Oh all right! (Say that like Suzanne Sugarbaker.) I know I haven’t posted much these past few weeks and I’ve been questioned about it incessantly. What’s wrong? Where are you? Have you given up blogging? The answers are nothing, here, and no.
Here’s the deal. You know how I sometimes talk about the day job? Well, those days are coming to an end. I’ve submitted my letter of intent to retire, I’ve completed all of the paper work required with my department in the State of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Retirement System. I’m turning in paperwork to the parking ramp notifying them I’m cancelling my contract and I’m training in a person to replace me. It’s happening. The day job will not be a part of my life for much longer. My last day will be December 1, 2015.
The thing is, for the first time in my entire career (over thirty-five years) the workload is unbearable. By the time I’m done with the day job at 3:30 I’m too exhausted to do anything when I get home. That means I haven’t been blogging, I haven’t been crafting, I haven’t even been keeping up with my housework.
But here’s the fun part. On my sidebar I’ll have a countdown to my retirement date. Also, November just happens to be NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) which challenges bloggers to submit one post per day during the month of November. I’m going to try to write one blog post ever day during the countdown of my retirement. They may not be interesting posts, but I’ll try to document what’s going on with me during the entire month of November, in addition to posting some other goodies that may have nothing to do with my retirement.
During my retirement years I plan to write a lot more (even novels!) and now is as good a time to start than any. I hope you’ll root me on during my final days as a civil servant
1. Husby and I spent two days at a retirement seminar offered by my day job. Yes, that’s right, I’m gearing up for retirement. It won’t be for a while yet but it’s smart (and exciting) to plan early. I started my work as a public servant when I was very young so it follows that I will be able to retire when I’m very young. Throughout the seminar I was reminded of all the great benefits offered to me which will be continued even after I stop working. I guess all those years of getting up before the crack of dawn and trudging through the dreary and sometimes depressing days at my job are finally going to pay off. Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty I’m free at last. Well, not quite yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel seems a lot brighter now.
2. Day two of the seminar fell on Valentine’s Day. I hope it was a lovey one for all of you. Husby and I don’t make too big a deal out of the day ~ we exchange cards and either go out for dinner or make a special meal at home. As we were out at the seminar already we decided to stop and have something to eat after we were done for the day. We beat the Valentine’s Day rush and had a very satisfying meal at Joe’s Crab Shack. Nothing says love like a big pot of shellfish.
3. I took Friday off from the day job because it just didn’t make sense to go in after being away for two days and having a long weekend ahead of me. My boss agreed it would be foolish to break up so much away time. (I like a boss who thinks like that.) I did some laundry, and of course some house cleaning. The day was also filled up with lots of donking around on the computer.
4. I felt like cooking up a pot of chili and some cornbread. My mom made some cornbread for the Mardi Gras party she hosted the weekend before and it was so good I wanted some more. The chili turned out pretty good, but the cornbread? Yuck. I used a recipe in one of my oldest cookbooks and it turns out they didn’t make sweet cornbread back in the olden days. It called for only one teaspoon of sugar. I thought that was strange when I was making it, but then thought my trusty book couldn’t be wrong. Come to find out most other recipes call for at least one-quarter cup of sugar. That’s what, twelve times more than I used? What were you thinking, Miss Crocker?
6. I did lots of writing. I’m doing that a lot these days, mostly in the form of rambling nothings on my super secret private blog, but also the beginnings of a story. I also started a few posts for this blog. Husby and I shared a most delightful evening this weekend sans TV or even music, quiet except for the ticking of the cuckoo clock and the crackle of a fire in the fireplace He read a book and I wrote. I imagined that’s what we’d be doing if we lived in a little shack in the middle of Alaska, or if we lived a hundred years ago. It seemed so contrary to what we normally do during the evening hours, but it was also a relief in a way. Quiet, still nights are my favorite.
Auntie B's Wax 