Sharing photos, videos, vintage images I've discovered, and -- occasionally -- commentary and thoughts from retired life and travels.

retirement

Blogging Vacation

March 30, 2009

spiral

Sometimes, ya just gotta take a break.

I didn’t plan it that way.  It just sort of happened.

In the last several weeks, I’ve not spent much time working on my blogs or web pages other than a new blog, On Climate, where I now have 7 posts.

I’ve been reading quite a bit.  Besides a reading a lot of material on climate change, I’m on my ninth novel — three separate fantasy trilogies.  But for the internet and computers, I would be spending a lot more of my retirement time with my nose in a book — like I have been lately.  Two of the trilogies are rereads — excellent entertainment that doesn’t cost anything except that I couldn’t find the final book of one of them, the one that I’m reading now, so bought a replacement.

I’ve also been hitting the gym pretty heavily.  The one category of blog posts that I’ve been keeping up with is the Wednesday Weigh-In. For some reason, it has helped with the motivation that I was lacking in trying to get fit.  I am now spending 2 hours a day working out at the gym and have been making steady progress.

With a little warmer weather, I’ve been building storage shelving in the second floor of my at this point unheated and not yet finished shop.

Procrastinating like usual, I’m just now getting our taxes done.  Fortunately, our taxes this year are not going to be the horror that last year’s Taxes, Bloody Taxes were.  In fact, we paid so much in state taxes last year that, for the first time in several years, we can actually itemize deductions on the federal return.  Even though I said last year, “future years should be relatively painless,” it’s still been a bit of a pain digging up all of the deductions.  However, despite my tendency to procrastinate, the return is almost done and we didn’t need a tax specialist like last year.

I plan to be back posting on a more regualar basis, but….

{ 9 comments }

Mini-Depression?

February 27, 2009

store closing

February 27, 2009 — Watching the evening news, it sometimes appears as though the recession continues to spiral downward toward a mini-depression, if not  worse.

Store closures.

Massive layoffs.

Stocks indexes dropping to levels not seen in over a decade.

Bankruptcies.

Reductions in services.

Nonexistent availability of credit.

Continuing high rates of foreclosures and dropping home prices.

We live in an area that has seemed almost recession proof in all of the economic downturns since we moved here in 1980.  Yet, even here, there are empty stores as well as layoffs, foreclosures and higher unemployment.  On the other hand, there are new homes being built, businesses that are adding on or building new, and a few help wanted signs.

Most of the people we know, both here and elsewhere, are weathering the storm fairly well, though not all.  Quite a few people, including two of my brothers-in-law will have to postpone retirement because of losses in their savings and a nephew employed by Circuit City has lost his job.

So far, we have not been impacted, though we have changed some of our spending habits.  In these trying times, it seems better to be frugal and conserve what we have — just in case.

How are things in your area?  Have you made adjustments because of the economy?

Store Closing photo from flickr,  by dpicker, creative_commons creative commons licensing

Mini-Depression?

{ 13 comments }

Applying for Unemployment — The Rest of the Story

February 16, 2009

In January, I wrote about a coworker’s suggestion that I apply for unemployment when the contract that I was on was over — even though I didn’t need the job when I took it.  Comments on the piece overwhelming supported my decision not to apply for unemployment compensation. (see Applying for Unemployment)

aarp

The contract was over at the end of August.  In the turbulent economic months since then, I’ve had a few moments where I’ve thought about the extra cushion that unemployment income could provide.  However, I’ve never had a moment where I regretted my decision.

A few weeks ago I was at one of our every-other-week retirement breakfasts when I heard some fellows talking about putting in for unemployment benefits after thay had finished a contract job.  The nature of the industry that we retired from is that there is a lot of opportunity for contract work for those with the right experience and/or credentials. It wasn’t surprising that the idea of putting in for unemployment had occurred to others.

Apparently a couple of them had actually applied.

They were turned down!

They weren’t qualified because they were making too much money from their pension!

Since I was a contract worker working as an employee and NOT an independent contractor, if I didn’t have any other income, I could have applied for unemployment payments.  However, with my pension and other income, it didn’t seem right to apply.

In the end, I was not only morally right, but legally right, as well.

I would not have been able to receive unemployment compensation.

{ 13 comments }

Applying for Unemployment

January 25, 2009


Posted on flickr by royal_broil

On my last job, one of my coworkers asked me if I was going to put in for unemployment when my contract was finished.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” I told him.

“You really should, ” he said.  “After all, you’ve been paying for it all these years. It’s your right. I’m going to when I do contract work after I retire.”

He went on about it a while longer, but I didn’t have much to say on the subject.

I thought about it for a while, though, and concluded that, no, I was not going to apply for unemployment.

While the extra income would be helpful, I didn’t need it and, after all, it’s supposed to be used to help those who need it bridge the gap between jobs.  I wasn’t going to be looking for another job.

For that matter, I didn’t actually need the contract job that I was working.  It was helping to pay off some debt and, while I was working, we weren’t having to use any of our investment funds.

So, since I went to work when I didn’t need to, it just didn’t seem right to me to apply for unemployment.  It felt like taking advantage of the system.  (I’ll have more on this in a later post.)

What do you think?  Should I have applied for unemployment?

{ 23 comments }

I’m retired…, or am I?

October 6, 2008


Image shared on Flickr by Christopher Dick

I guess I don’t know what being retired means.

Either that or it means something different to other folks.

I guess there is being really retired where you don’t do anything that might bring in some extra income.

For some retirement includes working part time to bring in some supplemental income.

Then, there is retired and going to work in an entirely new career field.

As well, there is retired and going to work as a high paid contractor or consultant in the field you retired from — don’t know about the “high paid” part of that.

Then, there is military retirement, which apparently isn’t really enough for anyone to live on, as all the military retirees I know are working full time towards a second retirement income.

———

Even though I went back to my former place of long-term employment for a short stint as a contractor, I was still retired.  Sure, I was getting paid — better than what I was getting before I retired, I might add — for the work, but I was also getting a pension check.

And there was a difference in me that others noticed!

Before I retired, I couldn’t quit without putting my early retirement in jeopardy…, and I was not happy — stuck in a job I couldn’t leave.  As a retiree coming back to work a contract, I always had a smile, something that was more rare than I realized before I left.  I didn’t have to be there and, if I felt like it, I could leave with no adverse consequences other than the loss of pay and reduce likelihood of being asked back again.

Plus, I was getting to do the fun part of the job.

I’m retired and I don’t have plans to look for a new job.  However, if I’m asked, like I was last time, to go back to work for a few months and I get to primarily do the fun parts of the job, I’ll do it.

Until then, Im really retired — I think.

—–

In my recent post, I don’t wear a watch when…, one of the commenters said that she didn’t think I was really retired.

What does retirement mean for you? Do you want retirement without any other work or will retirement include working in some way for you or your significant other?

{ 20 comments }

I don’t wear a watch when…,

October 2, 2008


Image shared on Flickr by fdecomite

When I retired at the beginning of 2007, I stopped wearing my wristwatch.

I didn’t put it back on until I took a short term contract job in February of this year.  At the end of the contract, I again stopped wearing the watch.

I guess, in a way, it’s a symbolic gesture.

I’m no longer tied quite so tightly to the clock, to a routine.

If I need to know what time it is, there’s a clock on my cell phone, in my camera, on the dash of my car, truck, and motorhome, on the back wall of my motorhome, on the TV, computer, microwave — you get the drift.

I don’t need the watch for me to be able to keep track of time.

Not wearing it is pretty much symbolic of a little more freedom.

——–

Is there something you do or don’t do that is symbolic of something?

{ 13 comments }

Rainin’ in Peoria…, and other news from the road!

September 8, 2008

We’re sitting in a B arnes and Noble in Peoria, Illinois, catching up on e-mail and other stuff.

Today was supposed to be a rainy day so we decided to look for Barnes and Noble stores in the area that we are in so we could get online.  Turned out there was about 10 within 60 miles, but none closer than 50 miles, so we decided to drive to Peoria, Illinois.

We had planned on leaving last Wednesday, but decided that we didn’t want to drive through the remnants of Gustav all day, so delayed a day.  It started raining Tuesday and rained hard all day Wednesday.  We had a lot of water running through the yard off of the road.  Fortunately, though, we live near the top of a hill in the Ozarks, so flooding is never a real concern.  We did get word today that the main highway from our area going north is going to be closed for a month for road repairs.  We figure it was probably slides due to all of the wet weather that we’ve been getting this year.

The drive Thursday was wet most of the day, but there wasn’t any bad rain.  By the time we got to our destination, Fort Massac State Park, we hadn’t seen any rain in a couple of hours and the ground was dry.  Fort Massac is the site of several forts dating back as far as the French and Indian War, each fort built over the ruins of the older ones.  It is located on the Ohio River in southern Illinois, across the river from Paducah, Kentucky.

On Friday, we visited the quilt museum in Paducah, a huge fabric store (Hancocks of Paducah), and the old downtown area.  I’ll have pictures that I’ll be posting later from there and other places.

Saturday, we took a long drive and got some photos of a old native mounds site and another really neat state park, the name of which eludes me right now…, more photos.  We drove through the old river town of Cairo, Illinois.  I got a couple of shots from the Ohio River, but none from the Cairo.  It seems to be a dying town.

Yesterday, we drove to Starved Rock State Park in north central Illinois.  It seems to be very large.  We’ll be exploring it some tomorrow when the weather will be better.  From there, we’ll be going into Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Hopefully the remnants from this next hurricane will not come back around and go though our area back home.  Everything is so saturated.  Fortunately, we’ve got family, friends, and the neighbors watching and checking the place so we will know right away if there is anything wrong.

While we are traveling, I won’t be checking in as much on all of the feeds that I normally use and won’t be able to comment while we’re traveling.  We will be at a campground starting Wednesday that will have wireless.

{ 4 comments }

Work came seekin me…,

September 4, 2008

At the end of January, I went back to work at the place I retired from as a contractor.  Last Friday was the last day of the contract.

For most of my career, I worked as an operations instructor in nuclear power, both in the Navy (40 months) and at a commercial plant (24 years).  As in many jobs, there was more to it than just the teaching. And, unfortunately, as the company went from a moderate sized utility to a corporation operating the 2nd largest nuclear fleet, there was a lot of additional administrative requirements.

By the time I retired, enjoyment of my job was long gone, except for the small percentage of the time that I actually spent in the classroom. That, combined with a number of administrative burdens and other issues, contributed to my decision to retire when I reached 55.

My plan was to take at least a year off before even considering looking for work.  By the end of the first six months, I had no intentions of actively seeking work.

Work came seeking me a year after my last real day of work.

{ 10 comments }

I was told yesterday that my last day of work is next Friday!

August 23, 2008

office work circa 1959 Not having a job as of the end of next Friday is not a bad thing for me, as some of my few long time readers would know.

You see, I’m retired and this job was just a 7 month contract gig with 4 weeks off in the first half. So, starting next Saturday, I’ll be back to full-time retirement.

The contract job was back at the place I retired from and my office — until next Friday — is three doors down from my old office.  Except for a few weeks here and there, I had worked in the same building from April 1983 until I retired at the end of February 2007.

The last several months have been very fulfilling as I was able to do the parts of the job that I really enjoyed without getting overwhelmed with all of the administrative stuff  that in-house staff has to deal with — the kind of stuff that was part of the reason that I retired when I did.

Today I was walking back to the office with an empty cardboard box for loading up my few personal possessions when I ran into the department manager.  I remarked that there was a lot less accumulation with a 6 month temporary gig than there had been for 24 years as an employee.

She laughed and then said that they could probably find someplace to store it where it would be there waiting for me when I come back for another gig in about 11 months.

Hmmm… take a year off from work, then work for 6 months doing what I enjoy, then eleven months off and come back for another 6 month gig.  Better than working full time, that’s for sure.

Note: the guy in the picture is not me or anyone I am related to.  I was 7 years old when this picture was snapped.

{ 7 comments }

Taxes, Bloody Taxes

April 10, 2008

moneyYesterday, we learned how much we’re going to have to cough up for taxes this year.

We knew it was going to be bad.

We were hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as we thought it might be.

Unfortunately, we were wrong. It was even worse.

Fortunately, though, being retired now and normally on a relatively fixed income, the taxes for 2007, our transition year to retirement, should be the worst and future years should be relatively painless.

We had an certified public accountant do the taxes for us this year. It was expensive, but worth not having to deal with the tax return anxiety.

This was the first year I haven’t done my taxes myself. There were just too many variables and potential expensive pitfalls.

I’ll probably be back to doing my own taxes next year.

{ 1 comment }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →