Enjoying a Slower Pace in Retirement and Some Work News

Hello there. I thought I’d pop in. Some days it doesn’t even occur to me to blog anymore and that makes me sad. I used to love to do it every day, but I’m enjoying doing all my other hobbies too. This week Mom had a doctor’s appointment. I also had a very long video to edit and that has taken my time this week to get done. Now that it is uploading to YouTube, I already have two more vlogs to edit and upload. I’ve really been enjoying the vlogging. So much that I’m ahead. So it looks like Most Weeks at least for a while, I can do two vlogs per week, but maybe not every week.

The retirement days go by so fast. So I did good to start out getting my “schedule” on target with a mix of “all the things”. Only the sick days was I off kilter and maybe one other “blue day” in which I was just not myself, probably not enough vitamin D, and was still sickly, and probably exhausted from going out several days in a row with Mom. But I’m getting in a good mix of housework, helping Mom, getting things caught up on the project list, doing relaxing fun things, reading, and working on getting 8 hours of sleep per night, regardless of the wake up times. Sometimes that means 10 hours in bed. So no wonder the days go by fast.

I got a text this morning that my replacement was let go this morning. I guess they no longer need her. My guess is she got all the returns done. Since she didn’t have to do payroll, that would have freed 1/2 her week up to get everything done I guess. I’m not sure though if she would have had time to do the w-2 reporting. Oh gosh I’m so glad I’m not there. This has been such a weird end to the work era.

I’ve had some time to reflect back on my career and I want to do a video or video series on it, for the Wednesday videos. But I want to make some notes first. I’d really like to record some things before it leaves my mind. And I’ll just be honest. I’ve not spent much time thinking about work. I’m just overjoyed at not having to go in. I’ve not really heard but from two people, so my guess is they don’t think of me much or miss me. I DO miss my friends there. But I don’t think about work very often.

Our little one has had the flu and several have had it at day care and now the day care owner has it, so day care has been closed. It’s really put a hardship on Katy / Cody. I makes me sad that we are not close and can have help during times like these. I remember those days. We had help with both sets of parents. One we had to drive to meet them a distance, but it worked. Now Katy has TWO boys and so two boys that get sick at different times and now the day care teach sick and not opening day care, so it’s really hard and she is trying to figure out back up scenarios. Plus they have had snow days, which is not an absence but she has been home quite a bit.

I’m finally improving more and more with the respiratory thing. Still a couple of issues daily with bronchitis but each day brings fewer hacks. I still have a tiredness and sometimes just a very slight nauseated feeling which food usually fixes. I think it might be the antibiotics still in my system or something. But the tiredness is noticeable on days when I have to get ready and go out. I am just exhausted by the time I get out the door. Also noticeable while changing sheets or carrying things around. But I don’t seem to tire out when exercising as long as it’s 20 -30 minutes only.

I’m slowing working my way through my lists. (Notice the AI’s picture has the to do list standing up in mid air all on its own. Wow, impressive, that AI “to do lists” can levitate, lol.)

I’ve worked on my Mac some and got it to working more smoothly. I think the main thing was the “cache” build up. I got Mom’s tax voucher’s sent off for her discount on property taxes. I will also go in and pay them soon for her. They are due March 1, but I’ll pay before then so there is no chance of it being late. I’m enjoying a nice clean house. I’m vacuuming on Dexter’s doggie daycare day as he’s scared of it. But I have a nice rotation of house cleaning chores and they are broken down across the month/quarter/year. The laundry is broken down over the week. My reading gets done most days and I started playing a computer game on my iPad.

My goal is to get a lot of my projects done this first quarter of the year and then the 2nd quarter (or maybe even the 3rd) I will look at getting my new (easy) vlogging camera and begin using it. I didn’t think I could focus on it having so much to do right out of retirement, Christmas, the New Year and adjusting to the schedule.

George and I are beginning to plan a few things out. Mostly we have been waiting for me to feel better, waiting out the cold, getting things done here while hibernating. But we are planning on a Valentine day outing, and an excursion to Hendersonville soon, as I have to wrap up business with our financial advisor to roll over my 401k – giving us a reason to go out, lol. We are planning to go and eat dinner with my sister and her family and give them their Christmas gifts.

We are waiting for final dates from Katy on our Texas trip coming up again so we can make those hotel reservations in Hot Springs and get the dogs boarding dates scheduled. We also want to see George’s sister but we were waiting for me to feel better so we can probably get that done. We saw our friends the Irelands last week.

(Making fun of the AI created image: My handle must have come off the pan and the bluebird came inside the kitchen. lol) I’m also starting to cook a meal a week now. I’ve committed to that much at least or more if needed. George prompted me on that one, I think to give him a break. I was really filling my days full and it still was not allowing for cooking, but I think it’s because even though I like cooking I was wanting to do other things more. But I certainly don’t mind pulling more of my weight in that arena, especially now that we have gone through the freezer and pantry and reorganized both and going through cabinets and dishes and decluttering those. I’m becoming more aware of my kitchen and becoming more aligned with it. I can’t say I’m “one” with my kitchen yet, but will be soon. I have a problem with our spice cabinets. Yes cabinets plural – there’s 2.5 cabinets of spices. That needs to be gone through and reorganized. I think after we do all the reorg stuff I’ll be more apt to want to be in the kitchen more. I wish it were a more updated kitchen but we seem to have never had an updated kitchen. Once in my life I’d really like to have a modern kitchen but it may not ever happen unless we move or downsize. I will demand it then.

Ok I’ve cooked a tamale casserole in the crock pot today. I hope it is good. I think it will be.

Well I need to take Maddie out, call Mom, and then work on the garnishment part of our dinner tonight. And then I’m looking forward to watching a show and maybe some reading. I’m also trying to do a reel of my tamale casserole for instagram. If I do I might show it on my vlog as well.

Everyone have a great weekend ahead. Take care. I’ll be Saturday with the link to the video. Oh and I can’t help but add that I have 4,943 subscribers on YouTube. I’m really close to 5,000. When we reach 5,000 we’ll do a Q & A. So I’ll soon be asking for questions that you’d like us to answer. If you want to throw any at me now, I’ll add it to the list. That will be fun.

See you soon.