A Quick DIY Retirement Gift

Teachers have LOTs of required paperwork to complete. So does everyone who works. So I came up with a gift idea for colleagues who were retiring that was such a big hit that my supervisor asked me to make them each year for our district's special education retirees.



 

A Good Day to Sew

We've barely dug out from Tuesday's blizzard and it's snowing again.

 

It's a good day to sew.

 

I did get out long enough to go to the gym early this morning. One advantage to working with a personal trainer is that you have to show up . . . no excuses!

When I got home, I stopped at the base of our driveway to take this photo.

The Valentine Wreath I Made for the front door can barely be seen over the snow bank.

It's also a good day to be retired!

 

Once I finally got in to the house, I couldn't wait to change into cozy flannels and wool socks.  

I've been working on a simple hand-tied quilt to snuggle into on cool nights in our Casita this summer. That and a book will make the perfect afternoon.

One of the pleasures of winter is not having to feel guilty about staying in and sewing or reading.

 

DH has a Weight Watcher-friendly custard pie in the oven and it smells delicious.  Warm custard, a fire in the fireplace, my sewing, and a good book - or  LL Bean catalog - are all I need today.

 

(I just realized that even my current library book is set in the snow!)

 

Nothing can compare to a summer's day in Maine, but winter has its own appeal.

It forces us to slow down and appreciate the special joys of just being home.

Stay warm out there!

 

Too Old To Make New Friends?

On the "Retirement" forum at the City-Data website, someone asked whether it is still possible to make new friends after age 55. I clicked on the discussion and was surprised to read the responses. Many posters seemed to feel that it is difficult, if not impossible, to make new friends in retirement.

I disagree!

Meet our "new", and very dear, friends...Anita and Fred.


We met Fred and Anita while camping at one of our favorite spots,  Searsport Shores in Searsport, Maine. We had so much in common and had such a good time together on those short summer camping trips that they invited us to visit them at their "winter campsite" in St. Augustine, Florida. So, last week we flew down to spend a week with our new friends in a new place,  leaving the snow, and the fear of being "too old to make new friends", behind.



I hope I'm never too old to learn from and laugh with new people. I hope I'm always open to new experiences (like figuring out this Cuban menu with Anita)... no matter how old I get.

Our old friends mean the world to me...but so do the friends we've made in the last few years...like Mary Elizabeth, Rosalie, Anita and Fred. I can't imagine not having each of them in our lives.



"Nights of Lights" in St. Augustine

What do you think? Do you find it more difficult to make good friends now than you did when you were younger? Does it still matter? Still being new to this retirement thing, I'd love to hear your experiences...