When I reflect on what I choose to share on this blog about life after work, it mostly comes down to politics, what I’m eating, what I’m watching and what I’m reading. There’s a mishmash of other stuff, but with the exception of politics, it’s about the simple pleasures that fill these long glorious days without gainful employment.
If I had to put it all in a bucket, I would call it retirement culture … like workplace culture only better. It’s a sum of the values, behaviors and attitudes that define these last few decades of our lives, as opposed to the hellhole where we used to go to make money.
This chapter is fun but sometimes scary, and the question is how are we going to pull it off?
Although politics doesn’t directly relate to retirement culture, everything that happens in our country and in the world weighs on us for good or for bad. The attack on democracy in America jolted me out of my happy place and impacts everything. Everything.
Accomplished thought leaders with impressive credentials write about these issues, and that’s where I go to help me understand what’s happening and what I can do about it.
Deep analysis is not my gift. When I write about politics, it’s from the perspective of an average Joe trying to make sense of it all. My storytelling is not about the facts as much as how the facts make us feel. How can we move through our days with the weight of it all bearing down on us?
Can I just get back to being happy, please?
Thanks for letting me explore that with you. I’ve been struggling with my purpose, and as always, I don’t know what I think until I write about it. Despite what I said earlier, I’m still considering a move to Substack, but I don’t want to do it until I have a clear picture of whatever it is I bring to the table.
This week’s political thought is about Gavin Newsom. As governor of California, I’ve liked him just fine and never understood these protesters pushing to have him recalled. Dinner at the French Laundry during Covid was a mistake, but he has owned up to it and there are worse things. Like sexually assaulting a woman in a department store dressing room for one. There are more, but I’ll move on.
Anyway, there’s a lot to say about him, good and bad, but he’s out there, challenging Trump and I like it. My financial planner is from South Carolina and leans right. He even said he’s starting to like Gavin. To me, that says a lot. Maybe Gavin can bring people to the middle. That might not please the left or the right, but lordy, maybe it’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe middle can get us back to happy.
What I’m eating
With no disrespect to my husband, I said, seriously, dude, I’m feeling pressured about tomatoes. They are perfect right now, and the clock is ticking, but I’m kind of missing the other food groups. This week alone we had tomato pie, Greek salad and BLTs.
We did have a tomato break one night when he made simple grilled pork chops and a hobo pack. For the hobo pack, he tosses vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper and then seals them up in a foil pouch. We usually go with carrots, onions and red potatoes, but just about anything works. Depending on the coals, they take about 20 minutes.
All I know is they magically appear on my plate!
Dale found some good-looking veal cutlets … just the right thickness for cordon bleu, so that’s on the docket for tonight. He pounds them out and stuffs them with thinly sliced Black Forest ham and Muenster cheese.
That cornucopia of deliciousness gets sealed up in a somewhat rectangular package secured with toothpicks and then breaded and pan-fried in leaf lard, the real stuff, not the block available at most grocery stores.
We’ll have our cordon bleu with a simple butter lettuce salad and vinaigrette , similar to the way we enjoyed it in Germany. Oh, a nice Gewürztraminer to go with.
Pro tip: If you haven’t used Muenster cheese in your quesadillas, give it a try! You won’t regret it.
What I’m watching
After a four-month break-up, I rejoined Netflix and am happy to be back. I binged Department Q, which is about a semi-obnoxious detective and his team investigating cold cases. I do love me a good cold case.
I’ve read all the Department Q books by Jussi Adler-Olsen, and while there are differences, the TV show captured the essence. The novels are set in Denmark, and the series is based in Scotland. I was kind of annoyed at first, but it doesn’t actually make a difference.
I watched one episode of Wednesday, and it gave me bad dreams. I do like the series about Wednesday Addams of Addams Family fame, so I’ll give it another go. I’ve also watched a couple episodes of Untamed, which is about a federal agent investigating crimes in Yosemite National Park.
The story is good, and the scenery is gorgeous, but I just read this morning it’s actually filmed in Canada. That’s probably because the toilets backed up at Yosemite since they implemented all the staff cuts.
What I’m reading
I haven’t been reading as much as I normally do, but I’ve been spending some quality time with cookbooks. Not exactly intellectual, but even my normal reading isn’t particularly lofty. As for crime fiction, I’ve exhausted my list at the library and need to re-load. Here are a couple of places that give me ideas for what to read next:
https://internationalnoir.blogspot.com
https://eurocrime.blogspot.com
I finished Nightshade, Michael Connelly’s new book featuring Detective Stilwell of Catalina Island. It’s very good. Detective Stilwell is an interesting character. I mean, he’s no Harry Bosch, but everybody counts or nobody counts, right?
Here’s my take on Gavin Newsom, two things.
Firstly, whether people across the country know it or not, it was Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris that enabled us to ever have legal same sex marriage. The two of them led the charge and I will forever be grateful for that. They did the work. And neither of them are gay or have gay family members but they just knew it was the right thing.
Secondly, I’m so tired of people complaining about Gavin Newsom every time they don’t like the smallest thing like somebody parking over their driveway and they blame it on him. The thing is California is a very complex state. We have more Industries than many other states put together. We have Silicon Valley we have agriculture we have Hollywood we have ranching and everything in between. Being governor of this state and doing even a slightly good job is an amazing feat. This state is so diverse you can’t please everyone. He has to have his toes in so many ponds to do his job so everybody’s going to end up unsatisfied with something. Not me, I love him.
Well said, and thank you for saying it. I used to be sort of neutral on Gavin, but he is inspiring me these day. I do remember you saying he gets credit for same sex marriage, and I always liked him for that.
We’ve watched both Department Q and Untamed and enjoyed them. We also enjoyed the first season of Wednesday and had looked forward to season 2… yuck. We watched the first episode than gave up.
I consider myself a progressive, but Newsome has been (is?) a little fiscally left for me. That said, I am loving his trolling of Trump. Even though he most likely has eyes on the presidency, he is not playing it safe as so many other Dems in power are. I am so proud that he is my governor.
I love the idea of hobo packs. I will definitely try them when we grill next.
I feel better now that I know I’m not the only one not loving Wednesday. One of my golf buddies said the same thing today.
I can see where you are coming from on Gavin being fiscally left, but I do think he’s shifting more toward the middle. I don’t know whether that’s political strategy or if he really is changing, but at this point, I’ll take either one. I’m proud of him, too!
From the other side of the ocean, I can’t say I know almost nothing about Newsom, but I have been taken with the way he’s handled Trump’s “invasion” of LA, and how he’s also managed to send Trump up with some high quality social media trolling. It does appear that he’s taken a significant jump on other Dem candidates for the 2028 elections – always presuming that they’ll happen in a free manner and don’t get “Putin’d”.
Even for those not in the immediate firing line, life in the US must be positively surreal, and I can understand that finding some way to feel normal is hugely necessary. While your tomato glut does tempt me, not enough to be there instead of here. Dinner sounds gorgeous, and I’m going to have to investigate Muenster cheese as it’s not one I’ve tried. Himself is a fan of Gewürztraminer also, but having largely given up on alcohol, I can but wish you cheers while I drink my tea!
Thank you, Debs, from the other side of the ocean. I can imagine this is hard to watch, and I fear the Europeans will never trust us again.
Do check out the Muenster even if you don’t indulge in the wine. And now that I think about it, a tomato glut is not such a bad thing.
I love Muenster cheese on just about everything. And it’s even good by itself with grapes and white wine. We like it on grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as cold sandwiches. My favorite cheese!!
Yes to all things Muenster. Glad to know you like it as much as we do. One fine cheese!
Love the phrase “retirement culture” and will probably steal it.
Food is not a focus these days. I’ve passed the cooking reins to hubby as I’ve got too much else I’m trying to manage with house recovery. It’s my strength (dealing with bureaucracy), not his. He can cook – sorta. There’s food, it’s edible. We are dealing with major tiny kitchen, not our own pots & pans & knives. I’m not complaining…but goodness your dinners sound yummy! And we cannot get a decent tomato in Florida at all. Sigh.
Feel free to steal.
You are in a tough position after losing your home in the hurricane. Food being there and edible is probably just enough at this point. I’m surprised Florida doesn’t have decent tomatoes. We are awash in them here in California. I said I was feeling over-tomatoed, but they’re back on the menu tonight, and I’m not mad.
In retirement, we no longer have to leave the home we used to leave each day to go to work to pay for it. I love my home & I love being in it. And we have to do life so life doesn’t do us. That involves engaging mindfully in the activities that elevate our retirement culture. What I’m reading: Fight Night by Miriam Toews. It’s not a crime read but it evokes a chuckle on every page, not unlike your blog.
I really like how you express yourself. “Engaging mindfully in the activities that elevaate our retirement culture.” That’s perfection! Also, that book sounds great.