Retirementally Challenged
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Hello, I'm Janis Heppell. I started my blog in the months before I retired in part to work through my ambivalence about my upcoming life-changing event. Navigating through my post-work world, I now enjoy writing about all sorts of topics, including travel, relationships, photography, gratitude, and whatever else pops into my head.
Retirementally Challenged
2M ago
My husband and I don’t go out to dinner very often – our home cooked meals are often tastier and healthier – but we do enjoy going out for lunch. Sometimes it’s the sole reason for getting out at midday, sometimes it’s woven into a day’s errands. We don’t often frequent fancy restaurants, but we ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
2M ago
Even though it’s my birth month, I’ve never been a big fan of January. When I was young, I envied those who had summer birthdays and could celebrate with a pool party, beach bash, or an outdoor BBQ. Because my birthday closely follows the holiday season, people are pretty much over it by then, and ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
5M ago
In a recent Thursday Doors post, I highlighted our visit to the Arizona mining town of Jerome. We had been there a couple of times before and we enjoyed another opportunity to poke about the quirky community perched on the side of a hill. In south-eastern Arizona – almost to the border of Mexico ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
5M ago
My husband and I had been looking forward to taking a road trip to Arizona to see friends and sightsee. Since the summer temperatures can get rather brutal, we put off our trip until November, when things cool down quite a bit. As a bonus, we got to experience an extra ten days of Daylight ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
6M ago
I’m fairly sure my parents never used an Automated Teller Machine. Even though they were only in their 60s when ATMs became widely available, they continued to go into the bank to do their transactions. I remember thinking it was odd at the time. Why wouldn’t they prefer the ease and convenience the machines offered ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
6M ago
My Halloween-themed short story, Fly by Night, is the latest Story Chat feature on Marsha Ingrao’s blog, Always Write. Story Chat is more than just a series of short stories by various authors. The format encourages readers to give thoughtful feedback about what they’ve read. What was enjoyable about the story? Were there any surprises ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
6M ago
When I saw the theme for Terri’s Sunday Stills photo challenge this week, I knew that I wanted to participate. Textures are among my favorite things to photograph. While others are capturing a sweeping landscape, I’m often focused on the peeling bark of a tree or a vine climbing up a weathered wall. Textures ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
7M ago
It is hard to believe that so many years had passed since graduating, but when the invitation to my 50th high school reunion appeared in my inbox, reality set in. I am still friends with a lot of my classmates – many since grade school, even one who I met while still in diapers ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
7M ago
Last week, my husband and I drove a couple of hundred miles up the California coast to the seaside city of Santa Barbara. We were looking forward to spending a few days exploring the area and celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. Other than having booked a B&B for three nights and making dinner reservations for ..read more
Retirementally Challenged
7M ago
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself… but, with this week’s Sunday Stills theme being orange/gold, the advent of fall comes to mind. Although we don’t get the volume of spectacular autumn leaves here in Southern California, we do see changes here and there as one season morphs into the next. And, what we lack in deciduous ..read more