hard time adjusting to this new life style. The nearly 40 years of work had taken it's toll. I realized I would  never be able to go back to my 20...

The days are starting to run together. Each day is almost the same. Ride my bike, watch some TV, discuss the state of the world with my quarantine partner Jan. Monday I mixed it up a little by going out to Walmart to have my by-monthly blood test for one of my ailments. Fortunately it was not a fasting test so I went later in the day and there was no crowd. This was the first time I had gone out except for my bike rides in 3 weeks. I'm really getting goods with this social distancing. Jan doesn't think I should be enjoying it this much. So I went to the Quest in the Walmart near our home. I wore my homemade mask and took anti-bacterial wipes with me. I used the wipes to wipe the door handle, key pad that I signed in on, and the armrests of the chair I sat in. As I sat there waiting to get stuck my mind started to wander, as it often does. I thought about all the people I has seen in the parking lot and in the store wearing masks. I wondered what would happen now if I went ...

I like to cook. Now I have the time to devote to perfecting this art. This is good because several times after Jan retired she has stated that she has no desire to cook any more. This is not to say Jan is a poor cook, actually she is a very good cook. For may years while the kids were at home she provided us with healthy and delicious meals each day, while also working a full time job. Cause that's what moms do. And she does now on occasion cook for us. I enjoy cooking and exploring new tastes. Lately I have been learning about paella. The Spanish rice and seafood dish that I cook on the grill outside. A few years ago I saw  José Ramón Andrés Puertaon a cooking show abut Spain. While there he visited a  restaurant that served paella cooked over an open wood fire. Oh! it looked so good. I had had paella before but was not impressed, it appeared to be just fish and shrimp served over rice. But what I saw  José tasting at this little Spanish restaurant near the coast...