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Greetings all

The sun is briefly out after all the rain yesterday. My friends arrived a bit bedraggled - they did not realize how winding and slow the roads are around here. Got here much later than they expected. No surprise to us. So we went out to dinner at our favorite place and had a brief glimpse of the sunset. Today they are up the road to redwood national park and various attractions. Better weather today.

So I went to the gym and did my walking. Quite a few cars in the parking lot thought I dont know where the people were.There was a kid using the treadmill next to me who was running full tilt on it wearing crocs! Huh? How is that possible? Minimal grunting today. Then I went to the studio and with one gloved hand I picked up some clay. Made a few small things and delivered a bag of apples from a friend. So many people have fruit trees around here and fruit is shared.

So Liz, sorry bocce ball was less than ideal. Better luck in the future

Yeah money is the root of all evil - or is it? Having enough is pretty critical. My mother grew up poor in the south and it greatly impacted her views about what is enough. She saved money like a Scottsman and I wish she could have enjoyed more of it though it provided her with full time nursing care in her later years at home. I have always been sort of a penny pincher - comparing prices and evaluating whether a thing is a good deal. Just my nature even though I am lucky enough not to have to do so. My brother is the same way. Just our nature. There is an interesting book "The Millionaire Next Door" about average people who live below their means and become wealthy by being frugal. I used to see such people in my law practice - people of outwardly humble means who were quite well off due to conservative financial habits. It's a good thing.

Yep Peps, Ann is right. You look great. Be proud.

DD and Paula you gotta find ways to get Florida into your life. Or Maui. My mom wanted to get a place at St, Georges island off the coast of Florida . I wish she had done that.

So Ann, you are now the Grande Dame of the family. Enjoy. I think I might be the same since I have such a small family and DH oldest sister died some years ago. Odd feeling.

Leftovers from the restaurant for dinner tonight. It was odd to be eating out with people who eat restaurant sized meals.

Diane S

I understand your regrets about not buying someplace warm. If you live with this brutal weather in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but you're made for sun, sand, heat, palm trees, you probably spend your whole life dreaming of the great escape. I remember one winter we went to my parents Florida house the week after Christmas. I felt such loss or longing or something sad when I realized I was staring down the long tunnel at the cold dark winter still ahead of me, and realizing not everyone lived that way. Winter was NOT coming for them. And I wanted my own house in Florida so I could grow my own palm tree and jasmine vines and hibiscus and drink tea on my patio in February.

But all that being said, I'm at peace with our decision to keep Minnesota as our home base. Already KNOWING I can chase the sun whenever I want next year makes this winter seem less daunting. I'm going to go on as many adventures as I can while I can and that has me feeling very excited for what's coming.

DH and I were just talking about money issues. He took my car in for new tires. I said 4 new tires at once? I don't think I've ever had 4 new tires at the same time. And he answered, and the old ones weren't completely shot. Then added, they said your back brakes needed to be replaced pretty soon, so I said, just do them now. We were laughing about how affluent we've become with our new tires and brakes. But I remember too well the days when I thought long and hard about a $3 purchase of some item from the clearance bin. If you can't count on being able to afford car repairs, medicine, getting cavities filled, fixing appliances or all the things kids need, life is really stressful.

Studies show money does buy happiness up to a certain point. The number used to be around $75,000 a year (I assume it might be higher now). If you were making less, and your income rose to that figure, your happiness increased because you could count on being able to meet your needs and your life gets easier. People who have sufficient income will see an increase in happiness when they get richer (ex win the lottery), but happiness typically return to their previous levels within 6 months to a year. I am already happy, so I would be willing to test this theory if anybody wants to share some good lottery numbers.

I have been busy busy the last few days, and now I'm trying to remember what everyone has posted since Tuesday so I can respond to it.

First, Peps -- your pix on FB sure don't look like you weigh 220! I'm well aware of how different people who seriously lift and bodybuild get to weigh a lot more than mere mortals. Still, your silhouette is really good! I'm sorry to hear about your auntie's passing. Your post made me realize that at 3 weeks away from 79 I am the oldest person in our immediate family, so they better start kowtowing pretty damn soon. Of course, all my aunts and uncles on both my mother's and father's sides are aLos gone. As far as I know, I have only one older surviving first cousin (on my father's side, who was one of 10 children, so there used to be dozens of cousins older than me. Damn, I hadn't realized all that until reading your post.

Paula, well done on the new Bosch dishwasher. I replaced both of mine here in MO recently (both KitchenAid) and they're working just fine. But I'm looking forward to using our new Bos*****Y.

Diane S, I'm sorry your visitors are missing all that Northern California and PNW gloriousness. You really do live in one of the world's most beautiful stretches. Your daily posts sometimes make me sad that I no longer live in California.

Liz, I do understand and appreciate completely your focus on getting good value for your bucks. Me, too. I grew up poor (and didn't know it, as the saying goes), but because I had many other kinds of privilege (smart, enjoyed work, wonderful bosses, crazy good fortune, etc.) I've become financially comfortable beyond anything I would have predicted even at age 40. Having said that, I am incredibly aware that, as nice as financial success is, it's not what rings my bell.

Related to that last paragraph, I'm still plowing through all my life's mementos and have discovered that it's not photos that I treasure, but the things that I and others have written that bring me to tears of joy. For decades I wrote a lot--both autobiographical and fiction, essays, short stories, poetry, novellas, and so many letters to my parents, all of which my mother kept. Reading all of it has allowed me to relive my life pretty vividly. I'm rediscovering entire eras that I'd forgotten so many details about. It's delightful to read about backpacking trips in the Sierras in my 20s, my weeks and weekends being single in L.A. in my 30s, what the honeymoon years with my dear husband were like, leaving comfy, rewarding employment and starting a consulting practice, and so many more eras. We all live so many lives during our "one life," but often forget our previous lives while we're struggling to succeed in the next era that demands our full attention.

I can tell I'm getting down to the last dregs of decluttering. It feels good, like I'm emotionally exhaling. Yay!

151.0, up just over a pound for absolutely no reason except for better hydration! Today was the first day splitting my dose. We shall see how that goes.

Woman?s Bible study was very good this morning. Didn?t go over our assigned passages much but Gof had other things planned for us. Many heavy hearts for various reasons and it was good to be able to support each other.

Cold, wet dreary day! Perfect for a little nap with DH which was needed as both of us were up in the middle of the night! He is such a nice warm furnace for me in the winter!

Going out to dinner with friends tonight. Nothing fancy, just a burger place where I?ll probably get the southwest chicken salad or the burger bowl (essentially a deconstructed burger with no bun).

Lots of laundry today. All the skinnier clothes I brought up from the basement smelled musty. Feels good to be in the smaller clothes. I don?t think I even care if I don?t get into the size 2 clothes again! Time will tell!

I hear ya Peps and Liz about money worries. Ben was a great planner, investor, and saver. Kevin, not so much! I tend to be a spender too but never beyond my means. Retirement has so many unknowns (like Liz mentioned, possible long term health problems) that it is bound to induce a little anxiety. I?m actually feeling better about things since we decided not to buy in Florida, even though losing that dream still saddens me! Ben and I had planned on retiring on Maui, I honestly don?t think that would have happened either! Looking forward to vacation there in January and then seeking out where we might snowbird in 2026!