Retirement Diaries 2024: Back in Minnesota

After three weeks in Washington and Oregon, I’m back in Minnesota.  I had so much fun, seeing friends, visiting my favorite places, and getting in plenty of beach time. 

The weather is so much better than when I left!  Instead of lows of 7 degrees and snow on the ground, the weather has been mostly sunny and in the 50s and 60s since I got back.  Until today at least; it’s raining now and it is supposed to rain off and on until Monday.  There are worse things in life.

The grass is green from the recent rains, and once the rain stops I’m going to be getting out into the yard to work on pruning and trimming back the dead foliage.  The lilac bushes are starting to leaf out, so there will soon be the sweet smell of lilacs blooming!

Cora and Yellow were of course happy to see me, and have forgiven me for being away.  It is so nice to see how bonded they are; they regularly snuggle and sleep in the same puff, even though they have lots of options.  At the moment, I can hear Yellow snoring in the other room; they really have a good life!

Mom was kind enough to think of me when she went to the library book sale for the next town up the road, and she got me some books on the Civil War.  She’s always so thoughtful!  There is also an upcoming book sale at our town library, so I’ll be helping move books from storage next week to get ready for it.  I’ll be considered the young person with the strong back among the other volunteers I’m sure.  It reminds me of helping mom to purge her books before the move last year.  That was a lot of boxes of books!

On my way home from Washington, I spent a couple of days on the Oregon coast, camping, looking for agates and just enjoying the beach.  I did get rained on a little, but it was pretty good weather for the most part!  After I left the coast, I spent a few days getting home, doing a little bit of sightseeing on the way.  A winery along the Columbia River Gorge, and a few museums in Montana and North Dakota.  After leaving Oregon, it got too cold for camping, so I splurged on a few nights of hotels.

Along the way I had a few lovely chats with people I met on the beach, at the winery, or in the restaurant bars – I like sitting at the bar when I’m dining alone, it just invites more social interaction.

Of course, now that I’m back I’ll be able to write more regularly again.  Not much driving to interfere with my downtime!

I hope everyone is well – and enjoying spring!

Retirement Diaries: A Full Cup

I’ve been in Washington nine days, and what a whirlwind they have been!

I have spent my nine days visiting the places that bring me joy and peace.  I have spent some days at the beach, and gone to visit some of my favorite nearby towns.  I have poked around in shops that I love, and gone to restaurants old and new.  I have taken walks on some of my favorite trails and in the parks, and watched the sunset over the water.

I have spent the nine days visiting friends who are dear to me, catching up, laughing, hearing stories of joy and hardships, and sharing my own.  I have reconnected with people I have missed terribly.  There is something so powerful about being able to connect in person with friends who I usually only get to talk on the phone with or text.

I do love my home state and miss it, but it is my people that I miss the most.  Seeing them has filled my cup!  I feel so blessed! 

Circus Trip 2018: Mono Lake

Day 89, Friday, October 12, 2018
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California

After I visited Bodie, I wanted to see the tufa formations at Mono Lake.  If you have never heard of tufa towers, you are in for a treat!

In Mono Lake, there are freshwater springs beneath the surface of the lake that are rich in calcium.  This calcium rich spring water mixes with the lake water, which contains carbonates.  When the two combine, a chemical reaction creates calcium carbonate, otherwise known as limestone.  Around the springs, the calcium carbonate becomes a solid, and over decades, forms a tower of limestone under the water.  So how are they visible at Mono Lake?

In 1941, water diversions began by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, and the water levels in the lake fell dramatically.  The tufa towers have been exposed since that time; they no longer grow, and are now slowly eroding away.  Mono Lake is one of the unique places where these tufa towers can be seen!

The South Tufa Trail is about a mile long; it gave me a close up, spectacular view of these tufa towers.  They were so cool to see!  I stayed as the sun lowered in the sky, and captured some nice photos.  I also got to see big flocks of Yellow Headed Blackbirds and a few ducks.

 

On my way to camp for the night, I stopped to see the Mono Lake Historical Society Musuem, which is housed in the old Mono Lake Schoolhouse, and the Upside Down House, which was built by Nellie Bly O’Bryan.  Nellie Bly O’Bryan, not to be confused with the journalist Nellie Bly, was a silent film actress in the 1920s and 1930s.  After retiring from film in 1934, she moved to the Mono Lake area and became a State of California licensed mountain guide.  She also owned and operated a resort on Lundy Lake, near the east entrance of Yosemite National Park.  She built the Upside Down House by hand as a tourist attraction, where everything in the house is just that – upside down. 

Unfortunately, both the museum and house were both closed for the day (and probably season?), so I had to be content with taking photos outside in the fading light.  I would like to visit when they are open someday! 

That night I camped at a little marina that also had campsites.  It was $20 for the night, and had a beautiful view of the water in Bridgeport, California.  The only drawback was that it was COLD!  It got down to about 17 degrees that night!  But I was snug as a bug once I was layered up under all my blankets in the car bed.  That was the coldest night of my entire trip!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Death Valley National Park

Day 87 & 88, Wednesday & Thursday, October 10 & 11, 2018
Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, California

I arrived at Death Valley National Park in the evening, and got a campsite at the Oasis Resort Campground.  Now, you should know that the Oasis Resort looked like an actual resort, with nice lodging and green, watered grass and a golf course.  The campground was, let’s just say, not an oasis.  It was basically a gravel parking lot, with a bizarre unisex portable bathroom (it wasn’t actually designed to be unisex, and rather was just a regular portable bathroom building that they let anyone into – UGH).  I hope they have fixed that bathroom issue by now, but that’s a story for another time.  However, for $15 a night the campground had one perk that was amazing!  The spring fed pool for the resort, with entrance included with your campground stay.  That pool was amazing!

I soaked for several hours that night in that pool.  It was a warm night, the water was warm and the dark skies made for an incredible view of the stars.  I just floated, watched the stars, and listened to the conversations going on around me.  It was one of the most incredible nights of my trip, just watching the stars from that warm swimming pool, and I would go back there just for that pool! Pictures won’t do it justice.

The next morning, I got up and wandered around the Oasis area of the park.  I had breakfast at the cafe, which seemed more like a cafeteria – the food was fine but nothing spectacular.  I checked out the equipment outside of the Borax Museum, but didn’t get to go inside because it didn’t open until 10 am.  One day I’ll get back there.  Then I went to the Visitor’s Center at Furnace Creek, got my passport stamp and postcards and headed out into the day.  I didn’t spend too much time there, as I wanted to do my sightseeing before it got too hot.

Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the United States, at 282 feet below sea level.  I walked out to the salt flats, and marveled at the fact that the walk was longer than it looked.  Keep that in mind if you walk out there on a hot day.  The salt dries into a honeycomb pattern, and it looks really neat, so I occupied myself with plenty of photos.  I was surprised that there were birds flitting about the saltwater pond.

Artist’s Palette Scenic Drive

The Artist’s Palette scenic drive was pretty, but it hadn’t rained recently when I visited, so the colors weren’t popping the way they do when the ground is wet.  Iron oxide and chlorites give the layers their bright colors.  I got out at the viewpoints and took photos and appreciated the scenery.  It was surprisingly not very busy, but they do say that sunrise and sunset offer the best times to view the colors here.

Zabriskie Point

The Zabriskie Point viewpoint was a bit more crowded with people checking out the surreal layered landscape.  It was named for Christian Zabriskie, one of the prominent men in the Pacific Coast Borax Company.  The largest peak of the landscape here is Manly Beacon, named for one of the gold rush prospectors who came through the area during the California Gold Rush; it rises 823 feet from the canyon floor.  You will probably recognize this view, parts of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi were filmed here.  This is one of the best spots for sunset in the park if you go.

I drove back to the Visitor’s Center as I was passing by and checked out the park movie.  It was interesting, as it showed the perspective of the Native Americans who had traveled and lived here historically.

Harmony Borax Works

Then I headed to see an old borax mining operation – fascinating!  The Harmony Borax Works was started in late 1883, and at its peak employed about 40 mostly Chinese workers.  It was a difficult operation, requiring extracting the sodium borate from the ore.  The ore was dumped into boiling water vats and carbonated soda was added, which made the borax dissolve and the lime and mud settle out.  Then the dissolved borax was moved into cooling vats, where it resolidified and crystallized on rods.  The finished borax was hauled by mule teams on a 165 mile, 10 day trip to Mojave, California.

On the 0.4 mile hike around the borax works, there was an old building where borax was extracted, old mining equipment, and a 20-mule team wagon.  That was so cool to see!  My mom has a Borax 20-mule team wagon model that my parents got before I was born.  It used to sit on my dad’s workbench when I was growing up, and I love looking at it.  It was neat to finally see the place where this model got its start.  I’ll have to get her to dig it out, so it can be displayed once more!

Sand Dunes

The last place I visited that day was the sand dunes.  The signs advertised that sidewinder rattlesnakes live here, but sadly I didn’t see any!  They do burrow underground to escape the hottest temperatures, and are often nocturnal to avoid the daytime heat.  I was fascinated by the fact that this park has so many different ecosystems within its boundaries.

Death Valley was an interesting place.  It doesn’t rank near the top of my favorite National Parks, due to its desolation and heat, but there are still places here that I would like to return to see.  I had to get on my way, and check out Eastern California!

Retirement Diaries 2023: Goodbyes and Hellos

I have been back in Washington for a week and a half, and it’s been fabulous!  I do love the Pacific Northwest, especially during the summer and this year is no different.  The only real drawback is the gas prices.

At the beginning of last week I spent a couple of nights at my mom’s house.  It closed on August 3, so I had a few days to spend a little time there and say my goodbyes to a home that my parents built, and played such a big role in my adult life.  I also had to coordinate moving the couch and California King bed to new homes.  I found a friend who needed some furniture, and a dear friend with a truck who was willing to help, so it ended up being working out nicely for everyone.  Plus there were popscicles to be had afterward!

The last morning I was at mom’s house, I wandered and took photos to remember it by.  It has been interesting to see it empty for the first time since it was brand new, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t emotional.

After the work was done though, it has been time to play!  I have met friends for meals and happy hours, taken walks, gone on a hike, did a little thrift store shopping and walked the beaches. I had dinner and a sunset walk on the beach, and I had Cryo Rolls ice cream on an afternoon walk.  I have felt like I have finally had a chance to breathe…  It has been so much fun to relax and truly enjoy a vacation, with no work on the agenda!

Plus, today I’m going on a short hike in the afternoon, and then doing a wine cruise this evening with friends!  I’m so excited!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Hovenweep National Monument

Day 82, Friday, October 5, 2018
Hovenweep National Monument, Montezuma Creek, Utah

Hovenweep is one of the most amazing places I have ever been in my entire life.  I know people say things like this a lot, but it is truly incredible.  When people ask me what my favorite place on this trip was, Hovenweep always comes up at the top of the list.  It is a hidden gem for sure!  It is also remote; I drove for miles down farm roads and gravel roads, even wondering if I was going the right way, but I was.

Hovenweep was first discovered by white men in 1854, when William Huntington came across the ruins while on a missionary trip for Brigham Young.  It was designated as a National Monument on March 2, 1923, President Warren Harding after years of concerns about the artifacts being stolen and destroyed by explorers, ranchers and others.  Despite a long history of protection, archaeological studies really weren’t done here until the 1970s. Visitation now is still very low, 39,970 people visited in 2017.

When I was there, camping was first come, first served; there are 31 campsites and there is a length limit for campers.  That said, it is soooo worth it to camp there!  It has flush toilets but no showers, and when I was there it was only $15 a night.  I got there about 3:30 in the afternoon and my first stop was at the Visitor’s Center to get some postcards and my National Parks Passport stamp. 

Then I did the loop hike of the Tower Group – it was 2.5 miles and went along the edge of Little Ruin Canyon and past several dwellings, tower and other structures built by the Puebloan people.  It was sunny and warm!  I was so fascinated by the dwellings, which provide a peek into a different style of Puebloan building.  These structures were not built into alcoves of the canyon, like the ones at Mesa Verde.  They were also not pit houses, although they were mostly built on the mesa top.  A few structures were built in the canyon itself, and many were built over the seeps and springs that are in the area. 

These people were certainly expert builders; they didn’t level the ground to build their structures, instead they shaped their construction to work with the topography.  They often built on top of large stones and outcroppings that already existed at the site.  Historians believe that the people who built these structures lived here around 1300 A.D, although there is evidence of human habitation in this area as far back as 8000 B.C.  These towers and stone houses are very well preserved.

As you walk the rim of the canyon, you pass by multiple towers and stone houses; I was in awe of these beautiful structures and once again found myself wondering what the lives of these people were like.  When you hike out here, there is almost no external noise.  I was completely alone for most of the hike and it was so quiet, save for a few birds.

I saw lots of lizards because of the warm temperatures too – I loved seeing them! 

At the end of the hike, there is a section where you climb down about 80 feet to the canyon floor and cross over to the other side to climb back out.  It wasn’t too tough though; 80 feet is nothing! 

I made dinner and sadly missed most of the sunset, and then I got a text from Carol saying she had changed her plans and had arrived at Hovenweep!  We ended up sharing my campsite that night, a bottle of Michigan Marquette wine from 12 Corners Winery.  It was a bottle I had purchased when I spent the day with my cousin back in Michigan; it was delicious!

Carol and I sat at the picnic table talking, and watching the most incredible dark skies.  You could see the Milky Way spread out across the dark sky and it was huge.  I have never seen the Milky Way pop the way that it did that night; it completely filled the sky with bright stars.  I can’t even describe how beautiful it was.  I need to get back into timed exposures with my camera and night photography!

Having a bottle of wine with a friend while watching the Milky Way that night was truly one of my favorite life experiences.  Simply incredible! 

 

 

 

 

Farewell 2022: The Great Reset

2022 has been a different kind of year for me, so this will be a different kind of year-in-review.

It wasn’t a year full of travel to new places, or hikes to gorgeous mountain peaks, or lots of girls’ weekends.  It was a year full of hard work, stress and planning for some incredible rewards at the end.

I’ve been pretty quiet about some of my goings on, for various reasons, so this might be the first you have heard of them!  That said, I’ve never made a secret about my intention to retire early.  In fact, when I first started working with my financial advisor at the age of 27, I told him (jokingly) that I wanted to retire at the age of 33.  He told me I could make that work, but that I would need to revise my expectations about my standard of living – like, maybe a cardboard box.

But after working with him for the last 20 years, things had started to come to fruition.  A few years ago I was able to pass all the financial modeling for a retirement at age 50.  Woot woot!  What got me there?  Hard work, making use of my master’s degree in business and human resources, and a decent income.  Add to that living within my means, not chasing after all the latest toys and pricey things to do, and saving over 50 percent of my gross income for several years.  Oh, and ditching the spendthrift husband…  My car is paid off and has been for over 10 years, and my home was financed on a really low interest rate. 

I was still planning for age 50 at the beginning of the year.  But things started deteriorating quickly at my work.  I was in the position of having to tell my boss no a bit more frequently than I felt comfortable with, or else do things that I was not ok with doing.  It was getting me on the wrong side of him and I could see the writing on the wall.  That’s the trouble of a job in Human Resources when you have a boss who is towing a line on ethical behavior…

In February I went on a vacation to Minnesota to see the boyfriend and had my employees calling me to tell me what my boss was saying and doing behind my back.  UGH…  Minnesota in February was fun, but frigid, and it was kind of a test to see if I could indeed tolerate the winters here…  I’m not sure I’m convinced that I can, but we’ll give it a try.

So I went home and spoke with a real estate agent friend to see about selling my home at the peak of the market, as inflation was really starting to fly and the prediction was of a new real estate bubble that was soon to burst.  She gave me what I would need to do, a fix-it list that was actually really manageable due to the hot market out there.  The most cumbersome part of it all was packing at least 75% of my belongings.  Decluttering to stage the home.  I am not, and have never been, a minimalist… 

So I got to work, cleaning, purging, taking trips to Goodwill, and trying to do my best to downsize my life at least a little.  I did a lot!  I mean you would still look at all my stuff and see a whole lot of stuff, but it’s a lot less than before!  Trust me on this.  My boyfriend came out quietly in April to help me and another friend get the yard in shape and paint the deck and do some of the fix-it stuff on the list.  We made a huge dent in it!

Then, there came the packing.  My best friend Shelley was a godsend, helping me pack and purge and clean and purge and pack and clean and purge…  Evenings and weekends for a few frantic weeks (but it felt like months).  Thank you! 

After what seemed like three years of backbreaking labor, I listed the house on May 11, with an offer review date of May 16.  Well, hot market that it was, I received two offers over my asking price.  I accepted the cash offer, with no inspection or contingencies, of $75,000 over my asking price.  That was four days after the home hitting the market.  So now that the house was sold, I had to move.  So that’s where the big news comes in! 

A few days later in May, I filed a formal retaliation complaint against my boss; the first complaint I have filed in my career.  I had seriously considered it for weeks, had consulted with colleagues and waited until the straw that broke the camel’s back.

In June, after packing all my things into a 26 foot U-Haul (yes I’m crazy for doing the move myself, but the boyfriend is a powerhouse, and have you priced moving companies lately!?!), I moved quietly to Minnesota.  My close friends and family knew, but I mostly kept it quiet because of my complaint and the subsequent investigation into my boss at work (which they still haven’t finished).  My boss was looking for excuses about why scores of people were leaving, and I didn’t want to give him any.  In Minnesota, I could take the profits from the sale of my house and purchase a larger home outright – no mortgage! And have quite a bit left over!

So, my boyfriend and I drove from Washington to Minnesota, and I even drove over the Rockies with that U-Haul!  I was nervous coming down that huge incline, but I did it!  And the sunset in Miles City, Montana was stunning before an all night drive across North Dakota.

After moving most of my things, I held back a small set of belongings in Washington, moved in with my mom, and went back to work.  Due to the investigation, I wasn’t quite ready to make the decision to quit, but after things dragging on for a while and nothing being done, I decided that life was too short to be walking on eggshells with a toxic boss everyday.  I put in my notice and my last day was September 20, 2022. 

I did have a couple of trips already planned.  I took four days to go down to the Oregon Coast and walk the beaches, eat some good food and look for agates.  It was a nice post-retirement getaway.  I had hoped that a friend could come with me, but that didn’t work out so I went solo. 

Then I went home, packed the car and the cats and moved the rest of the way to Minnesota. Let me tell you, two LONG days driving solo across the country with two cats is… interesting.  Cora meowed for a few hours each day and then mostly snoozed.  Yellow mostly lay quietly, terror-stricken, looking as though he had lost all will to live.  But they were good.  An hour away from my new home on the second day, Cora just couldn’t hold it anymore and unloaded a giant pee in her carrier.  I had to pull over and mop it up with paper towels so she wouldn’t have to stand in it.  Poor girl!  

Then I was finally able to work on unpacking some of my things and resettling my life.  It felt good to have all my books around again, and my knick-knacks, and to have time to do a puzzle or go for a hike!   

In October, my mom and I took a 10 day trip to Knoxville, Tennessee.  My mom had been wanting to go to a jewelry-making convention for a few years, but it got postponed due to my dad’s death and then COVID.  So this time, it was on!  I spent the days touristing and hiking on my own while my mom attended her classes.  It was very enjoyable for both of us.  I loved that area of Tennessee and will certainly go back! 

For the last couple of months, I’ve been lying low and relaxing.  I have been catching up on reading, and working on puzzles.  I have been having fun with our new flock of five chickens.  They are terribly photo-shy, but we have three Buff Orpingtons and two English Orpingtons (a black one and a white one).  In the photo, left to right, they are Harriet, Creamsicle, Scout, Winter and Ofelia (I can’t really tell the Buff girls apart though so they might be in a different order…).  We got them in early July, and we just got our first two eggs on December 29! 

I’m getting used to the cold in Minnesota, but am appreciating the lack of rain, which is very different than winter in the Pacific Northwest.  I’m looking forward to ice-fishing too!  Maybe next time I go I can actually catch a fish!  In the spring, I’m planning to do another long road-trip, taking my time to see some of the other areas of the US that I haven’t been to yet! 

So that’s my year in review.  It wasn’t the typical year, but it has certainly been memorable!  Moving to the Midwest is certainly one of the biggest life changes I have ever gone through, and although I was really nervous, things are working out well.  I hope all of you have had a wonderful 2022, and are blessed with a happy, healthy and productive 2023! 

New Life!

And so it happened!  The day finally came; my last day of work was Tuesday.  Today is my second day among the ranks of the (intentionally) unemployed!  I’m not quite there yet with the whole relaxation gig; I’m still not sleeping very well and am still worrying about work stuff.  That just how it goes for me… 

I tried my best to do what I could before my last day, but there are always things that are left undone.  It felt rushed from a work perspective, trying to hand things off, but I don’t think that could be helped.  I will say that I have rarely felt such love and appreciation from my colleagues when leaving a job.  I got so many hugs, and an appreciation lunch, and a few kind gifts, and so many kind words from those who were sorry to see me go, but understood and supported my decision.  That felt really good.  And they more than made up for the fact that my boss didn’t even say goodbye.  Not that I was surprised by that – it just reiterated why I made the decision to leave.

I am leaving for a camping trip, but got a little bit delayed because Jesus is looking out for me!  In late June I had an MRI for some weird symptoms (loss of speech) which are probably associated with migraines but who knows.  The MRI revealed three small most likely benign brain tumors, so I was scheduled for a neurology consult.  The appointment wasn’t until the end of October!  So I’ve been on a cancellation list, because I was hoping to get in before I lose my current insurance at the end of September.  I’ve gotten a few calls where I couldn’t take the call fast enough, or it was an appointment time I couldn’t take.  And I got the call again this morning, just before I left town; they can get me in today at 1:40! 

So fingers crossed that my family doctor is right, and it is just a weird and rare symptom of my migraines.  And I can head down to the coast and brave the traffic for a few days of agate hunting, relaxing, and letting the “stink blow off of me,” as the old saying goes…  I’ll keep you posted! 

May you all find blessings today.  Happy First Day of Fall!

 

Circus Trip 2018: Alexandria, Virginia

Day 63, Sunday, September 16, 2018
In and around Alexandria, Virginia

My last day in D.C. was a relaxing day with friends.  In the morning, I went horseback riding with a friend of mine in Silver Springs, Maryland.  Alexis rides at a stable there and was able to use two horses for the morning!  Mine was a 16.1 hand mare named Rosie.  She was very sweet and we had a great trail ride. 

Later in the afternoon Alexis, Jason and I went to a place called Vola’s in Alexandria for drinks and appetizers.  The day was warm and the outdoor seating was lovely.  I had a Whiskey drink and it was soooo good!  It was fun just catching up with friends.

On the way home, Jason and I stopped to check out the George Washington Masonic Memorial.  It is such an impressive memorial!  Construction was started in 1922, and it was dedicated in 1932.  However, the interior was not completed until 1970!  It is designed to look like the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt.

It is such a beautiful building!  We were there in the evening, so we didn’t have a chance to go inside, but maybe one day.  The interior is supposed to be pretty interesting, with murals and displays honoring George Washington.  We did get to walk up the stairs, so at least we got some exercise!  It was a nice, relaxing final day in the Washington, D.C. area. 

Goodbye 2021: Another Year in COVID

I had such high hopes for 2021 at the beginning.  Surely it had to be better than 2020, which basically delivered a whole steaming pile of death, destruction and mayhem (and some significant savings on commuting).  But in fact, 2021 has given us a crazy roller-coaster of whiplash moments that frequently left me feeling like I was a cat watching a game of ping-pong, quietly muttering to myself, “make it make sense…”

There were some silver linings in 2021 though, mixed in with some heartaches.

In May my heart broke when a long-time friend and ex-boyfriend died of a massive heart attack after spending ten days on life support.  Although we were no longer that close, there was a time when he meant the world to me and it was so hard to see him taken so soon.

I also caught Yellow in May, a stray cat who my old neighbor had been feeding, and brought him inside.  Over the last seven months, he has decided that the indoor life is really pretty good.  He sits on my lap, sleeps on the bed curled up with me and doesn’t even mind Cora.

In June, I took a vacation to parts of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and even a bit of Wisconsin.  The weather was hot and sunny, and good company made for a great trip.  The lakes are warm enough that you feel like you are swimming in lukewarm bathwater!  And the little sunfish come up and nibble on your legs…  

I worked almost exclusively remotely until July, when we all spent 2 months back in the office on a full-time basis.  Now, I’m back working two days a week from home, which is nice as gas prices are crazy with inflation lately.

In August a girlfriend and I got away to the Oregon Coast for a week of agate hunting, trying new restaurants and breweries, and sightseeing.  It wasn’t that warm, but it was still glorious!  We had such a good time!

I took two weekend getaways to the Washington Coast, one in May by myself and another in early December with a girlfriend.  Beach-combing and sightseeing were on the agenda, and were good for the soul.

I did several Sunday Fundays with girlfriends, weather permitting, and found new places close to home to explore.

Sadly, 2021 saw people be viciously mean to others.  A lot of people have stopped living by the Golden Rule, and somehow feel that they now have a right to judge others they don’t agree with.  Unfortunately, the internet helps with this, as people feel more comfortable sitting behind their keyboards and expelling their verbal diarrhea on others.  It has been hard to see.  In the end, we will all be judged by God and him alone, so I hope people take a step back and move back into kindness in 2022.  I have had to step back from people like that, as it just isn’t worth my sanity.

With so much time at home, I finished 11 puzzles and read 38 books! 

We are closing out the year with two big snowstorms and frigidly cold temperatures.  As I write this, the 23 degree temperature is warmer than it has been all week!  Which isn’t a big deal other places, but it is rare that we deal with the threat of frozen pipes and black ice here.  It really is pretty though when you aren’t out in it…

Given that 2021 did not indeed turn out to be the comeback year that I was hoping for, I must now cast my gaze towards 2022 and sternly notify it that it must, indeed be better.  May 2022 bring you blessings…