love – The Yuppie Homesteader

Doing the math…

My sister noted that she once had an expert testify at trial that women tend to retire 2-3 years before men so I looked it up. It’s true. In the U.S., men tend to retire at 64.5; women at 62.5. Almost no one waits until the full retirement age of 67. As explained by YahooContinue reading “Doing the math…”

An accidental retirement?

The backspace key on my computer has come off. I guess there really is no turning back and I must retire. 😊 Seriously, though, the computer is only two years old and I have to depreciate it over three years so I absolutely refuse to buy another one when this one isn’t fully depreciated. I’mContinue reading “An accidental retirement?”

When my forest returns… .

It’s very nearly mid-May and despite an early start to spring, the recent spate of cold weather slowed the march towards the full glory of my forest. At this point, it’s only about 60% filled in. It needs to get to 80% before the hillside behind the house turns to a complete sea of green.Continue reading “When my forest returns… .”

My whole life.

I saw an adorable snippet of a child explaining quite seriously that he had loved a particular thing “his whole life.” Considering he was about five or six, it was incredibly charming. Still, the phrase was not lost on me. Afterall, what is a whole life? Lately, I’ve been feeling a little bit like I’veContinue reading “My whole life.”

The good life.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “the good life.” In general, we spend very little of our lives actually content. If you think about it, we start out pretty content – only crying or complaining for three simple things: we are hungry, we are tired or we are uncomfortable. Childhood, when it’s done right,Continue reading “The good life.”

Hello, friend.

Time is not my enemy anymore. It took me three solid months to admit it, but time is finally a friend. Not a good friend, mind you. One of those “acquaintance friends” but we are in the early stages right now. I’m hoping we become besties. As I reflect back on my professional life, it’sContinue reading “Hello, friend.”

Getting prepared?

I have this theory that post-retirement life is going to be one big vacation. Evidently, I’m not alone as a quick internet search proves that is the prevailing theory. Then, there is reality. Again, evidently, there are many “phases” to retirement and some aren’t the glorious “vacation” phase I’m looking forward to. Huh? Yep, asContinue reading “Getting prepared?”

Building a life…

The whole point of this blog is about my journey to simple peace. Nearly a decade ago, in a yoga Nidra class, I had to come up with my intention. Not even truly thinking about it, simple peace came to mind. When it did, I realized that I had been coming to this concept forContinue reading “Building a life…”

A little “Thanks” and a little “Giving”

You know I gave up mini epiphanies, right? Yeah… somehow, I can’t quite quit ‘em. The other day, however, was a profound one. I’m still not sure what it’s lasting impact will be but somehow this one feels life altering. First, it starts with being thankful. We finished my husband’s ceiling repair last Sunday andContinue reading “A little “Thanks” and a little “Giving””

K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple, sweetie. That’s my mantra for today. It’s Day Four post renovations. Work is still mildly busy but with plenty of downtime and home is still mildly in control. My goal today? Relentless incrementalism – in its “nice” form. For those who don’t know me, I learned the concept of relentless incrementalism fromContinue reading “K.I.S.S.”