Retirement Diaries 2023: Spring is Close!

I’m back in Minnesota after spending three weeks in Washington.  The weather in Washington was erratic and didn’t give me much of a break from the chill of Minnesota.  In my three weeks, there were a few days of sun and dry weather, but mostly it was gloomy, raining, windy, and for a few days frigidly cold with high winds.  That is thanks to the Fraser River that funnels wind and cold down through the valley from British Columbia.

Last Wednesday I got to go to one of my favorite restaurants for steak night!  Oysters, steak and a few glasses of wine with some dear girlfriends.  It was wonderful to catch up and see them and I even thought to get a photo this time! 

All in all, in my weeks in Washington I had a great time catching up with friends old and new, doing some beach combing, and helping my mom with purging and organizing her house.  It was nice to see some progress after our hard work.  I was sad that there were some friends I wasn’t able to connect with – that’s always the case with busy lives.  I also had quite a bit of downtime, so much that have already finished 9 books this year!  I do need to finish the book for my book club tomorrow night though! 

One friend was coincidentally at the airport at the same time as I was on Saturday morning, so we had one last chance to catch up over an early morning beer before we ran off to catch our flights.  I love those unexpected happy surprises; my cup runneth over. 

At home the kitties missed me of course, and so did the chickens I think, although it’s a little hard to tell with them.  I’m sure you will agree that Cora and Yellow just exude enthusiasm in their portraits.  Their excitement is so obvious! 

I arrived just after a couple days of snow, so now it is sunny and bright with bare/dry roads.  I unpacked all the books I brought home, and have been working on organizing them onto my bookshelves to get them all to fit.  It’s a process…  I did bring home several travel books and guides, so I can get some road trip inspiration for this spring!  Meanwhile though, I need to catch up on laundry and clean my room!  

Yesterday I did the majority of my taxes, and thankfully I should be getting a refund.  I had to pay a lot this year with the capital gains on the sale of my home, so I did end up making an estimated payment last fall to cover that, and it looks like it was enough.  Whew…  I’m just waiting on a few things to get them filed.  It will be nice to have that out of the way.

And the best news – we are only a few weeks away from spring!  I will fully expect that spring will arrive with 60 degree days (at least), a full melt off of the snow and fresh spring flowers popping up immediately.  Yes, I know that this is a bit unrealistic, but if you don’t put your hopes and dreams out there… 

I hope all of you are well on this last day of February! 

 

 

COVID Diaries: Day 683

I’m ready for winter to be over, but I’m trying to embrace it while it lasts.  The last week or so has been cold and clear, with some blue sky days and some that were foggy.  It was back to rain today.

Cora is fully embracing the winter – lazy days spent snuggling in her puff.  These cats really have the life…

Yesterday a girlfriend and I went to TJ Maxx and to the outlet mall to do a bit of clothes shopping.  I have purchased next to nothing in the way of new clothes over the last two years, what with not traveling, and mostly working from home.  It’s been time to get rid of some things that were getting ratty, with faulty zippers and faded colors.  I was way too successful with sweaters and tops, but I can’t complain, as usually it’s the other way around…

On our way home we still had a bit of daylight left, so we stopped by a newer park about a half hour from home.  We checked out a trail, and the viewpoints at the top of Little Mountain.  This is one we will definitely need to visit again! 

I finished my Minnesota puzzle and started a new one.  The fairly monochromatic pink on the new one is going to be more challenging.  I’m making some progress, but it’s a bit slow.  She’s so pretty though!  The photo is a picture of the box – I haven’t made it very far yet.  It was a Christmas gift from my mom.

Shelley and I walked downtown to steak night mid-week.  It is always so delicious!  I was so hungry though, that I totally missed taking a photo of my steak.  I did manage to snap a pic of the chocolate cake we shared for dessert.

 

I’m looking forward to the day when I’m not going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.  Sunset is after 5 pm now, so that day is coming!  I feel like I only ever see the sun on my days off and when I can squeeze in a lunch walk, which isn’t everyday.  

I need a vacation! 

 

 

COVID Diaries: Day 613

I have to go to work tomorrow, but it’s a short work week!

Last week the flooding we expected was worse than anybody imagined.  One man died after he was last seen clinging to a tree, but no one could get to him quickly enough and he was swept away.  Thousands of homes were flooded.  Businesses were ruined.  But amidst all that, there is hope.  The communities affected have pulled together in a way that is heartening.

My mom’s and my homes were fine, with no flooding (I live on a hill).  Getting home from work was a bit challenging one day when the freeway was closed due to repeated landslides, but since that’s the worst that I faced, I really have nothing to complain about.

Here are a few videos, if you would like to see just how bad it was.  Sumas is a community about 40 minutes NE of me, at the border with Canada.

 

This video is much closer to home.

Thankfully, the weather was pretty nice this week and weekend, and the floodwaters have mostly receded.  A lot of community members will have weeks or months ahead before their lives will be back to what they were before. 

Friday night was book club, which is always a nice time with friends.  Over the weekend, I went to a holiday fair with some friends, with lots of rocks and crystals.  Then we went out to lunch and it was so delicious!  We went to the Greek place for a gyro!  The rest of my weekend was spent doing some yard work and chores. 

Back to work tomorrow!

 

 

COVID Diaries: Day 535…

It’s been a looonnnnggg couple of weeks.  I’m still working everyday in the office, so that’s adding a lot of commute time into the daily schedule.  But what else?

I’m taking this opportunity during my commute to work through some audiobooks on CD.  I’ve finished three so far, after getting a bit of a slow start.  I count this as purging – because after I finish them they can move on to new, bookish homes!  Sadly my most recent book had a recording error and disc 6 had the same tracks as disc 5!  I wasn’t able to hear the end of the book! Thankfully the library has the audiobook version, so all is not lost.

Yellow had to go back to the vet yet again today.  This time to have his wound staples redone.  About a third of his armpit wound has closed, but the rest of that sucker is stubbornly holding on.  He was not pleased when I picked him up to once again rudely shove him into the carrier, so he expressed his strong dissatisfaction by peeing on me.  I mean, some might say he was just scared, but let’s be real, I’m pretty sure he was just pissed off.  I can’t blame him.  Once again though, within a few minutes of our arrival at home, he was willing to forgive me.  He has been enjoyed some loves, and some lap time and and extra lunch meal as I suck up to him.  Of course, I did get smart this time and trimmed his claws last night before this morning’s caging attempt.  I do, at least sometimes, learn things.

I continue to be disappointed at the divisiveness and meanness that is exhibited by so many.  I wonder if when we all look back on these days in a few years, if some people will reflect and feel the slightest bit of shame about how they treated other people.  I guess we will have to see.

My dad’s birthday was last week.  I miss the conversations about world events and his guidance on things.  I miss sitting with him watching the evening news.  Each year is another year where I have new experiences that I don’t get to share with him, and that is hard.

Last night I had book club – a chance to talk about interesting reads with a wonderful group of kind supportive women.  It is still summer, but the evenings have cooled off, so we spent the evening in my friend’s conference room, which has a nice view of the city and the bay.  Sunset photos anyone?

I’ve been on some nice walks around town and the beach, and that always helps me find my happy place.

I hope you are all enjoying the Labor Day weekend with friends, family and loved ones.  Cheers to the last days of summer!

 

 

Weekend Musings: August 7, 2021

I know, I know, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been around!  But guys!  I got to go on vacation!  I got home Thursday night from a week at the Oregon Coast with my friend Jena, and it was amazing.

We did a ton of beachcombing, looking for agates, beach glass, seashells and fossils.  We visited multiple beaches, checking out what was at each one.  The weather was pretty cold and windy the whole week, so we got sandblasted each day and ended up washing sand out of our hair with every shower, but we were happy!  We dug in the gravel beds until our nails had dirt and sand embedded underneath.  We poked around in tide pools and flipped over rocks to see what was underneath.

We tried out a number of different breweries and one cidery, and sampled all the delicious food. Seafood, burgers, fish and carne asada tacos, nachos, totchos; we had so much good grub!

We watched the sea lions on the docks, saw a seal bobbing in the surf, and found pelicans on the sandbars.

We visited a couple of the historic coastal lighthouses.  The Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head lighthouses were both built in the 1870s, and although they are in Newport, Oregon, now, back then they were very remote!

 

We shopped in the local shops and got started on our Christmas shopping…  And of course I got gifts for myself too!

I practiced my photography and played around with the photoball that my dad got me the Christmas before he died.

It was sooooo much fun!

Of course, Cora and Yellow are happy that I’m home, and enjoying lap time and pets.  And I’ve been enjoying a lazy day at home after 8 straight days of constantly being on the go.  I mean, how can you relax when there are more agates to be found?

 

Oh What Fun!, Day 3

My mother, as my most loyal reader, pointed out that I must not have liked the advent calendar’s day 2 wine… The Shiraz… Cardboard? I mean, I didn’t like it at first, but thankfully it opened up after 20 minutes or so and redeemed itself!

Unlike Day 2, Day 3’s Pinot Grigio was delicious right from the first sip.  Golden delicious apple flavors at first, finishing with a tart lemon on the finish.  Both Tiffany and I really enjoyed it – a definite crowd pleaser!

It was 12.5% ABV and a product of Italy, from the Terre Siciliane region.

If only we could take a trip to Italy!

COVID Diaries: Day 199

Well lookie there, we are almost at 200 days of this “new normal.” Blech.

I went clothes shopping in the new normal last night. Which consisted of me buying four pairs of jeans, taking them over to my friend’s house, which is closer to the store, trying them all on, and returning the other three to the store. Someone please tell me how this makes sense.

It has made for some quiet weekends and busy work weeks. I did have a great little day trip over to the island with a few girlfriends on the last weekend of summer. The boat ride was incredible, the weather was perfect, and we had fun poking around in shops and laughing so hard we cried. We even saw porpoises from the boat! Girlfriends are the best.

Then the weather turned to fall with a vengeance. High winds and heavy rain for several days. Fun. It did clear out the smoke though! In the last couple of days the smoke has closed in again, but not to the same degree. There’s hope that it will go away starting tomorrow. It irritates my eyes and my throat…

I’m definitely not ready for winter. With everything being so messed up this year, it feels like we shouldn’t even have to count it! We should get to skip winter and start in the spring! It seems like a good idea to me, but I doubt I’m going to be able to get this plan off the ground.

At least it is the weekend!

COVID Diaries: Day 157

It’s the weekend! And the weekend is very much needed.

It also poured down rain last night and part of today.  I have to admit, that was much needed too.

My aunt and uncle were in town this week, so I got to spend three evenings with them.  That was fun – I always enjoy my time with them and I know my mom does too.

Last night my girlfriend Tiffany came over and we had dinner and went for a walk.  She is my oldest friend – we’ve been friends since she was 5 and I was 7! I don’t even want to say how long ago that was…

Tomorrow I’m going hiking with two other girlfriends.  It is going to be back to sunshine, and I’m so excited!

Happy Friday!

COVID Diaries: Day 117

I was supposed to go hiking today, but my friend was sick (not COVID), so Shelley and I decided to take a long walk to happy hour instead.  It was sunny and warm, and I wasn’t motivated to clean the house anyway.

The cocktail special was called a Georgia Ice Pick, with peach vodka, peach Schnapps, and iced tea.  I rarely drink hard liquor but it sounded so good.  And it was!  I might have to try this at home sometime; it would probably be very good with vodka, raspberry liquor, and iced tea.  That way I wouldn’t even need to purchase any ingredients!

The long walk also meant that I have over 21,000 steps today too!  I hope your work week starts off well tomorrow!

 

Farewell to a Decade!

2019 is almost over, and with it we are leaving behind another decade.  Like every year, it has had its ups and downs, but sadly this year they were overshadowed by losing my Dad.  There were other joys and experiences, but between working through my grief and starting my new job, the happy times were just more subdued this year, and that’s okay.

1. Dad died suddenly in February.  It has been hard without him; never having had the opportunity to say goodbye or tell him I love him one more time.  He left behind a lot of estate and probate stuff for my mom to work through, which is difficult to face when you are grieving.  All the milestones are new ones in our life without him.
2. I did a 15K this year in March with my friends.  I didn’t train, as it was less than a month after dad died, but I finished.  My time with my friends is dear to me; they are a lifeline when I need them most. 
3. Mom and I took a few days away in March and flew down to Tucson.  It was a nice mother-daughter trip, with some laughter, and definitely some tears, with both of us grieving. 
4. I started a new job in March.  There’s a learning curve, and there was some drama in the beginning (not my drama!), but things there are good; the people are kind and reasonable and I feel valued.
5. I visited Astoria in May; I met Jeff and the kids there for a Memorial Day long weekend of fun.  It was nice to check the place out and see some familiar places and some new ones.  Making new memories is always good! 
6. I visited Westport, on the coast of Washington, in June with friends.  I had never been there.  The weather was cool and sort of rainy, which made for less than ideal camping weather, but we had fun checking out the lighthouse, grilling some delicious food, and walking the beach. I added a ton of sand dollars to my collection! 
7. In July, Jeff and the kids and I took a whirlwind trip down to Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. It was so much fun camping and hiking and checking out the waterfalls! Lassen is definitely a place I want to get back to soon.
   

   Lassen Volcanic National Park

8. I didn’t do much hiking this summer because I was experiencing a lot of pain in my belly, but I did go on a couple of hikes.  My hike to Watson Lakes with Lelani was so much fun!
9. Jeff and I met near Salem, Oregon on Labor Day weekend for a few days.  We checked out the Oregon State Hospital Museum, the Salem Farmer’s Market, and enjoyed our time together.  We also took a day to hike Silver Falls State Park, and saw all the beautiful waterfalls!  What an amazing experience! 
10. In October, my girlfriends and I did a 10K in town.  It was fun to support a great charity and get some exercise as well!
11. On December 23, I had a total abdominal hysterectomy.  I have been having pain and other troublesome symptoms for years, so it was time, but it was still scary to be wheeled into the operating room that morning!  My surgeon and nursing team were awesome and everything went smoothly.  My family came to the rescue, setting me up at home and taking care of me for the first several days.  My uterus and its benign fibroid tumors weighed over 5 pounds (a healthy uterus should weigh about 2-4 ounces) – 5 pounds of extra stuff in my belly causing havoc!  I am still healing, and moving pretty slow right now, but am already feeling relief from my symptoms and can tell I will be feeling better in no time! 

2020 is a whole new decade, and one that should have some new beginnings for me.  I’ll be able to spend more time with Jeff and the kids, and once I recover from my surgery, I’ll be able to get back to my active life!  Here’s to a lot of good things coming soon!

May the New Year bring you all peace and joy.