A Life of Leisure

I’m struggling with an unfamiliar problem – too much leisure. It’s stressing me out. I looked at my calendar this morning and saw that the only activity on my schedule today was going to the gym.  The same was true yesterday, the day before, and it's true for tomorrow as well.  There’s no class at GMU, no session at the glass studio, and no one to make dinner for.  What’s a hyperactive person to do? 

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip to the gym this morning because my knee was still bothering me.  At yesterday’s Fitness after Fifty class (designed for people of my generation who are slowly falling apart), my instructor, Laura, showed us how to use a type of suspension equipment called TRX.  It reminded me a bit of a trapeze in the circus, but that didn’t deter me.  I was fine with the back rows, chest press, and chest flies, but then came the squats.  “Some people avoid squats because they have knee problems,” Laura noted as she demonstrated regular squats and sumo squats.  Yes, and I’ve known for many years that I’m one of those people, but did I let that keep me from trying?  No way!  I tossed off two sets of both kinds of squats, hoping I’d outgrown my knee problems.  Not surprisingly, that turned out to be wishful thinking as the twinges in my knee began a few hours later.

These are examples of people using TRX equipment.

One way I’ve been filling my time is by reading.  On my coffee table is a book of writings (essays, short stories, and poems) by Jorge Luis Borges.  This isn’t exactly light summer reading, but I’m trying to prepare for the trip to Buenos Aires and he was the only Argentine author I could find whose books have been translated into English.  Although it’s slow going, I was pleased to find one of the new vocabulary words I acquired in my Renaissance art class in an essay by Borges entitled “The Vindication of the Cabala.”  He was referring to an ancient Hebrew text and used the word “boustrophedon” to describe the practice of manuscript writing where lines alternate between right-to-left and left-to-right. Just so you know, the word is derived from ancient Greek for “ox” and “turn.”  If you think of the course an ox takes as it plows a field, you’ll be able to visualize the pattern.  In art history, you can see this type of sequencing in Giotto’s St. Francis cycle of fresco panels in the Bardi Chapel in Santa Croce in Florence.  Check it out! 

One wall of the Bardi Chapel with frescoes by Giotto

When I’m not getting excited about obscure vocabulary words in esoteric essays, I’m finding that there are plenty of homeowner type activities to do.  Before the temperatures soared up to the 90s, I did some gardening, by which I mean yanking out weeds (at least what I hope are weeds) and wielding clippers to trim the overgrown azaleas and holly bushes.  As an incentive, I even bought myself a big plastic trash can with wheels, which made this activity sort of fun. 

Another house project occupying my time is definitely not fun.  The house needs a new roof.  So I’m busy checking recommendations, contacting roofers, getting estimates, choosing shingles, mulling over the final decision – and feeling sick to my stomach, when I think of the cost and how many trips that money could have financed. 

On a positive note, there’s plenty of time for cooking and experimenting with new recipes.  The latest recipe I tried came from Joan Nathan cookbook, King Solomon’s Table.  Kukusa is an Azerbaijani version of frittata, and it was delicious.  I made it with spinach, scallions, Vidalia onions, and fresh herbs (dill and cilantro).  Turmeric gave it a distinctive flavor and a golden color.  I served it to my friend Kathy today for lunch, along with crudités, hummus with za’atar, feta, olives, and a Moroccan carrot salad. 

Another dish I recently made is shakshuka, a popular breakfast or dinner dish in Israel.  It’s basically a thick tomato and vegetable sauce with eggs poached on top.  It can be seasoned to taste with herbs, spices and hot peppers.  At the hands-on Hadassah event a week or so ago, my group used onions, sweet red pepper, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, and parsley in the sauce.  Other groups added different seasonings, such as jalapeño peppers and oregano.  One nice thing about shakshuka is that you can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to eat, simply warm the desired amount sauce in a skillet and slide the eggs on top.  Cover and simmer until the eggs are set.

Of course, I’m enjoying the extra time to write.  And now that I’ve finished writing this post, I have the luxury of sitting back with a glass of iced ginger peach tea and considering what to do next.  Maybe I’m getting used to this life of leisure after all. 

Moving On

Now that Portrait of Elliott is finished, it’s time to move on to a new phase in my life.  I hadn’t anticipated this sense of liberation.  Now that the self-imposed pressure is off, I feel so much more relaxed than I have in many years.  At the same time, though, there’s a big gap in my life as far as writing is concerned.  Of course, I’ll continue with the blog, but I need a new project to replace Portrait.  I may try writing about my mother.  I’ve thought so much recently about her failing memory and my desire to keep memories of her alive.  

Since the completion of the book coincided with the end of the semester at GMU, my days are relatively unstructured.  It’s a very unfamiliar situation, and I’ve quickly learned to appreciate it.  Finally, I have time to catch up with family and friends.  I have time to try new recipes, too.  A few days ago, I made a great Yemenite lentil soup from a recipe in Joan Nathan's latest cookbook, King Solomon's Table.  Last night, I cooked up some fresh rhubarb with orange zest and strawberries.  I'm sure it will be delicious over plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream.  

rhubarb recipe from Lynda Rosenfeld

And with all this new flexibility in my schedule, I can do things more spontaneously, such as today’s activity, i.e. taking my mother out to celebrate National Donut Day.

Katie chose a double chocolate donut at Dunkin' Donuts.

Moving on to a new phase in life doesn’t necessarily mean moving out of my house. At a time when so many of my contemporaries are downsizing, I considered several factors before I decided to stay right here in my suburban single family home.  I certainly love the neighborhood (the neighbors, the trees in my yard, the path through the nearby woods, the proximity to Trader Joe’s, my familiarity with the area).  And although I could easily live in 1/3 the space I currently inhabit, I can’t imagine leaving the kitchen that I designed just a few years ago.  Another factor in favor of staying is my sheer stubbornness, a personal quality Elliott and I shared.  In other words, unless something monumental happens to force me out, I’m not budging. 

Now that I’ve made that decision, I’m focusing my attention on work that needs to be done to the house.  There are some minor repairs and upgrades that I can do myself.  However, there are also some big projects on the horizon, such as roofing and painting.  I suppose I’ll have to do some research and get some recommendations.  I can just hear Elliott muttering, get three estimates, ask if they can give you a better price, tell them you’re 100 years old.  In the past, he had always taken the lead in dealing with contractors, and he was a master at bargaining.  Now it’s up to me, and I’m non-confrontational to a fault. If someone gives me a price, I don’t question it. 

However, I did have a major accomplishment over the past weekend: I assembled a piece of furniture, a standing desk from Ikea, which I plan to use for my writing.  Elliott would have been proud of me.  I checked off the contents of all the boxes and laid them out before I began.  Out of 39 steps in the instruction manual, I was able to complete all except the final step, which didn’t seem to have any bearing on the functionality of the desk.  I placed the two unused screws in the desk drawer in case I ever need them.  Of course, the assembly process would have been a lot easier if I’d found Elliott’s power drill before, rather than after, doing the project.  My kindly neighbor, Bud, taught me the trick of using a pair of pliers to turn the screw.  And as far as fitting the two main sections of the desk together, I struggled until I remembered watching Elliott use a rubber mallet when facing a similar problem.

As far as the outdoors goes, my garden isn’t looking very impressive, but that’s to be expected.  My gardening skills are nil.  For example, about a month ago, I saw some new some new green stuff growing in the flowerbed out front. Assuming they were weeds, I yanked them up.  A couple of weeks later, I realized that I’d mistakenly pulled up a bunch of perennials that get pretty white flowers.  Although I appreciate beautiful landscaping, I simply don’t have the motivation to do the work.  It’s sort of like pet ownership.  I love other people’s dogs and cats but I’m never going to be a dog or cat owner. 

Before I forget, here’s a garden problem that I haven’t been able to solve.  What can I do about the teeny tiny oak tree-lets that grew from the acorns dropped by the towering oaks that were cut down this past winter?  They’re popping through the ground cover and azalea bushes.  I’ve tried pulling them out, but those roots are so stubborn! 

This time last year, I was preparing for my big trip to Vienna and Budapest.  Looking back, I think that solo trip was my declaration – to myself, to the world, to anyone who cared – that I was a competent and capable independent woman.  And now, a year later, as I prepare for another big adventure, I realize that I no longer have to prove myself.  The main reason for my upcoming trip is to spend time with Elisa and her family in Argentina.  Since our seasons are reversed, I have to take winter clothes.  Also on the packing list are gifts for Sylvie, including several children’s books in Spanish.  And that reminds me – I’d better use some of my free time to review my Spanish!  This new phase of my life is starting to get busy.