How could it be fall again?

It is fall again - ripe nectarines, plums, blueberries and blackberries - and this is kind of embarrassing.  When I look at the last time I posted on this blog it was almost a year ago.  So much for the resolutions about getting this done regularly. ;-(  I seriously thought of letting the blog slip into oblivion but I have a couple of friends who are good enough to nag me about it, so here I am again.  No promises about how often this will happen but, at least, a commitment not to let it die just yet.

There is definitely life after teaching and this is the beginning of my fifth year of it. Having been a teacher for so long,  September is still the start of my year.  All my weekly activities start up again and I'm more likely to look back over the last 12 months and ahead to the next 12 than at any other time.  The last four years have been quite an education.  For the first couple I was busy delighting in all the things that I no longer had to do, no marking, no planning, no extra-curricular activities, no cafeteria supervision, no report cards.  But, you can only live your life delighting in difference for so long. Once I really understood that I never had to write another report card or mark another paper I was puzzled.  Who was I now that I wasn't a teacher anymore?  Year three was a bit confusing.  I drifted around, not really feeling like I could settle anywhere.

I was still learning. My left hand refused to do what it needed to do on the piano and my singing voice was unpredictable as I tried to establish a new and better default setting.  I spent a lot of time "researching" i.e. surfing the net and most of the structure of my days was determined by outside commitments.  I didn't practice either singing or piano as often as I could have.  Lots of times I drifted not knowing what to do.  Oh, I had lots of stuff I could do, I just wasn't crazy about any of it.

I explored various woodworking sites and electronic magazines, dumped some subscriptions and took on others and always enjoyed puttering around in the shop. That taught me something important about myself.  I'm happiest when I can solve a problem and I'm not all that keen on making a whole bunch of one thing. 

My favourite digital subscription is to Rob Cosman's Rob's Workshop. I look forward to it the way some folks look forward to the next episode of their favourite TV drama or comedy.  Rob shoots 5 shows a week and doesn't do a lot of editing.  This is invaluable because I get to watch a true master-craftsman make mistakes and solve problems.  I've taken classes from Rob and, in some ways, the videos are better. The camera can get closer and see things I can't see during a class. Also these videos have taught me patience when I work wood.  Rob doesn't do everything right all the time and that is very comforting even though I take longer than most to get the hang of something. (Still haven't mastered hand-cut dovetails and it's been almost 9 years.)  Rob's home page

I have gone back to half marathons in the last couple of years and, although I no longer run them, they give me something to train for and I like to chat with other walkers on the way, some of whom are new to the sport.  If they ask I pass on what I have learned from my 22 half marathons to date.  I've also been diligent about exercising.  I have exercised for 591 of the last 593 days.  I give myself little, or sometimes big, rewards when I reach milestones.  I'm currently working my way towards an iPad which I certainly don't need but I have techno-lust and, at least, I'm making myself work for it.

We have had our basement renovated,  quite the adventure.  When you live in an older house you find interesting things once inside the walls.  Among the treasures and surprises we found were an old crib board, a stubby beer bottle and an empty latex-condom box. What were those guys doing when they 'finished' the basement? There was no insulation in the walls.  There were a few cracks in the  concrete and there was a window that had been completely covered up by a previous renovation. The plumbing and electrical were unique and we decided, since we had things torn apart, we might as well get both fixed. From an initial estimate of 6 weeks the reno took closer to 6 months.

The basement is now finished but we are not.  We love the result and are determined not to put a lot of junk back so we are culling.  My 19-year-old van has been living outside since February, its place usurped by stuff that came out of the basement.  A lot of stuff has gone but there is still a lot to get rid of.  One item at a time, I tell myself.

Throughout the years, since 2004 to be exact, there have been the audio books.  Two a month without fail and, when there are sales on Audible, I buy extra ones in case I run out before my credits renew. Reading and writing are two sides of the same coin and now, in year five of life after teaching, I feel I'm finding a different direction.  I have always enjoyed writing and have attended a workshop every year since I retired.  Even there I floated around since most people were interested in writing fiction and isn't what really excites me. Barbara Turner- Vesselago kindly lets me return each year. The workshops have a wonderful flow to their days: write in the morning, free time in the afternoon, conversation about the writing in the late afternoon and then do it all again. Barbara's home page

My intention for this year is to write in the morning.  I have an article coming out in the October issue of Canadian Woodworking and Home Improvement  and I have sent a couple of tips away to woodworking magazines.  I don't expect to get rich doing this but it is beginning to feel as if I have found another anchor to replace teaching. In year five I think I'm beginning to move toward something rather than moving away from something, and it feels good. With any luck, I'll keep you posted.