My wife and I were already out looking at Christmas Lights on Friday night. The sun sets at about 4:30pm here in early December, so we got some hot cocoa at Starbucks, and enjoyed the red, green, and white glow of lights, blow molds, and inflatables. It’s an amazing amount of work that people put into these residential displays. Especially here in Minnesota where the … Continue reading Christmas Light Fight
I’m always fascinated by the different goals that people set for themselves in early retirement. Recently, I was chatting with MegaCorp colleague, Scott M, about his retirement in Arizona. He decided to take to the air and become a pilot! Here’s his story … Setting goals in retirement is one of the most fun and inspiring things I have ever done. It is a time when … Continue reading Flying the Friendly Skies
I was talking with a friend that recently retired and asked him, “How are you enjoying your permanent vacation?” He answered, “fantastic!” with a big smile on his face. Of course, retirement isn’t exactly a “permanent vacation,” is it? It’s not like you are waking up each day in some amazing city, resort, or national park. You aren’t going out to dinner and enjoying first-class … Continue reading Permanent Vacation?
We just got back from a week at our vacation place near Walt Disney World and had an odd vibe about early retirement that hadn’t hit me before. It made me doubly appreciative for the FIRE lifestyle we were able to achieve. We had our Florida handyman working on a few projects – at the same time our Minnesota handyman (and painter) were doing projects … Continue reading Double Incongruity of FIRE Lifestyle
Fall is definitely in the air this morning, with the temperature in the mid-40s. Trees in Minnesota are starting to change color, pumpkins are appearing on doorsteps, and geese are gathering for their long flight south. One thing that is not happening for me this fall is a return to campus. Over the last few years, I have taken a number of classes at one … Continue reading No Campus This Autumn
File this under “things I didn’t think I’d do in early retirement” … No one I know would ever mistake me for a gardener. I do a good job keeping the lawn cut, watered, and fertilized, but cultivating flowers or a vegetable garden is definitely not a hobby for me. That’s why this chapter of our early retirement is a bit of a surprise. Working … Continue reading Backyard Blossoms & Booze
After 8 years in early retirement, I still have friends that ask me what I do all day. We just got back from a nice weekend up north and are heading into a typically (busy) summer week. I made a list of the main activities that are keeping us busy this week. Here are 10 activities between now and Friday … – M: Take Mom … Continue reading Peak Summer in Early Retirement
One aspect of buying a vacation place in Florida that I haven’t discussed yet is the importance understanding nearby traffic. It’s a real consideration. Many of the most popular spots in Florida (or California) are jammed with traffic during snowbird season or in the summer. I was shocked to learn what a big consideration it is back in 2014. We stayed in Cape Coral, Florida, … Continue reading Traffic Kingdom
We watched the Golden Globes on TV last night and I was surprised by how many movies I haven’t seen in the movie theaters. I looked up how many movies we went out to in 2023 and it was only 4. 2023 Movie Theater Tickets: Oppenheimer, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny, & Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense Re-Release That might … Continue reading Movie Theater Musings
We went to 5 concerts in the last 5 weeks and they have all been outside … and terrific. It’s warmest in August in Minnesota, but that makes the evenings perfect for being outside. ⁃ Rick Springfield – MN Rib Fest ⁃ Minneapolis Symphony – @ Bandshell ⁃ The Jayhawks – @ Bandshell ⁃ Rare Form – Local Faves ⁃ Duran Duran – State Fair … Continue reading School Night Concerts
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