RJ&#039;s Corner

RJ WaltersAugust 13, 2022August 13, 2022Leave a comment

About Artsy Saturdays (and other such things)

For this Artsy Saturday let’s step back and look at the broader view of things. Artsy Saturday is a part of the trilogy of new projects I am starting at RJsCorner. The banner above shows the other two. For the most part, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays are now dedicated to becoming a better artist, storyteller, and thinker. Part of my “Never Stop Learning” mantra is … Continue reading About Artsy Saturdays (and other such things)

Making Things Better, RetComLife

RetComLife – The Second Shoe – Making Things Better

Yesterday’s post was about one of the two things I am doing to basically change where I am going with RetComLife. Today’s post is the second shoe I don’t want to be one of those people who simply complains about things, but yes, I do find many things to complain about here on RJsCorner. One of the categories that houses the most complaints is likely … Continue reading RetComLife – The Second Shoe – Making Things Better

RJ WaltersAugust 12, 2022August 12, 2022Leave a comment

Fitting In, RetComLife

RetComLife – Stories About Fitting In (aka becoming one of the gang)

I now have over 40 posts in the category of RetComLife (retirement community life), so I have decided to now forego the numbers in the title line. My RetComLife posts up until now, have been about the “dos and don’ts” and possible choices of selecting a place to live in our senior years, or finding the right place for a loved one. After much search, … Continue reading RetComLife – Stories About Fitting In (aka becoming one of the gang)

RJ WaltersAugust 11, 2022August 11, 2022Leave a comment

Having My Say, RetComLife

The Thing About Walks…

I have let you know at least a couple of times that one of the things I enjoy the most about my RetCom (retirement community) is the three-quarter-mile walkway that runs along the perimeter of the property. One reason is that it gives me daily cardio-exercise. The other is that it gives me time to think, really think. To go along with my new special … Continue reading The Thing About Walks…

RJ WaltersAugust 9, 2022August 8, 20224 Comments

RJ WaltersAugust 8, 2022August 7, 2022Leave a comment

Philosophy of Life #4 – Is Philosophy Esoteric?

At first glance philosophy appears for the most part to be esoteric. It is mysterious, cryptic, and obscure. Some of the things that are debated make no sense at all. But, then along comes something that is essential to our existence. I just went through a book by Bertrand Russell entitled The Problems of Philosophy. In that book, he shows some of what I think … Continue reading Philosophy of Life #4 – Is Philosophy Esoteric?

Every Picture Has A Story (EPS)

EPS #2 – Every Picture Has a Story… A Picture In Pieces

The Story – Calming The Savage Beast My late wife was a picture puzzle addict from the get go. Over our 35-year marriage, there was almost no time that there wasn’t picture puzzle pieces strewn across her “puzzle table”. Yes, she had a table specifically in her hobby room for that purpose. Frequently during those 35 years she tried to convince me to take up … Continue reading EPS #2 – Every Picture Has a Story… A Picture In Pieces

RJ WaltersAugust 7, 2022August 2, 20222 Comments

RJ WaltersAugust 6, 2022August 6, 2022Leave a comment

Artsy#4 – Sketching Is A Mind Game…

The title of this post sounds kind of mysterious, doesn’t it? But it has a lot to do in the practice of sketching. Let’s talk about that first, then some exercises. This week I got through the 39 pages of the book. The first part was about the mental side of sketching. Liron, the author, assured me that I can learn to be a passable … Continue reading Artsy#4 – Sketching Is A Mind Game…

Baby Boomers, RetComLife

RetComLife – I Am A Forward Thinker…

I am a forward thinker, and rarely a status-quo type guy. That often gets me in trouble here at my retirement community. All of my life I have been in the “Mr. Fix-It” mode. I am always looking to how to make things better. In my mind, there is no situation that can’t stand improvement. I think many of us baby boomers grew up with … Continue reading RetComLife – I Am A Forward Thinker…

RJ WaltersAugust 5, 2022August 5, 20223 Comments

RJ WaltersAugust 1, 2022July 22, 2022Leave a comment

Philosophy Of Life #3 – Just What Is Philosophy?

Let’s start off this post with a broad definition of philosophy. At its core philosophy literally means “The Love of Wisdom”. In its broadest sense it is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, and the world in which they live. That seems to be at the core of RJsCorner, so maybe I am a philosopher? 😎 I certainly … Continue reading Philosophy Of Life #3 – Just What Is Philosophy?

Every Picture Has A Story (EPS), Having My Say

Every Picture Has A Story (EPS)#1 – An Introduction

To my regular readers (God bless you), it is pretty obvious that I love my special projects. And from your responses, I pretty sure you do too. Special Projects are where I can let my Aspie traits shine. I love studying things in detail, and Special Projects is where I do multiple posts about the same subject. Some of my Special Projects have run their … Continue reading Every Picture Has A Story (EPS)#1 – An Introduction

RJ WaltersJuly 31, 2022July 31, 2022Leave a comment

RJ WaltersJuly 30, 2022August 4, 2022Leave a comment

Artsy Fartsy #3 – It’s ALL About Practice…

Let’s face it, anything that is worth doing takes practice. If you want to learn how to play a guitar, as I did in my teen years, it takes hours and hours of practice. The more you practice, the better you get. It’s as simple as that. During those years, I became a folk song fanatic. I loved all the usual stars of the 1960s. … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy #3 – It’s ALL About Practice…

RJ WaltersJuly 27, 2022July 27, 2022Leave a comment

RetComLife #40 -“Active” Retirement Communities

It’s been a while since I posted in the RetComLife project. Sorry… If there is one lesson I can get you to realize in my RetComLife series it is, if you are an active senior you should probably seek out an “active” retirement community for your first retirement home. During my exploration of retirement communities in the last year, I can tell you that the … Continue reading RetComLife #40 -“Active” Retirement Communities

RJ WaltersJuly 25, 2022July 30, 20222 Comments

The Philosophy Of Life #2 – Why?

After looking at last Monday’s post about Bertrand Russell I have decided that I have been thinking too narrowly about this new special project. So, I am going to expand its scope to include lessons on life learned from several philosophers, thus the new icon above. Philosophy is a hard topic for many to really get interested in. I don’t know why I got hooked … Continue reading The Philosophy Of Life #2 – Why?

RJ WaltersJuly 23, 2022July 20, 20222 Comments

Artsy Fartsy#2 A Sketch Is Not A Drawing

Ok, I got it wrong out of the gate. The novice that I am, I just assumed that a sketch was a drawing!🤪 So, I basically started out with the wrong book. (sorry Bob). While the book I first bought (Drawing for the absolute beginner) will be useful down the road, it proved to be not what I needed out of the gate. So, I … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy#2 A Sketch Is Not A Drawing

RJ WaltersJuly 18, 2022July 17, 20224 Comments

Rules For A Better Life

If there were only a surefire handbook by the above title, life would be simpler. Unfortunately, everyone with more than an ounce of brains thinks they have discovered this secret and if you give them $12.99 they will let you in on it. I am an armchair philosopher, so I read quite a few books on that subject. Bertrand Russell makes the most sense to … Continue reading Rules For A Better Life

RJ WaltersJuly 16, 2022July 15, 20224 Comments

Artsy Fartsy #1 – Lots Of Tools…

Let me start off this post with a cop out. I was expecting to give you my first “piece of art” sketch, but I just didn’t get around to it. I promise I will do better in the weeks ahead. There was just too much stuff happening in my life this week. But, that is one of the joys of my senior years, if something … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy #1 – Lots Of Tools…

Daily Journal, Having My Say, RetComLife

Without Death, Living Would Be Unbearable.

Now that my “Love of my Life” series is completed, I want to end this week’s posts on a related topic. Almost everyone knows the old saying Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die to get here I read that to say that we are afraid we won’t stack up to the qualifications to pass the pearly gates. Or maybe, … Continue reading Without Death, Living Would Be Unbearable.

RJ WaltersJuly 15, 2022July 15, 20224 Comments

RJ WaltersJuly 9, 2022August 4, 20225 Comments

Introducing Artsy Fartsy Saturdays

Going forward, I am going to dedicate the weekends here at RJsCorner to showcase my artistic talents, especially in sketching. In my youth I was kinda proud of the sketchings that I made. For some reason, I never tried to develop that talent beyond the very rudimentary level, and now after all these years, even that level of skill has vanished. Starting today, I aim … Continue reading Introducing Artsy Fartsy Saturdays

Artsy Fartsy, Having My Say, My Life & Times

The Final Bucket List…

I have one more bucket list item that I want to tackle in 2022. Well, I actually have a few others, but those are so much in the pipe dream category as not to count. The bucket list item that is left is that I want to be more artsy. This is something that has been on my list for years now. After I left … Continue reading The Final Bucket List…

RJ WaltersJuly 2, 2022July 4, 202210 Comments

OTR - Epilogue, RetComLife

RetComLife # 39 – “The Decision”

Procrastination, overthinking, whatever you want to call it, is what I typically do. I recognize I overthink, in fact, I overthink about overthinking. It’s time to make a decision! I have decided that I will stay where I am and will visit that decision on an annual basis. So, I am calling this place “Home”. It is where I will live now and for the … Continue reading RetComLife # 39 – “The Decision”

RJ WaltersJune 21, 2022July 23, 202210 Comments

Baby Boomers, RetComLife

RetComLife #38 – Sedentary…

I know I don’t need to use a big word here. I could have just said “couch potato”. But, since I am a wordsmith, I am always on the lookout for the most descriptive description. How does “sedentary” fit in with Retirement Community Life? That is what this post is all about. During my recent On-The-Road trip that covered 6,000 miles of the South and … Continue reading RetComLife #38 – Sedentary…

RJ WaltersJune 20, 2022August 1, 20224 Comments

RJ WaltersJune 15, 2022July 23, 20227 Comments

RetComLife #37 – Eliminating Possibilities

Eliminating possibilities is how decisions are often made. There is seldom a “sure thing” answer to any problem. What we, or at least I, have to do is to start by eliminating things until there is only one choice. That is what I am doing right now. I spent 3+ weeks traveling around much of this country to try to decide where I want to … Continue reading RetComLife #37 – Eliminating Possibilities

Having My Say, RetComLife

Life Is A Great Balancing Act…

Earlier this year I got a small calendar from a small Amish store that I frequent a few times a year. I just love their pickled asparagus and other things. I usually say no when these things are offered, but for some reason I took this one, and I’m glad I did. Monthly they have a picture with a quote below it that seems to … Continue reading Life Is A Great Balancing Act…

RJ WaltersJune 6, 2022June 17, 202214 Comments

Daily Journal, Personal Favorites, RetComLife

RetComLife #36 – A Different Mindset…

It was a year ago today that started the beginning of the end for my wife. She had just suffered her 4th and most severe heart attack that would in 78 days result in her death. Those 78 days were the most stressful of my life! Being an Aspie I had more emotional breakdown during that time than I thought was even possible. For me, … Continue reading RetComLife #36 – A Different Mindset…

RJ WaltersApril 30, 2022April 27, 20225 Comments

RJ WaltersApril 25, 2022July 23, 20222 Comments

RetComLife#35 – Outside My Comfort Zone

I have decided to use the upcoming lifetime roadtrip to move out of my comfort zone and look for alternative areas of the country for my retirement community life. Except for four years in New Jersey, and a few months in Guadalajara Mexico, I have spent my life in Indiana, but I have almost no roots here anymore, so maybe it is time to get … Continue reading RetComLife#35 – Outside My Comfort Zone

RJ WaltersApril 15, 2022April 15, 20225 Comments

RetComLife # 34 – Starting To Have Some Serious Doubts

I am starting to have my doubts whether I want to make my permanent home here in my present retirement community. That is what this post is all about. First, I am paying a lot of money for things I currently have little use for. My retirement community costs over $40,000/year. That is about average for my area, but it is at least a couple … Continue reading RetComLife # 34 – Starting To Have Some Serious Doubts

Asperger's, Daily Journal, Having My Say, Hearing Loss, RetComLife

Until It’s Gone

This post like many, came to me in my daily morning shower. Over the past many years I have come to realize that I am a “morning” person. Most of my creative juices come during the first five or six hours after awakening each day. Before I got out of my shower, I had already formulated the storyline for this post. I usually try to … Continue reading Until It’s Gone

RJ WaltersApril 11, 2022April 11, 20227 Comments

Daily Journal, Having My Say, My Life & Times, RetComLife

RetComLife#33 – I Am Tired Of …

Here I am sitting at my keyboard again, when I should be having dinner. Let me explain a little more. Some of you know that I have Aspie traits that make social situations uncomfortable. For that reason, I usually go to dinner here in my retirement community during the last fifteen minutes of the meal hour. I go down then because there is usually a … Continue reading RetComLife#33 – I Am Tired Of …

RJ WaltersApril 8, 2022June 17, 20226 Comments

RJ WaltersMarch 30, 2022March 30, 20224 Comments

RetComLife #32 – Joining the 21st Century

My retirement community consumes hundreds of pounds of paper daily. Each of the 400 or so residents gets a dozen or so pages a day of notices/menus/activities/etc. related to our community life. I think maybe I hit a sore spot by bringing up this fact. Here we are 22 years into the new century, and they seem to be stuck in the 20th Century. Being … Continue reading RetComLife #32 – Joining the 21st Century

RJ WaltersMarch 13, 2022March 21, 20223 Comments

RetComLife #31 – The Second Day Cafe

It has been about two weeks now that my retirement community took away the cafe dining option and brought back the “sit and wait” as the only way to use my $350 monthly meal allocation. February was the only month in the eight months I have been here that I used even close to all of that monthly allotment. Before that, I seldom used more … Continue reading RetComLife #31 – The Second Day Cafe

RJ WaltersMarch 7, 2022March 21, 20224 Comments

RetComLife #30 – The Lucy Moment…

I want to tell you a little story about my retirement community home. Due to Omicron, they shut down the “sit and wait” dining room service in February and replaced it with a cafeteria type carry-out service. That proved to be almost ideal for me, as I don’t have to make every meal here an uncomfortable social event. Due to my Aspie traits I don’t … Continue reading RetComLife #30 – The Lucy Moment…

RJ WaltersFebruary 25, 2022March 21, 20221 Comment

RetComLife #29 – Some Disappointments

I have been having some disappointments here at my retirement community lately. The main one are the dining options. I have a $350 monthly stipend for meals for each month. Until this month, I seldom used over $100 of that amount. When Omicron came on the scene in late January, the eat-in dining room was closed and replaced with a walk-up cafe option. That made … Continue reading RetComLife #29 – Some Disappointments

RetComLife, Special Projects

RetComLife #28 – Homestead vs Community Mindset

I have been in my retirement community now for over seven months, but much of me still remains at my homestead. RetComLife is much different from where I had been for a decade. It is more difficult than I imaged to throw off the homestead mindset. Where I was once surrounded by peaceful forests, I am now surrounded by my fellow retirement community citizens. Where … Continue reading RetComLife #28 – Homestead vs Community Mindset

RJ WaltersFebruary 18, 2022March 21, 20224 Comments