This is post #395, after 381 days of retirement, so I continue to exceed my target of one post a day. I’m surprised because I really never knew that I had this much to say. Thanks for continuing to bear with me, if you are following my ramblings. The story within the story has recently been the discovery of my birth mother and her son. I will continue to update my new family tree on Ancestry.com, as I essentially wait for feedback from my probable second family. I was frustrated most of today because my computer required a series of updates, and I was unable to access and update this blog in a timely manner. Today is “cooking day,” so I’m preparing a short ribs recipe in the slow cooker, while the dogs are getting their stink-off at the pet spa. They were noticeably a week overdue, with my trip to Florida last week, so we look forward to fresh smelling pups tonight once I pick them up. I will serve the ribs with some mashed potatoes and carrots. The recipe included the reduction of a red wine, tomato paste, and onions sauce combined with beef broth, thyme, and a bay leaf. It smells encouraging, with still a few hours of stewing yet to undergo.

My wife wanted to watch the “Handmaids Tale,” so that will continue to be our evening entertainment this week. It’s a bit strange, but has at least been a common bond for us the past few nights, along with The Bachelor. Since I was out of town part of last week, I was also able to catch up on “Knightfall,” and “Hunting Hitler,” while performing kitchen duty this afternoon. I like getting back into my daily homebody routine, but four hours in the dentist’s chair yesterday, and getting the dogs to and from their appointment has stolen some of that precious “me time.” The weather continues to be surprisingly warm and dry for this time of year in the Northwest, but rain is right around the corner. Last year in January, I had to wear crampons on my shoes to keep from falling on the ice, and get around by car only with the use of tire chains. This is more like it! I will seek snow in Steamboat in a couple of weeks, and expect some sunshine while we’re in Phoenix and Tucson. At the same time, I continue to get icy reviews from my Midwest relatives, reporting that temperatures there continue to regularly fall below zero, as was the case when we were visiting over the holidays. We have to go back at the end of February.

After my son’s recent problems with his water heater, I was grateful that my troubles were simply a result of the pilot light blowing out. I’ve already had to replace the drain pump on the washer this year, so I don’t need any more appliance hassles. I will have to dip into my IRA again soon to cover the Marriott Vacation Club maintenance fees, Florida vacation costs, my Grandson’s birthday, Christmas gifts, airline tickets to Colorado, dryer repairs, shore excursions for our upcoming cruise, and other miscellaneous expenses. These are all much preferable ways to spend my retirement savings than household repairs. At least the Dow Jones is frighteningly at the 26,000 level, so there should be some additional money in that account that may not be there in a few months as the market adjusts. I will wait to see how much we’ll owe the IRS after my first year of retirement before making that painful withdrawal. 

Life is good right now. The pleasant aroma of short ribs fills the house, and the dogs haven’t been here all day to bug me. Tomorrow is “Date Night,” and Thursday night we’ll go see our home state favorites, the Indiana Pacers battle the Portland Trailblazers. The Pacers are led by former Indiana University basketball star, Victor Oladepo, who has made quite an impact on the NBA over the past few years. Likewise, I.U. basketball has seen some improvement over the past couple weeks, with three straight BIG wins, and a reasonable chance to upset rival Michigan State this Friday. I’m also glad to see the Minnesota Vikings continue their drive to the Super Bowl. They have a  reasonable chance to become the first team to play a Super Bowl game on their actual home field.  They were a favorite of mine, along with the Baltimore Colts and the Chicago Bears. In fact, Minnesota defensive tackle, Alan Page #88, was an inspiration to me in running my first marathon. I figured if someone that big (6’3′ 245 pounds) could run that far, then so could I. He finished his football career with Da’ Bears, adding to the reasons of why I admired him.  By the way, today was day 3306 of my running streak, dating back to December 29, 2008.