To start with … my apologies to everyone that left comments in the last week and heard no response. I got a new iPhone and couldn’t get my WordPress or JetPack apps to work. We also left for Florida and I didn’t have my laptop or iPad to access the site. Sorry! Speaking of Florida, it turns out we didn’t escape Hurricane Milton unscathed. When … Continue reading Hurricane Milton Damage
Short post today. Really Target? Toothpaste? Images: (c) MrFireStation.com; Target, St. Paul MN Continue reading The Joy Of Shopping
On Mondays, I generally take my Mom grocery shopping and sometimes add on a field trip. When it comes to groceries, she prefers the ‘premium’ grocery store in our area – Lunds & Byerlys. They have a terrific, but pricey selection of foods – with wonderful produce, an amazing bakery, and carpeted aisles. It really is a pleasure to shop there – quiet, not crowded, … Continue reading Enjoy Your Self – Grocery Shopping Splurge
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
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