# 39 Cookie Consternation and Random Ramblings

As I was tackling the chore of baking another five dozen cookies--their size keeps shrinking as I approach the required sixty dozen--I began reflecting on this adventurous sixtieth year of mine. With the halfway mark under my belt, my goal was to be fifty percent finished at this point. After a few glitches and a number of successes, I do believe I am on the right track to scoring a one hundred percent completion factor by December 31st (my fingers are crossed on this statement).

First of all, a comment or two on a minor glitch--the cookie goal. It is another one of those--What was I thinking?-- that must be done since it has been written. Tonight I decided to try a different approach: embrace the cookie, be one with the cookie, and seize the cookie. So far it is not working and now I have an hour to let them sit in the refrigerator before I either burn or under bake them-- a common theme regarding my culinary skills. Giving them away has been a slight problem because who really wants to eat these barely edible morsels--except maybe the dogs.

When I began this journey, the projected goals were all to be attainable in a one year time frame. Nothing would be too outrageous (cookies, push ups, and mittens included) and each would encompass who I am and conceivably uncover any hidden talents. Is it working? Will I recognize this newfound genius when (or if) it happens? Only time and chance will tell (Hold the laughing--a miracle could be in the making...).

Constantly questioning my purpose is also a waste of time. To be more productive, I proclaim my new motto for the day is to proceed, persevere, and love the ride because that was my intention from the beginning.

On a side note--if anyone has an easy recipe that makes dozens of cookies, please send it to me ASAP. Gracias!

# 28 Aged to Perfection--Sisters' Weekend!

Oh my! The sisters' weekend (along with four splendid nieces) has to be ranked as one of the highlights of the year. I knew goal #40, Spend 60 hours with my sisters, would not be one of my more challenging goals...or would it? Consider the ways that this could test my ability to complete the list:

1. Distance--they live in the Mitten state and I live in Wisconsin so Chicago is a barrier for travel.

2. Coordinating calendars.

3. Possible sister fighting after spending more than 10 minutes together (I know that was decades ago, but still...)

4. Different interests--would they really want to run a 5k?

5 . Pee Pee laughing--enough said, you have all been there.

6. My displaced husband (now known as Cabana Boy) at our beck and call.

7. Controlled chaos and couch surfing.

8. Organizing a make and take activity with my limited crafting skills.

9. Being roasted and toasted over and over and over.

10. Wearing an embarrassing "Mary is Sixty" t-shirt along with the "Aged to Perfection" sash, and an exquisite tiara (do you have a visual on this?).

11. Seeing them hide their faces behind pictures of me that were stuck to six popsicle sticks.

12. Soaking fourteen feet in the jacuzzi after the run.

13. Surviving and actually enjoying a trip to the quilting store.

14. Having the time of my life.

Okay, so it wasn't a challenge to complete and I loved almost every minute of it--the shirt and sash were a bit over the top. This memorable weekend will be repeated in two years when the younger sister turns sixty. Guess what? Paybacks are coming and the planning has already begun.

# 29 Get Ready to PARTY!

Goal # 10, Send sixty invites for a party. The invitations were electronically delivered so this one can occupy the "done" pile. Now on to managing my time to actually plan, prepare, and get ready for the important event. This should have been on my sixty list--prepare sixty finger foods or, heaven forbid, make sixty cookies.

I did have the foresight to combine this goal with # 11 Raise $600+ for charity. Pretty sneaky, but I was in a quandary on how to approach this one. I deliberated on a couple of ideas and came to the conclusion that: 1. no one would buy my mittens even if I wanted to sell them and that also includes the pottery pieces, and 2. the cookie goal has not gone well and so will not pursue that venture. That left me to relying on friends (again) to pull me through.

Actually, the inspiration for a cause came from reading a Rotary magazine. Below is the exact wording of the invitation and it seems as if everyone has been receptive to the idea.

As most of you know, I have been diligently working on my sixty list and now that summer has arrived, goal #10, Send sixty invites for a party, needs to be completed. Meanwhile, I had been searching for anything with the number sixty to coordinate with goal # 11, Raise $600 for charity.

It was an "Aha!" moment when I read in the Rotary magazine that for as little as $0.60 worth of polio vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life. Fortunately, polio was never a part of my life, and thanks to Jonas Salk, a vaccine was discovered that would protect us all. Americans are now free of this virus; but even with the work of Rotary International and the World Health Organization, polio has not been eradicated in four countries (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria).

Please, no gifts or cards. However, if so inclined, any donation to The Rotary Foundation will help this cause and be greatly appreciated by the children of those countries.

Join us for the sweet part of this goal which will feature swinging music, socializing, and sweets for our honored guests.

The invitation via internet was fairly easy and now on to hosting the gala affair. Fun, food, and "sixty" tunes along with fundraising for a worthy cause hopefully has success written all over it. Soon I will be checking these goals off with a smile on my face because... everybody loves a party!

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most of you know,

I have

It was an "Aha!" moment when I read in the Rotary magazine that for as little as $0.60 worth of polio vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life. Fortunately, polio was never a part of my life, and thanks to Jonas Salk, a vaccine was discovered that would protect us all. Americans are now free of this virus; but even with the work of Rotary

International and the World Health Organization, polio has not been eradicated in four countries (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria).

Please, no gifts or cards. However, if so inclined, any donation to The Rotary Foundation will help this cause and be greatly appreciated by the children of those countries.

Join us on July 7th for the sweet part of this goal which will feature swinging music, socializing, and sweets for our honored guests.

been diligently working xty lst and now that summer has arrived, goal #10, Send sixty invites for a party, needs to be completed.

Meanwhile, I had been searching for anything with the number sixty to coordinate with goal # 11, Raise $600 for charity.

It was an "Aha!" moment when I read in the Rotary magazine that for as little as $0.60 worth of polio vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life. Fortunately, polio was never a part of my life, and thanks to Jonas Salk, a vaccine was discovered that would protect us all. Americans are now free of this virus; but even with the work of Rotary

International and the World Health Organization, polio has not been eradicated in four countries (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria).

Please, no gifts or cards. However, if so inclined, any donation to The Rotary Foundation will help this cause and be greatly appreciated by the children of those countries.

Join us on July 7th for the sweet part of this goal which will feature swinging music, socializing, and sweets for our honored guests.

#27 Arlington--Ca Ching!

Completing goal #22, Bet $60 at Arlington Race Track, did not appear to be too difficult of a task to undertake, however, being the cheapskate that I am and hating to lose money, it was literally a gamble of a goal for me. After the first two races where both of my horses came in dead last, I began regretting this whole objective and wondered how I could possibly modify it without going home sixty dollars in the red. I won't bore you with the details, but I did manage to bet $60 and my returns landed thirty extra dollars in my pocket. My biggest win came when I mistakenly bet five dollars on a horse to win instead of my usual safe bet--to show. Rainy Rain was the horse that led me to $51.50 in the plus column. After the shaky beginning, I improved on my betting skills (picking the winner on the significance of the horse's name) and was on a roll with victory laps to the teller's window on almost every race.

As previously stated, trying to pick a winner on a name only basis proved to be a productive endeavor for me, however, Rob had a different strategy . He insisted on buying a daily race guide that he laboriously searched for possible clues that would lead him to a profitable day. Let me review the situation and establish what worked and what didn't-- I brought home thirty dollars and he was in the hole fifteen. No brainer, as my kids would say.

Speaking of names, where in the world do they come up with the outrageous handles for these beautiful creatures? A few of the more creative names were: Shes Down with Jim, Calzone (Mike renamed it the Italian Stallion), Sin Bin, and my favorite, Thiscatcanscat. The names along with the new vocabulary words--closers, stalkers, and pressers--has led to my continuing education at the track and, quite possibly, in life.

Will I now insist on a weekly or monthly pilgrimage so that I can repeat my triumphant performance on the rail? I think not. Lucky one day does not not necessarily mean lucky ever again. I did not lose my shirt, friends, or dear husband; but managed to laugh, gamble and check off another goal so it was deemed a successful day. Making money was not on my sixty list, but it certainly sweetened the pot.

#26 Sixty is finally here. Now on with the show...

Okay, it happened-- and it wasn't a "rapture" moment. No elevation into the heavens, no joyous singing, and no uncontrollable sobbing occurred; just a relaxing evening with my husband and daughter (she was my birthday present twenty-seven years ago) and good friends while we consumed a couple of bottles of California wine and a tray of scrumptious cupcakes. Tommy and Erin were responsible for the treats and the many laughs that were shared the entire evening--thank you family and friends.

Sixty seems manageable right now as I approach my sixtieth day plus one. Do I feel older, wiser, or ... what? Yes, maybe, and what is the "what" that I should be feeling? It's only a number and it is up to me to decide what I want it to be; and after contemplating all there is to contemplate at my age, I have surmised to make the next sixty years even better than the first sixty. Could that be possible, you ask? Possible, smossible! Of course it is, you old naysayers!

Stick with me and be the first to read my blog entry in 2071 (that is if I can slow down long enough to write one).

A side note to this blog--husband Rob read it and thought it should be longer (his words) since it was the big day. Sorry, honey, but I have a list of sixty things that need to be done and since you are the one who has been keeping me on track, I am surprised that you think I should spend any more time on blogging. Good grief, I have piano playing, spanish speaking, apron making, etc. etc. etc. to do! This has been a sufficient amount written for the actual day. With only a little more than a half of a year left, time is a'wasting and I need to move on. There are forty more goals to finish before December 31!