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…”
Tag Archives: retirement
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”…”
Welcome to the Greatest Summer on Earth!
Today, I’m predicting it. It’s cold, a bit rainy and not at all summer-like. Yet, this summer holds so very much promise that I’m just going to be bold and declare it the Greatest Summer on Earth. Why, you ask? Oh, let me just regale you. Well, first, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)Continue reading “Welcome to the Greatest Summer on Earth!”
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…”
When less is more…
Lately, I’ve had a bit of a mini-obsession with retirement. In some ways, it mirrors where I am professionally. I’ve long been aware that I have an expiration date on my career. With the rapid advent of AI and my own aging experience, this may also be happening a bit faster than I anticipated. AtContinue reading “When less is more…”
The Yuppie Homesteader 