Radically Retired

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  • Happiness Is … A Tomato Festival

    Happiness Is … A Tomato Festival

    On the August (Saskatchewan Day) long weekend, two of my sisters (the third one was feeling unwell, so unable to join us) and I attended the third annual Tomato Festival, sponsored by the Regina Farmers Market group.

    A pit stop before the event. We wore matching shirts decorated with tomatoes

    This was the first time any of us had attended the event and we decided it won’t be the last.

    There were over seventy vendors, most selling freshly picked garden produce. There were others with everything from jewelry made from silver spoons, to honey, to baking – if it was home made or hand made, it was there.

    One of many vendors selling the stars of the show
    My sis next in age to me
    My baby sis
    Moi – The eldest and the shortest

    One vendor had some cute signs for his produce:

    They were plump and sweet
    Some of his beans were in a crock pot

    The event was held in the stunning Queen Mary II Flower Gardens, adjacent to our province’s legislative building. Although I’ve been there many times, I’ve never had a photo of myself there. Now I do.

    The day was forecast to be extremely hot, so we were there when the festival opened and finished our shopping by the end of the morning.

    I purchased all of the ingredients I needed for the borscht (beet soup) that I make every summer for our mom. It’s her favourite soup, and we arrived home early enough for me to get the borscht made in my Instant Pot.

    A healthy haul
    Everything is washed and ready
    Chopped just the right size
    Borscht, accompanied by whole wheat sourdough bread that I also bought at Tomato Fest

    It was a “perfect in every way” kind of day.

  • Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection

    Friday Freestyling … Reflection Perfection

    On recent morning walks, there has been virtually zero wind. This is a rarity in these parts.

    Besides adding to the comfort and the peacefulness of my morning power walks, the reflections on the river have been outstanding.

  • Read My Sign … If You Can

    Read My Sign … If You Can

    Curacao 2013

  • Happiness Is … Achievement

    Happiness Is … Achievement

    After four years of learning and after making several hundred macarons, I came to a place where they were almost right.

    Through trial and error, I recently made a couple of tweaks to the process that solved everything.

    I was mixing my merengue too fast, and was stopping just short of correct macronage (mixing the merengue with the dry ingredients).

    My feature photo is of the batch I made with the technique adjustments.

    Macaron bakers are always in pursuit of four things: smooth shells, pretty feet, perfect texture (blend of slightly crispy shells and slightly chewy interior), and full shells (no hollows). Bingo! I got them all!

    After one day of maturing in fridge

    I’m completely happy with everything about these, and going forward, will apply what I’ve learned.

    As I’ve stated in previous posts, I have an ocd-ish personality. To finally get these right, frees up brain space to focus on something else.

    Hmmm … maybe my guitar?

  • Friday Freestyling … A Fave Sammy

    Friday Freestyling … A Fave Sammy

    Do you shorten the word sandwich to “sammy”?

    In favour of lazy lingo, we’ve done this for ages.

    What’s your fave sammy?

    Ours is the home-made BLT. We prefer home-made because we can be sure the bacon is thick cut, lower fat, and warm. There’s just something about this crunchy, soft, savoury, tart, warm and cold, combined meat and salad sandwich that satisfies so many sensory food experiences at the same time.

  • Read My Sign – Crazy is as Crazy Does

    Read My Sign – Crazy is as Crazy Does

    I smile every time we have an overnight stay in Mineral Wells, TX and read this sign.

  • Happiness Is … Earning Rewards

    Happiness Is … Earning Rewards

    I hinted at this in a previous post and it finally arrived last week!

    The Moment 240 mm mobile lens was yet another reward for myself.

    On May 11, I achieved three smoke-free years after an almost 54 year habit.

    Each year on my anniversary, I spoil myself with items from various wish lists. This year, it was the mobile phone camera gear list that got fulfilled.

    This lens works with the 4x native zoom in my iPhone and creates a true optical 8x zoom.

    The phone does have an 8x zoom, but it’s not a true optical zoom, so although great photos can be captured with that, there are a few issues with clarity – especially with birds and wildlife.

    After I’ve practiced more with this lens and my new mini tripod (if it’ll hold the weight of my phone with this lens attached), I’ll share a few photos in a future post.

    For size reference, here’s the lens in my hand:

    It’s well made and heavy, so a tripod (which I supplied from my wish list ahead of the arrival of the lens) is definitely needed.
  • Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”

    Friday Freestyling “Muse-ical”

    Do you use photos to guide your posts?

    Sometimes, a blogger will write that they’ve run out of ideas for a post, or that their writing well has run dry.

    Something that always works for me is to review my thousands of photos.

    There’s almost always an idea amongst them.

    Yes, I take lots of photos. I’ve done that since I was a teenager and was gifted my first camera.

    Photography to me is a magical hobby where I can explore the world either close up or from a distance. Looking for subjects while I’m out for my walks, while we’re out for a drive or on vacation, or even when I’m just hanging out in the house keeps me grounded in the present.

    Almost all of my photos are time and date stamped, so they’re also the diary of my life.

    Whenever I wonder about a future blog post, I just go to my Amazon photos and start browsing. Before too long, a photo or group of photos (from the over 8,000 I have stored there) will turn on a lightbulb and away I go.

    My photo muses lead the way.

  • Read My Sign – Hot Topics

    Read My Sign – Hot Topics

    This is an extremely controversial proposed project in our area. These signs are posted everywhere.

  • Happiness Is … Pocket-sized Gear

    Happiness Is … Pocket-sized Gear

    The 8x zoom on my iPhone 17pro requires either a very steady hand or a tripod. Macro and night photography require the same.

    I have a full-sized tripod in Texas. Here at home, I have a compact table top tripod. Neither of these is of any use to me when I’m out for my morning walks because I choose to not carry anything with me besides my house keys, my phone, and my headset. If it isn’t light weight and doesn’t fit in a fanny pack, my jacket pocket or the slim pockets of my exercise pants, it doesn’t go with me.

    Recently, while searching other phone camera gear on Amazon, I came across this tripod made by Lamicall that folds flat. When folded up, it’s thinner than my phone, and isn’t much bigger overall than the palm of my hand.

    I read the reviews and when anything I’m interested in has a 4.5 out of 5 star reviews from many customers, I’m interested. This little gadget met my requirements in every way, so I ordered it.

    The tripod sets up quickly and easily (instructions are included but not required). It includes a strong extra magnet to attach to the back of the phone case. The magnet on the tripod itself is very strong, and held my phone easily, but I attached the extra magnet for additional security.

    With a slight tilt back, it doesn’t tip and can also be attached to standard tripods.

    The day after it arrived and a day later, I gave it a test run on my morning walks.

    Because I was the only one out at that early hour, I had to be my subject. Modeling is definitely not in my skill set nor in my comfort zone. That said, I was anxious to try out my new gadget, so pose I did.

    Trying to pose a “candid” shot
    The shadows were strong on this bright morning

    For both of the above photos, I used the timer for shutter release.

    The next two photos are the same scene. I used the new tripod and a wireless bluetoothed shutter release.

    Shot at 1x
    Same scene shot at 8x

    I’m anxious to see how it works when my next gear item arrives.

    Can you guess what that might be?

    **Note: I’m not affiliated with, nor do I get paid by the brands/web sites I mention in my posts. I simply hope to pre-answer any possible questions about the gear I use.