2023 Recap

 2023

Good

Travel, fun activities, new experiences,  and things I never had time for before.

• February visit from the Munich contingent
• June Munich Trip
• August visit of the Young One
  
• October Munich Trip
• Digitized Kids cassette tapes and got some doozies 
• Digitized some live DR.WA and D.W.I shows, 50/50 good/horrible
• Digitized the Basement Tape (Originals), tight band, but one mic recording does not great audio make
  
• Digitized some Parker attic tapes, some funny bits
  
• Fleet week Parade of Ships, nice morning out
• Spring Tulip picking at Holland Ridge Farms
• Fall Sunflower picking at Holland Ridge Farms
  
• Gingerbread Garage
• 2022 Mead is improving
• Made a 1/2 batch of Maple Mead, expected to improve
• tomato and zucchini yields were very good
  
• Saw meteors from the Geminid shower with friends
• Saw seals off the south shore
  
• Christmas Fair at the Deutschers Club 
• Attic Insulation
• Sumo tournaments
• Le Tour
• Keyport Fishery dinners
• Conference House Pavilion
   

Not So Good

Not looking hard for bad things, but these stuck out.

• Got bad COVID in August
• Dog died while we were sick with COVID
• Root Canals
• Fall Shoulder Impingement
• Continued lies and slow de-evolution back into the 1950s, which was not great for most people.
  

 

 

2023 Books Read

 Books, books, books

1. Do unto Others, Donna Leon (DL)
2. The Darkest Evening, Ann Cleeves
3. The Man who Died Twice, Richard Osman (RO)
   
4. The Long Call, Ann Cleeves (AC)
   
5. Knives (book about knives, a downstairs book)
6. Dr. No, Ian Flemming (IF)
7. The Cheltenham Square Murder, John Bude
8. Agatha Raisin Down the hatch M.C. Beaton
9. The Shooting at Chateau Rock Martin Walker (MW)
   
10. Monsieur Pamplemouse Secret Mission, Michael Bond (MB)
11. MP On the Spot, MB
12. The Coldest Case, MW
13. MP Aloft, MB
14. Goldfinger, IF
15. The Heron's Cry, AC
16. Travel is my Business, Raymond Chandler (RC)
    
17. Blade of Light, Andrea Calmeri
18. Playback, RC
19. Put on by Cunning, Ruth Rendell
20. Death of a Green Eyed Monster, M.C. Beaton
21. The Safety Net, AC
22. For Your Eyes Only, IF
23. The Rising Tide, AC
24. Pamplemouse Stands Firm, MB
25. The Sicilian Method, AC
26. The Killing Tide, AC
27. An Elderly Lady is up to no good, Helene Turster (HT)
    
28. The 12:30 from Croyden, Freeman Wills Croft
29. The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly, Margareta Magnusson
30. Swedish Death Cleaning, 
31. In the Shadow of Agatha Christie, multiple short stories of other female Christie cohort, a downstairs book
32. Happy the Land, Louise D. Rich
33. The Cook of the Halcyon, AC
34. An Elderly Lady must not be crossed, HT
35. Thunderball, IF
36. Secret Life of Cows, Rosamund Young
37. Road Rage, Ruth Rendell
38. The Bullet that Missed, RO
39. London Bridge is Falling Down, Christopher Fowler
40. Maigret and the Dead Girl, Georges Simeon (GS)
41. Maigret's Vacation, GS
42. Maigret at the Coroners, GS
43. Mr. Grapefruit on Location,  MB
44. Riccardino, AC
45. So Shall you Reap, DL
46. Chewing the Fat, Jay Rayner
47. Murder in Old Bombay, Nev March
    

2022 Recap

 Another year of Covid, but still good outweighed the bad

Good

• retired in August
  
• a granddaughter in September
  
• a trip to Munich after Oktoberfest
• tulip picking at Holland Ridge farm
• a new tax man
  
• viewing NYC parade of ships (Fleet week)
  
• sumo tournaments
• Le Tour
• consistent 5 days a week exercise routine post retirement
  
• Foraging class at the Conference House as a BD gift
• trips to Conference House and Mt. Loretto parks
• get together with friends (K&M)
• get together with a cousin and his wife (J&Y)
• touched base with people from past workplaces.
  
• expanded take out (sushi, ramen, Chinese, shake shack)
• trips to Keyport Fishery
• 42 garlic bulbs harvested
• seeing seals off the Staten Island's coast with friends (G&D)
  

Bad

• Continued Covid
• People not wearing masks
• Uncle in Michigan aging and getting lost
• Ukraine war
  
• Volunteering postponed
• Supreme Court tossing out precedent (Roe v Wade)
  
• a trip to Michigan to sort out an Uncle's single wide trailer
• Spotted Lantern flies
  
• the economy
  

Fixed/Made/Improved

• small metal shelf under basement stairs
• replaced dryer control panel face-plate
• replaced kitchen sink spray hose
• re-glued 2 dining room chair legs
• extended life of backyard gate
  
• new toilet fill valves and flappers up and down
• kitchen faucet seals replaced
• bottle opener from railroad spike
• made a gallon of mead (just OK, maybe it will improve with age)
• made a 2'x2' soil screener
• made a small wood shelf
• cleaned and lubricated a bathroom vent fan motor
• created a gingerbread house, with just simple royal icing decorations
• made broom attachment for a Scott's garden handle
• made another carpenter bee trap
• re-soldered distortion box wires
• installed guard for table saw
• cleaned and repainted Japanese Lanterns
• fixed an old white-noise sleep bear
• made a personal fan using a box fan
• refinished BBQ grill handle and BBQ table top
• ash basket for grill, easier to clean out ash prior to each use
  
• planted 2 new peony(dwarf and blueish) and tulips
  

Songs Learnt

• Black coffee, Julie London
• a  few Grateful Dead songs
• Carpe diem, Aldebert
  
• Two of us, When I'm 64, Yellow Submarine, Beatles
• Miles Beyond, Mahavishnu Orchestra
• Josie, Steely Dan
• Caught in a dream, Be my Lover, Alice Coopoer
  

 

2022 Books

 This year there were some new characters and a new series to read, the Ian Fleming James Bond collection.

 Mr. Croft and Mr. Bude(real name Ernest Carpenter Elmore) were crime writers in the early 1900s and it is interesting to compare how investigations were done in the old days, in books anyway.

Most of the books this year were murder mysteries/investigations and for the most part were set in Italy (17 of 39 by authors Donna Leon, Andrea Camilleri andAntonio Manzini). 

I believe I read Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene again this year, though I did not write it down. It may have been over the summer. If I did it will have been the 13th reading.

1.     Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

2.     The Talent of Mr. Varge, Alexander McCall Smith (AMS)

3.     Drawing Conclusions, Donna Leon (DL), Inspector Guido Brunetti

4.     Full Dark House, Christopher Fowler, A Peculiar Crimes Unit Novel

5.     The Seagull, Ann Cleaves

6.     Falling in love, DL

7.     The Wings of the Sphinx, Andrea Camilleri (AC), Inspector Montalbano

8.     The Hog’s Back Mystery, Freeman Wills Croft, Inspector French

9.     Black Diamond, Martin Walker (MW)

10.  The Track of Sand, AC

11.  Trace Elements, DL

12.  Potters Field, AC

13.  The Devil’s Cave, MW

14.  Adams Rib, Antonio Manzini (AM), Inspector Rocco Schiavone, pot smoking inspector based on Inspector Montalbano

15.  Scarlet Fever, Rita Mae Brown, DNF

16.  Out of Season, AM

17.  Aunt Poldi and the Lost Madonna, Mario Giordano (MG)

18.  Dance of the Seagull, AC

19.  Upstream, Dan Heath

20.  Angela’s Smile, AC

21.  The Sussex Downs Murder, John Bude, 1930s novel

22.  Casino Royale, Ian Fleming (IF)

23.  Live and Let Die, IF

24.  Transience Destiny, DL

25.  A Voice in the Night, AC

26.  Moonraker, IF

27.  Pyramid of Mud, AC

28.  Death of Sea, AC

29.  Hello Everyone Again, Gail’s book

30.  The Overnight Kidnapping, AC

31.  Diamonds are Forever, IF

32.  The Resistance Man, MW

33.  From Russia with Love, IF

34.  We Took to the Woods, L. D. Rich, book from Allie

35.  Unexplained Deaths, Bruce Goldfarb, about Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962) and her crime scene dioramas

36.  Sumo, David Benjamin

37.  Monsieur Pamplemousses, Michael Bond, first book in the series

38.  The Other End of the Line, AC

39.  Montalbano’s First Case and Other Stories, AC

2021 Recap

 2021 was another year of Pod living.  Here are the highlights.

Good

• Got vaccinated
• Nice weather walks 
• Met friends in the Park for food and drink
  
• Cousins gathering in July, mostly outside
  
• The Eldest in for a visit in July
  
• Paella with friends (K&M)
• Seal viewing with friends (G&D)
  
• Grew Celeriac, though they were quite small
• Acquired a 4 piece drum kit
• Re-watched Poirot series 
• Had a good Tomato crop, plum and heirloom
• Le Tour
• Sumo tournaments
• Worked from home
• Read some good books
• Takeout (Brothers Pizza, Forest Thai, Keyport Fishery)
  

Bad

• Attempted Coup
• COVID
• Voter Suppression
• Stop the Steal Lunatics
  
• Mushroom log present did not produce mushrooms
• needed 2 caps
• Garlic crop was disappointing

Fixed/Improved/Made

• Rewired silver desk lamp
• Installed an entryway hand rail to support aging in place
• Replaced Volvo drivers seat side panel
• Boot jack improvements
• Replaced nook crawlspace entry hatch
• Attic clean out 
• made a carpenter bee trap, caught 2
• new Big Green Egg gasket
• Garage side window, frame fixed, window pane re-seated and painted
• power washed driveways
• Repainted toy box
• Dryer control panel adjustment
  
• Added a few hidden hangers to north side gutters while cleaning
• planted English Bluebells, Dwarf Iris, Snowdrops and Grecian Windflowers
• fixed yard gate
• added new towel bar to master bath
• Re-soldered Temperature gun battery clip
• Made a work light on a height adjustable stand from stuff lying around
• Modified another book to have a storage compartment
• Primed office ceiling patches
• Bacon
  

Interesting

• 5 Things that made me Podcast, these are mine
  

1.     1972 – 1992: The Farm
2.     Craftsman Toolbox circa 1976
3.     Univox Les Paul/Fender Twin Reverb amplifier 1977/78?
4.     Marriage June 2, 1984
5.     December 1995 – November 2018: Lump 1963 Land Rover IIA 5 door

• Secret life of "things" videos, by Tim Hunkin. How things work cars, radios, electric components.
• What we do in the Shadows, TV show about 4 Vampires living in Staten Island

2021 Books

 This year I finished the last of the Maigret books, finished the last 2 Raymond Chandler books and this summer I reread Travels with my Aunt for the 12th time. Way fewer books read this year than last, I think the 16 Maigret books last year helped with the numbers, they are on the short side.

1. The Little Sister, Raymond Chandler
2. Still Here, Elaine Stritch
   
3. A Well Timed Murder, Tracee de Hahn
4. The Shape of Water, Andrea Camilleri (AC)
5. Taste for Vengeance, Martin Walker (MW)
6. Telling Tales, Anne Cleeves
7. Hidden Depths, Anne Cleeves
8. The Sneak Thief, AC
9. Aunti Poldi and the Handsome Antonio, Mario Giordano
10. Odessa Sea, Clive Cussler
11. Silent Voices, Ann Cleeves
12. Excursion to Tindari, AC
13. Maigret's Mad Woman, Georges Simenon (GS)
    
14. Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, A. C. Doyle
15. The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
16. Maigret and the Informer, GS
17. The Girl in the Castle Well, MW
18. Maigret and Monsiour Charles, GS
19. Rat King, Michael Dibdin
20. Dressed for Death, Donna Leon (DL)
21. Bruno Cheif of Police, MW
22. Aqua Alta, DL
23. The Old Success, Martha Grimes
24. Travels with my Aunt, Grahame Greene
25. Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer First of many, 1913
26. The Death of Faith, DL
27. The Scent of the Night, AC
28. The Dark Vineyard, MW
29. A Nobel Radiance, DL
30. Rounding the Mark, AC
31. Doctored Evidence, DL
32. Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
33. The Patience of the Spider, AC
34. A Question of Belief, DL
35. A Crowded Grave, MW
36. Mystery in the Channel, Freeman Wills Croft
    

Interests to Investigate

 Started compiling a list of interests to ponder or learn or make or do or write about when I find myself with more time on my hands than I do now being gainfully employed. I was aiming for 52 for no particular reason. I am up to 61, but don't feel like adding to the list here.

1.     Learn to Surf

2.     Learn to Sail

3.     Learn how to use a sextant, made an inclinometer on our cruise around Svalbard. Basics about a sextant were also covered.

4.     Timber framing

5.     Stone carving

6.     Finished the Crossbow Tennis Ball Launcher. January 2024, doesn't shoot far, but I guess that is safer.

7.  Sashiko; a form of Japanese folk embroidery and clothes mending

8.     Business Card, Calling Card, Personal Card, Real Me Card, Post Work CV

9.     BMW Motorcycle/Vespa rebuild

10.  Fix an analog wind up clock

11.  Long distance hikes

12.  Travel? Why Not! blog posts or plans

13.  Abridged Poorly Executed Translations of Foreign Novels

14.  Pressing flowers, halfhearted attempts all ended in abject failure. Mini Iris and other yard flowers.

15.  Moving rocks for trail construction use using cables, rigging

17.  Book binding

18.  Moss, photos and grow Made a moss terrarium using a repurposed security camera in March 2024

19.  write Inspector Maigret Paris walks or Maigret Companion

20.  The Daily life of Madam Maigret or Madam Maigret’s cookbook

21.  Monsieur Pamplemousse Companion

22.  Monsieur Pamplemousse ‘s wife 's life book

23.  Rally School

24.  Holiday scented candles in empty tea tins

25.  Learned to use a slide rule. I have a slide rule from my dad and a booklet from my father-in-law. Leaned basic operation in March 2023.

26.  Keep water lilies in a fish tank indoors

27.  Learn some number of songs on upright bass

28.  Play music for plays/musicals/theater group

29.  Community Big Band

30.  Save Seed/seed bank

31.  Herbal Liquors

32.  Knife and other types of tool sharpening

33.  Mead, make? compare? consume? Made Mead in 2022 and a Maple Mead in 2023

34.  Constellations, learn more, know 2, learn 5 more

35.  look into Staten Island Mohlenhoff Farm History, maybe Mohlenhoff Mobile Museum

36.  Get a website

37.  Trail maintenance, adopt a local trail. Started as NYC Parks Super Steward Trail Maintainer in 2025. Assigned Lavender trail in High Rock Park.

38.  Bottle openers, made one from railroad spike (11/3/2022), not good enough for a presen

40.  Intra-coastal Waterway

41.  Holiday Spice coffee  (ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves), gave some to my sister.

42.  Distill Essential Oils

43.  Risk Management

44.  NGO Work

45.  Micro-meteorites

46.  52 Things Blog Post, done?

47.  Keith’s Book of Lists

48.  Keith’s Farm Memories

49.  Jacobs ladder or other mad scientist devices

50.  Sword fighting lessons

51.  Hydroponics

52.  Knots (Marine, climbing, camping, GP) 8 each? 

53. Volunteering at Greenbelt Native Plant Center, starting in 2024. Site of the old family farm.