Weekly Ephemera #54

• I went through my camping gear and started a Camino packing pile.   The pile is fairly small since you don't need very much.  You don't need a tent, sleeping bag, food preparation, water purification, or other common camping gear.  You just need clothing, toiletries, and first aid supplies.  You only carry enough food and water for the day's walk.  Different from my other Caminos I will be carrying my phone and tablet.
  
  

  

  Petals from the flowering trees blanketing the park like snow.

• I walked 26.3 miles (42.3 km) this week.  On Friday it drizzled for about two thirds of the walk.  The wind didn't work well with the umbrella I was carrying but I stayed reasonably dry.  Hiking with an umbrella while using trekking poles is impossible so, on the Camino, the Wife and I will be carrying Ferrino Trekker backpacker coats for those rainy days.
• A few homeowner issues:
• The painter/drywaller failed to call to schedule the ceiling repair last week.  This job should have been completed a week ago.  Getting this work finished before we leave for the Camino is looking unlikely.
• We had our air conditioning inspected this week and everything is hunky dory.  The tech showed up early and did a quick and good job.  Why can't all of these household chores be that easy?
• I turned on the sprinklers.  The anti-siphon valve that prevents sprinkler water from backing up  into the house plumbing is leaking.  In the past the leaking usually stops in a few days.  I may have to have it replaced when we get home.  We also have a pop up sprinkler head that is sticking so it should be replaced too.
• I filled out my application for my Government Annuity (part of my retirement benefits).  I will be mailing it this week so that we will start getting monthly checks in August (the month after I turn sixty).  It will be nice to get some regular income even if it won't be that much.

Weekly Ephemera #47

• On Monday the Wife and I went shopping for Camino gear.  We started at Cabellas and were very disappointed.  Their selection was okay but during our visit no one ever asked us if we needed help. 
  
  After eating some lunch we went to the 'new' REI outlet (not sure how new it is but I didn't realize it was here) and had an incredible experience.  As we approached the backpack section a representative came up and asked if he could help.  The Wife tried on four backpacks that the rep had filled with our desired weight so she could easily compare how they felt.  She ended up with a Osprey EJA 58L which should work well on the Camino.
  
  While she walked around the store with a pack on to get the feel, we looked at socks.  Once again a rep asked if he could help and he helped us find some non-wool socks the Wife could wear.
  
  On the way out we purchased a sleeping bag liner (we will not be carrying sleeping bags on the Camino but the liners are good sheets/covers for the hostel beds and can be treated with permethrin to keep the bugs off).
  
  Our experience was so good that I bought an REI lifetime membership for $30 and was pleasantly surprised to get a $30 gift card so ... free membership.
• Continuing on the Camino gear topic, I purchased a set of trekking poles for the Wife.  She's never walked with poles and I hope she finds them as helpful as I do.  They came this week and they looked so nice and shiny that I ordered a new set for myself.  I feel a bit guilty since my old poles are still working but they are all scratched up and there is some corrosion and cracking on some of the quick locks - the Appalachian Trail was tough on them.  When they arrive I'm sure the guilt will quickly evaporate.
• After the Robins returned over the last few weeks, the Red Wing Blackbirds (along with other types of blackbirds) started to show up.  When they get here in force they will empty our bird feeder double speed.  Of course, that's what the bird feeder is for ... to feed the birds.
• I contacted the Government Office of Personnel Management this week to confirm my eligibility for my retirement annuity.  I remember thinking when I chose a deferred retirement annuity back in 2008 how far my sixtieth birthday was.  Now it's just a few months away and I wonder where the time went.  The form I need to fill out is pretty straight forward but I had questions on when I could submit it.  The ideal time will come while we are on the Camino but it looks like sending it in a few weeks early is no big deal.  I'm not sure exactly how much this annuity will be but it should cover some of our travel expenses and help extend our savings.
• I walked two times this week for a total of 21.6 miles (34.8 km).  I am now easily covering ten plus miles per hike and I feel surprisingly well.  This is making me feel optimistic (is that what this feeling is?  I think so) that my third Camino will go well for me.

Weekly Ephemera #21

• I managed to hike three times this week.  I did a city hike on Monday, I returned to Hitchcock on Wednesday, and drove down to Indian Cave State Park on Friday.
  
  It's been a while since I've been to Indian Cave.  The last time I camped there was in 2016 after the elections (I let out a few screams into the void on that camp).  I went back to train there for my 2019 Appalachian Trail attempt in October 2018 three and a half years ago. I wore myself out going up and down the hills which made the ninety minute drive back home seem like it took forever.
  
  Note to self: Don't wear shorts while hiking.  It was not pleasant, when I had to go off trail to walk around a fallen tree, to walk through stinging nettles with bare calves.  I also didn't like the four ticks I found on my bare legs nor the bites that are making me itch in the middle of the night.  I always hike in long pants.  Not sure why I hiked in shorts on Friday but that won't be repeated any time soon.
  
  For the week I hiked 20.8 miles (33.5 km).
• This week we contacted a healthcare broker and signed up for health, dental, and eye care for when the Wife's work coverage ends.  It was surprisingly easy.  It seems a bit expensive but it is cheaper than what we were paying through her work and we will be getting the maximum subsidy so it won't be anything we can't afford.  Our coverage will pretty much remain the same as what we currently have.  Thank you Obama.
• We had a guy come out and check our air conditioner.  It's all ready for the summer.  That service was also more than I expected but I expect it will be worth the peace of mind.  Bring on Summer!

Huzzah!!! The Wife Is Officially Retired!

Today is the Wife's last day at her workplace after a steady wind down of official duties.  Today, after Mass at school, some official speechifying, and a goodbye brunch, the next stage of life begins for the Wife: Retirement.

We are both looking forward to more travel, both planned and spontaneous, for as long as our bodies hold out.

I'm guessing retirement won't sink in until August when She would normally be preparing to return to school.

You have devoted your life to guiding multiple generations into their futures.  It is time you devote the rest of your life to yourself.  I can't wait to be there with you and to see where we go together.

Congratulations Honey Bunny!!!  Happy Retirement!!!  You've earned it!!!

Weekly Ephemera #18

• On Friday the Wife's seniors were done making her one step closer to being retired.  Her school has a tradition of having the senior class stampede out of the school on their last day.  The Wife joined them by sitting in a wheeled bin and being pushed out with the running seniors (The Twitter link to the video can be found here).
  
  The Wife has started to take her class apart in anticipation of retirement.  From her desk drawer she brought a bag of weird junk that she thought I would like.  The Wife has assigned students to make games to play to help them with vocabulary or literature study.  The stuff appears to be game pieces the students used for the games.  By the way, I love it.

Desk drawer accumulation of junk.

• While the Wife was celebrating the end of the seniors, I was cleaning out the tornado room.  This room, located in the basement, is a combination workshop/storage area which is also, probably, the safest place to be during a tornado ... hence the name.  On Friday morning the room lived up to its name as it looked like a tornado had blown through it.  I spent a few hours Friday afternoon pulling stuff out of the room, cleaning up messes on the floor, rearranging stored stuff more efficiently, and making it useful as a tornado shelter once more.
  
  As I was cleaning the tornado room I removed all my hiking and camping gear and piled it in the she-shed.  I will be going through everything and replacing/replenishing anything I need when I go back to finish the Appalachian Trail this July.
• On Tuesday Mom and I went plant shopping.  We went to a local nursery (Mulhalls - which I picked due to its big selection of plants and because of its size so Mom would get needed exercise) to peruse the plants.  I was looking for flowering plants to go between the mums planted in my corner of the backyard.  I was going to buy four or five identical plants but there were too many good choices so I ended up with five different ones.  Nothing wrong with variety.
• I didn't walk this week due to the high temperature and humidity we had last week ... and because I am a wimp.  The temperatures will be lower this week so I will be back out walking.
• I went to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in IMAX on Monday.  I swear I'm still having nightmares about how Black Bolt died.

sigh