gonzogirl

[gonzogirl]

Just a Grandma

“Look! bubbles! Can you say bubbles?” Our little granddaughter, just 16 months, laughs and runs over to pop a bubble. Then, smiles and yells, “bubba!”  Rick and I break out in a round of applause, smiles and words of encouragement. “Good job! That’s right! You did it!” What a feat. What a grand moment.  It used to be that my grand moments were much more grand. Scuba diving in Indonesia. Skiing…

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Breaking Up With Facebook

I had a dream about Facebook last night. It reminded me of the first time I quit drinking. I’d have dreams of imbibing in all kinds of situations. Big parties, quiet evenings, wind downs after a big day. And then, the feelings of regret and guilt would wash over me. I’d wake in a semi-panic.    This, because I deactivated my Facebook account recently. It was a much bigger decision than seemed…

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Life is what happens...

John Lennon got it right. For better or worse.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon from the song, Give Peace a Chance I love this quote by John Lennon.  I’ve always mused on it from the perspective of folks (including myself) who are too busy keeping up with “rat race” related concerns that they miss the beauty that is right in front of them. Until yesterday. As I was running around the house…

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As Unready As I'll Ever Be...

Well we are two days away and...

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It's the Water

Settling into rural life has it's growing pains. And, like most things for me, it takes a few hard hits to the head for some lessons to sink in.

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The Retirement Report:

The Retirement Report (published when I feel like it) captures the humorous reality of the post work years. Are you ready for the transition to non-work? Find out here.

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60 Shades of Gray

Apparently, I am an unwitting member of the "Great Resignation", the post pandemic phenomena of folks leaving the work place before traditional retirement age. So 2 years in, I'm still trying to figure it out. Reflections on Retirement. Hmmm.

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Brides, Bouquets and Baby Goats

“Does she love the artichoke?” my friend and neighbor Angeline asked in an adrenaline fueled kind of way.  I looked at her blankly and she continued. “If she loves it, I will need floral wire, wire cutters and floral tape.”  With two hours until “go time”, my answer was simple. “She hates the artichoke.”  In an instant, said artichoke was tossed onto the floor and we were moving on.   We knew…

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And In Summary…

“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver. “So what was the most exciting place you visited?”, our Uber driver asked as we sped through the narrow streets of Amsterdam. How do you respond to that big question that is impossible to answer?  Other variations have been, what was your favorite experience or the opposite, what was the worst?  It’s sort of like…

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Germany: A Tightrope of Old and New

“Hey! There’s a good place!” I hollered to Rick. I had noticed an opening in a long hedge and spotted a bench in a patch of green. We were getting hungry and this was a perfect spot for our picnic lunch. Pulling a quick U Turn, we headed back and walked through the opening. A single car was parked near a makeshift recycling station for the nearby city. Nestled in the shade was a bench. But as I…

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A Room With A View

Don’t be deceived. Our room was on the second floor. I’m pretty sure that the phrase “single story living” has never, ever been used in most of Europe. Over the past 10 weeks, we have stayed in a wide variety of accommodations of which two, had no stairs. Of those with stairs, about half had an elevator or lift. And I think it’s fair to say that most stairs have been narrow and steep and often…

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Biking the Belgian Way

Belgium. Beautiful Buildings and Bikes. The quick blast of the siren made me jump. I had just been warned by another cyclist that I was going the wrong way on a one way road and had managed to get off the street and up onto a crowded sidewalk.  Rick had already dismounted when I was waved over by the police.  Speaking in Dutch, he motioned that I was going the wrong way. I nodded. He kept…

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My Little Peloton

The Trifecta. The Three Amigos. Not a trio to be trifled with. Sean’s left hand shot out instinctively to indicate caution. At a hairpin turn, one car up and one car back, his signal was as much for the cars as it was for us. Both cars slowed and then braked. Accident averted. And we continued pedaling.  We weren’t sure what the addition of another rider would be like. I mean, Rick and I have…

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The Road to Rouen

Making the best of it. “I’m ready to change my ticket and just go home.” These words drove a spike in my heart. But I understood. For the last three days, Rick, Sean and I had been stuck in an overpriced hotel in the heart of Paris. Crowds and prices had escalated because of the upcoming soccer championship game being played in the city. We were lucky to be able to negotiate a lower price with…

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Let’s Meet In Paris

So glad to see that smiling face. Paris. In my imagination, I am stepping out of a black convertible near the Eiffel Tower. I casually throw my designer leather backpack over my shoulder. It matches my ankle boots and looks perfect with my designer jeans. I fling my soft, perfectly coiffed, graying hair over my shoulder and don my oversized sunglasses. The doorman greets me at my hotel, located…

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Riding

A typical view from two wheels. The folks who believe the world is flat have never been on a long cycling tour. I realized this yesterday as we were riding somewhere in the middle of France. The “French flats”,  as we had endearingly named this region. And relative to many places, it is.  But as we hacked our way through an overgrown single track path, important philosophical questions ran…

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Travel vs. Vacation

Coffee. Anytime. Any place. Flashback 2016. Sitting at Gatwick airport waiting for our flight, we, like everyone else in the airport, were logged into the one free hour of wifi available. Checking email and Facebook, my family was just passing time before our flight to Spain. As the time grew closer for boarding, an announcement. Fight delay. Then again. Flight delay. And then the real blow.…