Posted on by agilejack

I’m Retired!

It’s official. As of Friday at 5 pm, I am no longer among the working. So far, it feels damned good! I’m sitting here Sunday evening and I don’t feel that dread about the impending work week. It’s a good feeling.

Friday night I put a pizza in the oven, took Rico for a walk after dinner, then snuggled in and watched a couple movies. I got up early Saturday and played pickleball with 12 other women and it was so much fun! I had organized it and it was well worth the effort. I hand picked all the women and we were all at about the same skill level so the games were so much fun. And I played like an animal! I was so relaxed. So focused. And everyone commented on how much fun I seemed to be having! The same thing happened during pickleball today. And I swear, I’m actually playing a lot better! So retirement seems to have had a good effect on my pickleball!

I decided to take some time on Saturday and finish up the black, white and pink Interweave quilt I had been working on. It only took a couple of hours, and it’s done!

All I had to do was finish sewing one row of blocks together. Then sewed all the rows togethe and sewed the borders on the sides. You can see the side borders in this photo.

I sewed the victory lap in pieces before the quilt top was all in one piece: top and bottom row, and the side borders. it was so much easier to do it this way rather than dragging all that bulk through the machine.

This quilt top seemed to go together really quickly. Maybe because this is the third time I’ve made it.

Here’s some close ups to see the beautiful fabrics better.

It’s now several days later and I am snuggled up on the sofa with Rico sleeping soundly at my side at the end of day-three of retirement. So far I’m enjoying it! I’m getting a lot done and have been tired at the end of each day. A retired friend said I was going to need to pace myself. It’s unhealthy to keep up that mad pace in retirement.

We’ve been having some warm winter storms the last week. Lots of rain but crazy warm temps in the high 50s. We haven’t gotten the same flooding that they’ve gotten up in Washington, but it’s all part of the same storm system and we’ve gotten plenty of rain. I was awakened at 1 am last night as my neighbor’s brand new generator kicked in when the power went out. It was soooo loud! It sounded like a semi truck was idling in my bedroom! There were some significant wind storms that have parts of town still without power.

The neighbor sent me a text this morning apologizing for how loud his generator is. He assured me that they will be looking into ways to abate the noise. When I looked outside at 1 am there were people standing in the street videotaping the noisy generator. I’m wondering if he got complaints from other neighbors.

I got ready for my 7:30 am pickleball session in the dark and my power was back on when I got home.

One thing on my check off list yesterday was to run by the vet and pick up Bender’s ashes. He is now in my living room next to Billie and my beloved Forrest.

It always makes me sad when I feel the heft of a pet’s ashes in my hands.

I impulsively started a new quilt top using the black and white fabric scraps. More on that next time.

For now I’m busy being retired, playing pickleball, and getting my house ready for guests on Christmas Eve.

58 Replies to “I’m Retired!”

  2. congrats on your retirement.  Isn’t it a wonderful feeling? Enjoy. Love your quilts. Faithfully read your blog. So sorry about Bender but glad for all the good things now. Linda E

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  4. Love the interweave, I need to try that pattern.

    We have about 8” of snow on the ground here. It looks beautiful.

    Merry Christmas

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  7. Hi, Anne. Beautiful quilt, as usual. To clarify what you said about sewing on the border … did you sew the border on in sections, for example, sew border on the top half of the quilt, sew it on the bottom half, then sew the two halves together, to avoid dragging the whole quilt top through the machine to sew on the border? Thanks! Pam

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  9. Good morning from Niagara Falls, Ontario.You will get the hang of retirement sooner than later and get into your own grove. Congratulations.Keep posting your quilts, photos, etc., they are always fun to read.Merry Christmas and all the best

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  11. Have you thought about just adding the borders to each row like they’re part of the row instead of at the end of the quilt process? I think your head first into retirement might be to occupy missing Bender. How’s Rico doing? Great job on all the pickleball. Gotta stay active.

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  12. Congratulations on your retirement! I retired almost 5 years ago and love it! I am always busy with quilting, cooking and gardening. They’re all things that I love to do. I don’t miss the office at all. Enjoy!

    Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg

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  13. Congratulations on your retirement! It sounds like it is off to a great start; finding the balance between relaxation and activity is a challenge, but fortunately, we quilters have the best of both worlds!

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  15. Retirement is awesome. Take it a day at a time. It’s great to develop hobbies and activities while your working so when Retirement comes you can fall right into those things. Many people don’t have anything they do besides work. You’ll love everyday of it. Your the boss now. Love your interweave quilt . Congratulations.

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  16. Congratulations on your retirement, I believe all of your followers are going to enjoy seeing your new creations and hearing stories about how happy you are. I am. 🩵

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  17. Congratulations on your retirement! It’s an adjustment, but you will soon find yourself busier than ever! Enjoy your retirement, but please continue your blogs!

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  20. Congrats! This is the life, but its easy to get overly busy! Im sure the pickleball tournament was appreciated by everyone, I foresee more of those in your future. Here in Southern Ontario we had cold and snow and now its warm and rainy, tomorrow the temperature will drop 10 degrees (celsius) and everything will freeze again.

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  21. Losing a pet is so hard.  Our furry friends don’t ask for much but give so much more.They always hold a special place

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  23. Im so happy for you Anne. Finally retired! You’re going to enjoy this new way of life so much more than you even imagined. I think your creativity is going to explode into some exciting new projects. Please don’t give up your blog as your fans rely on you for inspiration. Happy Holidays!

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  24. Enjoy your home, and your holiday. Now you can relax – no “having to go to work”. Savor all the moments! I love reading your posts!

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  26. Congratulations!!! 👌 your quilt is beautiful!!! cannot wait to see the black and white project.

    I retired in 2008 when everything was a disaster in the mortgage business. Then came the work nightmares – i keep telling my dreams to ” stop it! ” (so much stress and deadlines to constantly meet. YuK!) they’ve mostly stopped pestering me.

    Ive been trying to come up with a pretty fabric cover for my doggie’s box Yours are just so beautiful, are the custom made?

    thank you for your update. will you continue with your blog?

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  28. So happy for you! You will find your rhythm (and likely more than 1). Retired in Sept. 2019 (and pretty young, 58 then). Life ebbs and flows, just enjoy. I’m still so grateful more of my time is my own.

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    1. Congratulations! I wanted to share my “on-point quilt” that I finished, inspired by you.Not sure how to send you a picture.

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  30. Congratulations on your retirement!! I retired early in 2022 and it’s the best decision I ever made! I had to ‘learn’ how to slow down and stop trying to get everything done right now. I’ve settled in and my days are relaxed but productive. Enjoy!

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  32. congratulations on your retirement! I think I was born to retire. It’s so delicious!! I been retired for 10 years!! I feel sorry for those who retire and don’t have a hobby. I think those are the ones who go back to work cause they are “so bored”. Egads, there’s a whole world out there!! I’m a huge fan of your quilts!! Always inspiring!!

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  33. Congratulations on your retirement! And the black and white interweave quilt top is gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next! 😊

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  34. Anne. Congratulations! You’re already rocking retirement! Thank you for the work you did for OPB. Minnesota is responding to the need for public broadcasting as well. Sigh. Have a very Merry Christmas. Kate

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  36. CONGRATS!!!

    I retired 5 years ago during COVID and have never looked back. After retiring I discovered Modern quilt guilds and have been thriving. In fact, I was elected Prudent for our SD METRO Modern Quilt guild for 2026. And I thank you again for helping me on the beginning of my bag making journey. I find you quite inspirational. I’m sure you don’t remember, but in an Instagram post years ago I thanked you and you were so complementary and gracious.

    All my best to you – happy holidays!

    Sheri Knox @mermaid92117 @sdmetromodernquiltguild

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  38. Congratulations!!  I know you are one happy woman!!I’m sure you have enuf hobbies are going to keep you busy. Enjoy!!Shirley H. Sent from my iPhone

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  39. I have made several of your handbags and even sent you a pick of the first one. I am a quilter too. The one you are working on is beautiful. Wanted to comment because I am retiring on Dec 31!! I have owned a Handcraft and Framing Gallery for 30 years and as hard as it is to leave I am soooo happy that I now have time to sew sew and sew! All the best! Joan.

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  40. Congratulations on your new life of freedom and peace! So sorry to hear about Bender. Losing a beloved pet is always hard. I have been enjoying your blog and quilts this past year. Thank you for sharing your talents. Merry Christmas and have a joyful new year.

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  41. Enjoy your retirement, it’s the best thing I have ever done!

    Finally quilting some tops that have been around for a few months, in the ditch, so they’re moving right along. All lap size, and finished four in the past three days, including machine binding. Clearing up for the end of the year.

    Love your Interweave quilts! I want to try that pattern. Just did the attached top at a retreat recently…that one still has to be sandwiched and quilted. Varied it from the pattern by using the snipped corners to fill in the corners, instead of using the background fabric.

    Best wishes for the new year!

    Diane Page

    Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg

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  42. Congratulations on your retirement! You will LOVE it and your friend is right, you need to pace yourself and do things at a slower pace. My mother had told me upon HER retirement, she forgot which day it was…and I said “PHFFF” that will never happen to me…guess what? It’s happening..so be aware. Having SO much free time to do whatever you want is PRICELESS! It certainly makes up for all those working years of being on a company schedule..it’s just delicious like you mentioned…

    Yep, it’s pouring out and I thought Oregon would be colder than it is but we havent gotten to winter yet, so Im gonna hope for colder weather. I got tired of warm weather in California. Too boring.

    Susan

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  43. Many congratulations on your retirement. I retired over 4 years ago and having my time to myself and being answerable to no one is such a gift. I did have to make a mental adjustment after a few months; once the feeling of it being an extended holiday had passed, I found that I was feeling ‘guilty’ about not working. I got over that pretty quickly though :-). The main thing is definitely pacing yourself – you don’t have to jam everything into evenings and weekends any more – yay!!

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  44. So happy for you and your newfound freedom! Sweet Bender was such a big part of your life. I hope that you and Rico are doing better, I know it is terribly hard. It’s good to be having your company coming over soon and your pickle ball friends 😻❤️!

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  45. so many emotions colliding at once… the heartstrings of a loved fur baby now gone, the closing of a career and the excitement of what is ahead. Take time to relish in each! I swear the Sunday night relief is one of the biggest gifts of retirement… the week ahead is yours to plan. Enjoy it all and remember you can say “no” even if you are mid-way into something…. all your choice! Congratulations!

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  46. GOOD FOR YOU!   HAH, you will find that you are busier in retirement
    than when you were working….watch out, Girl!!!
    best wishes, cheryl

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  47. Congratulations on retirement! Took me several years to get acclimated to that stage in my life – sounds like you are doing a much better job than me. 🙂

    I really like that quilt – what is the source of the pattern? Name? I think I’d like to make one, too.

    🙂 Linda

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  48. I wanted to congratulate you on your retirement, and also to offer comfort to you in your grief about Bender’s passing. I recently had to make the same decision to let my 18 year + kitty go. She was having difficulty breathing at different times of the day, but it was awful when it hit. She was older than 18, but adopted us and it was 18 years after that adoption that we had to let her go. I had a euthanasia vet come to our home to do it in our quiet environment, without having to take her into the vet and deal with aggressive, barking dogs which was always so upsetting to her. While we were still able to have some nice snuggles, it was apparent to me that her quality of life was declining and I didn’t want to wait until she was really suffering all the time. It was a very peaceful and calm ending. No fright on her part, and just calm, soothing words from me during the process. I read something posted by a pet parent describing how she determined it was time. . . . she said her dog always loved to bark at the squirrels and chase them in the park along their walk. She knew that when her dog no longer wanted to chase the squirrels and bark at them, it was time. The quality of life issue, for sure. I am wondering how Rico is reacting to Bender’s absence. Has to be puzzling to him, I would think. I am so glad you have pickle ball and your creative quilting to help you through the rough patches. I look forward to seeing how all of your projects progress. It is so exciting for me to see what you envision and create from beautiful fabrics! Just lovely to behold. Very inspiring, for sure.

    Hugs, and Comfort,

    Jan Pinney, 1 1/2 decades retired from the non-profit world! SF Bay Area

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