Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com

It’s Good To Be Old

I find myself saying this out loud or to myself more and more lately. The aches and pains—minor at this point, thank goodness—and occasional loss of the exact word I’m looking for aside, being older definitely has its advantages. I am happy that I’ve successfully aged past the years of being a responsible, fully employed adult, and into blissful, often irresponsible, and less-than-productive retirement.

In no particular order, here are just a few reasons I celebrate being old:

I am grateful that I grew up without the scourge of social media. I didn’t have to worry about getting likes, the latest social media trend, or that something dumb I did would be captured on video and go viral.

Somehow we made it through high school without cell phones, social media, bots, or online influencers.

I’m not overly concerned about what others think of me. That doesn’t mean that I don’t consider others or don’t want to be liked; I just don’t lose sleep worrying about someone else’s opinion of me.
I am concerned about the state of my country and the world, including social justice and the impact of climate change. I do what I can to support the causes I believe in but, at my age, I’m somewhat insulated and will probably be gone before things get too bad. I hope the younger generations are smarter than we were.
I’m happy with my tribe of peers. I find myself surrounded by thoughtful, intelligent, engaged, interesting friends. I’ve known some since I was very young, and others have been more recent additions. All are treasures.

AI wasn’t a thing when I was young. While I was working, most jobs were performed by actual human beings. At no time during my career was I concerned about being replaced by a computer program. I don’t think anyone really knows where AI will lead us, but I know several younger workers who are worried.
My husband and I recently got the latest COVID booster. Being over 65 means that we are “privileged” to be in the approved group. Also, because I grew up when I did, I received all the vaccines available as a child.
The elementary, junior high, and high schools I attended weren’t surrounded by barricades. I didn’t have to worry that my life was an acceptable cost of protecting the right of others to arm themselves with AK-47s.

Fencing recently added to a local elementary school.

Of course, the best part of growing old is the privilege of being old. Not everyone is so lucky. That I successfully dodged the consequences of more than a few stupid decisions, survived a couple of serious health challenges, and managed to make it this far is a bit of a miracle.

How about you? Are you happy to be the age you are, or would you like to time travel to a different age? If you are older like me, what benefits are you enjoying?

Group Travel vs. Going Solo

When my husband and I plan our trips, we usually act as our own travel agent. We select the accommodations, book the flights, and are fully in charge of our day-to-day itineraries. Since we are often away for a month or longer and appreciate having flexibility, this type of travel works well for us.

The task of researching and arranging our trips falls mostly on my shoulders, something that I’ve never enjoyed doing. Even though – so far – our trips have turned out great, I often find the planning process to be stressful.

We have several friends and family members who travel mostly on group tours. OAT, Road Scholar, and Viking are just three of the many organizations that offer attractive packages of pre-planned excursions.

We recently had the opportunity to join a group tour of Valle de Guadalupe – the well-known winemaking region of northern Baja California, Mexico. It seemed like a great way to learn more about the area, indulge in culinary delights, sip excellent wines, and experience this type of travel. All we had to do was pay Road Scholar some money and show up at a hotel on the U.S. side of the border. The next morning, a dedicated bus took our group of 14 over the border and everywhere we went for the next six days.

After crossing the border, one of our first stops was for lunch at Caesar’s Hotel in Tijuana, where the Caesar’s Salad was first created in the 1920s. It was made tableside and it was yummy.

We know several people who have made this trip on their own. It is very doable, but we weren’t crazy about driving in a foreign country, and driving after drinking wine didn’t seem like a great idea in any country. I also would have had to do a lot of research to determine what hotel to stay at, and which wineries and restaurants to visit.

We learned that Mexico was the first country in the Americas (New Spain at the time) to start planting vines for commercial wine production.

The growth of the wine industry has attracted internationally famous chefs to Guadalupe Valley.

As it turned out, our tour guide was fabulous, our ocean-front hotel in Baja was lovely, and the food and wine were bountiful and so, so good.

The view from our hotel room was gorgeous.

I imagine my husband and I will continue to plan many of our trips, but our positive experience has opened our minds to small group tours. Depending on the destination, combining a group tour with time tacked on at the beginning or end – or both – could give us the deeper dive a group trip can provide, with the flexibility of solo travel that we love.

Do you prefer to create your own travel plans, or go with a group?

If you’ve gone on group tours, do you have a favorite provider?

Asked and Answered

I was very flattered when Yvette invited me to participate in her 2025 Summer Interview Series on her blog. My interview is lucky 13^th in her series, and I’ve enjoyed reading each one; learning more about bloggers I already follow and meeting several intriguing, new-to-me bloggers.

If you’d like to read my answers to her fun and often thought-provoking questions, please head over to Priorhouse Blog.

Pieces of My Mind: books, chocolate, deliveries, clothes

When the flotsam and jetsam of my brain don’t warrant a whole post of their own.

Book Festival

Our local Public Broadcasting station and an area university celebrated literacy and the love of books this past weekend by hosting a Book Festival. It did my heart good to see the large number of people at the event. Yes, there were a lot of gray heads in the crowd, but also a decent number of young people, making me a bit more optimistic about the future.

Crazy for Chocolate

I don’t know where I first heard about Dubai Chocolate, but the combination of rich chocolate, creamy pistachio, and a crisp pastry layer sounded delightful… until I saw the price: about $15 for a 150g bar. As I was looking at the store display and wondering who was crazy enough to pay that much for chocolate, a young lady walked by, grabbed a bar, and said, “Wow, I have never seen these this cheap!” So, of course, I had to buy one too. And, yes, it was yummy, but no, I’m not crazy enough to buy another one.

Delivery Options

An item my husband needed was only available online from a big box home improvement store. He had three options of how to have the item delivered: 1) It would be delivered to the store for pick-up, shipping was free but it would arrive in several days; 2) For an $80 shipping fee, the item would be delivered either the next day or a day of his choosing; 3) The item would be delivered to our door the next day for no shipping cost. His choice was obvious… I wonder if anyone chose option 2?

The 80/20 Wardrobe

We are in the middle of a house project that required me to empty my closet. I am lucky to have a large closet, so normally it is fairly tidy, but now my clothes and shoes are stowed all over the house, stuffed in other closets and piled on various flat surfaces. In addition to feeling twitchy about the disarray, I am confronted with the fact that I have far too many clothes. Some of them are now in my “to be donated” pile, but I realize that I need to be much more realistic about what I’m likely to wear going forward. Like many, I probably only wear about 20% of my wardrobe and, especially in retirement, comfortable and casual wins. I have no illusions that I can offload 80% of my clothes, but I’ll be busy this weekend seeing how close I can get.

How about you? Any fun plans for this weekend?

Creating a Digital Estate Plan – Social Media

This is the fourth post in my series, Organizing My Life, my ongoing project to create a roadmap for when I am no longer in the driver’s seat.

There it was. Mixed in with various Facebook posts about exotic vacations, family celebrations, and funny memes, was a notice of a friend’s passing. She had moved away several years ago and, although we weren’t especially close, we had stayed in sporadic touch via social media. I had no idea that she was even sick.

This was the third time in several years that I have learned of a friend’s death via Facebook. In each case, the woman’s husband had shared the sad news on his wife’s account. As tough as it must have been to write that post, I was grateful to have been notified.

As part of my ongoing Organizing My Life project, I have set up a password manager and made lists of various accounts and important contact information. What I hadn’t thought about were my social media accounts and what should be done with them when I’m no longer, shall we say, socially active. While my neglected Instagram and little used BlueSky and Pinterest accounts could probably be left to wither in the ether, what about my Facebook account and this blog? I imagine that they could be left open and untended, but have you ever received a Facebook birthday reminder from a friend who you know has died? It’s kind of creepy.

So, how would I like these accounts managed after I’m gone? Would I like one final message posted on Facebook before my account is deleted? My husband knows many of my friends but certainly not all of them and a Facebook post could help ease his burden to let people know. If I would like him – or whoever is managing my estate – to post a notice, is that something I’d like to write myself beforehand? How long do I want the message to be visible before shutting down my account?

How about this blog? Some bloggers just suddenly vanish, leaving their followers to wonder what happened. Others have found solace in the blogging community and have continued to write despite their illness. A final message posted by a loved one is one we never want to see, but again, I am grateful to be notified. Like Facebook, the wording of the message and how long to keep the account active needs to be considered.

Obviously, there is no right or wrong answer, but it’s something to think about and discuss with my husband. He doesn’t have a blog and isn’t on Facebook so, if I want him to post a notification, I’d have to clue him in on the process. Alternatively, I could designate a friend who is more familiar with these platforms to be the one to post a notice.

How about you? Have you thought about how you’d like your various social media accounts to be handled when you can no longer manage them? (In addition to the three I mentioned, other platforms might include Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.) Documenting clear instructions for each one ensures that they are managed as you wish.

Previous posts in the series:

Organizing My Life

Organizing Passwords and Other Secret Codes

What would you Grab if you had to Go?

What would you Grab if you had to Go?

My husband and I were relaxing on our deck a few days ago when we noticed several planes circling to the east of us. All three were mostly white with red markings and lettering. When one of the planes flew close enough to our house, we could clearly read the words CAL FIRE on the underbelly. That’s when we noticed the brown smoke in the distance.

The fire, I soon learned from checking social media, had started in a canyon a couple of miles from our home. A small brush fire when it was first reported, quickly grew to an estimated five acres. We live a reasonably safe distance away but those whose homes were close to the canyon’s rims, received evacuation notices.

The great news is that the fire was brought under control within a couple of hours. No homes were damaged and everyone who evacuated was able to return home safely. With the memory of January’s devastating Southern California wildfires fresh in our minds, I imagine everyone living within a few miles of the canyon fire heaved a huge sigh of relief. We know how a small brush fire can spread quickly, consuming tens of thousands of acres, destroying thousands of homes, and threatening lives.

After the smoke cleared and the planes were gone, my husband and I talked about what we would take if we had to evacuate our home. Whether we had the luxury of time or just minutes, what would we grab first? I mentioned family photos, a few items of personal or monetary value, my laptop, and important paperwork. A change of clothes would probably be helpful too. As I looked around our house, I didn’t see many items that I either couldn’t do without or that couldn’t be easily replaced. The possibility of losing everything really focuses you on what is important.

Old family photos are often at the top of people’s *grab first* list.

This conversation has encouraged me to give a lot more thought to the question: What would I take? What’s important? What is irreplaceable? What would we need to sustain us if we couldn’t return to our home – assuming we still had one – for a while? What would we need to help us recover any losses?

Where we live, wildfires and earthquakes are the biggest threat. For others, it might be floods, tornados, or hurricanes. I am not aware of any location that is completely safe from a natural disaster. Although we don’t dwell on threats, being prepared for what ifs can help give us peace of mind.

Creating a Grab and Go evacuation plan wasn’t on my original Organize My Life to-do list but in the wake of recent events, I have added it and moved it to the top.

I don’t have a final list yet, but here is my initial outline:

List of items that will be needed if away from home for any length of time, or that are valuable and/or irreplaceable. Don’t forget medications.
List of personal records that may be needed (insurance, financial, medical, etc.).
List of passwords, PINs, and codes that may be needed.
Make a separate list of items to take if there is more time to pack before evacuation.

On both lists, indicate where the items are located. If anything needs to be gathered quickly, ensure those items and records are easily accessible (if your precious photos or family heirlooms are buried in a storage closet, you may not have time or the ability to grab them before you have to leave).

This is a list that I hope to never need, but I will feel better when it’s completed. Better to consider what to take now rather than when feeling worried and stressed.

Do you have a Grab and Go list for your home? Can you think of anything I should add to my list?

If It’s Spring… It’s Time for Limoncello!

Springtime fills the air in my backyard with the delicious scent of citrus blossoms. At the same time our orange, lime, and lemon trees are bursting with fruit, their fragrant white flowers hold the promise of next season’s crop.

Bees are busy making sure each blossom gets pollinated.

As anyone with a home garden knows, there is something very satisfying about harvesting fruits or vegetables you have grown yourself. Our blueberries will ripen later in the summer but right now citrus is taking center stage. That means it’s time to begin making this year’s batch of limoncello.

I made my first batch of limoncello in 2022, and it was so good, I’ve made it every year since. The recipe I use fills ten to twelve, 12 oz. bottles, enough to enjoy throughout the warm summer months and a few extra bottles to share with friends.

Are you interested in making your own limoncello? You’ll first need to purchase one of those large 1.75-liter bottles of Costco’s Kirkland brand of vodka.* Next, gather your lemons… you’ll need a lot.

Ingredients

1.75-liter bottle of vodka

20 – 23 organic lemons (depends on their size – some of ours are quite large).

8 cups of water

5 ¾ cups of sugar

Directions

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from all the lemons. Try to remove just the outer yellow skin and as little pith as possible.** & ***
Put the peels in a glass container. Pour the vodka over the peels, covering them completely. Cover the top with a lid or, as I do, plastic wrap.
Let the vodka and lemon peels infuse out of direct sunlight (I cover the container with a dark cloth) for at least 4 days or as long as a month. The longer you let the vodka infuse, the more lemony your limoncello will be (that’s a good thing). I stir the mixture about once a week… I don’t know if that’s important, but I love seeing the vodka deepen in color.
After fully infused, line a large strainer with a large coffee filter or paper towels and set it over a bowl, preferably one with a pour spout. Strain the infused vodka through the filter. You may have to press down on the peels to get all of the vodka (because why wouldn’t you want every last bit of the vodka?). Set aside.
In a pan, bring 8 cups of water to a simmer and slowly stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Allow to cool completely.
Mix the sugar syrup with the infused vodka. Stir gently to mix.
Insert a funnel in the neck of one of the bottles and fill with limoncello. Repeat with remaining bottles.
Chill the limoncello in the fridge or freezer for at least 4 hours before drinking.
Enjoy!

The magic begins. When infusion is complete, the vodka will be a beautiful, deep yellow.

I have just completed Step 2, and the lemon peels and vodka are infusing as I type. Sometime around mid-May, I’ll strain the peels and mix the infused vodka with the sugar syrup mixture.

In about a month, I’ll gather these tools to complete the process.

* Obviously, you can use whatever brand of vodka you want. If you purchase a more conventionally-sized 750-ml bottle, adjust the other ingredients accordingly (~10 lemons, 3 ½ cups water, 2 ½ cups sugar).

** Use a sharp, good quality peeler, if possible. Ours, a Messermeister swivel peeler, removes the yellow skin easily, with very little pith.

*** After the lemons are peeled, I offer the “naked” lemons to our local Buy Nothing group and they are snapped up in no time.

Limoncello is simple to make and so yummy to sip. If you make your own, please let me know how it came out!

Reclaiming My Happy Place

Something has been missing from my world lately. Normally a bright-sider optimist, I have found myself feeling worried and uncertain and it has dampened my mood, affected my sleep, and sapped some of the joy from my life. My Happy Place has been infiltrated by uninvited squatters, and I want to get it back.

I know that I’m not alone; many bloggers I follow have written about their feelings of anxiety and discomfort. In fact, Jo’s post this morning has prompted me to finish writing down the thoughts that I’ve been struggling with for a few weeks now.

How do I maintain my optimism when there is so much to be concerned about? Burying my head in the sand just isn’t in my DNA but I also realize that there is only so much I can do that has an impact: email, call, donate, support, resist. Worrying, losing sleep, and doom-scrolling aren’t healthy or helpful.

I’m lucky. There are many things in my life that are pleasurable, positive, and bring me joy. Connecting with others through my blog is one of them. I haven’t felt like writing lately – every topic seemed so trivial in face of current events – but I miss the sharing and positive interactions with the blogosphere. I realize now that evicting the squatters and reclaiming my Happy Place can be my small, personal form of resistance.

Tucson sunset.
As Jo wrote about her photo of the Eastern Algarve shoreline that she shared in her post: “I look at this photo and I’m filled with wonder at the breathless beauty of our world.”

Taking it Easy at La Posada

When most people think of Winslow, Arizona, standing on the corner and flatbed Fords probably come to mind.

But if you visit Winslow, don’t just take it easy, take a selfie, and go running on down the road. Although the Corner is a fine sight to see, you’ll miss what I consider the true jewel of Winslow (sorry, Jackson Browne), La Posada Hotel.

La Posada was opened in 1930 as part of the Harvey hotel and restaurant chain built to cater to railroad passengers. The architect, Mary Colter (famous for her buildings at the Grand Canyon), blended Native American and Spanish cultures into the design. The hotel survived the stock market crash but closed in 1957, as fewer and fewer people traveled by train, opting instead to go by automobile.

In the early 1960s, the empty buildings were repurposed as offices for the Santa Fe Railway. In 1994, when the railway announced plans to move out, it was scheduled for demolition. Fortunately, before that could happen, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added it to their endangered list and a new owner was found.

I first fell in love with La Posada in 2015, when our Route 66 road trip took us through Winslow. My husband and I spent an hour or so touring the public areas and gardens, and watching the trains. We couldn’t book a room back then, but I hoped it might be possible in the future. Last spring, on the return leg of our east coast road trip, we had our chance.

As we explored the historical hotel as guests, I tried to envision La Posada as it must have been in its heyday, when it was filled with long-distance railway travelers. Although those days are gone, I am grateful that we can still experience the beauty and romance of this last, great railway hotel.

The Interior

In 1997, the estimated $12 million restoration of La Posada began, slowly bring it back to its former glory. Arched ceilings, faux adobe walls, period furnishing, and unique doors can be found throughout. (Slideshow)

Our Hotel Room

Despite being close to train tracks, our room was quiet and comfortable. We appreciated the touches of Southwest design and colorful tiles. (Slideshow)

The Exterior

Beautiful iron gates and vintage doors invite guests to wander the property. (Slideshow)

Watching the Trains Go By

The hotel provides several sitting areas for guests to watch the trains. Twice daily, trains on the Los Angeles/Chicago line stop at the hotel to pick up and drop off passengers. (Slideshow)

I found the history of La Posada, railway hotels, and the architect, Mary Colter, fascinating. If you are interested in learning more, check out these websites:

La Posada

Legends of America

Pioneering Women of America

Please visit Dan at No Facilities to see more beautiful doors. His Sunday Recap (to be posted on January 19) will include submissions for the 2025 Thursday Doors badge contest, including mine:

Another Year Older

Having an early January birthday has often meant celebrating indoors. When I was young, I envied those summer babies who could mark their special day with a beach bash or pool party. Following so closely after all the winter holiday celebrations, my birthday often felt like an afterthought… one that wasn’t necessarily welcome.

Although my parents made a big effort to make the day special for me, I would have preferred that they had put more thought into when I was conceived… sometime in November, rather than April would have given me the summer birthday I longed for. Sheesh.

Up until four years ago, January 6^th was best known for being the day of Epiphany, or the Twelfth Day of Christmas. I’m not religious, but I liked the idea that my birthday was celebrated in many countries with merry making, feasting, and the consuming of Three Kings Cake. I also liked that the word Epiphany means a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or become conscious of, something. A sudden insight or intuitive understanding. An “aha!” moment.

In the U.S., January 6^th is now also remembered for a darker reason, one that I’d rather not share my birthdate with. It has become not only a date, but a heartbreaking description, something like September 11.

Four years ago, a few days before January 6^th became more than just a date on most people’s calendars, I wrote a silly poem about my birthday. I had meant to post it on my blog, but as that day’s events unfolded, I was too shocked and saddened to do much of anything.

As I get older, I have had a lot of aha! moments and find myself gaining insights that weren’t clear to my younger self. Although there are some things I’ll never understand, this poem was written as a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the good. I hope you enjoy it.

Epiphany
(or, a Birthday Bitty Ditty)

Epiphany
old bitty me
I’ve gained a year today

Regretfully
with vague ennui
I hoped I could delay

Once fancy-free
oh, where is she
my youth of yesterday

But, by degree
fait accompli
my hair is turning gray

Now hear my plea
don't pity me
I'm feeling no dismay

Oh glory be 
can you not see
I’m old but no cliché

Most certainly
I'm still me
just further in decay

No magic key
no guarantee
I'd make it all this way

But here I be
Oh, lucky me
much more than just okay

Epiphany
strikes suddenly
I'm grateful for this day