Curtis helping with retirement reflections

One of the things I'm really liking about retirement is that usually I don't have to get up at any set time. Most days I roll out of bed at 7-ish, make coffee, feed the cats, and think about breakfast. It's nice not to rush.

Today, as I was sipping coffee, I was noodling through the never-ending novel revisions, and almost covering my eyes while looking at CNN. But what caught my attention was Curtis looking out the window. He is an amazingly photogenic cat, but prone to looking at the me to see what I'm up to. It took several tries to get this photo. I just loved how the sunlight looked on his fur, and the reflection made me swoon.

It took a couple tries to get him settled down after I swapped lenses. Since we started with a Curtis photo, here's another, with him horrified at the snow. You can't tell from looking, but he had to lift his head up to look over the snow, and his chin left the cutest little marks behind. He always wants out so badly, saying he just wants to hunt for the hot buttered rodent he is sure is out there so he can contribute to the family economy, but we think he wants to hunt for better humans.

Here's a panorama taken at the same time to show all the snow piled up. Ignore the odd perspective at times, since it was taken with a really wide lens, and I hadn't intended at the time to do a panorama.

Yes, there was about a foot of snow out there. As of today it's almost all gone, but the garden is done for the year. It got down to -9 the other night. This photo is from before that, with these Pansys hanging in there. Today they are limp and dead.

So, the retirement thing seems to be going well. The trick for me is balancing busy and quiet times. It's seems like the busy times are really busy, and the quiet times are really quiet. I'm going into a another busy weekend, so I'm resting up. If that makes any sense.

I'm often a list making kind of guy, with the list usually short enough to be just in my mind. Lately I find it's easy to relax, especially with a cat wanting his lap, then realizing there was other stuff I wanted to do. I'm trying to get better at making a to do list. Yes, I know there are a zillion apps for that.

So for today, just for example and to amuse you:

• Do blog
• Order tix for photo talk on Friday
• Reserve a lens rental for WCA halloween party, and hopefully a model portrait shoot (Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art, if you're wondering.)
• Send newsletter cover ideas to WCA Linda .
• Note to WCA exec about VP2 position
• Pay landline bill (Yes, we still have a landline. It's worth the monthly cost to have a phone number to give to people I don't want to talk to. Plus, phone numbers are becoming an ID number. Buy something, and they don't ask for your name, they ask for your phone number. Not sure why that is.)
• Order coffee for home delivery
• Photowalk in Fish Creek.

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