Holy sheep shit…Friday the 13th! Bwahahahahaha. Cough cough

 And as I mentioned previously, things were getting weird in 2023.  Here we were, minding our business, ignoring the rain and wind and fog…my office becoming a little more toxic every day.

So on the 13th my boss calls me in at 1 p.m. and hands me a “we’re cutting your contract short, your last day of work is the 10th.  You get a 4 week without cause working notice”?  Translation:  you get to come in, can’t  start anything new but oh just hang around for 4 weeks then get lost.  WTF?  

Was I surprised?  Not really, its a new year, new budget, new Mayor and they wanna cut costs.  Lolol oooh and no development.  Nothing new, keep it status quo..no body moves, no body loses money.  A big BIG step backwards.  “Oh and don’t tell your coworkers” …give me a break!  Lol I’ve been a manager many times, I’m married to an HR professional, this is Not Kosher!  So, I packed up my personal stuff, and left. Monday I crafted a nice email and updating all the people I’ve been working with .. that got interesting reactions.  Lol and then Wednesday I announced the Town’s decision to end my contract 10 months early to the local Rotary club.  Bazinga!  😂

And this past Monday I figured I was staying home, sick,  this week, and ya know what?  I’m ok.  I am actually happy to be able to make a plan, and know my health - mental health - is most important.  

If this hasn’t happened to you, let me elaborate.  The brain revs up…the money mind pipes up: ok, no more Hello Fresh, the cleaning lady will likely have to go after Feb., and what the heck we’ve been talking about selling our bikes any ways.  😎 savings: almost $2,000 a month. 

We both have pensions, and since I was a member of the group health plan  - we will sign up for a personal plan which they can’t deny us.  😷 Mac has his HR Manager job which, albeit is stupid stressful, is as secure as anything can be these days.  I am encouraging him to pick a retirement date…once those bikes are sold and gone.  

On the north island there are lots of opportunities for contract work and so if we want to stay in the game, on a slower pace, we can.  Yeah we’re old, but we have boatloads of skills…we can travel, we have contacts out here…we’ll be good. 🤓

When hubby and I talk about retirement we ask: can we retire here?  For now, the answer is yes.  We’ve got a nice little place to live, we don’t  have to mow grass or shovel snow, the community has whatever we need (except for decent Chinese food) and we have started reconnecting as well as making new friends.  And good Chinese food (and Indian food) is just a day trip away!

Yup, I wanted to retire, but couldn’t commit.  Now I don’t have to make the decision, and I am applying for “something to keep me out of trouble” this weekend.  

What a life!  I am a lucky woman, we’re a lucky couple!  

Happy Robbie Burns day y’allq…Slainte 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

2023. Who would have guessed eh

 I will chalk up 2022 as one of the weirdest years so far.  Hell I'm 67 now, working and on north Vancouver Island, surrounded with the woke and the left.  Good lord I was hoping to be in my second year of retirement, painting, having coffee and watching boats and birds.  Maybe a nice walk in the morning, reading off the patio in the p.m.  oh yes and eating more leafy greens, perhaps forage some wild mushrooms?  Oh yes, its good to dream.

Reality: hubby and I both still in harness, working 5 days a week.  We are definitely comfortable in our wee town, tho it seems to be stuck in a time warp, like so many small island towns.  Times they are a changing and so must we.

Example number one:  the government in their wisdom, has legalized pot.  So now I hold my tongue when people talk about going home and smoking a joint, “yeah I got stoned last night” conversations in the workplace.  Lol Sheesh I'm no prude but I sure feel old..thanks to years of “those” conversations being reserved for somewhere private.  Or in the bar!  Not any more, and im often regaled with a cloud of skunk weed smoke when I walk from my car to the apartment.  Yup.  So much for being an outlaw, I’m feekin’ old.

Example number two:  everyone else is getting old, and worse they’re dying!  OK exception to this rule is Keith Richards.  Who apparently is rockin on forever.  Kind of depressing at times, but tis the way of the world.

And finally number three - although I’m sure I could go beyond: my country is in the crapper.  Through shite leadership, and printing of money like we’re in a monopoly game and China is the banker, seems we are sliding thru a recession into the arms if a depression.  Groceries, gas, cost of living shooting skyward, and no relief in sight.  Makes me glum. 

Having survived the Covid, and watching people struggling with depression and panicking, loss of health care, etc etc its not a surprise the Feds answer is “but we’ve made it so much easier for people to end their lives.”  Jesus wept!  Is this what I have to look forward to in 2023?  

Actually, no.  We have a roof over our heads and it may be wee, but its comfy and warm.  We have a kooky fat cat who is endlessly entertaining and not demanding.  We have friends - old and new - who lift us up as we lift them up!  And as I often say “no body’s shooting at us.” 

So I’m not giving up on the year to come.  My husband said this morning “its going to be a great year, just watch”, and that heartens me.  To all our friends out there, aging along woth us - 😜 Happy New Year!  We made it this far, onwards!

Yup