Happiness – Retirementally Challenged

A Final Post, With a Full Heart

After I wrote my last post back in December, I decided to take some time away from blogging. I had been thinking about closing my blog for a while and wanted to use the time to make a final determination. Would I miss blogging too much, or would I enjoy exploring other pursuits more. I figured a month or so away would help me make the decision.

Now, after the “month or so” has turned into more than half a year, I’ve decided that it’s time to clear off my mental desk and make room for other priorities. It’s time to move on from blogging.

I started RetirementallyChallenged in 2013 to give myself an outlet for my writing. Little did I know then that my blog would give me so much more. Starting my blog was one of the best post-retirement decisions I made. Many of you have touched my life deeply and have become treasured friends, both virtual and IRL. I’ve had adventures, learned new things, and have expanded my universe because of my connections with you. Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing my journey. The blogging community is a special one and I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

I will keep my site open for a while. If you’d like to stay in touch, please send me a note through my Contact Me page and we’ll find a way to connect.

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?

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.”

The Spanish Art of Relaxing

Since this would be the first time either of us had visited Spain, our itinerary included three of the largest cities: Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville. It was tempting to add other cities, towns, and villages but we didn’t want our trip to become a whirlwind of rushed travel. A week’s stay in each of the three cities seemed just about right.

Many guidebooks list the top attractions to see if you are in a location for a short amount of time (one, two, or three days, for example) and, frankly, that sounds exhausting. Because we had more time in each city, we could not only sightsee, but also relax, people watch, and enjoy a less frenzied pace.

Turns out, this less-packed itinerary was the perfect way to embrace Spain and its relaxed lifestyle. It was not unusual to see outdoor cafes full of groups of people in the afternoon, enjoying a glass of wine, sharing a few tapas, and actually talking to each other. If a table was full of people staring at their phones, it was an excellent chance they weren’t Spaniards.

In the U.S., I would feel guilty sitting at a restaurant table for a long time and only ordering a glass of wine. I was a server long ago and turning tables quickly was not only what the management wanted, it helped to increase my tips. Besides, since the customers often were on their way somewhere else, they appreciated getting in and out.

Not so in Spain. They seemingly have perfected the art of chill. That doesn’t mean they don’t work hard too, it’s just that they have successfully compartmentalized the two.

Because we often had no particular place to be, my husband and I enthusiastically embraced this lifestyle. After an afternoon of sightseeing, we’d find an empty table in the shade, order a glass of (inexpensive and mostly very good) wine, and watch the world go by. We weren’t in a hurry, but, best of all, the servers didn’t seem to be in a hurry either. When we wanted our check, we’d have to catch their eye and request it, then wait a while longer for it to come. We never felt rushed to leave so they could seat another party.

When we travel, we seldom purchase souvenirs or other items we really don’t need. But Spain’s slower paced way of living was one keepsake we vowed to carry with us when we returned home.

I am submitting this post to Deb and Donna‘s What’s Been on Your Plate link-up. Check out their posts as well as the posts of other contributors.

Sunday Stills: A Change of Altitude

It’s almost as if Terri (Second Wind Leisure) knew that my husband and I would be spending a few days up in the mountains when she came up with The Great Outdoors as this week’s Sunday Stills photo topic. Although I often have to search my files for images when I join in on one of her photo challenges, this time all I did was walk out the door of our little cabin and there it was… the great outdoors!

We were delighted when our friends, Kathy (Smart Living 365) and Thom, invited us to join them for a few days at their mountain retreat in nearby Idyllwild. The cabin they have rented for a number of years has a mini-cabin situated just a few steps away. It’s perfect for the hosts and the guests – lots of opportunities to connect, but enough separation so that everyone can have some privacy and alone time.

We hiked:

We hugged trees (and each other):

Kathy and Thom showing a tree some love.

We moved boulders:

Full disclosure: it didn’t budge (thank goodness!).

We watched the sunset… :

A fire a couple of years ago left these trees bare, but still beautiful.

… just before the full strawberry moon rose:

We enjoyed great conversations:

There may have been some adult beverages involved.

And, we marveled at nature’s artistry:

I loved how the bark’s texture changed closer to the soil.

The red bark of the Manzanita starts to peel, reveling the new growth below.

I think I saw a mountain gorilla on the trail… or not.

The few days that we were able to enjoy the clear mountain air and expansive vistas were just what we needed. There is nothing quite like spending time in the great outdoors to reduce stress, encourage reflection, and help us appreciate the gifts of Mother Nature.

GratiTuesday: Simple Pleasures

Despite the current global crisis, it wasn’t too difficult to find things to be grateful for this week. Although I’d love to snap my fingers and make this all go away, I have found that – just like before – it’s often the simple pleasures that give me the greatest joy.

Masks Made

I am not an accomplished seamstress, but I do have a sewing machine and plenty of unused fabric. After watching a few YouTube tutorials, I was able to make several cloth masks for my husband and me, as well as for friends who don’t have the same resources.

Food Delivered

We recently signed up for home delivery of produce and other food items and had our first box delivered to our doorstep today. It’s not the cheapest way to go, but these regular deliveries will cut down on our need to go to grocery stores.

Smiles Provided

Like a lot of people, I’ve been spending way too much time on my computer. Fortunately, in between the worry and stress, I’ve found moments of laughter and reasons to smile. Here are a couple of my favorites (with links), in case you’ve missed them:

John Krasinski, the actor, delivers good news from around the world via his in-home Some Good News “studio.” He has recorded two episodes so far and they are delightful. I guarantee his news will make you smile.

Although the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles may be closed, they have found a way to encourage people to remain engaged with art by challenging their social media followers to recreate a work of art with objects found around their homes. The submissions are wonderful and often hilarious. You can find the results all over social media, but here are a couple of links with examples.

The Iris (J. Paul Getty Museum blog)

My Modern Met

Sunday Stills: Spring Flowers

It seems like it has been spring here in Southern California for several months. I started to notice buds on trees back in February and then the March rains brought forth even more. Now, in early April, just about everywhere I look, Mother Nature is showing off with displays of colorful blossoms and heady scents.

For her weekly Sunday Stills photo challenge, Terri Webster Schrandt has asked us to “blow up WordPress and the rest of the Internet with gorgeous flowers!” Since most of us are sticking much closer to home, this week’s theme encourages us to find beauty in our neighborhoods, in our yards, or on our balconies.

The pictures that I’m sharing are from my yard and from walks around my neighborhood.

If you have images of your own, please share them with us by linking to your post on Terri’s blog. As she said, it “will be like we are sending each other wonderful bouquets.”

GratiTuesday: Blugging

I have been thinking about bringing back regular GratiTuesday posts for a while. Not only do I have much to be grateful for, I firmly believe that maintaining an attitude of gratitude improves mental health. And, frankly, who couldn’t use a bit of a mental health boast right about now?

I entered this special community of bloggers a little over six years ago. At that time, I was mainly focused on coming up with interesting topics, writing clearly and concisely, and trying not to embarrass myself too much with typos and grammar fails. Never did I envision the tremendous riches that I would get back. Through this community, I have learned about life in various parts of the world, discovered fascinatingly different lifestyles, been introduced to talented writers and artists, and – most of all – I’ve met the most kind, welcoming, engaging, and generous group of people.

Now, as we hunker down all over the world and do what we can to flatten the curve, I’ve come to appreciate my blogging community even more. Through what we write on our blogs and in our comments to each other, we show our concern for each other’s safety, we share our worry and challenges, we help each other remain positive, and we connect in ways that makes us feel less alone.

Whether we write about the topic du jour or we help take everyone’s mind off it by writing about anything but, the virtual connection is what’s important. Through our blogs, we are saying: “we’re here,” “we’re OK,” “I hope you are doing well,” “we’ll get through this.”

It’s easy to feel unmoored right now, but the blugs I’ve received from the bloggers I follow have made me feel less adrift. Blogging has always been a great way to connect with others, now blugging has made those connections even stronger.

New Year, New Age

The Beatles song, When I’m 64, appeared on the Sgt. Pepper’s album in 1967. Each of the four band members were in their twenties at the time. This year, Paul and Ringo – the two who are still with us – will turn 78 and 80, respectively. They may be losing their hair but, as far as I know, they aren’t filling their days mending fuses and digging weeds, nor are they scrimping and saving so they can rent a cottage on the Isle of Wight.

I was eleven when the album was released, and 64 sounded ancient to me. Now that I’m that age, I’ve discovered that it isn’t so old after all. I’m happy to say that, yes, they still need me and, yes, they still feed me, when I’m 64.

Thank goodness they still feed me: my dear husband makes me this yummy caramelized orange cheesecake every year for my birthday. Isn’t it beautiful?

A few days ago, as I was thinking about my birthday, this poem started to write itself in my head. It’s about how the way we think of ourselves matters, and it is often our choice.

We Get to Choose
I am old
I am young
I see the finish line
I’ve just begun

I’ve seen it all
So much to see
I’ve set my limits
I am free

I’ve lived my life
I haven’t yet
My options are few
Nothing is set

Each is different
Both are true
It’s up to me
Which one I choose