Thoughts on Turning 65

 

I've hit that last landmark year for our culture! Growing up it was 5 for starting school, 16 for driving, 19 for being able to drink. Then there's the informal ones like 21 for drinking in the States and 26 for getting lower insurance rates. 

Being shuffled into the seniors box has been a drawn out process; anywhere from 50 for golf, 55 for restaurants, 60 for municipal discounts. In spite of being assured there would be no CPP for me after paying into it for my entire working life, here I am on the cusp of getting it deposited into my account every month. We are very fortunate to not need any of the low income or disability supplemental funding. 

So did I/we get here as intended? Definitely on the financial end. We made a "Freedom 55" plan in our early 30s and hit that mark due to a lower key lifestyle. I retired at 58 (spouse at 55) to a debt free life. I think we pretty well hit our health goals. We have all our teeth😁and I'm on no daily medications but I do have mild tinnitus and annoying eye floaties. I did regain activity levels after my accident although I shifted away from impact and ankle twisting sports - a convenient out for pickleball.

What now? We've been watching neighbours and family navigate their 80s so we're looking ahead there. We'll be moving out of our house eventually but where is the question. In the mean time I'm looking for more volunteer opportunities. I like to have an anchor activity most days. 

I started this blog when I was 45, in spite of being a very poor at journaling. Life has actually changed very little here although the population has gotten more diverse. Income inequality is more visible as there are lots of high end vehicles like BMWs and Cadiallacs but like everywhere, there's homelessness that long term residents are trying to shuffle away. The City has tried to maintain free/low cost activities to build community as it goes through boom and bust times as an O&G town. I feel like truth and reconcilation is progressing as schools include indigenous liasons and activities, Treaty 6 and Metis fly along side Canada and provincial flags and city events include smudging ceremonies. How does this translate? I don't know. 

Could be a l-o-n-g winter

 

Avalanche for clearing solar panels 

I was on a Zoom workout the other day talking about what this city has to offer with it being so dependent on oil. I was saying what it doesn't have - mountains, ocean/lake/river, long summers when someone asked me why I'm still here? In large part it's because it's a good place to travel from. 

Usually we have a spring trip to carry us through the cold but not this year. So what are we doing instead?

workout space

Our lifestyle has seen minimal change in the large scheme of things! I am very lucky my exercise instructor is on board for Zoom workouts. I can participate from home and those of us who do often have a bit of a chat before or after - not that different than class (but different). We're converting our travel fund to a much less thrilling appliance replacement and home improvement. On one hand not exciting, on the other, new tools like the avalanche and area rugs and stuff.

Bennie is definitely as saving grace. Whether walking him around the yard or around the park he keeps us on our toes by being randomly the best attentive dog ever to the best barker ever. He keeps people at a distance (of 2 m) while giving us something to talk about. We also chat with neighbours as we see them. Even food options haven't changed that much. We have time to cook and have been keeping the pantry full so we can eat what strikes us. We're also doing drive-thru so...

Having parents in their 80s really helps us recognize just how fortunate we are. While they all live in their own homes, none of them are particularly tech savvy so it's difficult to video call or suggest virtual activities that we take for granted. Fred's parents are going out for coffee and stuff while my dad is mostly staying home - a difference in mobility and locations. My dad is in the Fraser Health Region in BC while in-laws are in Alberta South Zone. We are in Saskatchewan NW2 zone. Exposures are low enough in our area that we get warned of exposure events and I can check my Google timeline to see if I'm affected. We minimize in store shopping and wear a mask when inside public spaces. We may start wearing a mask outside as well as trails narrow due to snow.  I find it mystifying that people can bemoan the effects of the pandemic on the economy/leisure activities while refusing to take the simple step of wearing a mask🤷‍♀️ 

Once the pandemic is resolved in a year or so, we plan to increase our traveling so that's really something to look forward to! How far ahead are you looking? 

Today is Ice Cream making day!

 I had asked for the ice cream making attachment for my KitchenAid a couple years ago. In true lazy fashion, I only got the bowl in the freezer this year and am finally going to make a 3 ingredient vegan recipe! I say 3 ingredient but I infused a can of coconut milk with a cardamon pod and bit of vanilla pod I had hanging around a drawer. Can't hurt right?

 

Travel in a time of Pandemic

When my Dad was take by ambulance to the hospital with a cardiac event we had choices to make around traveling. 

One thing about traveling when COVID - 19 is it's so new. If you test positive away from home you have to isolate somewhere that isn't home. Even if you don't get sick enough for a hospital stay, where are you going to be stored, for an indefinite amount of time, while away from  home if you do get symptoms? A big consideration for us was if we got sick dad wouldn't be able to come home.

Since mid-March I've been in 5 stores with 3 of them being since late May. If I went alone that would mean flying since it's a 15 hour drive. If flying I would have an airport transit in a city that keeps having flare ups. In the en, we decided to drive. We did a ton of cooking, put our masks in the car, Bennie went to the kennel we were going to leave him at for our (canceled) trip to the Cook Islands, we had someone come check the house and water plants and we were off in the Macan.

Range at 3/4 tank

The trip out went smoothly and we got amazing gas mileage. We stopped twice for gas and once for a drive thru coffee (they wore masks and physical distancing was in place). We had made Vietnamese salad rolls for the trip and they were the perfect light food for long sitting periods. We used to leave super early but this time didn't leave until 8 am. We got in later but didn't start the trip fighting to wake up.

Once out there, we stayed in at my dad's, only saw his wife and went for walks in the rain. We knew we wouldn't be able to see Dad in hospital but wanted to be available if things took a turn for the worse. Fortunately, oxygen brought him around and he's booked for TAVI - he had been waiting for it but it's been bumped up. Once he had a date and wearing pyjamas instead of a gown - we went home. We'll go back in August if we don't have big (>50 that end up non-traceable) outbreaks here or out there and non-essential inter-provincial travel is allowed.

On the way back we ended up detouring down Hwy 93 because if a road washout just east of Jasper. Funny since we chatted about the Icefields Parkway on the way out. since neither of us had gone on it for decades (we've never been together and we've been married well over 30 years). It's a beautiful area even in the rain.

Last time I was by here ('82), the glacier was down to the road.

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Snow was very close to the road - we're running 20" summer radials

Rocky Mountain House area. Crown land so free camping along the reservoir.

We got home to a lush yard between rain and warm weather. It's good to be home.

Mail from the Feds duh duh duhhhh🎹

Two things form the bulk of my mail; fliers and official communication from the Federal government. This time it's from Service Canada and since I haven't put in for a passport renewal I was puzzled. Oh yeah, this year I turn 60 - not only a time for seniors discounts but early CPP application.

First cold week of Winter.

This was the first really cold week this winter. It's been so cold that Bennie doesn't spend time outside other than potty break. Once again, the storm door on the kitchen entrance makes a huge difference as we aren't getting a gust of cold air when Bennie goes in and out and there isn't a big ice build up on the window in the door.

Retirement project - with magnets!

I have a phone wallet I love that uses magnets to stabilize a case with the wallet. It has annoyed me no end that my magnetic Spigen ring won't stick and it seemed like more than a positioning issue. I suspected fun with magnetic polarity but didn't have time to figure out a work around. Now I do!

Random retirement stuff

Today was gorgeous. Warm and sunny with a light breeze to speed the drying out of fields that farmers desperately need. Crops are a good couple weeks behind (heck even our apples are) so things could get dicey in Ag.

In spite of  being well funded for retirement we do talk about whether we're paying for something we're not using. Today it was cable TV. I know a lot of people have cut the cable but I still watch TV. The bundles are really annoying but the cheapest way to go. We almost upgraded our hardware but the channels proposed were not the channels we wanted so...no. We also have CraveTV, Netflix and Prime🙄 Since we can't agree to do without them they're staying but I will be taking over Prime so I can get the books part. I canceled my Spotify; I like the service but I'm ok with ads and shuffle. Madison is keeping me on SiriusXM.

Next we spent quite a long time chasing a 100W power leak. Our baseline consumption is quite high. We thought it was the fridge but finally did the breaker thing to try to pinpoint it. Surprise - it was in the garage. Apparently the battery charger for the electric yard stuff keeps cycling. We agreed it can be unplugged most of the time especially since we're at the end of the season. We can always plug in to charge in the morning yard work is planned. Did really well with solar in spite of missing 2 panels. One has a defect and the other needs a cable extension. We switched away from our 18.75¢/kWh plan to the 6.5¢/kWh plan for the winter. With the shorter days there is no use getting premium price on solar exported to grid. We're on track to produce the 5200 kWh the system was sized to produce even with the cloudy summer. 

Took Bennie on a lovely walk. He met a bulldog named Daisy. First he barked ferociously but I asked if she was friendly and closely monitored the interaction - she was very docile. I offered her a treat then gave Bennie a treat from the same slobbered on hand. Then he quietly sat a little ways away from her and looked at me. Lots of treats for being a good pup. He also encountered some reclining bikes, scooters, strollers dog walkers and a guy teaching a young girl to fish. Rods are scary so I headed over so he could see them too. He also did some deep wading. Bennie's socializing is coming along. Yesterday was Fall Fest. I had planned to take Bennie last year as part of his socialization but it was canceled due to cold and snow. Better late than never I hope.

New Retirement Gig

I always wanted to contribute by volunteering after retirement but I feel the nature of work has changed and, more than ever, I want to make sure I'm not filling a position that should be paid. So I signed up with BookSirens to review indy authors and small publishers and complete free reviews that can be pushed to Goodreads and  Amazon. It's possible I would post here and link to Twitter.

I did this because I love to read. One of my earliest memories is going to the Vancouver Library brand at McDonald St and I've made sure to have a library card in every community I've lived in since then. Reading is an escape and every story has expanded my horizons.

According to BookSirens I am a lenient reviewer and there's a couple reasons for that. I read stories when I'm in the mood for that theme. That means a story has to suck me in from the first page. I may give a chapter or so but I have no problem abandoning a book if it's not for me. The other is I do try to be kind. Someone has crafted a story. As long has it's coherent and engaging enough to finish, I'll give it a 3. Many times I'm blown away by the skill of the writer and their team (editor, etc). At the moment, I'm still digesting To Be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. To present 4 distinct worlds in a novella and make a space crew four disparate yet consistent characters. Wow.

Anyway, I'm off to read😁

One year of retirement down! Hopefully many to go.

When we say we're retired people ask if we miss work or we're traveling a lot. No and no. Actually, I kind of wonder how people have time to work with all the things there  are to do! To be fair, my job, in later years, consisted of collating and reporting data and immediate responses to questions so I'm used to finding productive (or not) things to do.  Spouse's was more project oriented so he's used to sorting his time out. Like many people our age who are retired we have side gigs - they just aren't required for financial support like they may be for younger people.

The Luxury of Time

I think (hope) we all understand that feeling we have enough time is a luxury that we don't understand until we have it.

Media space updated! Yay!

When we moved into our place in 2000 we knew we wanted an open basement, dedicated media space, room for a pool table and 2 guest rooms with a bathroom away from the media space. Well we got it but it wasn't quite what we wanted. Fast forward 18 years and we finally decided to do something about it.

Retirement - boy we talk a lot

One thing I've found about retirement is we talk a lot about stuff. All kinds of stuff for as long as we want because we have a much looser schedule and can find out what the other person means. Many times DH comes into a topic a little later than me and he asks my thoughts as he reads about it. Topics range from MAGA hat vs Indigenous Leader (parenting fail), to the new Canada Food Guide (overall good idea), to carbon tax (should be called a user fee).

Today's topics were the dedicated sexual assault court in Quebec and city water fluoridation.

The Court discussion was short and we pretty well agreed (before reading the article) that court workers from judges to lawyers to clerks need more mentoring and specific training to overcome biases. To me my thoughts are more nuanced.  Consent has been law for well over a decade but some judges still ask really dumb questions like - why didn't you close your legs. I would ask, every time you refuse a drink, do you have to hit it out of the hand of the person offering? But in the end, how much does that matter.

The fluoridation discussion was more interesting because we didn't really know the fundamental integrity of teeth. I pointed out our parents had much worse teeth than we did (all of them have at least some false teeth). DH thinks with proper diet there would be less cavities, I thought teeth would naturally wear down (which now that I think about it is irrelevant). We agree keeping teeth in mouths without fillings is important and since we can't rely on food selection and proper brushing, something simple like fluoride supplementation is a public good. I actually agree with the counsel member quoted in the article. This should be a science based public health policy rather than something left up to communities.

I'm glad our talking has sort of settled. For awhile I felt DH talked excessively but now I'm better used to it.

#Retirement, #CurrentEvents

Week one down. infinite more to go. We spend a lot of time talking about plans.

Week one down. infinite more to go. We spend a lot of time talking about plans.

The thing with retirement, for me, is to have the time to do things I want to do. I had originally planned to volunteer now that I had time. Then I got financially anxious in spite of knowing rationally, the only way we could not have enough money is if the world economy collapsed. Welp there seems to be an effort to do just that through amplifying income inequality. Now I have to also assess if my volunteering would impinge on someone else's ability to earn a needed income. Or should I contract work to keep building income. This is where the talking comes in.

I think I will focus more on volunteering but really restrict to non-profits and things that focus on the wellbeing of others. I would like to get Bennie into pet therapy. He won't be ready for a year but I should be able to start now with training. If that's not a thing in town maybe the SPCA. I could do something with seniors/hospitals since, in Canada, hospitals are not for profit but I'm not that good with people.

Of course it's easy to think this way when the weather is good and it's early days. This winter will tell the tale:)

Fred was tired of no frosting on the windows. I was tired of the shower caddy. Bathroom update complete.

Fred was tired of no frosting on the windows. I was tired of the shower caddy. Bathroom update complete.

It's amazing what small things can make a difference. I hadn't seen a shower caddy that didn't sit in the corner or hang off the shower head. This on is supposed to be on the door but fits just fine on one of the side panels. Nice sized baskets and sponge hangers! Considerably easier to install than the privacy film.

First Monday of retirement - use screen protector installation skills on bathroom window.

First Monday of retirement - use screen protector installation skills on bathroom window.

The best thing about being retired is the lack of time constraints. I spent 5 minutes looking for masking tape that I had put down...somewhere. I erased measurement marks when I drew a line crooked in spite of doing several measurement marks. So the project took probably twice as long as it should have but I didn't wreck or damage anything and it's done! I'm sure my ex-coworkers will be surprised to hear I didn't swear once.

Tip - use a wet microfiber cloth instead of spraying water on and use the same cloth for smoothing out air bubbles. And true to screen protector installation keep hands clean and moist.

Retirement lunch last Thursday. Cake is good 😁

Retirement lunch last Thursday. Cake is good 😁

First day of retirement - or a Saturday - installed a storm door!

First day of retirement - or a Saturday - installed a storm door!

Easy peasy? Well nothing that can't be fixed with some DAP - the other duct tape. The video was 20 minutes. At 2 hours we had it pretty well in place at 4 hours we were finished. Next one will go better. We really like it. Luckily a cold front blew through so it was only around 15C although the wind was annoying.

Last day of work.

Last day of work.

A hard choice because I enjoy the people I work with and am leaving them short handed. Unfortunately the reason for that is integral to why I'm not sad. It's been hard working for a company that doesn't recognize Canada is a different country but Mexico is, the Caribbean is, South America is etc. We have mat leave and space must be held for a year with no wage or benefits. Headcount demands the position, Safety, is abandoned rather that filled with by a US colleague for a year.

Oh well no longer my water to carry.

Last hump day! And I feel like wrap up is near completion.

Last hump day! And I feel like wrap up is near completion.

Just small projects that will make things easier for continuity. More the home chores kick in.