At Last! Retiring for GOOD!

Short Answer: No. Long Answer: Hell, No. I'm 67. I retired last year, after realizing that the old age I'd been waiting for had arrived. In addition to finally getting off the merry-go-round of too little time, and not enough spent with people who matter to me, or activities that I truly enjoyed, I said: enough. Was my first year what I'd expected? Not even close. To begin with, I was humbled to realize that, planner though I was, completely unstructured time is not something I handled well. Before the year was up, I'd started taking local teaching sub jobs, 2-3 times a week. I actually made better progress with writing after I had less time in which to accomplish it. The district I sub in has generally nice kids, the work allows me to plan and make notes on my writing, and I am still able to reject jobs and have fun instead. Due to an unexpected illness on my husband's part, I did not get as much travel as I would have liked. However, he is better now, ...

I did National Novel Writing Month again this year. I gave up about 1/3 of the way through. Life smacked me in the face a few times, and I gracefully bowed to the inevitable. I had thought it would be easier this year, without a job. Turns out, the reality is more complex than I expected. Read about it here.

Long-term relationships sometimes can stall out, for lack of emotional warmth. It's not that the partners DIS-like each other, they just feel lukewarm towards their mate. Or, so says Dr. Finkel, author of the "All or Nothing Marriage". Many people are looking to their partners to replace the companionship and emotional support once provided by extended families and local institutions like churches, bowling leagues, bridge groups, fraternal lodges and garden clubs. Meanwhile, though, many couples are so busy with their jobs and parenting that they’re actually spending less time together by themselves. The post at the link above has some suggestions about how to turn up the fires - the ideas are called "Love Hacks". They seem to be based on some degree of evidence (although recent investigation of many social science research suggests that throwing darts at a target would produce similar results). They couldn't hurt, however, and might be useful.

Great! That's not me, but it expresses how I feel. I've spent a lot of the past 3 months clearing up old tasks, unloading accumulated junk from my house, and enjoying NOT having to put off needed medical appointments because the time off wasn't convenient to my employer. I've developed some good habits, like: Making my bed every day. Of course, it helped that my husband leaves so early, but, he has also jumped on board with this during his summer break. Keeping the kitchen spiffed up (Is that a phrase? My mother used it). I've been deep-cleaning and organizing (which, of course, makes it easier to keep it clean). Walking - not every day, but most. Outside, if possible, otherwise, in the house. My FitBit is registering meeting goals every week. Laundry - no longer with piles in front of the washer. Writing - every day, something. The novel is not progressing as fast as I would like, but I am making progress. I'm starting to reach out to various ma...

Recently, we've been working on getting our house in shape. And, no, that is NOT a metaphor. We called in RamJet to drive pilings into the ground, so the foundation could be shored up. Cost: $4200. Not cheap, but necessary. We may bring them back again to do the other sides of the house (which are not in bad shape). We'll see. We are also going to be bringing in people to repair/improve some windows. After the tornado ripped through Rock Hill, we had several windows broken. There is a deal going on now, and we want to take advantage of it - Buy 1, get 1 free. Plus 36 months to pay, same as cash. If we had planned better, we would have done this before I retired. But, we put off the decision, and have to manage it now. If you are in the pre-retirement phase, walk around your house (inside and out), and make notes on things you'd like to change/update. Consider: Gutters/roof Taking down aging trees (unbelievably expensive!) Foundations Driveways/sidewalks Insul...

I've been REALLY busy this morning (Thursday 8/24/17). The RamJet people are here to shore up our foundation. I've been working to get the bedroom cleaned up and cleared out. I started by tackling Den's stuff - he does have the tendency to drop what's in his pockets anywhere. Over time, the junk has built up - pens, receipts (mostly not necessary to keep), cough drops, change, etc. He also tends to use meds/lotions/razors/etc. in the bedroom, but not removing them again. Together, with the habit we have acquired of eating while watching TV, that has made a huge mess. I started at one end of the room and methodically moved through it. I put some of the 'probably important' stuff in a lidded container, for him to sort out later. I dusted, wiped, and swept as I went. A funny thing happened when I got near my chair. Suddenly, the junk started to be MINE. I was amazed at the sloppy habits I'd gotten into, as I had to confront them for the first time in we...

As I read this, it occurred to me that this advice is good for the Old and (Re)Tired, too. Get out there, today - Change the World.

I started off strong - really, I did. When I first retired, I had the strength of 10. But, as the summer passed, I lost my Mojo. The first thing to go was my dedication to daily upkeep of the house. I found myself weakly saying,  mañana. Then, I began raiding the fridge. I packed on a lot of the weight I had lost in the last semester I worked. Lastly, I began skipping my revision schedule. I read aimlessly, both on- and offline. I started taking naps. Like a 3-year old. So, unless I want to become this: I need to re-boot my life plans. I started Tuesday morning by getting cleaned up and dressed. I got to work with revising my Chem book, planning my week, and cleaning up the kitchen. Together, Den and I planned a healthy breakfast, conferred about our schedules, and made the bed (that last is not easy to get done early, if you have a partner - like mine - who likes to sleep in). I didn't manage to check-in with the Ham Radio NET today, but I did re-set my...

I was reading (nothing much, just noodling around), and found this link to Bouncing Back After Setbacks , and the resilience needed to do so. Resilience is the  (according to Dictionary.com) : ability   to   recover   readily   from   illness,   depression,   adversity,   or   the  like;     buoyancy One factor that is not fully appreciated by many parents is the importance of experiencing Failure - AND recovering from it. Some lessons from a school that has studied the successes - and failures. I'm going to start a regular post on At Last - Retiring for Good , that focuses on Things Kids Need to Learn From Grandma. If you'd like to be added to the list, go here and put your information into the link form .

I previously posted on the UN-helpfulness of the AARP brand , which purports to work for seniors, but seems more inclined to exploit them. Today's Forbes has an article that explains more about this. One facet of their conflict of interest with seniors: The AARP is also one of the largest private health insurers in America. In 2011, the AARP generated $458 million in royalty fees from so-called “Medigap” plans, nearly twice the $266 million the lobby receives in membership dues. There's more, and it's worse: AARP Medigap plans are exempted from most of Obamacare’s best-known insurance mandates. AARP Medigap plans are exempted from the ban that requires insurers to take all comers, regardless of pre-existing conditions.    

I've never belonged to AARP. My husband joined, just for the discounts (probably MOST peoples' motivation). I've heard about the immense profit AARP makes selling companies access to seniors (you do know that they are a large driver of all that junk mail you receive, don't you?). This gives more evidence for the charge that they are not so much a lobbying group, as a predator. ...most of AARP’s revenues do not come from the “members” it purports to represent. The group’s primary source of income is from royalties it receives from its AARP branded health insurance plans, which enjoy exemptions from some of Obamacare’s more onerous taxes and fees.

We're heading out next week to a Physics conference, and, as we are traveling via car, my husband asked me to check out Roadside Assistance. Specifically, did we still have it, or could we get it, on our cell phone plan? The short answer is no. It was discontinued in 2012. The long answer: Sprint - they don't have it AARP - I keep getting information about the WONDERFUL, heavily DISCOUNTED perks you can get for membership in AARP. I never really did join, but they keep sending their magazine each month, along with a card that says I'm a member. Most places accept it for discounts without actually checking to see if I AM a member. I checked their website. They do have a Roadside Assistance plan listed. I click on the link, which pops up a box warning me that YOU ARE LEAVING AARP FOR ANOTHER SITE! I click OK and end up on the site - Allstate. Yes, I think it is somehow affiliated with the insurance company. I check out the rates. Not that cheap, unless you are a...

I was browsing around the backend of this blog, and I noticed that some of my earlier posts had not received the traffic that I anticipated. Part of this is that I have become better at promoting my work, and part of this is that the topics have built interest over time. In no particular order, here are a few that I think worthy of posting again: Digital Natives? 50 Years Since High School My First Experience with Medicare Dipping My Toes into Uncharted Waters Retirement Prep Handling Chronic Pain (NOT at the level of end-stage cancer pain) A SERIOUS Hot-Button for Women

The idea behind WEP - the Windfall Elimination Provision - is that a FEW people were taking advantage of the ability to get a government pension, then take a non-government job, and get Social Security benefits, as well. According to Wikipedia: "The  Windfall Elimination Provision  (abbreviated WEP [1] ) is a statutory provision in  United States  law [2]  which affects benefits paid by the  Social Security Administration  under Title II of the  Social Security Act . It reduces the  Primary Insurance Amount  (PIA) of a person's  Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) or  Disability Insurance Benefits  (DIB) when that person is eligible or entitled to a pension based on a job which did not contribute to the  Social Security Trust Fund . While in effect, it also affects the benefits of others claiming on the same social security record." How it affects me: both my husband and myself worked primarily in teaching jobs ove...

My Father's decision to retire early My father had received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer from his doctor, when he was 60. He was naturally quite flummoxed, and wondered what to do. He returned to work after the news, and made a list of his expenses, his current income, and his income as it would be if he retired. He also noted which expenses would drop if he did retire early, such as commuting expenses, lunches out, and clothing purchases/dry cleaning. He found that he would LOSE money if he continued working. He turned in his forms that day. Was it a good choice? Well, he lived another 16 years, and was able to pursue his hobbies, spend time with his family, and enjoy the freedom of not having to answer to others. I'm not that lucky. I've generally earned more in the last 10 years, and will stand to lose some income as a result of my decision to retire. That's even after factoring in reduced expenses. For me, it's worth it, for the freedom it gives me t...

It's a slow process - a VERY slow process. The NC check came yesterday - MONTHS after I sent in the paperwork. However, it did come, and is currently in the hands of the SC Retirement people. I made a physical trip down there this morning, to make sure that the money would be in their hands today. It looks I've started getting the SC retirement money - my bank is showing the first check (e-deposit) is pending. Don't know how the NC money will affect that. It may mean I have to refund the June money, and take the first month as of July. We'll see. I'm getting the piddling SS money ($8/month). However, I won't be taking my SS as a worker until at least January of 2018. Maybe longer, it depends on how long Den is working, and if I can scrounge extra money up - either teaching a college class, or writing for magazines, or something. I'm still waiting on the new Medicare card. The old one only shows Part A. However, on the web, it does show that Part B is th...

My back is hurting - I think it's just a mild strain, not major organic damage, but I'm taking it easier this weekend. I wasn't able to show up at the 2017 ARRL Field Day for my radio club, but I couldn't take a chance on making it worse. I didn't even go to church this morning. Like I said, taking it REALLY easy. Our cable is out - the lawn guy accidentally cut the cable, so, until around 4 pm today, we're off the grid - at least for Dish. I'm using the Roku, which works off our OTHER cable, for Internet. I've found an interesting program, The Man in the High Castle . It's a sci-fi look at what America would have looked like, had Hitler won. It's based on a story by Phillip Dick. It's another one of the Amazon Prime offerings - no charge for Prime customers (which, about 6 out of 10 people in the US are). I was blown away by the first of the Prime shows I found - Z - The Beginning of Everything.  I'm just waiting impatiently fo...

AWESOME! Just AWESOME - that's all I have to say about it. I made MAJOR progress on cleaning up the house - bathroom - Check! Living Room - In Process. Desk Cleared - Check! Office - In Process. My goals this month are clearing out paperwork backlog, and general cleaning and organization. So far, so good.

This is one of the BIG things I have to do over the next 3 months or so. We have a ridiculous amount of loose paper around our house. This paper onslaught comes from several sources: Work papers Paycheck stubs, communiques from our benefits department, receipts Related to professional activities PD (professional development) Continuing coursework and CEUs Mailing list items, catalogs, random CD/DVDs PTRA - we provide workshops for teachers - this will continue even after retirement Student work - this will be less of a problem, as I will no longer be generating these. But, Den still has responsibilities to maintain records and grade papers Financial Bills Financial investments Banking statements Refunds in process, warranties Taxes Hobby/Church Radio and electronics (me) - I recently built a workbench in the attic, and will be moving most, if not all, of my gear to that space Magazines, mailing offers Church bulletins, Catechist paperwork and materials, ref...

I've moved out the big stuff (metal carts with equipment, for example, and my scanner/printer). I was able - with the assistance of my husband, who really didn't complain too much - to get my room clear of everything except what I can manage in my car on Tuesday. I need to go in that day, as I still have a few loose ends - inventory, checkout list, Medicare paperwork - to get tidied up. But, that will be IT! I was hot and sweaty after all that work - went straight home, and took a quick shower. I know there are probably more important things to focus on - world peace, adequate food and medicine for kids, no more Kitty videos on Facebook - but, my deepest desire is that hot and cold running water should be a goal for everyone on Earth. It is SUCH a pleasure to be cool and clean after hard work. So many people in the world do not have access to clean water, let alone running water. For them, I do hope that governments can stop putting less important things ahead of that...