On the Job Front...Retirement on the Horizon:
As for my career, I finished my first full year back in elementary school. Making the transition was no easy task, not so much because of the work, students, or school, but really because my work in middle school, although stressful, relied heavily upon muscle memory for much of it, I'm sure my first few months were filled with confusion and a fair amount of eye rolling from my staff as I relearned the particular ways of elementary once again. At middle school often my exhaustion was from feeling beaten down from negative energy, difficult decisions, and depressing experiences. At elementary, I often leave work bolstered with good vibes and fun memories. I'm still exhausted but way more satisfied.
I know my transition out of this career and into retirement is on the horizon and although I dont know the exact date yet, it is hard to avoid short timers syndrome. There is nothing easy about education any more. The work of administration has become increasingly filled with tasks to satisfy state and federal mandates/compliances and less about my true passion, working with students and families to ensure all students learn at high levels. It's a corny sentence I know, I truly still believe my job is to focus my efforts on the students that need me the most, our students and families that are often under represented in the school system. The prospect of retirement is both scary and exciting and of course I'm filled with mixed emotions about it.
I think we all know me well enough that I won't be totally out of education even after retiring, I'm excited to be at the crossroads with an unclear picture of where the next path will take me. (Quite frankly not having a career plan is a new thing for me!)
Speaking of retirees, Rusty is now officially retired. He has been off since June on full salary and benefits in an early out/golden handshake type of scenario.
Naughty boys at the retirment party...I call shenanigans.
As of his 62nd birthday, he is officially retired, a pensioner as it were. That full salary goes away but so does the stress and strife of working with the current federal govenrment. Rusty's first retirement party (with mostly EPA folks) was in June. His final retirement party was on the winter solstice this year - he shared the day with Lance, our very close friend from Sacramento also retiring. The evening was filled with good friends, good food, and lots of laughter. Although I try not to tell other people's story, it has been interesting to witness Rusty's shift into retirement. I think he never really retired, he just switched jobs into managing our construction in the basement. I think he still hasn't wrapped his head around it as he hasn't joined a pickle ball league nor has he taken to getting up early for coffee at fast food restaurants with the other old guy retirees.
Construction:
"We are on time and under budget..." said no contractor ever. The basement remodel has been a comedy of surprises, on top of a big mid-ocean whirlpool sucking down our money and time. Finding foundation issues (two years ago) was a huge set back but now we are actually seeing progress and can see that this too shall end. I'm confident the project will be finished in the next few months. Rusty has been managng the construction like a champ and I believe that's the only reason we are seeing progress.
Travel:
Our big travel this year has been an international trip to Japan. This was an expensive trip constraining our travel budget for other destinations. Well worth it though, gentle readers. Japan was wacky, weird, and wonderful. As I typically do, I created a full travel blog on Japan and yet it still doesn't seem to capture the mystery and magic of ths ancent/modern island. Walt's Blog on Japan. If interested in a day by day account of our adventure check it out.
Holidays:
Our holidays this year were consumed with all things Aussie. Ms. Di Drew made an appearance for a week at Thanksgiving and two weeks at Christmas. She brought with her a true Aussie legend, Col. Many adventures were had during their stay, a tale that could only be told in pictures.
And of course Irish Coffees at the Buena Vista Inn.
Health:
No one warned me that when you hit your sixties, your number of vistis to the emergency room rises exponentially. In 2025 I spent a night in the hospital with excessive diarhea and dehydration, and at the start of 2026 another trip to the emergency room after four or five incidents of the same thng. This problem seems to be recurring and even though I've hade every test immaginable, still no reason why...and before my kind gentle readers throw out suggestions, yes, I'm going to a GI soon to help figure this out. I'm suspecting some form of IBS, looking at symptoms, it doesn't seem to rise to the level Crohn's. (Don't you just love patients that self diagnose - I know doctors do - tee hee).
Rusty on the other hand, ended up three days in the hospital at the end of January with sepsis. The cause is still unknown. He is fine now, but it was a bit concerning for a few days as it took a long time for the fever to break. He was in good hands at Sutter hospital, in the wing of the hospital that the nuses say is haunted. No, we didn't experience any fun haunted events.
The Art of Yosiell Lorenzo:
Yosiell has had a very successful 2026. But this success didn't come without some hard earned blood, sweat, and tears. More accurate, travellng to lots of different shows, long nights designing, and racking up those frequent flyer points. His art just gets better every single year and his fan base expands every year too. It's amazing to see his art not only in every state but in different countries as well. At the start of 2026, Yosiell has decided to merge his worlds and rebrand as the "Midnight Conjurer". This rebranding allows him to create many different worlds under the same umbrella and is really a chnace to expand his creativity.
He has lots of really cool changes coming under this new brand in 2026, so gentle reader, get on his mailing list and check out his shop. Midnight Conjurer Website
As we move into the year of the fire horse, a year marked by transformation, bold actions, and intense energy, I'm ready. Lately I've felt like we've been in a state of limbo here on Ardley ave. I know that it is important to embrace the characteristics of the year of the snake to prepare oneself for the bold moves to come, so being in limbo is just a chance to prepare. Now it's time to make some moves. I'm predicting big changes in 2026, and gentle readers, I'm here for it.
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