Retirement is not without Hassles: “Jack-of-one trade” #117

There is hope on the D.I.Y. front.  The dimmer switch I ordered through Amazon Prime arrived this morning, as promised.  I was able to easily install it, so there is no need to call an electrician, after all.  (See Post #107).  Thinking that maybe I was on a roll, I then tried the adhesive that I also bought at the hardware store.  It still didn’t work.  I’ll have to settle at .500 on D.I.Y. projects this week in an effort to save those precious retirement dollars.  As mentioned, electrical work was my “jack-of-one-trade,” dating back to some high school training.  Glad to see I’ve still got it!  However, I still contend that if your D.I.Y. skills were weak prior to retirement, don’t expect to get smarter just because you have more time and less money.

I did dress up for the Rose Festival event, a first in formal gathering post retirement.  I was joking about re-learning to tie a necktie.  However, I really did have to start over about 15 times before I finally got it right.  It was a lot like electrical work!

Thoughts of Paris, as I watched the French Open (Roland-Garros Tournament).  With a nasty cold on a rainy day, I was forced to run on the treadmill this morning.  Television views of the Eiffel Tower and Grand Palais provided memories of our recent trip, while I trudged around the virtual track.   “Wonder Woman” awaits us at the movie theater tonight, even though in reality I live with her.  She did my dog duties and other errands to keep me out of the rain, and let me sleep in a bit this morning.

Today is all about baseball.  The Cubs and Cardinals are playing, and both Oregon State and Indiana are trying to advance in the NCAA tournament.  Oregon women’s softball is also involved in a College World Series elimination game.  It’s a good afternoon to be home-bound in front the television.  The trick to battling my cough is lots of honey and very little activity.  Whisky might help, too!

I started reading “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.  Every once in a while I try to add a classic to my literary diet of James Patterson, John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, and Jonathan Kellerman.  They are my mainstays, entertaining but not very challenging.  I did just finish “Call of the Wild” by Jack London, another classic that I first enjoyed as a teenager.  I’m also growing fond of Dennis Lehane, who we’ll see speak next week here in Portland.  However, I still enjoy writing over reading, so thanks for your patience as a continue to hone my sentence structure skills with this blog.  D.I.Y writing – maybe I could develop it into a “jack-of-two-trade.”  Still, a far cry from “jack-of-all-trades.”