Cooking the NYTimes and Other Assorted Retirement Activities

  I'm finding it challenging to write, considering all going on in the world.  Anything, well, okay, just about everything in my privileged world, seems inconsequential if not a first world problem.  But I think I can pull out a few threads from a couple things that occurred recently that might not be quite so centralized.  Or maybe not.  You can decide.                                                                            New Number One   Recently I took a good look at the bathing suit I wear to water aerobics and was surprised to see how worn out it was, especially in the rear end area.  After all, this was my "new" suit which, upon reflection, was a couple years old and probably had run its course in chlorinated water....

  After getting a good, close look at the garden, I decided it was perhaps past time to engage in some pruning. This is what it looked like before And this is what it looks like now It still looks a little on the wild side, but trust me,  it's definitely more under control. Since it's the 4th of July, I chose the All-American Vibes playlist from Amazon music, which, to my ears, includes a pretty eclectic selection of songs.  Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA.  Jimi Hendrix's National Anthem from Woodstock.  Gene Autry's Yankee Doodle Boy.  Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, subtitled The Angry American.  Simon and Garfunkle's and also Neil Diamond's America. Back to pruning.  I'm always hesitant to get out the shears and remove a vine or a spent blossom.  Every year, without fail, I check Google (this year utilized Chat GPT!) to ensure that it's okay to prune, then what and how to snip off.  I've made mistakes--pulling out...