On Retirement So Far – Making Magic With What We Have

I recently read (as voraciously as the microbes I was reading about) a book about an unlikely-to-be-likable topic – composting. Scott Russell Smith, one of my best friends from college, Susan’s brother is the author. The recently released book, On Compost: A Year in the Life of a Suburban Garden, is a delight. It’s also a tour-de-force description of the economy of using what we have around us to make something entirely new and magical. Warning – this book will definitely leave you desirous of a yard, trees, and leaves to rake and god forbid, even snow.

I didn’t start to read this book reluctantly. Scott, also being Susan’s big brother, had also been a friend when he lived and wrote in Los Angeles back in the late 1980s, and played no small part in the transformation of my husband’s and my first house’s garden in North Hollywood. When we moved into the little Cape Cod bungalow in what is fashionably dubbed NoHo, its front yard was very non-descript, and back yard was completely paved over, with odd little sandy corralled patches scattered throughout. There was an area, in retrospect, that might have been an enclosure for a horse, but certainly would have been an ideal spot for a productive compost pile like the one Scott has regaled us about in his book. I remember when I announced I wanted to redo the back yard, Scott was pivotal in providing us with someone to accomplish the labor of smashing and hauling away the concrete. I’ve often wondered about Jack’s fate, one of Scott’s bar friends, who really didn’t look up to the task. The resulting green (entirely non environmentally okay) oasis was a gorgeous and cool spot for many birthday parties for our growing son, and an inviting entertainment zone for summer evenings. What can I say. If I had that yard again, I’d have done it differently.

So it came as no surprise that Scott’s book is an orderly and charming tour through not only the composition and working life of his “pile,” but an intimate glimpse into the life of a single Dad post divorce as he built his community and raises his son. All the while, finding and using ingredients at hand, nearby forages to enrich the compost pile over the course of a year. Most gratifying were the relationships with his neighbors, all of whom contributed to the pile, and once completed, his generous dissemination of the ‘humus’ back out to his community. You may think me a little crazy but I kid you not – I read the book in two days, as I was so drawn into his story.

Retirement is a little like building a compost pile, but instead of leaves and cut grass, it is the rediscovery of one’s own community and making your life new and exciting. I am fortunate to have several friends who are also experiencing or already experienced in how to do this. So far this summer, I have:

• Hiked to three waterfalls
• Hiked with some current and former colleagues on a trail overlooking Palos Verdes.

• Walked at the Reservoir with my brother two-three times per week.
• Attended an outdoor calypso concert at the Huntington with my friend Tom

• Attended Romeo & Juliet at Kingsman Shakespeare Festival
• Went to LACMA with my friend Veronica to see the current exhibits there. We had a great day. What a treasure she is and we need to do more of those outings!

• Drove to Tahoe and back with overnights in Bishop.
  • While driving, I listened to “Properties of Thirst” by Marianne Wiggins, a fascinating novel set in the 1930s about a central California family at war first with the Department of Water and Power as they siphoned off water to supply Los Angeles, and later the US Government who decided to build an internment camp in Lone Pine. Thank you to Veronica for this suggestion!
• Saw a BEAR in the back yard in Tahoe – I would share photographic proof but I’d loaned my phone to my granddaughter and we couldn’t get that shot. It was a big beautiful cinnamon colored bear grazing on their grass before it was rudely interrupted by a projectile which sent it dashing to and over the fence, plunging right through Whitney’s day lillies and startling them into bloom.
• Hiked to Lake Winnemucca through seemingly endless meadows of wild-flowers. Perfect bear country, but alas, no more sightings. The five mile hike (round trip) was accomplished by my five-year-old granddaughter and her eight-year-old sister with three carries and some strategically doled out candy breaks. I’m happy to say Nana made it, too. As did Cupid, their dog, but Skylar carried him down much of the way back when he refused to continue walking. The destination included the lake, of course, a beautiful blue and clear glacial lake which Skylar jumped into! Brave human! Along the way home, we were knackered but grateful for the day.

• Went to the beach at Lake Tahoe twice, once on a bike on a Sunday and once in the car on a weekday. Both trips were great. Yes, it’s true, you don’t forget how to ride a bike, but note to self: be sure the seat’s at the right height to avoid screaming knee pain.

• Went to the swim center in Carson with many of Whitney’s current and former teaching colleagues and their children. It was a great day and the pool was heavily populated with merry children.
• All in all, the trip to Tahoe was like a week at summer camp. So great to be with my loved ones in such an overwhelmingly beautiful place. I can’t wait for my next trip. The drive was very manageable, especially with that fascinating story to listen to!

Tomorrow I will take in the movie Sing Sing at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. This week coming up, I’m looking forward to a visit from my friends Audrey and Howard and a trip to see Clue at the Ahmanson.