Two years ago, I acknowledged my 60th birthday with a list of 60 Things That I’ve Discovered so far. I thought that it would be a good time to revisit this fun post and add a few more to the list. The initial list of 60 Things can be found HERE:
61. Don’t try Wordle when you’re tired. M I S T A K E.
62. I’ve learned that it’s time to write under my legal name. After researching the pros and cons of using pen names, I have decided to move from Melanie Stewart to my legal name Melanie McGauran. In the long run, it keeps any future accounting easier. It’s actually the name I used for my byline with the newspaper I free-lanced with in the late 1990’s. I’m just returning to it.
63. When swimming in the ocean, stay away from feeding birds. They have found the fish and so will the sharks.
64. If you live in or are visiting an urban area, you may want to consider the Dutch Reach when parking on the street. This requires the driver to use their right hand to open the car door. This forces the body to swivel far enough to look for oncoming cyclists which lowers the chances of them riding into your car door at the last second.
65. In 1972, yellow tennis balls were authorized to replace white tennis balls in professional tennis tournaments because the color made them easier to see on television.
66. Potatoes can explode even after they have been removed from the oven.
67. This is a good tip for anyone, but particularly, for an older family member. The next time he or she is car-shopping, consider leasing for two years and leasing a new car after that and so on. It erases the “this could be my last car” mentality and you get to try-out fresh choices every other year.
68. I’m a true crime buff. I only learned this last year when I watched the HBO documentary “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” based on Michelle McNamara’s book. It blew me away.
69. The actual term for this bird is Mourning Dove, not Morning Dove.
70. I’ve learned that online art auctions are legitimate and big business. My family has sold a few paintings through a gallery, which in turn, is part of the international liveautioneers.com website. Christie’s of NY is a client. I’m currently searching for artwork to buy. It’s fun to watch live bidding and you can’t beat the reach this site has built.
71. There will be a third installment of Things I’ve Discovered, but give me a year. Or two.
Dove Photo by Tina Nord on Pexels.com
Leavingthedooropen.com 
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