As you may have heard in whole or in part, I am in the process of designing my retirement :D As I write this I am in the final stages of packing my house for storage for the next three to six months (that's the corporate I, because I have lots of help). This frees me to travel some and get a feel for where I would like to spend my retirement.
It should not surprise you that I am interested in staying on the west coast. In fact, I am looking for a summer home on a lake that someone needs to part with and that I can live happily in.
I know my adventure is frightening to some, but please remember that I am the same woman that drove to California in 1979 with $176.87, for my younger readers, that was NOT a lot of money back in the day. That is to say that you should not overly worry about me, but I welcome all prayers on my behalf!
If you are nervous about my van, I have made arrangements to replace it when the time comes. In the meantime, I intend to drive it as long as possible to get the full value out of all the money I have invested in it. Plus, the setup is sweet!
I am leaving Burbank on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. My Blackberry Curve {which is new to me} has GPS, email, twitter, and many other features that I intend to become familiar with as I travel. Feel free to call or text me, though texting is a new skill for me - it is unlimited so I expect to become very familiar with it as I travel.
My twitter is goodhobbits as is my email goodhobbits@att.net. My home phone now has a permanent message directing you to call my cell phone number. I will not post that number on the blog, but if you email me, I'll send it to you (assuming that I know you).
I expect to visit Carin, Suzanne and her gang,then head north for a while and then east for the family reunion and a promised visit to Aunt Joan and Uncle Paul in Delaware. If you would like a visit, let me know and I will do my best to make it happen. Be advised that I am traveling with my dog, Coco, and my cat, Fluffy - which should provide me with some serious entertainment.
I do hope that you will enjoy hearing from me and wish me well on my journey.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Plot Thickens
It is safe to say that times flies even when you're not having fun, for example it flies even when you are packing...but it isn't fair to say that I'm not having fun. Carin (Suzanne's oldest) jumped in her car and had her way with my garage. Which is to say that she sorted, packed, labeled and taped every box AND separated them for moving or yard sale. For those of you who have not seen my garage, this may not have the proper impact, let's just say that some of those boxes have been inhabited by four varieties of spiders and three varieties of ants for a couple of years now. In addition, there are well over one hundred boxes there...not one remained untouched - by the way whoever said that if you have black ants they chase out the others is completely wrong- but I digress...then, she jumped back in her car to drive the eight hours back to her beautiful family. She is my hero!
Brad, Lorraine, Jim, Kevin, and Richard converged on the now fully organized garage to set up my yard sale Saturday and Sunday. I cannot even pretend that I helped, unless you count my thank yous...The yard sale was a complete success and half the garage was emptied. Thank God! The local Goodwill has requested that I take a couple of days off before bringing them any more of my very cool stuff (no, I'm not kidding) and all of the boxes in the kitchen, living room and bedroom have been installed in the newly vacated garage space. this may all sound very mundane to you, but this is awesome to me! I can actually go from room to room again...it is the little things :D
Now, we come to the climax, I have four days to finish this extraction. The van is looking good, and as far as that is concerned, I am actually very excited. The POD arrives on Saturday and is removed Monday. We are surely in the home stretch...as for where I'm going...Carin has located me a house and a future husband, so all I have to do is show up...first stop, Fallon, Nevada. It would be funny if that's the way it works out, you never can tell - after all, this is me we're talking about.
Brad, Lorraine, Jim, Kevin, and Richard converged on the now fully organized garage to set up my yard sale Saturday and Sunday. I cannot even pretend that I helped, unless you count my thank yous...The yard sale was a complete success and half the garage was emptied. Thank God! The local Goodwill has requested that I take a couple of days off before bringing them any more of my very cool stuff (no, I'm not kidding) and all of the boxes in the kitchen, living room and bedroom have been installed in the newly vacated garage space. this may all sound very mundane to you, but this is awesome to me! I can actually go from room to room again...it is the little things :D
Now, we come to the climax, I have four days to finish this extraction. The van is looking good, and as far as that is concerned, I am actually very excited. The POD arrives on Saturday and is removed Monday. We are surely in the home stretch...as for where I'm going...Carin has located me a house and a future husband, so all I have to do is show up...first stop, Fallon, Nevada. It would be funny if that's the way it works out, you never can tell - after all, this is me we're talking about.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Packing...
In the process of shutting down this house I have determined to sort things into three groups: coming, sell/donate, trash. It seems straightforward enough. The coming pile is the biggest, fair since I've been weeding out for over a year, but still- What a lot of stuff!
The questions I am getting the most often, in response to this blog are: Where are you going and how disabled are you? Neither are easy to answer. So, here are my answers: Where am I going? I don't exactly know. I have been researching more affordable areas to live. In all six of the questionnaires I've completed Oregon comes up in the top five of places that fit my desires as weighted in the survey. I have never been to Oregon, I have been to forty-eight states but not Oregon or Alaska, so I expect to head north first. I already love Seattle, and its outlying areas, so I expect to make that the first leg of my trip.
Certainly I plan to head east to visit my mother and siblings, not to mention 23 nieces and nephews, but the family reunion isn't until July, so I have a couple of months. In the meantime, I expect to take a break from me and the regime of doctor's appointments and staring out the window with my foot up...which wasn't even interesting once. My goal is to find a beautiful view that I can afford to look at, while I'm sitting with my foot up. Does that answer your question? Probably not, but it's my life and I've decided to make it an adventure.
Which brings me to the second question: How disabled am I? Well, I don't want to answer that question for a number of reasons. I want to focus my life on the ability not the dis...second it is too real in black and white, and third, if you've known me for more than a year or two, you know that I prefer humor to a hard truth any day of the week. So just let me say that I can drive for a while, and rest for a while. Any activity is followed by prolonged rest, and if I try to be more specific it just bums me out, so there! In the meantime, I have some packing to do...
The questions I am getting the most often, in response to this blog are: Where are you going and how disabled are you? Neither are easy to answer. So, here are my answers: Where am I going? I don't exactly know. I have been researching more affordable areas to live. In all six of the questionnaires I've completed Oregon comes up in the top five of places that fit my desires as weighted in the survey. I have never been to Oregon, I have been to forty-eight states but not Oregon or Alaska, so I expect to head north first. I already love Seattle, and its outlying areas, so I expect to make that the first leg of my trip.
Certainly I plan to head east to visit my mother and siblings, not to mention 23 nieces and nephews, but the family reunion isn't until July, so I have a couple of months. In the meantime, I expect to take a break from me and the regime of doctor's appointments and staring out the window with my foot up...which wasn't even interesting once. My goal is to find a beautiful view that I can afford to look at, while I'm sitting with my foot up. Does that answer your question? Probably not, but it's my life and I've decided to make it an adventure.
Which brings me to the second question: How disabled am I? Well, I don't want to answer that question for a number of reasons. I want to focus my life on the ability not the dis...second it is too real in black and white, and third, if you've known me for more than a year or two, you know that I prefer humor to a hard truth any day of the week. So just let me say that I can drive for a while, and rest for a while. Any activity is followed by prolonged rest, and if I try to be more specific it just bums me out, so there! In the meantime, I have some packing to do...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Re-creation
Okay, when I thought up this blog, I intended to share the pearls of wisdom that I have gleaned from thoughtful reflection and blinding realizations following life events. No sooner had I set it up when I lost a dear friend and lost all interest and momentum. Now, I am beginning to pick up the pieces of my life as I emerge into a new life that I must create for myself.
It is certainly true that each and every one of us create our own lives, but at this very moment, I am embarking on a transition from the life I created as a teacher to the life I have as a disabled retiree. Certainly, it is attractive to keep on keeping on, in spite of the reduction in income, and for the past year or more, I have done so. It seems to me now, that I can live meagerly in my current style or well in a situation designed on these new parameters. This is my choice. Thus, I have given notice on my house and have begun sorting, packing and relieving myself of former necessities.
It is an interesting to put together a puzzle when you are not really certain what the final image is, and so, I pick up a piece, and try to make it fit. The variations on placement allows me to change my mind at will, though the outcome remains elusive.
For today, I have ten empty boxes to fill and continue my search for affordable living.
It is certainly true that each and every one of us create our own lives, but at this very moment, I am embarking on a transition from the life I created as a teacher to the life I have as a disabled retiree. Certainly, it is attractive to keep on keeping on, in spite of the reduction in income, and for the past year or more, I have done so. It seems to me now, that I can live meagerly in my current style or well in a situation designed on these new parameters. This is my choice. Thus, I have given notice on my house and have begun sorting, packing and relieving myself of former necessities.
It is an interesting to put together a puzzle when you are not really certain what the final image is, and so, I pick up a piece, and try to make it fit. The variations on placement allows me to change my mind at will, though the outcome remains elusive.
For today, I have ten empty boxes to fill and continue my search for affordable living.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Welcome Back or Just Plain Welcome!
From the start, I realized that I misnamed my former blog, which was just one example of my general inexperience with the media...as time went on, I realied that continuing a blog with the unintended name was compounding the problem. Now, through the inquiries of readers, I have launched my new blog with it's intended name: I Realized it Later
It is not much of a stretch to fill in the meaning of this title, but since my observations always include reflection, I feel it is a more appropriate title and it explains why I am a lot smarter in my blog than I may be in real life.
So what's this blog about? This blog is about the lessons learned from life's most demanding teacher: experience
Who's writing this blog? Clearly this is not my real name, or maybe it is, but really, it is my favorite nickname and a very thin disguise to prevent others who interact with my blog from being discovered by the paparazzi. My personal life goal - to NEVER appear on the cover of the National Enquirer - for any reason. This name is meant to give me that distance. But who am I really? Stop back tomorrow and I just might give you a clue.
It is not much of a stretch to fill in the meaning of this title, but since my observations always include reflection, I feel it is a more appropriate title and it explains why I am a lot smarter in my blog than I may be in real life.
So what's this blog about? This blog is about the lessons learned from life's most demanding teacher: experience
Who's writing this blog? Clearly this is not my real name, or maybe it is, but really, it is my favorite nickname and a very thin disguise to prevent others who interact with my blog from being discovered by the paparazzi. My personal life goal - to NEVER appear on the cover of the National Enquirer - for any reason. This name is meant to give me that distance. But who am I really? Stop back tomorrow and I just might give you a clue.
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