Happy 2014 ! A new year is upon us, which seems like the perfect time to start new projects. Over the last six months since I retired, at the end of June 2013, I’ve been thinking of writing a blog. Today I begin. In writing this blog, I want to share some of my thoughts, my observations, and my day to day life, as a now-retired Baby Boomer, mother of four and grandmother of two, a crafter, a lover of old things and things made by hand, a reader, and a homemaker. I am hoping that my blog might offer an opportunity to share some of what I love, to hear from others, to make new virtual friends, to learn, and to listen. A bit about me: I am a child of the fifties, born near the beginning of that decade. My birth family was a large one, and I am the oldest of nine, eight of whom are still alive. I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Gary, for over 42 years, and have four grown children and two grandchildren. I have a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the UVA School of Law. After 35 years at a legal publishing company, I retired at the end of June 2013. I’ve been surprised to realize, since retiring, that I have not been tempted to look back. I miss my colleagues, of course, and the daily routine of the job. But I have relished the ways that time has opened up and expanded for me, now that I am no longer answerable to the demands of a regular 40+ hour per week job. I love how I've been able to rediscover the ways the light shines in different rooms of our fifties country house, from day to day, hour to hour and season to season. I love the way I’ve been able to re-embrace cooking and meal planning, cleaning and organizing. I love the extra time I’ve found to watch the birds who visit the feeders outside our picture window and the semi-feral cats who frequent our two acres. Not to mention the opportunity to see precisely how our two indoor cats spend each day. (It turns out sleeping and napping play a much more prominent role in their routine than I had thought.) I love how I’ve been able to find much more time for knitting, for sewing, for crafting, for photo projects. And much more time for reading, with a re-discovered appreciation for our regional library and its up to date collections. I love how I’ve been able to visit with children and grandchildren, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends, both in person and virtually. I am inspired by the ways that the days ahead seem to beckon with opportunity and promise, with new things around each corner. And I am hoping to share parts of those things in this blog.
4 Comments
Gary Mawyer
1/1/2014 12:43:44 am
I want to be the first to comment. It's spectacular!
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Dan Stroh
1/1/2014 02:26:54 pm
Delightful to read, Karen. Great project to start on the first day of the New Year!
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1/1/2014 07:18:44 pm
First because I noticed it last, thank you for the quilt background, lovely! And next how wonderful to share your writing with us. I hope they'll be more photos. You capture small moments of beauty in nature, your cats of course and the things you make and do. Looking forward to reading all of your moments large and small.
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Rara
1/3/2014 01:43:56 pm
What a delight!
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AuthorI am a 63 year old wife, mother, and grandmother, retired at the end of June 2013 from a 35 year career, and loving this new phase of my life. Archives
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