How to fill time in retirement

With the current situation of the coronavirus and all the closures to places I like to frequent, I find reading is one thing that can be done without much concern. Luckily I made it to the library before they closed and was able to pick up five more books. June 1 was the return date regardless if when checked out. I continue on my book reading quest. This year, 2020, I have already completed nine books. My goal for the year is 24 which I should be able to reach easily. So here are the latest reads... Extra #1: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void is a non-fiction work by science author Mary Roach. Previously, I had reviewed two other books by Roach and I have found her a delight to read. She has a great sense of humor and enjoys to share, and in this novel it was at it's finest. Published in August 2010, Packing for Mars was recognized in "Amazon's Best Books" of that month, it quickly became a #6 New York ...

With everything I like to do closed due to the coronavirus including bars, Zoo, beaches and more, I decided to start a small vegetable garden at home. I had an area that was full of cement squares to create a patio that I never used. Through the years nature had taken it over with weeds and vines. I wish I had taken a before photo. My first goal was to remove all the blocks (about 36) from the area and then rake and hoe the area to remove all the vegetation. This took me the first day and I will admit my back was sore from all the bending. When you get over 60 and retire, that means very little bending. Most of the bending I do is at the elbow at the local watering hole. I had a deck that Tom helped me build years ago, and a privacy fence that my cousin Steve and I  put in after that. At each stage, I took three photos of the area. The 1st is looking West, the 2nd is looking southwest and the 3rd is looking southeast. I put in a row of the cement blocks where the roof ends....

I wanted to continue posting about my trip to Shelburne Museum last fall. Next stop was the Circus Building and carousel, favorite attractions for families visiting the Museum.  I took this photo after leaving the Round Barn. The fanciful, horseshoe-shaped Circus Building (on the left in photo) was specifically designed to showcase the hand-carved miniature Arnold Circus Parade, which stretches nearly the full length of the building’s 518 feet. An operating vintage carousel operates just outside the Circus Building (weather permitting) between May 1 and October 31. I have included a map of the Shelburne Museum grounds. My first post was about the Round Barn located at the bottom center of the map. The Circus Building and Carousel are just to the West of that. The spruce and cedar Circus Building was conceived in the 1950s, completed in 1965, and completely renovated in 2008.  The Circus Building is also where you will find enchanting, hand-painted carousel...

This past year on my driving trip to Vermont I made a stop at the Shelburne Museum located in Shelburne Vermont. My first trip there was back when I was a Junior High student on a field trip. My dad liked to visit the place so I vaguely remember a few family trips too. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in Vermont, and maybe visit even if you live there. I had joined a local museum here in Melbourne which got me into Shelburne for free. It was a beautiful day and I took loads of pictures. My first stop was the round barn. From the web page: "The Museum’s eighty-foot-diameter Round Barn is one of only two dozen built in the state. Round barns, designed for economy of labor, were first built by Massachusetts Shakers in 1826 and were re-introduced by a national farm magazine in 1896. "Shelburne Museum’s Round Barn was constructed in East Passumpsic, Vermont, in 1901 and moved to the Museum in 1985-86. Much of it was dismantled and moved on flatbed trucks, but the 9...