I’m done. I’ve had it with summer. I know, I know… I hate winter. But this year? Well, I’m done with summer, too. Oh, let me explain. Summer was absolutely fabulous until mid-August. Then, it started raining. And raining. And raining. At this point, the lawn is growing faster than I can dodge raindrops toContinue reading “Pumpkin everything!”
Tag Archives: retirement
Back to nature…
This weekend was nothing short of fabulous. And natural. Very natural. Thanks to my minimal work schedule, we were able to roll into the weekend with little to do in the way of routine household chores or yardwork. What that opened up for us? A whole weekend focused on just being out in nature. Now,Continue reading “Back to nature…”
When my pumpkin meets my margarita…
Every year around this time I experience a bit of a seasonal clash. My margarita is cold, downright frosty, and I’m loving the sweet taste of summer nights. My table is decorated with the aromatic sights and smells of pumpkin and the promise of sweater weather, crackling fires and football. Yep, my Pumpkin Pam sideContinue reading “When my pumpkin meets my margarita…”
In the thick of it…
Remember that part where I loved summer? Yep, me too. It’s high summer season and I can’t wait for fall. What gives? Well, first, I’m a Pumpkin Pam deep down. I love fall and everything it brings. Mostly, though, it brings the promise of calm and quiet. The garden goes fallow, the leaves fall andContinue reading “In the thick of it…”
Next chapters.
So, there’s a quiet rhythm to enjoying the seasons. Essentially, you give up control. Spring can be muddy, damp and cold but there is the magic of new life and those more and more frequent bright and sunny days to sustain you. Summer arrives in a burst of sunshine and with long days that stretchContinue reading “Next chapters.”
Cherry picking!
So, my sister and I resurrected one of our seasonal rites of passage: we went cherry picking. Now, cherries are actually a fickle fruit. Too much water and they split; too little and they wither. Too much sun and the dry out; too little and end up rotting before they turn ripe. So, I nowContinue reading “Cherry picking!”
Pacing ourselves…
Through a series of events over the last few days, we have seen first-hand both the fragility and the joy in life and partnership. One thing it brought home to me? It’s more important that we spend our time enjoying each other and our little family more than we achieve anything else. In that ebbContinue reading “Pacing ourselves…”
Disappointments and realignments…
Today, I’m a big – no, huge – disappointment to my cats and I probably have outsized guilt about it. Our four furry ones are all former starving rescues who came to us with more parasites, diseases and malnutrition than any of us would want to see another heartbeat experience. They are today living theContinue reading “Disappointments and realignments…”
That day.
Years from now, we’ll talk about this day as the day I officially retired. For right now? There’s no grand announcement. Instead, after a bumpy night’s sleep, I woke up with a clarity I’ve only experienced a few times in my life: it’s time to retire. Now, I still have a little sporadic work thatContinue reading “That day.”
My retirement “dry run”…
So, it’s not officially forever and I’m not sure it will stick, but at this point, I’m giving myself the month of June to relax. Why? Well, because I can. And because I’m not really missing out on work if I do. In a sense, I’m treating it as a retirement “dry run.” And youContinue reading “My retirement “dry run”…”
The Yuppie Homesteader 