I recently read an article in the Gainesville Sun about how Sundays have changed over the years in our society......and it got me to thinking.  The older I get, it seems the more I think back and recall how it used to be.  

Do you remember how you spent Sundays as a kid?  Does it differ greatly from how you spend them now?

I'd have to say, that seventh day of the week hasn't changed all that much for me.  Maybe because I didn't want it to.  As a kid and also while raising my children, going to church was part of the Sunday morning ritual.  But once my kids were grown, I made a choice to no longer attend church, based on my individual beliefs.  However, even though that hasn't been part of my Sundays for many years, I've come to see that my Sundays haven't changed that much.

As a kid growing up in Beverly, Mass. till age seven, most Sundays were spent going to visit my Polish grandmother in Salem.  All of my father's brothers, their families and his one sister was there.  I remember gathering around the kitchen table for a large meal, usually a Polish dish like kielbasa and sauerkraut or pieogies, but many times it was a chicken dinner with the homemade soup being served first.  The men would gather in the "parlor" to play cards and talk.  The women would clean up the kitchen and then prepare to serve the coffee and desserts before sitting at the table to converse.  I remember always feeling disappointed that I had no girl cousins to play with.....only boys on my fathers side.  But on other Sundays we'd make the drive up to Epping, NH to visit my mom's family and although I was the oldest cousin in the family, at least there were girls to play with.  And we'd always come home loaded down with boxes of fresh vegetables from my grandfather's garden on the farm.

We moved to Ohio when I was seven,  and we had no family nearby.  Yet, I vividly recall that every single Sunday we'd go for a drive.  Sometimes to the car ferry that would take us across the Ohio River into Kentucky.  Other times, we'd spend the day at Coney Island.  So even though there wasn't extended family nearby and I had no siblings.....my family of three spent every Sunday together, doing something fun that we didn't do during the week.  When we returned to Mass. when I was 13, the family Sundays resumed again with the visiting and the dinners.

When I married and had my own children, Sundays still remained special.  That one day of the week there was no work, no school.  Just a lazy day to spend with family.  When my children were grown and gone, I was working as an RN part-time.  But except for when I worked in Critical Care, I made it clear I'd prefer not to work on Sundays.  It was still "my" day.....to leisurely read the paper, savor that second cup of coffee, just plain relax. 

And now I'm retired from the outside work world and I find that my Sundays haven't changed all that much from the time I was a child.  If I'm working on a current manuscript, Sunday is the one day I take off.  I seem to lounge around longer in the morning.  The day itself has the feel of a slower pace compared to the other days of the week.  I like it.  I welcome it.  And I know that this is one of the many things I love about France......Sundays are actually palpable in Paris.  Things slow down.  Most shops are closed.  Families are seen out together, in the parks, strolling the streets.  I remember the first time I experienced this in Paris in 1985.....witnessing a Sunday afternoon in Paris literally catapulted me back to my own childhood.  A day spent with family, where nothing else intervened.

I'm afraid we've lost much of that sweet, poignant time here in America.  Many have allowed cell phones, 24/7 jobs, isolation on the computer and a change in values to sever that very precious tie.  That one day of the week where things slow down, allowing us to rejuvenate, to reconnect not only with loved ones, but also with ourselves.  We're all busy running here and there the other six days and for many people, they've allowed themself to be robbed of that seventh day as well. 

Not me.........I refuse to give up a day that's always been special to me.  A day that allows me to slow down, take some deep breaths, do things I wouldn't normally do the other days.  A day that, I guess, has been ingrained in me from childhood.  And the older I get.........the more I come to realize, that's not such a bad thing.

See you here next time.........

. . . Here at Island Writer

You may have noticed a new page to the right on my sidebar titled "Sketching/Art Blogs."  And you may recall that last year I was in the process of learning on my own (with the help of books) to put together a travel sketchbook to capture spending my 60th birthday in Paris last March.  Well, this need to sketch hasn't gone away, so I've decided to pay some attention to it.

I've signed up to take three pen and ink classes next month at the Arts Center downtown.  And in preparation for that I found myself browsing various blogs that had to do with sketching and art.  Granted, I'll never be as good as most of them.  But they inspire me.  And like anything else, I've always found that sometimes surrounding yourself with like-minded people has a way of working a bit of osmosis.  (I'm hoping this will be the case)  And I'm "meeting" the most delightful, creative and talented people via the blogs I have listed on my new page.  Some live in California, one is in Tuscany and even one in my beloved Paris.  If you're interested in sketching or drawing, do pay them a visit.

And the photo you see above is my arrangement of "tools" that I hope will continue to increase my love for sketching.  I got myself some books to try and learn the basics.  I have my pencils, my micron pens, my watercolor pencils and watercolor paints, erasers and plenty of sketchbooks.  The one in the photo is the ongoing one I'm doing from my Paris birthday last year.  I also have the enthusiasm to go with all the tools.  I guess it's only a matter of time before I find out if I have any skill to add. 

But ya know what?  I'm really not concerned about the skill.  I'm just plain enjoying all of it.  Sitting down and focusing on something and then using hand and eye coordination to try and capture it with a pen or pencil on paper.  It's fun, enjoyable and relaxing.  I don't care if it's "good."  Years ago though, I would have.  A lot.  Perhaps that's why I never attempted it until recently.

I know I've always been "creative."  Writing is something I've been doing since I was a small child and that love not only grew, but it improved over the years.  Although I can't play a musical instrument to save my life or carry a tune......I have always resonated with music.  The same goes for dance.  Years ago I spent many enjoyable hours doing counted cross stitch and all of you here know I returned to knitting four years ago.....and now, there's no stopping me.  And photography......another love that goes back many years.  I became so captivated with photography that I took a few courses in college and it only made me love it more.  And now.....now there seems to be a need, a pull, deep inside of me to create with a pen or pencil and a bit of color.  Maybe that need was always there, just like the other artistic things I've enjoyed.  But maybe, I didn't think I "could." 

Strange, isn't it?  How we reach a certain age and all of a sudden.........all things become very possible.  I'll keep you posted on this.

See you here next time..............

Ray turned 65 on December 8, so we've been getting bombarded with material in the mail concerning Medicare, Medicare supplements, the Medicare D prescription plan, etc. 

He retired from Continental Airlines 3 years ago this month but during these 3 years we've both been covered by the wonderful health insurance that Continental provided.  Since he was management with the company, we haven't had to pay one penny for premiums these past 3 years.  Due to his accrued, unused sick time, it was all paid for.  And for me as well.  And I am also covered for the next 5 years, until I turn 65.  Yes, it's a terrific benefit and believe me I know it and I'm very grateful for it.  But although we continue to have my health coverage for the next five years as free with no payments, it now became time to figure out Ray's health insurance.

Having been an RN in home health care, doing mainly Medicare visits, I understand the system pretty well.  But I have to tell you, as I sat down to actually read about this supplement and that supplement, my head quickly began spinning.  From doing recent research (mainly on very savvy blogs) I knew we didn't want to go with an Advantage plan.  From what I could understand, it seemed to be similar to the Humana plan I vividly recall some of my patients had years ago, and I remember how many had wished they hadn't enrolled in that plan.  So right away, I threw out any material pertaining to that kind of plan.

I went through this four years ago when my aunt moved in with us.  She had Medicare and her supplement from Massachusetts was no longer effective living in Florida, so I had to find her a new one.  I ended up going with BCBS of Florida and was never sorry.  So that's what we've decided on for Ray's coverage as well.

I read it all carefully and there are three different levels available.  Each level costs more for the premium.  But we decided to go with the middle one.  It's $183 per month, but......there's no deductible at all.  It pretty much will cover all that Medicare doesn't, including lab tests, x-rays, etc.  And....very important for us.....this particular level of the plan also covers "foreign travel."  Some of you will recall Ray's hospital stay in Paris just 2 months ago. BUT.....the very best perk on this particular plan......the premium rate of $183 per month is locked in!  YES!  Locked in forever.  No matter how many claims are submitted, no matter how many times you're in the hospital, etc.  The rate stays the same till you die.  Now that alone, to me, is certainly worth it.  So if any of you will be pouring through all this healthcare material in the near future, DO make sure you investigate for a plan in your state/area that offers this.

For the Medicare D Prescription plan, we've gone with the one AARP is advertising on television.  The level we chose will cost $29 something per month.  From what I could see, it was a good plan and covers just about most of the meds one might need.

It's a LOT of work pouring through all of this and one must read, and REread all of the information to be sure you understand it correctly.  My friend, Alice, over at Wintersong also has a very informative entry on her blog pertaining to this subject.  Pop over and read about her Medicare maze.

So as much as I thought I knew and understood about Medicare supplements during my nursing career, even I had to sit and slowly digest all of it.  Well.....the good news is, that in five years, well heck, maybe I'll be a pro at this stuff.

See you here next time.......

This is my library card.  I got it when I moved to Cedar Key almost 3 years ago.  Trust me, there IS a connection between my blog title today, The Simple Life, and this card.

I remember being in my 30's and 40's and going to visit my mother and her sister, my Aunt Marie.  I never left their house without taking something home.  Little things, meaningful things, sometimes useless things.  A magazine or book my mother was finished reading.  A package of cookies, because my mom bought too many.  A pair of ear rings I'd admired and my mom said she no longer wore.  A vase or other decoration from my aunt's house, along with jewelry she also claimed to have not worn in years.   Photographs my aunt thought I should now have. 

Many of the things they gave me became my own treasures and I was thrilled they were passing them on.  But turning 60 this year has caused me to contemplate a lot of things, rethink certain things, gain new insight.  And I now realise that what they were doing, either knowingly or unknowingly, was simplifying their lives.  Paring down.  Cutting back.  I've come to feel (from conversations with other women in my age group) that it seems to be a natural phenomenon.  A cycle that most women gravitate toward.  So this year I began thinking back over the past 3 years and realized that unknowingly or maybe consciously, I've been doing the exact same thing.  Making life simpler.  Less frills.  Less stressing over this or that.  Less focus on material things. 

I'd have to say that moving to this island was the first major step in this direction for me.  Yes, we have central heat and air and all the other modern conveniences.  But moving here decreased many things I'd always been so used to.  Things I thought at one time, "I couldn't live without."  Like twice monthly appointments at the nail salon for acrylic nails.  Entire days spent at the Mall shopping.  A wide array of restaurants for Saturday evenings out.  Moving here took away these "things."  I knew it would.  I now think I unconsciously welcomed it.  I welcomed a cutting back, a letting go in favor of other things that suddenly seemed to be much more important to me.  Like knowing my neighbors, walking downtown and stopping every few steps to chat with people I knew, sunsets and sunrises that took my breath away, a serene peacefulness that restored my energy and my inspiration.  I was willingly ready to make these exchanges. 

Books have always been something near and dear to me and I have numerous bookcases and book shelves to prove it.  As a young child and teen, I owned some books but the bulk of my reading came from the library.  I can still recall that old, architecturally beautiful Salem Library on Essex Street.....Many a day I spent there wandering the aisles, with ghosts of the past hovering above and aromas of ancient books filling the air.  But somewhere along the line, I stopped visiting libraries and started purchasing my own books.  Many books I'll never part with.....with their highlighted passages and notes in the margins.....but over this past year, it occurred to me that I'm giving away more and more books.  Not because I feel I "should" but because I just simply "want" to.  And it also occurred to me that if I'm beginning to "let go" a little, there's no need to keep adding to the stock.  So a couple of weeks ago I visited the Cedar Key Library downtown and used that card for probably only the second time in 3 years. 

Now I won't say that I'll never purchase another book, because just this past week I did purchase a few non-fiction ones.  Books that I know I won't want to give away.  Ones that I'll hold on to.  But I also discovered that like many places here on the island, the library isn't just a place to take out books....it's also a venue for socializing. 

So how about you?  If you're over age 50, do you find yourself cutting back, letting go, giving away?  It's a freedom of sorts, in my mind.  A freedom to enjoy all that's yet to come without so much "baggage" attached to it.  And it's also given me the insight to realize more and more to focus on those really important things vs those material things.  To be aware of all that is authentic and lasting.  Things that touch my soul. 

See you here next time......