Just a quick Hurricane Milton update this morning … It turns out the exact ‘eye’ of the hurricane passed directly over our vacation town of Celebration FL as the storm moved across the state from west-to-east last night. We watched the news coverage on an Orlando TV station as the storm produced 75 mph winds – which then dropped to near zero – and back … Continue reading Hurricane Coverage
We’ve only had our Florida condo for 8 months so far and are already facing a big hurricane … Milton. Big Milton is currently a massive Category 5 and moving across the gulf toward Tampa. From there, the 500-mile wide storm is expected to sweep across the state, losing strength as it goes, but staying a hurricane. Its current ‘cone’ takes it right across our … Continue reading Hurricane Watch
I met up with an old friend this week on a visit to my hometown of Racine WI. He had retired four years ago and said he “wasn’t happy without something to do” and went back to work at his old job half-time. I wondered how common that feeling was among early retirees and found an online thread where people addressed the question, “Are you … Continue reading Are You Happier In Retirement?
Since this is the week of the Vice Presidential Debate, our Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, will be in the media spotlight. While he was just picked by the Harris campaign in July, it has seemed as if he was campaigning for a bigger office for some time. He and Florida Governor & former-GOP Presidential Candidate, Ron DeSantis – who we also have a first-hand view … Continue reading Sparring States
A few weeks ago I wrote a post on the places in the USA with the “most comfortable” weather. Many retirees are looking for a place to plant themselves with sunny skies, pleasant temperatures, and low humidity. Coastal California leads the country, but the analysis of Florida didn’t look quite right to me. The chart said Central Florida – where we just bought a vacation … Continue reading Comfortable Weather Re-Examined …
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
This is the first full summer that we have played pickleball regularly. We first played a couple years ago, but had only done it a half-dozen times until 2024. This year, we joined a park recreational group. They have open, pick-up games every morning. They play on new courts built within one of our city’s many outdoor hockey rinks. We also just joined leagues at … Continue reading Pickleball & Tennis
I recently Googled the term ‘early retirement’ to see how the media is chattering about this topic. Since I’ve been boring readers with this topic for more than 9 years, I felt I had a responsibility to keep up-to-date with how early retirement is being discussed in the media. As usual, the headlines were confusing and at odds with each other: “My Dad Sacrificed Everything … Continue reading Early Retirement: Searching For Answers?
I got a spiffy new watch as a farewell gift from the SmallCorp Board last month, but I continue to mostly wear my Apple Watch. It does such a great job measuring movement & fitness activity – I would miss wearing it. I am very diligent in closing out my fitness rings every day. I might missed a few days, but generally I get them … Continue reading Ringing Up Exercise
We’re off to Florida this morning. It’s been 3 months since we visited our new vacation condo. I’ve never traveled so carefree before. We drove our SUV down on Memorial Day weekend – with a big load of things. This time, I don’t have anything to bring. We went to the airport without a suitcase. We’ll only be down there a few nights. The purpose … Continue reading Fly The Carefree Skies
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