What Did I Do Today

Now that I'm retired, what in the world do you do all day long. I've been busier than ever. What did I do today?

Dear Diary

• Rise at 7:00 and have coffee with the hubby. Yes! I get to sleep in. Made the coffee last night to be ready by 6:15 am. Surf the net on my computer and hubby on his laptop: sharing stories and reading items to each other while Fox Business is on. Thank GOD I'm not in the business anymore. The market is tanking!!!
• BREAKFAST. Quick one of fried egg and bacon sandwich, raisin bran for me and he's off. Let the cat out. Feed the quail and wild birds.
• Turn on the music and listen to a random mix of the 100s of our music cds . Love this because it is always a surprise what is going to play next.
• Put the last of the wild plums in a big stew pot to process and turn into pulp. Stew for 15 minutes and leave on the stove with a lid to cool to less than molten lava temperature.
• Pick the Italian Plums that are on trees along our driveway. Yikes. Now what to do with them all. Here is just a small amount of the harvest.
• I know, make Italian Prune Nut Bread. Two loaves. I can freeze one. Chopping and pitting the plums. Geeze that hardly made a dent in the buckets. I haul the rest of the plums out to the pump house to stay in a cool dark place for a while. What to do with them? Dunno. Need to look in my recipe collection or on line for some ideas.
• But first, a load of laundry. The Dumbplumber does dirty up those blue jeans.
• Now, the bread. It bakes for 55 minutes and while that is happening
• Pulp up the wild plums. Yay!! Another 10 cups of pulp. I'm going to have sooo much jam to give away for Christmas this year.
• Do the dishes that have to be done by hand and load the dishwasher for this evening's processing
• LUNCH. Dumbplumber came home for lunch and we whip up some tomato sandwiches from the fresh tomatoes from the garden and micro zap some left over rib eye steak for a second sandwich for the hubby.
• Ding: the bread is ready in the middle of lunch. NO. You can't have any yet. It has to cool.
• Out to the business office for an hour or so to input checks, invoices, make up bills and file. Prepare a deposit from yesterday's mail.
• Off the Post Office and Bank to process the checks received from the business and see what other mail we may have.
• Crap!! The State of California still hasn't processed some papers from April regarding our Corporation and are threatening us with a $250 fine for late filing. So. Off across the property to the business office and find the copy of the paper that I sent to them. Sure enough it is STAMPED by the Sec of State and date. Make a copy. Fill out a new form to date for today. Cut a new check for the recording fee and write a letter. And off to the Post Office, again, to send the package with a proof of delivery receipt. Hope they don't lose this one too. Incompetent boobs.
• BUT first....put the laundry in the dryer and start another load.
• Might as well go to the grocery store while I'm out because I want to make Penne Pasta with a sauce using the fresh tomatoes and eggplant from the garden. Need some romaine for a salad and might as well pick up some other things...oh yeah....and some scotch so we can sit on the deck while the food is cooking.
• But first: call the Dumbplumber on his cell phone to give him the important messages. During all this time, since I'm not in the office (which is in another building across the driveway parking area) I am fielding the business calls at home. Taking messages and contacting suppliers about a pump that was supposed to be delivered YESTERDAY.
• Back from the store. Fold the laundry. Put another load in the dryer and put up the clean clothes.
• You know, I've been wanting to organize this laundry room shelving for a while and mop the floor. Clear off the counter which seems to always be a magnet for clutter, loose change, drill bits etc. Put the silver coins in the ceramic cow and the pennies in a glass cookie jar. There! Now it looks pretty nice.
• 2:30 Probably should water the potted plants on the deck since I watered the fruit trees and vegetable garden yesterday. I want to mow the lawn......ah...maybe tomorrow. I'll water the lawn anyway.
• I don't need to start dinner until about 4:30. However, I can get a jump on it by sautéing the onions, garlic and Italian sausage and set it aside.
• Such a nice day. I think I'll sit on the deck in the sun and read my book. Wilbur Smith....some fast paced adventure story about crooks and treasure. A Blue Moon beer in a tall frosty glass will just hit the spot. Some corn chips and guacamole made from the dozens of avocados that a friend gave us. Who knew you could get sick of avocados. Turn off the music so I can hear the birds and bring the cordless phone and a note pad with me, just in case we get more calls. Pet the cat. Let her in for a 'treat' which is a tablespoon of canned food and let her out again so she can do whatever cats do during the day.
• 4:30 start the marinara sauce so it can simmer and thicken before adding the eggplant and chopped fresh tomatoes. Chill the salad bowl and wash and spin the lettuce. Oh. Maybe some French bread too. Slice half a loaf, butter, garlic and put in foil.
• Yikes. I forgot the rest of the laundry. Fold and put away.
• 5:00 Home comes the Dumbplumber. Drops his clothes in the laundry room and takes a shower.
• I make us a couple of drinks and we sit on the deck admiring the view. Enjoying the end of summer. Discussing the day. Going over the calls. Planning for the next day. Maybe we might get in to see the Republican Debate and decide to record it anyway just in case we want to continue to enjoy the deck.
• DINNER: nom nom. Penne Pasta in Marinara Sauce, garlic French bread, Caesar salad. Put the dishes in the dishwasher and set for washing later this evening. Make coffee for tomorrow. Have a slice of Plum Bread. Success. It is a recipe keeper.
• Let the cat in for the night with another bribe of 'treat food'.
• Decide to look at the debate later and see what the blogs have to say tomorrow. We watch some television. Well, Dumbplumber watches and I listen, discuss and nod my head while I'm knitting. Thinking about the next project that I want to make. A cute Santa Hat for my grandson. Now, where did I put that pattern?
• 8:00 time for winding the day down. The Dumbplumber is beat. Hard day and he gets up early. Doesn't lounge around like I do. We go to bed and read our respective books, sharing passages without spoiling the plot. Who knows he might want to read my book and I might want to read his. Other times, I want to work on the computer or a project and I might stay up until 9 or 10 and tippetoe in as quietly as I can and slide into bed so I don't wake him, OR the cat.

Dear Diary. Yes. Retirement is good so far.