AARP Membership

I was first invited to join AARP when I turned 55 - or maybe even earlier. I did, but then let the membership lapse. Every year I get a request to join again around my birthday, and this year was no exception. It was funny to get a “letter” from JoAnn Jenkins, the president of AARP. She was the chief operating officer at the Library of Congress when I started working there seventeen years ago. I had to make a presentation to the operating committee about the work I was doing in the infrastructure support services about performance measures and productivity. I found her to be very down to earth and more like the people I used to work with in health care administration - not like what you typically find in government offices. Not much was ever done with recommendations for improvement at the library. So I was not surprised when JoAnn moved to AARP because of her approach to work and her likability. The other reason I am so interested in AARP now is because our daughter in law, Kim Lankford, is their Medicare specialist and writes material for the digital magazine. Kim worked for Kiplinger - the “ask Kim” column - and has done a lot of freelance work, written books, and has appeared on a lot of finance shows. And I love to promote anything she writes on LinkedIn and Facebook. So I decided to join AARP for three years without auto renew. I’m looking forward to reading her articles and spreading the word about Kim. And, although I have no intention of going, I would get first dibs on tickets to a Rolling Stones concert since AARP is their sponsor. How funny is that?

Air Fryer Fried Chicken and House Autry Seasoned Coating Mix

I always loved fried chicken. But we never have it for obvious reasons. Making French fries got our attention and we finally got an air fryer a couple of weeks ago. We have been very pleased with the whole thing - shrimp, pizza, French fries, making prepackaged frozen items. It’s just so much easier than using the oven. I was going to use some breadcrumbs and a few spices to make some “fried chicken” until we came upon House Autry Air Fry spicy chicken seasoned coating mix at the grocery store. It had a heat level of 4 out of 5 peppers! The two skinless thin cut chicken breasts were first coated in an egg/water mix, then coated with the seasoned coating mix. They were then placed in the air fryer and cooked about 18 minutes on 350 degrees, and turned halfway through. We really like having a window on the fryer to watch the cooking process. Our air fryer is only four quarts, and if we continue to like this method of cooking we may opt for a larger fryer to accommodate larger pizza crusts as well as maybe cooking more than one item at a time. Even if it’s not the skin on old fashioned fried chicken, this option is good enough for us and would also be excellent as a sandwich. I rarely get excited about cooking anything but this makes it so much easier. And rather than having leftovers we make enough for a meal so everything is served fresh. Tonight we will be doing shrimp again - just enough for one dinner. Rather than get a frozen one pound bag to make a casserole we got a quarter pound of fresh shrimp. What could be better? 

Sold on Thin Optics

When I had cataract surgery in August and September, I knew I would need to start wearing readers. So I searched the internet to see what was available. I always hated seeing my husband constantly searching for his glasses. So I knew I would want something that was always right at hand. And there they were - Thin Optics. They are tiny nose pieces in a small case that attaches to your keychain or phone. My husband likes his key chain one so much that I got him another pair that he attaches to his phone in a tiny black case. That way he keeps one at his side during the day and always has a pair when he is out attached to his keys. When I had jury duty my husband came with me and read while waiting. A very distinguished gentleman approached him and asked him where he got his readers because he was so impressed with them. I also love how thin their sunglasses are. My daughter in law loved them. I’m just sorry they don’t come in half readers. To round out the glasses supply I also have very thin regular readers that come in a very flat case that I use when we go on trips, or when I need to see something that requires more stability on my face. I’m still not used to needing readers because I was always able to read tiny print. But if I need to wear them, these are clearly the best. And they are so light weight to boot. 

52Frames Nature Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject for the 52Frames photo challenge this week was “nature.”  I really like putting together composite photos and this week was no exception. I didn’t have anything specific in mind. So when we took a morning walk in the neighborhood park I just started to take photos of leaves and trees. I thought I liked the image of the sun peaking through bare tree trunks and branches, but then added a bit of painting to it. My husband didn’t care for it at all. That is never a good sign because the idea is to find an image that we both like. There was a lovely American Beech Tree with golden leaves that held promise. Then I remembered a deer photo we took a couple of months back. The main image needs to have been taken during the week of the challenge; and bits for a composite can be taken from elsewhere and/or taken during the same week. Since we didn’t see any deer this week I opted for a past image. So the black cages around the saplings were painted in and the house parts behind the trees were eliminated. The deer was isolated and placed under the canopy and some shade was added to make it look like it belonged there. Then it was cropped to move the trunk off center. A couple of the leaf pictures were okay, but we ended up uploading the composite. As our friend says, it doesn’t seem right any more to just take a photo. You need to create a composite. It’s always a fun project. 

Redbubble and Amazon Merch LITDigitalart Sales

I opened my LITDigitalart Etsy Shop around 2011 - primarily to paint custom pet portraits. Every time a portrait was completed, the digital image would then be uploaded to a variety of websites including Amazon Merch and Redbubble. Because the digital art industry has exploded over the last ten years, the competition is even more fierce. Luckily my living doesn’t depend on my art! So it is always a joy when I get a notice that an item that I painted was sold. Most recently Redbubble contacted me about a mug that was sold in Germany with the Westin’s portrait, and a t shirt was sold in Australia with the same image. It is amazing that people from all over the world not only see my work, but like it enough to purchase something. Then I received notice that two T-shirts were sold on Amazon Merch. What I loved about those T-shirts is that the image was of our beautiful pet Borzoi Tatiana. She was really the inspiration for painting pets and we have her portrait hanging in our home. My first request for a pet portrait was for a vizsla in Oregon. Over the years I’ve painted over three hundred. Every portrait is special and the customers are so great to work with during the entire process. I always liked drawing ever since I can remember. I never would have guessed I’d actually be selling it! 

Finally! Jury Duty Payment

Right in the middle of my cataract surgery in August/September, I was so lucky to get a jury summons. Given our history of DC jury duty, I was less than thrilled. Between my husband and I it seemed we were in the courthouse every year. When we moved to northern Virginia I was sent a generic jury duty questionnaire that I knew at the time I would most likely end up getting served. And so it goes. I had to postpone it to October and was even more lucky to get stuck on a criminal case that lasted the whole week. My husband made it all the more nicer by driving me in and staying all day. I would meet him for lunch and we would walk. He would read and observe his surroundings. On the last day he wasn’t able to make it, so I was on my own for the day of deliberations. In the end it seemed like a big waste of time because the defendant was found not guilty for domestic violence, assault and battery and rape because there was just not enough solid evidence. It was a very draining experience both physically and psychologically. After six weeks, the jury duty check finally arrived in the mail for two hundred dollars. It seems there must be a better way of doing things. Considering all the people that are put out by this experience the budget for all of this is astronomical when you consider all of the jury cases going on every day of the year across the country - only to have this kind of end result. I am just so happy that they can’t ask me to serve anymore due to age restrictions. Yes, it was an interesting experience, but I don’t want to have another one like it. 

A Stop at Yas Bakery

It’s that time of year again. Actually anytime we visit family in central Virginia we always stop by Yas Bakery in Vienna. They have the best Persian bakery products - especially baklava and cookies and honey doughnuts of sorts. But the best part is the pistachios - with saffron and without. And since my husband has tea every evening after dinner, we also need to pick up sugar cubes that are not exactly mass produced. They are smaller bits and pieces that don’t melt right away. He takes the sugar cube first and then sips the tea. The grocery store doesn’t stock sugar cubes anymore so this option is even better. He also loves a less sweet donut sort of cookie that reminds him of home. We found this place many years ago and used to drive in from

Capitol Hill. It’s the best treat to bring along to friends and acquaintances. There is also another Persian bakery in our neighborhood but it just doesn’t feel the same. If we are just going there for ourselves we usually pick up some

Flatbread or taftoun, Persian cucumbers and cherry jelly - and maybe some dried fruit. And for Christmas we have also found some fun tea cups. One of our friends reminds us every time we talk to him how much he loves them! Anyway, it’s a nice little shop and we love going there. And our relatives are really glad when we do. 

M

52Frames Third Time Weekly Warrior

I just received an email from 52Frames. It’s a weekly photo challenge project that I belong to - thanks to a friend of ours from the Midwest who introduced it to me during the pandemic. The idea is to take a photo each week based on a specific subject. The photo entered must be taken during that week. So I was reminded from 52Frames that this is another year that I have gone without missing a week. They always say it doesn’t matter about the quality. Sometimes it’s just about getting out there and taking an image of something even if you aren’t up to it. Luckily for me I have a wonderful husband who helps me all along the way. And best of all it gives us an excuse to ride in to town, or Old Town Alexandria, or Theodore Roosevelt Island, or anywhere else that might help us figure out a great setting for the particular subject. This is the third year that we have met the weekly expectation. We always take morning walks anyway, but this gives us a particular purpose. And I’ve actually learned a lot of new terms and improved my digital art skills at the same time - especially creating composite images. And best of all I’ve met a lot of interesting people from all over the world and the platform also serves as a social network for people who like to take photos. My iPhone is my camera so it’s stiff competition! Anyway, it’s been an interesting theee years and now there is a catalogue of all the activities we participated in. And four times my photos were selected as the top 52 for the week. I never would have expected that. So thank you Harold for introducing me to the project. It’s well worth it.