I hate goodbyes. First there’s all that sentiment with tears, laughs, hugs, promises, etc. It can be so exhausting, It’s also the later realization that I forgot to visit the dessert table. Less tears and more apricot danish, is what I say.
Staff at headquarters are forcing me to announce that the time has come to close up shop and end this blog. The six of you out there have probably taken notice of my rather anemic output this year, with long periods of inactivity. Worse yet, I’ve also been ignoring all of my wonderful blogging compatriots, who have collectively been carrying on and creating their usual level of high quality. But for those amazing writers, I’d have never kept up this charade for as long as I have. All of them have inspired me to no end, in addition to providing so many easy opportunities for plagiarism.
The reason for all of this is that Gorgeous and I have decided to pull up stakes next year and move from our abode here in Florida. There’s been an emotional tug in the last couple years to be closer to family in Michigan, a place where I haven’t lived since 1983.
I should probably buy a coat.
At some later point after we move and get settled, I will start a new blog and chronicle the adventures of the returning prodigal. But for now, I wish to offer my heartfelt thanks to all who visited here over the last ten years.Your many comments have meant more to me than you can imagine.
The best way that I can end Snakes in the Grass is to offer my annual post of gratitude; and this year also by shining a light on so many of my WordPress blogging cohorts. They’ve not only offered virtual solidarity and kindness, but also helped to make me a better writer. My sincerest apologies if I’ve missed mentioning anyone!
So with Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks away…
… I once again submit for your annual approval, all the things from A-Z for which I am grateful:
(A) Auto-payments. For years I avoided them like the plague mostly out of budgetary fear. But now I find solace in the knowledge that the lights will stay on no matter how forgetful I am.
Also…. blogger Ally at The Spectacled Bean, who introduced me to the most excellent phrases of “flapdoodle and twaddle.” For that I will forever be grateful.
(B) President Biden, though it’s not what you think. It’s actually a bit of a backhanded compliment. I am grateful for his unintentionally reminding all of us that there are limits to one’s staying power. As the song goes, you gotta know when to fold ’em.
Also… blogger Betty at Chambers on the Road, who along with her husband, Dan, shows us how much fun road trips in retirement can be. There is also Bernie at Diary of a Dublin Housewife, who will keep you laughing with her verbatim dialogues with family members.
(C) Political commercials. I’m so grateful that we’re finished with them for another two years!
Also… we remember blogger Cordelia at Rapid Cyclist blog. Her posts, which often chronicled her brave battles with both depression and breast cancer, remain as testaments to how we can face such challenges with grace, beauty, and the best of the human spirit. May she rest in peace.
(D) The delete button. See above political commercials, although I’m still hitting delete on email solicitations even though the election is over.
Also… there are a couple of bloggers named Deb to mention: Deb at Widow Badass Blog is nothing but fearless in her pursuit of outdoor adventures. She also has a dog named Bowser who, believe it or not, is a writer too (which I find nothing short of amazing). Rock on, Deb! Then there’s Debs at Debs Despatches, who is a wonderful raconteur of travel stories (past and present), books, and current thoughts.
(E) Although the election didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, I am grateful for the fact that it was free and fair. I pray it remains that way now and well into the future.
Also… although she hasn’t updated her blog in a year, blogger Sarah at Extra Dry Martini is one of finest writers on WordPress (writing is also her day job); Elizabeth at Thoughts and Commentary writes about mental health and related topics. She is a Ph.D. in psychology and someone who always offers an interesting point of view on any given subject; Erica is the wonderful writer and talented photographer at Behind the Scenery. She also writes for a local Canadian magazine and has one of the best Instagram pages around. She’s an incredibly sweet person.
(F) Faith. In spite of all the turmoil and division in the country and world right now, I am surprised by how much of my faith has been restored by those close to me: friends, family, and (current) neighbors. I am grateful for those who are in my life.
Also… blogger Jane Fritz at Robby Robin’s Journey, writes about so many things from stories of her years in education, to farming, to excellent essays on social justice.
(G) My Gorgeous, who never fails to amaze me with her resilience in both body and spirit. I’m going to get in trouble with the below picture because it wasn’t cleared ahead of time, but I love it because she’s in her total happy place and it shows.
(H) Handymen. Good lord, your humble blogger has absolutely no ability to fix anything other than perhaps a browser that’s acting up or pesky remote which requires new batteries. This year, however, was the year of the handyman in our home. After several starts and stops with few duds, we actually found three –count ’em, THREE — who are the Real Deal. They’ve built closet shelves, fixed doors that wouldn’t close, did a little painting…. and most important, none of them made me feel like a complete waste of space. Gotta love a good handyman who happily takes my money and keeps his thoughts to himself.
(I) International food stores. You might refer to them as “ethnic” stores, but I need something for “I” so we’re going with international. One thing we’ll miss about living near Jacksonville is the wonderful Baymeadows neighborhood, which is filled to the brim with Asian, Middle East, Hispanic, Indian, and European speciality food stores. I don’t think we’ve bought a bottle of grocery store olive oil in years.
(J) Jazz. I listen to a lot of jazz each day, particularly at the start of cocktail hour and through dinner. What I love about it is that it’s a genre absolutely filled with so many strands and forks in the road. I’m certain I’ll never catch up with all that I’ve missed, which makes it even more exciting for me. My current favorite is guitarist Emily Remler, who tragically died way too young at 32. Check her out.
Also… blogger Janis at Retirementally Challenged is a multifaceted blogger who makes nearly everything interesting because of the passion in her writing. Her posts from a long trip to Mexico a few years ago were fascinating, as was a memorable trip she and her husband took on the old Route 66.
(K) The 401(k) was created in part as a way for employers to jettison their responsibilities with providing pensions to long-serving employees. In far too many respects it hasn’t been a success for those who haven’t saved enough and are struggling in retirement. But I am grateful for my own efforts during my working years. To those still working, please keep socking it away in those accounts. You’ll be glad you did.
Also… there is blogger Kate at Views and Mews by Coffee Kat, whose blog was the first I started to follow on WordPress, and she in turn became the first follower of Snakes in the Grass. Nearly all of my early attempts at blogging here were copied directly from Kate. Think “Gorgeous” is a novel alias for my wife? Nah. I merely copied the idea from Kate, who affectionally refers to her spouse as the “Beloved Husband.” I probably stole more ideas from Kate than any other blogger ( i.e. my “Idle Thoughts” during lockdown were a complete ripoff of her weekly Random Five). Kate, I salute you!
(L) Three bloggers to feature for this letter: Laura is at the appropriately named Laura Bruno Lilly blog, which just happens to be her actual name. Laura is an accomplished performing musician and songwriter along with being a poet and craft artist; Linda at Retired Introvert has blogged extensively about her own retirement journey, including now building a new home. She also includes the occasional mouth-watering recipe to share; and Laurel at My Journey Into The Dark and Twisty World, writes in a salt-of-the-earth style that comes straight from the many people she’s met on her own journey. Laurel’s speciality is in serial short story posts that grab you immediately. I see she hasn’t updated her blog in a couple of years, but I know she’s still around because she’s commented on some of mine this year. I hope she returns to her blog.
(M) Mom. I struggled for many years after my mother’s death to work through aspects of our relationship. Early on in this blog, I wrote a post about that which received a fair bit of traffic at the time. Time heals, and I now certainly do miss her. I’m grateful for all the love we both shared with one another. I love you, Mom.
Also…. there is blogger Moisy at Rosie’s French Adventures and Irish Shenanigans, who literally just ended her blog after ten years. But the journey she and her husband Rich took in relocating to France, and then to Ireland, is a fascinating read, and I do recommend your taking a deep dive into it. On a personal note, Moisy was extraordinary sweet as Gorgeous recovered from her breast cancer surgery. Good luck to both of you, Moisy! ❤️
(N). Naps. I used to be ashamed and somewhat chagrined about this secret habit of mine, but no longer. If you’re a kindred spirit, then I hope you are equally out of the closet about it too. Say it loud, say it proud: naps are the best.
Also… New England Garden and Thread is written by the always interesting, Judy. Judy is a master gardener who lives in New Hampshire. She writes about her home garden, of course, but also about the many volunteer gardening activity she does in her community. What I love about Judy’s blog is that she takes sometimes arcane topics, such as soil, roots, bulbs, etc., and makes it all interesting and fun for the reader. She’s also been an awfully good spirit with my oft-juvenile comments on so many of her posts! Also… blogger Nikki at Notes of Life will take you all around the UK, particularly in her home area of Mid Wales, and show both beauty and history with her pictorial posts. While gardens and flowers are a big part of Nikki’s interest, she also has this knack for finding great ancient churches and libraries.
(O) The Older Fatter Happier blog is written by the always entertaining, Alisa. In addition to making me green with envy with writing about all of her wonderful traveling destinations, she has a gift of turning a phrase (or three) about those in political power. If like me you inhabit the left side of the spectrum, I think you’ll find Alisa’s thoughts to be validating.
(P) Poll workers. Isn’t it funny how now that election is over, none of the conspiracies about the polls being rigged ever came to pass? Let’s take our hats off to these wonderful volunteers nationwide. They are the first line of defense to our precious democracy.
Also… the Artistic Pension blog is written by Tracey. As the name suggests, Tracey features wonderful artists that are worth your time in investigating. She too is a fabulous traveler who shares much of her trips in her posts. Her adventures are always fascinating. Also… blogger Pat at Retirement Transition took her adventure into retirement seriously enough that she literally wrote a book on it! Pat takes an analytical look at retirement with interesting dives into activities and friendships. I’ve always learned something from reading her posts.
(R) I absolutely love retirement. It’s full of both deep challenges and rewards on a daily basis, and it sure beats saying “hi” to the same people six times a day as you pass them in the office corridors.
Also… someone who embodies retirement more than any other blogger I can think of, is the blogger Donna at Retirement Reflections. Name a retirement activity and Donna’s either done it or it’s on her bucket list. There’s hiking! Cooking! Book reading! Traveling! Blogging groups to organize! There are even posts for which she’s asked others to guest blog! (she nabbed yours truly twice) Donna is our own blogging Energizer Bunny. Plus, she gets it all done with class and a noticeable sense of humanity.
(S) Music Streaming. I always said that I would never pay for a music streaming service. But for reasons too long to explain, we ended up starting a subscription to Apple Music earlier this year. Although I will always love vinyl more, I have to admit that I am enjoying the relative luxury of ordering Siri to play me the X-Pensive Winos at the drop of a hat as I merely sit on the couch.
(T) My Thesaurus. Where would I be without it? Although I’m equally grateful for my copy of Strunk & White, if I had to choose between the two it’d be the Thesaurus hands down.
(U) Uber. Far for be it for me to shill for a corporation, but “grateful” really is the word I can use to describe how I feel for this well-known ride sharing service. On a recent trip to DC, we used Uber quite a few times when we knew hailing a cab would be next to impossible. Each time they found us and delivered us to where we needed to go. It was the best time saver.
(V). Two Australian bloggers to mention for the letter V: Bruce at Vinyl Connection will take you on a sonic journey to all genres in pop music and modern jazz. His theme posts, for example, on album art or a particular year’s releases, are always the most fun to read. Also… blogger Vy at Dewy’s Place will transport you on fascinating and beautiful walking tours of cities and towns (mostly Melbourne), plus she takes pictures of the most mouth-watering entrees that she orders in restaurants and coffee shops. Vy also blogs about her love life with language and details that might not appeal to everyone, but there’s always this great sense of jaded humor from her that comes out in those particular posts.
[W] Although it often makes me irritable and frustrated, I do wish to thank WordPress for the opportunity to try my hand at writing, and also for providing a platform that has allowed me to interact with so many talented and interesting people.
(X) Great news! We switched earlier this year from Xfinity to a service called BlueStream. Why is this good news? Because it gives me something to talk about for the most frustrating of all the letters in the alphabet. 🤦♂️
(Y). In addition to having a truly hilarious blog name of Yeah, Another Blogger, blogger Neil writes about everything from travel, entertainment, books, and also his beloved city of Philadelphia. My favorite of his posts is a regular feature where he takes walks and snaps pictures to fit a certain theme (i.e. trucks, signs, etc.). His sense of humor is always what brings people back to his site.
(Z). Catch your Z’s, always!
Thanks again for your readership over the years.
We’ll meet again…
