Good Riddence

 2020 will finally end. It was a year of pandemic and pandemonium. We lived with a sick society in two senses of the word. Physically, we were helpless until we did research and understood the enemy. Spiritually we showed that human nature is sick and ugly and we are no better than wild animals. Our president elect thinks his vice president elect is president. Once again, I heard him call her the president elect. I believe the election was stolen and if every person would have had to vote with ID, it would be a different outcome. As my mother in law used to say, "Honey, that is water over the bridge". Today is my last day as a real worker. Monday I begin as a retired part time worker. I was seriously going to end the blog today. Over and out. I decided to still write it but maybe not every day. That is to be determined. So Happy New Year to all and I pray for a better 2021.

Off The Clock

 One more alarm. After tomorrow I will not have to set my alarm to get up. My working hours will change due to my retirement, so I will be getting up later. That feels like the best retirement gift of them all. I am an early riser by nature so I will be up well before the time I need to. Just that small change in routine feels like a huge life change.

Parteeny

 Today is my office parteeny. It is my new word for a tiny party. For the past sixteen years we had a big party with the entire staff. On this, the seventeenth year I am here, it will be with a few people. It will be with the ones we have been around since the virus came to town. I could also call it a podteeny, since we now call people who we are around a lot our pod. There will be good food and gifts and I will probably enjoy the small gathering more than the large one.

Numbers Do Lie

 I was appalled last week when the local newspaper had a headline that read "Police turn down 25% raise in proposed contract". It was a blatant lie that no one would know unless they read the contract. To 99% of the people, it looked like the police were being greedy, in a world where they are now scrutinized for doing their jobs. The numbers totaled no where near 25%. No matter how you did the math the numbers were off. The first year was 1%, the second 1% and so on. They were asked to cut vacation days and sick days by about 20%. They were asked to pay into health insurance at a hefty monetary loss. They were asked to work a few free days a year. If you did the research, this is public knowledge but no one goes past reading the headline. All we saw was the bold lie of a headline of a liberal newspaper. It was insulting to every law enforcement officer. Haven't they gone through enough. Having the facts on that matter even more strongly reinforces the numbers "game" of the election. Unless a non biased bonded agency goes through and verifies each presidential vote, I will never be convinced that Biden won fair and square. If I see such lies and numerical manipulation in my county, it must be on a grander scale nationally. To me, Biden will forever be the man who stole the election.

Old Age

 Old age is creeping in but I plan an offensive attack. Since I have been off for about two weeks, being non productive, my mind is in turmoil. There are no reminders, no important projects, no responsibilities. Tomorrow I will reset it to become normally working. It will know dates, times and important issues. Time off is good, but time on is better.

In Your Lane

 You are always safest when you stay in your own lane. I am not only referring to traffic. I am referring to life. Our lane means our business. Getting out of your lane means crossing over to someone else's business. No one wants to share their lane or be pushed out of it. Stay safe. Stay in your lane.

Online

 After years of saying I would not do it, I have finally opened up online accounts. I do not trust USPS to reroute my mail when I am out of town, so I decided to control my bills online. I am probably the last holdout to enter the modern age. I now have to enter this information into a notebook and guard it with my life. Actually I will make two books. I need total control.

Thanks Sis

 I feel like I have turned a corner. A part of my life is changing. Things that I did not see as so important at the time have become more valuable than ever. I thank my sister for that. While I am the family historian on paper, she is the family historian on film and video. I am grateful for he persistence at family gatherings for chronicling events. Without her, I would not be able to see my parents sing. I would not be able to see them talking around the table at gatherings. They would not be a tangible memory.  I will forever be grateful for her insight when she made sure that our family history would never be lost.

I'm Late

 My blog is late today. I have spent the last 6 hours setting up my new phone. Last night my son spent 2 hours doing it. I love the phone. It is the newest one made but I had to redo everything. This was a great birthday gift. I am a minimalist but I must admit that I did enjoy getting special gifts yesterday. Turning 65 has it's perks. I have been upgraded technology wise with three new "toys". All that I thought I was getting was scratch off tickets. I will always remember my 65th birthday.

65

 Today is my 65th birthday. It is the first one without both of my parents. I started the day off listening to voicemails from them so I could just hear their voices. Soon my sister and I will leave for the cemetery to be with them. This is not a morbid act, it is an act of love and respect. I will be with the people that loved me more than life itself. I will be showing them that they are never gone and my special day is their special day. They are my roots. They are my wings. Whatever I am is because of the foundation they built for me.

Holiday Season

 The holiday season is here and it has no feeling. Something feels missing. Human contact. How can we celebrate when we need to alienate? No holiday hugs, no holiday smiles, no holiday cheers, no holiday warmth. We sit at home, order gifts online for contact less delivery. We FaceTime thank you's. The old expression that you do not know what you have until it is gone rings true. Hopefully next year the warmth will return.

Delete

 I was never a big social media person. During the pandemic, protests and election, I added a few people to my accounts to see what was happening around the world. This morning I deleted everyone that does not deal with arts and crafts and fashion. On December 22, I will enter a world of selective ignorance. I do not want to know opinions, views or emotions. Show me how to cut, glue and paint. That is it. I am creating my own paradise which is long overdue. It is something I need, in this upsetting world, to keep my sanity.

Double Life

 I am leading a double life. I have to duplicate everything for a second household. Simple things that we need one of, I must remember to have two of. This morning I re wrote my password book. If I forgot to take it with me, I would never be able to get into any websites. I need to manage two homes 1300 miles apart without a glitch. My mind keeps running the loop to see what I could be missing. I have time to do this but I like to be one step ahead of the game.

Four More Days

 I go to work Monday and then the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I will then be retired but still working less hours. I will not have to wake up at 6am. I will be going in a bit later in the morning as my hours have to be less. Four days and then life takes on a new phase. Getting up an hour later is not a big thing but it marks a change in my life. It shows me that after 65 years, I have earned the right to slow down and enjoy life. I am looking forward to that.

Snow Day

 After going back to work for one day, I am off for snow today. I will adjust my vacation days and work on Monday instead. After last year's pleasant weather, the snow feels odd. We will all shovel out and hope that this type of storm does not repeat itself.

Back to Work

 It feels like I have not been to work in ages. Today I go back and work for two days and then I am off for another week. If there is a snow storm tomorrow I will take off and work Monday instead. I feel out of the work routine. Once 2021 begins, I will only work three days a week. It will be a nice mix of retirement and work. I just wish it wasn't so cold this morning. It makes my return that much harder.

Back Home

After a week in Florida I returned home last night. I had no internet or television for 6 days. To be honest, I think I was better off. I concentrated on the warm sunshine, pleasant people and nature's beauty. It was a bit sad to leave. Everything went better than planned and I am now a second home owner. It was a peaceful week and I never heard a bad word until the plane landed in NY. That is when people started to scream nastily at each other. My happy bubble was broken.

Catfish

 Most of us have heard the expression "catfish" or to be "catfished". It started off as an online dating expression, when the person you were talking to was not who they really are. It was who you believed they were and when the reality was exposed, it usually brought heartache. The true meaning of a catfish and what it does is a bit different. When flounder or cod fish are caught in the ocean and put in the holding tanks, they tend to be still and not move around. By being still their meat becomes mushy and when they arrive at their destination they are barely able to be sold. If you throw a catfish into the holding tank it provokes the fish to swim around to get away from it and thus keeps their meat firm for sale. President Trump is a catfish. For four years he has had people (Democrats) swim around, being on their guard and keeping their minds sharp. They never stood still. There was always plotting and planning and a bit of scheming. They never rested and got lazy. If you take the catfish out of the tank, the laziness will return. The world will stop moving and sit there and get mushy again. There will be no exciting action. The media will have no stories to tell. Biden will be like a piece of coral. While it looks good, there is a debate as to whether or not is it actually alive. Every once and a while it moves and we are in awe. Then it goes back to rest on a log.

I Want a Me

 Sometimes I wish I had a me. Someone I could turn to, to do all of my thinking. I have my sister, who is the best support anyone could ever ask for, but if I had her do all of my thinking, it would be overwhelming. I need to find an alternate me. The other day I was talking to my brother in law and he mentioned an old movie titled, "Desperately Seeking Susan". It was a Madonna movie. After looking at that title a few times, I realized that I am desperately seeking Susan. It has worked for everyone else, so why not for me.

On Call

 I am on call 24 hours a day.Maybe that is why I do not sleep well. My brain has not learned the fine art of turning itself off. When the day is done, my brain decides to figure out the next day, just to be one step ahead of the game. Buying a house comes along with paperwork, utilities, banking and many, many phone calls. My husband said three words, "let's buy it", and I have done nothing but paperwork, etc, for six weeks. When I get emails at 8pm, he doesn't understand why. Any major life change takes work. He just doesn't realize how much.

Lists

 My lists are growing lists. By this time next week I will be the owner of a second home. There are so many things that need to be done. I write lists and laminate them. Then I bind them into a notebook. I am creating a guideline portfolio for myself. I am leaving nothing to my memory. So far it is working out well. I just need to remember to take the book with me. I will write a list for that too.

Never Late

 This morning I overslept by 40 minutes but will still leave for work on time. That is because I leave a time buffer into my schedule and move quick. Gotta run!

Worry

Whether we worry or not, if we cannot fix a situation our worrying is futile. When worry turns to danger, then there must be a call to action. In most cases worrying just stays worrying and then becomes the new norm. I have decided that at my age, I will put a great effort into not worrying about things I have no control over. I access their effect on my life and evaluate the reaction that I must take. In most cases, no action is needed. The situations fixes itself.

December

 Today is December 1st. It snuck up upon us while we were busy worrying about the world. It hid behind the trees with it's sneakers, waiting to creep into our calendar. No one is ready for it. Wasn't is July yesterday? The holiday season will start soon and along with it will come the regulations that people will adhere to in their own way. This is my birthday month. Today I am Medicare legal. I think I saw a few more grey hairs this morning.