Newly Retired: Talking about the weather!

My secret garden

 I have written more than once about being newly retired. It has been so many years now, but the stories still linger.

Annie, age 3

I am surprised when those familiar stories come up in the conversation. Now, it's my children who are talking. Being newly retired still has its challenges. When I retired, it was mostly the men who came home to stay who were a little lost. They had been bosses/supervisors or upper-level employees one day and jobless the next. Suddenly, they had only one employee, their partner in life. It was hard...believe me, I know.

But in the 2020s, hopefully, the couple's life would be a partnership. Everyone worked. Now the issue was boredom and what do we talk about?

Issues at work had filled the evening hours. Rants and excitement and people! Just the things of work life in general. 

As abruptly as the job ended, the new beginning began. I personally found that the weather came up several times a day. "Really hot/cold/rainy/cloudy/dark today!" As a woman, I found that "what's for dinner" became the main topic. Thank heavens I love to cook. But the weather?

Somewhere on the internet, there is a list of 100 things to do in retirement.  Back in the day, geocaching was popular, but that list also listed dumpster diving and couponing. I have no idea if those are still popular. I found some that are more up to date here.

When the boomers retired, everyone had advice. AARP led the march, giving out pearls of wisdom to those lost souls. It always made me smile. They were suddenly relevant, and boy did they make the best of it. They posted ads on TV and sent out millions of pieces of junk mail. The canvas bags appeared everywhere.   My attitude was one of disdain. The whole idea of joining the oldsters did not appeal. I still have never been inside a "senior center". I suppose when I get old, I will go there!

Honestly, I fill each day with gardening, writing, and wonderful books. I love my neighbors and friends. My dog, Annie, is so important to me, and I love TV.

I am just bringing you up to date. Next, I will be writing about my life as an almost-very-elderly woman. 

Let me know what you know. What's up with you?

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Our first retirement park model  
(visiting granddaughters)

The Wizards Butler by Nathan Lowell (Bk. 1 in The Wizard Series)

 It is well known that I am a sucker for a secret door! It only seems appropriate that I should love a light-hearted novel like The Wizard's Butler byNathan Lowell. No reviews were read...it appeared on my Kindle as if by "magic". I loved it just as much as I loved the second story in this series...The Wizard's Cat. (I read the second book first) Like I said, I am a sucker for secret doors, magic, and mysteries. 

The Wizard is dying slowly or maybe just losing his mind, but at any rate, he was fading fast. His niece is his nemesis in the story. Mean, beautiful, and greedy cover her good traits. In a mansion built on tragedy and secrets, the wizard is fighting for his mind. 

It all relates back to a "deal with a devil" and immense wealth. Secret doors are controlled by magic, and believe it or not, pixies and elves. They are just icing on the cake.

I suppose it is fun because I am a reader of deep and involved writing. Sometimes it is just fun to acknowledge the child within and have some fun.

Don't dismiss it until you read a sample. It is worth it!

What are you reading?

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AND I finally found that word I was talking about the other day... detritus (waste or debris of any kind)...on page 134 on my Kindle screen.

Word of the day: "diatrice"

I just made up a word for the day. It has a meaning close to "a mess". I always called it the "diatrice," and I'm not sure if it's a word or how to spell it. I need you to work with me here.

Keeping my world... well, really, my house, yard, and car, free of litter is hard for me. Procrastination can eat away at my time and prey on my mind. The piece of tissue on the floor, the stuff between my car seats, and the kitchen floor. I see it...I really do... but I suppose it is just not important to me. Sigh.

There is a Swedish habit that my Swedish grandmother and her children practiced. They just put stuff away. When they were done raking, they put the rake away. When the cooking was done, they simply swept up the crumbs, washed the dishes, and put them away. Each morning, they were greeted by clean counters and a coffee pot that did NOT need washing. And the beds were made each and every day. A tuxedo bed (tucked in and smooth) was the aim. 

I even see there is an app you can buy that will help you rid yourself of the angst of a half-done life. It begins, as I can recall, with the habit that lets you "eat the elephant". The idea is that even if you pick up three things from your kitchen counter and put them away, you will feel better. Building on that habit each day, you can be clutter-free quicker than you can imagine...or that is the theory. I am a work in progress, so we will see.

Actually, my New Year's resolution was to give up procrastination. My first step was to bypass the kitchen sink! If a dish is dirty, I try to put it in the washer immediately. Of course, that means I need to put the dishes away that are IN the dishwasher. My solution for that is to wash the dishes daily and put them away while my coffee is brewing in the morning. My bed is made each morning. If that all happens, I am so proud.

The "diatrice" (word of the day) is cleaned up, and life is good. So, how is your day going?

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A New Lease on Life

I was in my mid-sixties when I began blogging. Now I am 84. My first blog was something about travel, and over the years, I have changed the title, domain (lost the old one), and found ways to connect with bloggers around the globe. 

When Anuj Agarwat over at FeedSpot contacted me last week, I realized that maybe... just maybe... what I had written, or even what I might write, could be relevant to today's new retirees. I was chosen as one of the Top 100 Retirement Blogs. While I may be the 100th blog, it still seemed worth noting.

Blogging has been a big part of my life for many years. But, as with all things, I grew tired of the whole thing. I seemed to me that I had said everything...twice or three times...and even though you might read it, I just didn't need to say it AGAIN!

A New Lease on Life was the only way to define my emotional response. 

The experience of getting older really isn't that fun. It is a bit like a birth experience. It was warm, safe, and comfortable being middle-aged. I knew my way around. Hanging onto that time in my life worked for me. Then Life happened. Suddenly, I was a widow. 

An old blog header. I create my own!

 Up until a short time before that, I was dancing and drinking wine. Abruptly, life moved on, and middle age was over. Traveling through the birth canal again was not that much fun. I did not acknowledge it. Always cheerful and busy, I pretended that everything was "fine". And I continued to drink wine. Sigh.

I sold my home in Arizona, so my snowbird lifestyle is different. My TV didn't work properly, and the soundbar was horrible. My hearing aids were old and past their use-by date. The water heater isn't giving me enough water, and my yard... well, that is another story. My little dog needs lots of attention and is naughty when she is neglected. Is there more? I suppose there is.

I did get new AI-capable hearing aids, bought a new TV and soundbar, and updated my furniture. My mother's coffee table and the yard-sale TV credenza went away. I love the new midcentury furniture and have a recliner on the way. But it wasn't until the email from FeedSpot that I experienced the final push. I was at peace with being "elderly". It was as though I had a new lease on life.
Painful as it was, it turned out that being 84 is not so bad. In fact, I am welcoming what is to come.

I have a New Lease on Life.

What has been happening in your life?

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Please note new blog address:  http://www.retireinstyleblogtoo.org/

A Review: REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURE BY Shelby Van Pelt

 I read a very good book! I usually tell you about what I am reading after a few pages. I wanted to tell you about it but I couldn't quite decide it I liked it or not...not at first. I took me 100 pages to get a handle on what it was all about. So here I am, better late than never!

Remarkable Bright Creatures was a puzzle to me. In fact I almost quit reading it because I didn't particularly like one of the main characters. He annoyed me no end and seemed to be shallow and dishonest. I have quit reading books for less than that. I gave a book to a friend that she refused to read after a few pages because "it had no redeeming characters." That was how I felt.

And yet, after 100 pages I began to get what the author was after. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures  is going to be made into a Netflix movies, was on the NYT bestseller list and has rave reviews. Then there was me, not in love at first sight.

A book written with an octopus as a main character is just weird and yet wonderful. The main character, Nova, is Swedish by dissent and so am I. She drank coffee, loved to clean and treasured beautiful things. Her house was built by her grandfather. He had carved the rafters in the attic and left carved creatures on the shelved. I felt very much at home with this family.

But the young man, well 30 years old, was angry, lost and up until he found this genes in Nova not a good person. But the story evolves and, trust me, you will love it. 

4.5 stars from me!!!

So, what have you been reading lately.

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; On Identifiers or Are You Green

Drag Queen
Charity event, Nob Hill,
Portland, 
Oregon
and me!

   

Amanda and I were talking about the need to describe EVERYONE that is new to us with an identifier. She had hired a dog sitter and the young person was "they, them". Discripters are those words we use to tell of people...how they look, who they are or even what their importance is. Why do we do that? Logic would tell us that saying someone is "the/them" doesn't really tell you anything unless you have a fixed notion of what a "they/them" is. But doesn't that play into prejudice?

Those of you that are younger probably have not have been raised in an isolated community like I was. My mother took great pride in telling me that she went to school with a black boy and his family were really nice. This was in the 1950's. She had been sent to board in Baker, Oregon to attend high school. Back in the day eastern Oregon was disconnected from the outside world. Provincial would be the word to describe it I think. She was raised in Lime, Oregon. Population 17 on a good day. I was raise 5 miles east of Lime in Huntington, Oregon. Population 500?

The boy I am speaking of was called Claudie Tebo. The Tebo family was revered in Baker because Claudie was a very good athlete. I think that, for them, that was what was expected. It helped identify the family's place in the community. 

The question is "Would Claudie and his family have been any less respected if he were a non-colored person?" I think he would have been not treated right in that era. But he really doesn't  need to be identified other than to mention his athletic prowess in context in 2026. And yet, even to this day, I tend to use that identifier because that is what my generation did. Not good but there you have it.

So, if you are a new friend, what do you want to know about the other people in my circle: height, width, intellect, ethnicity, education, occupation, sexual orientation, success, wealth, political ideals? 

I personally want to know what book they are reading. Well, politics would be important or I might offend someone.

Really...let me know.

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In the picture above I was with my daughter at a drag queen event that benefited homeless mothers with children. It was fun and all new to me.

For the Archives-2025

My greenhouse. 

Our chickens. 

We gathered together to inter Earls ashes at Willamette National Cemetery. 

Seriously, I am being very realistic about the times, this year, and you. It seems to me that things do not make you happy. A shadow is hanging over all of us. Bad things happen even to us. 

There is ice in Hillsboro...not the frozen kind. You know what I mean. I have not seen them. Is it true? 

I belong to an organization that is simply asking for the delivery of groceries because people are afraid to leave their homes to shop. Children are so scared to go to school. It must be so hard for those people. Instead of feeling total indignation, I feel torn. One side of my head is thinking that if I were those people, I would want to go back to Mexico and home. I also know that they fled their country to seek a better life, and there is nothing to go back to. I ask myself, "What would I do?" 

I am told by a pediatrician in the area that serves the Hispanic community that ICE is not taking any verification of citicenship. They arrest first and check later. It seems that those people that are brown skinned should be afraid. The whole process is such an unknown. Bad things happen to good, honest people in spite of the effort to keep them safe. I don't suppose any of us would want to be in their shoes.

I read that a lot of illegal activity has been stopped  Its a trade-off I suppose  

The inauguration of Trump in January has somehow made time stand still. The media will not let it go and the truth is elusive.The weeks and months drag on, and watching the news is harder and harder. Even though I watch middle-of-the-road news casts, it seems that every time I want to check on social media, there it is. I can't hide in a hole, no matter how tempting that is.

Brick and motor stores here in Hillsboro are closing. Our Macy's is gone, as well as JoAnn's Fabrics. Walmart if not one of my favorites.  Choices shrink, but we are reminded that small businesses are the bread and butter of our community. Finding what I need has me using a "big box" online stores which is not any better...Amazon, Etsy, Temu and eBay are on the radar. Small online businesses are having a hard time too I think...I am always asking, "Is it a scam"? Etsy is supposed to be small business, but who knows.

The internet serves me well. I order groceries and then just pick them up at the store. I like Uber Eats a lot. I have put "gluten free" in the app. and it helps me find good food.

NOTABLE IN 2025

• Ethan and Mikaela bought property in the country. They had been wanting it for so long. 
• Elena dn Micheal moved into a better appartment.
• Susan and Doug are going to Spain next fall.
• I turned 84.
• Donald Trump took office.
• I sold my Arizona house and am back in Oregon fulltime now.
• Brayden and Brycen are helping me with my house and yard.
• Doug finished and installed a new front door and screendoor.
• We drew names for Christmas (Tuesday gift are anew thing.)
• We put Earl to rest. 
• I have rejoined PEO. 

My last crop of grandchildren are growing. Three of them now. The other nine are grown or off to college. I am 84 years old so it seems appropriate that family grows older too. One is graduating from Oberlin in '27 and one is entering University of Arizona in the fall of '26. 

I sold my house in Arizona. Andy and Amanda bought it. They are remodeling the two bathrooms. The house was built in late 1970s so it needs some updating. Earl and I did a lot but still....

Now 2026 is looming. A quick Thanksgiving then Christmas. I love to be near to my family this time of year. The choice to move back to Oregon is feeling really good. 

I made bread/cinnamin rolls today. A neighbor takes my garbage can in and I share homemade bread with he and his wife. My neighbor, Clementine, turned 93 or something this week so I took her some too. I still love to cook. I'm not a good eater so I eat sporatically...twice a day with no thought food in between. When I get hungry I want to eat NOW! Sigh. 

My health is ok and my brain workss better than ever. I am grateful for that.

How are you doing? Leave a comment please.

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