Retirement Saga – Step #2

My 65th birthday neared. A retirement workshop in the summer of 2007 helped me prepare. I learned that I must sig nup for Medicare when I turned 65. The presenter advised us to sign up a couple months before my birthday.

So in November, I stuck my toe into the bureaucratic waters of retirement. I called our local Social Security Office and scheduled the telephone application interview.

I cleared my calendar for the 1:40 pm call. My cell phone vibrated to life, then played my ring tone. A female voice verified my identity then asked, “Well, what can I do for you, Honey?”

Uff Dah! In a sudden flash my middle age fell away and senior citizenship arrived.

We don’t ‘Honey’ each other in Minnesota so I asked the woman if she called from the South … say Virginia or Georgia. “No!” she answered, “I’m calling from Iowa, just south of the Minnesota border.”

Relief, I spoke with a solid Midwestern Iowan not a gracious, honey-voiced southerner!

The English language has long since lost different forms of address based on social intimacy. The Germans have ‘Du’ for my brother, and ‘Sie’ for my boss. We Americans barely retain the formal Mr Smith for a stranger and the inform first name for a friend. We do however, "Honey” our elders.

I have Medicare Part A now. I obtained a letter from my employer saying my prescription coverage equaled or exceed that offered by Medicare. I received wallet sized cards and documents with my Social Security Number splashed all over them, enough to make an Identity Thief chuckle with glee.

So now I’m ready for Retirement: Step 3.

The pictures come from the Annual Spring Hike my brother and I take each year.

A Winter Blast

Finally, after a week this cold weather is warming; the wind-chills are decreasing.
This frigid artic air swept in clean and clear. I made a couple photographs of the Aerial Lift Bridge yesterday and noticed how crisp distant objects seemed. We have the coldest weather in five years.

City	Jan 13	Jan14
Duluth	-24	-18
Intl Falls	-42	-42
Embarrass	-44	-47

The weather people give this history of the cold air mass which now covers us: “This air mass has a history of temperatures of -62 in Oimyakon, Siberia, and reading near -60 in Alaska. Higher sun angles modify arctic air masses slightly as the move southward so we usually don't get the full brunt of the arctic blast.”

My photographs show broken harbor ice. The Coast Guard has broken the ice in anticipation. We still expect two ships before this season ends and the Lake and harbor freeze. The Duluth News Tribune reports, “The Edwin H. Gott and the Edgar B. Speer were expected, but ice has slowed them down. They are through the Soo Locks and should be out on Lake Superior by now.”

When they arrive, winter will be official.

Back on the Trail

I finally made my first venture out on the cross country ski trail yesterday evening. I skied the lighted Pine Valley Ski trail by night. It was beautiful. The temperature hovered at 15° F. A moon waxing toward a full moon filled the landscape with light.

I went two times around the 2 ½ km. loop.

The holiday season provided little time for skiing, besides the two dogs love running on the golf course, so I used my snowshoes for exercise.

I skied the longer 5 km loop this afternoon under a wonderfully sunny sky. The trail was well groomed and in excellent condition. A green wax for 5-15° F. worked very well.

Alas I think Maggie and Lila will mourn my return to skiing. (Dog are not allowed on the trail.)

Snowed Off the Sidewalks

Two things mark this new year of 2009.

Thirty-nine inches of snow have forced me off the sidewalks and ‘onto the street’ for my morning walks. Some folks clear their sidewalks. However, in the last couple days, the plows have raised large banks which must be climbed to get to the sidewalk. Each winter is the same for someone walking: unploughed sidewalks. This year it begins earlier than most.

Fortunately, snowmobiles have packed down some trails which Lila, my dog, I can use to keep us off the street.

My son passed the diving test on the last day of 2008, December 31st. Now he has his Driver’s License and is ‘on the street’ for a different reason. That event is a milestone of freedom for every young person.

This morning I slept in. I grabbed my snowshoes and took Lila for a walk just at dusk. A quarter moon in a clear sky illuminated the new snowshoe trail I set through the swamp. After a short walk the biting winds forced me home. The temperature started its plunge to -20 F tonight. Winter certainly marks the beginning of 2009.

Siskins and Chickadees

Two types of birds frequent my feeders this winter: Pine Siskins and, of course, Chickadees. I fill my feeders with sunflower seeds. Pine Siskins and Chickadees love them.

The Siskins visit the feeders in a mob. However Siskin culture seems to allow only one bird per perch. Incoming birds try to force the current occupant away. Siskins eat with a lot of waste. I am unsure whether they are careless or generous, providing seeds which fall to the ground for the bottom feeders: squirrels. Siskins eat right at the feeder.

Chickadees swoop in take a seed and fly away to eat it in private. Often I see Chickadees ‘cleaning’ their beaks by rubbing each side on the branch where they are perched. Pine Siskins either have no such need or no manner compelling them to wipe their mouths clean after eating.

The birds who visit my feeders vary from year to year. A couple of years ago I had lots of these Purple Finches.

The first picture shows a couple of Pine Siskins. Picture #2 shows a female Purple Finch (I believe. The last picture shows a male Purple Finch.