What I do? (MTFSO Sent to you from Bahia, Brasil)

this is paramount to asking “who am I”.  What an awful question to ask a retired person; who lives in a country where language is difficult; who lives far from the lives of children and grandchildren; who, when moving to said foreign country, inherited a housekeeper and a gardener; and who is not the most adventuresome person.   Forcing me to face ‘what do I do?’  (God forbid I ask the question – Who am I?)

Life moves along, time passes quite rapidly, so there must be something of substance in those days, months, years.  I don’t watch daytime TV, nor languish on the sofa eating chocolates – so there must be something.  Just this last year I gave up my quasi job of quasi bookkeeping for a small Norwegian company – basically converting Portuguese expenses into English and into US$ reports for Corporate in Oslo.  The job was not at all a challenge and not particularly interesting but kept me in my own spending change for the past 7 years – I will miss the money.  Nothing is worse than having to routinely asking your husband for money so you can buy a jar of hand cream. 

I do spend too many hours on Facebook, and other computer oriented activities.  I drive into town to go to the gym and to run errands…grocery shopping and such (four or 5 hours per week).   I do cook, usually the midday meal which means that daily about two hours are taken care of.  Lets see, I sleep about 7 hours … so that is nine out of 24 …. Add in 3 hours on the computer and two or so on the veranda having coffee or a drink with Camillo listening in while he talks of his day and his contacts in the outside world. and, the average, 1 hour at the gym…  We are now up to 15 of 24 hours accounted for in a day – what happens to the other 9 hours per day? …. are you bored silly yet?

Trying to account for a day in the time of a retired person is a futile exercise.   If I pull back a bit, look at my time from a distance, I can add baking cookies, which I normally take to the gym so the young, slender girls are tempted with the calories  …Lol…and I will not.  I make jams and jellies as the fruits are in season – one of my favorite activities,  and I travel.  Some retired people play golf, or lunch at the country club and play cards, we travel. 

Usually, I have one or two trips a year to Houston / Adrian to visit family.  We take one major trip a year and that has pretty constantly been to Europe where we end up in Rome to visit Camillo only sister.  Along the way, we visit friends in different cities of Brasil and S. America.  Enjoying ourselves immensely, eating and tasting and being entertained.  Yes, if looked at from a distance life is pretty good.  

This week we have been in Salvador Bahia.  Camillo consulting, facilitating and entertaining, and I walking and taking photos and trying to keep myself busy.  (Hum!)  I do enjoy the taking photos part, finding treasures and enjoying new spaces, color and reflections.  And next week will be busy with editing and storing the photos.  Yes, If viewed from a distance Life IS Good.

Colors – this time of year are hard to find.

This time of year, the equivalent of the end of January in the Northern Hemisphere, is drab and dreary in the Nova Friburgo area.  The weather has been cold and wet, and now that the sun is shining it has been very dry.  Our tropical forest is in between blooming cycles, no flowering trees and the pines that surround the house are loosing their dry, brown needles.  Downtown the stores still have winter drab in their windows; browns, grays, and dark greens.  Yuck!    No new summer dresses in bright cheerful colors, no shoes to match.

My adjustment period, after returning from summer time in Houston and Adrian, is being hampered by all this drabness.  In Houston the storefronts were blinding in their colors. Shoes and shirts, dresses and household things, all in bright oranges and blues, greens and red, and displayed in groups of contrasting and complimentary colors.  All intended to catch your eyes, and help open your wallet…..

Oh how I am missing the shopping, the colors but mostly missing the family.

     

OOPS what happened to her dress? Changing out to new fall styles and colors – and forgot the 360’ view.

   And finally, from Nova Friburgo I spotted some complementary colors.

Around Rio - walking the beaches

From the edge of Copacabana (the Arpoador) to Alta Leblon the walk along the seawall takes about 45 minutes to an hour each way. The variation in the color of the sea and the sky makes the walk seem different each time I walk it. On either end is a pile of rocks with the sea often breaking up and over, sometimes appearing placid and restful, inviting sitting and reflecting. On Sundays the street next to the sea wall is closed to traffic and open to pedestrians - adding another layer of variety to what you can see.

Seascapes - Macae, RJ, Brasil

Carnival 2005

Okay so the one on the right is me! My carnival experience.