I’ve written about many experiences and activities over the life of this blog, and I’m sure some of you lie awake nights wondering if I’m still singing sea shanties or baking gluten-free sourdough bread. So, this post is an update.
I retired 1-1/2 years ago and have been learning how to slow down. There’s a fine line between relaxing and working on projects. I’m probably still too busy, but, as you will see, there are a few things I’m willing to put aside.
Things I Still do
Gluten-free sourdough baking: Yes, I’m still doing this periodically. I gain weight too fast from all the carbs, so I only do it once or twice per month to keep from looking like a marshmallow. I’ve learned how to successfully resurrect my sourdough starter (which I call my “baby”) from a frozen state. This is very helpful when I’m gone on trips or taking a sourdough break. I’ve switched from making round loaves to using a rectangular metal baking pan because that shape of bread is easier for making sandwiches, etc. I’ve recently learned how to make a killer sourdough focaccia bread pizza. (See original post: Sweet on Sourdough | Marie’s Meanderings)
Red Cross Volunteering: Although I am not as active as I imagined, I still volunteer for local and national disasters. When wildfire threatened a city north of Duluth this summer, I did my second Red Cross stint. I drove through thick smoke and helped staff a temporary shelter. Nobody showed up, but hey, we were there! (See original post: My First Red Cross Deployment | Marie’s Meanderings)
Kickboxing Workouts: Despite breaking my ankle twice (once from kickboxing and once from hiking in Scotland), I still do kickboxing workouts. Some people never learn! It’s been 4-1/2 years and I still love them. I go 2-3 times per week. On off days, I walk, bike, paddle, swim, do yoga, do nothing, or play pickleball. (Russ and I recently joined a league in a town that’s about a half-hour away from our house.) I still enjoy the variety of kickboxing workouts, and that the gym is just a few blocks away from my house. Having it so near makes it hard to beg off going on those days when I just don’t feel like it. But since I’ve done kickboxing for so long, I really don’t get many of those days anymore. It’s just part of who I am now, which is someone you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. 😊 (Original post: Marie Does Kickboxing | Marie’s Meanderings)
Screenwriting: I completed my first screenplay this year. It’s for a feature film set in northern Minnesota. I recently joined the International Screenwriters’ Association and have submitted the screenplay to two opportunities. Keep fingers crossed! I also joined a local screenwriters’ group that meets monthly.
Writing books: I’m not working on any of my own books right now, but my long-time writing group has completed a horror anthology manuscript that I’m shopping around. We just received a publishing contract from a small horror press, but we declined it because the publisher didn’t want to collaborate on text edits, the book’s title, or the cover! He said it was to save time on his end, but that wasn’t going to fly with my group. So, the search continues. It’s been 1-1/2 years so far, ugh! We might end up self-publishing it.
Prescribed fire communications: I’ve been working with two local groups that are trying to bring back the Ojibwe practice of prescribed burns to their ancestral lands along Lake Superior. The first burn happened a year ago. (See post Returning Good Fire to the Land | Marie’s Meanderings.) The second burn happened last month, but I need to wait to describe it here until a story I wrote about it for a local magazine is published in a few months. I’ve been contracted to help the groups with their communications strategies and media relations. So far, so good. The fires have behaved and no undue public alarm was caused.
Things I Don’t do
Sea shanties: I faithfully attended almost all the monthly shanty singing sessions at a local folk school, plus a few sessions for a performance group offshoot. But despite signing up for the group’s email list at least three times, I never seemed to make it onto their notification list. Also, initially, the song choices were collaborative and the leader was open to suggestions. I became disillusioned when a shanty I thought the group would enjoy was not picked up (despite several attempts), so when the group began again this fall after a summer break, I didn’t have enough enthusiasm to return. Now, I only sing shanties in the shower. (Original post: She Sings Sea Shanties Down by the Shore | Marie’s Meanderings)
Writing articles: I mentioned above that I wrote a prescribed burn story for a local magazine. I told Russ I want to retire from writing articles. I feel like I’ve written enough in my life! I haven’t done a recent count, but my vita is almost 80 pages long, and most of those are lists of articles I’ve written. I would be okay with stopping! My latest fire story would be a good one to go out on. Russ scoffs at the idea that I’ll stop. He thinks I’ll get excited about some topic and not be able to resist. We shall see.
Drinking dark chocolate café mocha: Due to the global cocoa shortage in 2025, I had to change my morning drink from a homemade dark chocolate decaf café mocha to a regular cocoa decaf café mocha. (Original post: Changing my Morning Routine | Marie’s Meanderings) My store still no longer carries dark chocolate cocoa, and I’m too lazy to order it off the internet, so I just drink regular cocoa now.
Invisaligns: I’ve been dealing with a five-year saga of not being able to chew my food properly. At first, my back teeth didn’t meet. I went to an orthodontist who fitted me with Invisalign braces (those plastic ones that are less visible than the metal ones). That worked, but then my front teeth got messed up. That got resolved (see original post: My Aligners are off!! | Marie’s Meanderings) but once I was in the maintenance phase of only wearing a retainer at night, my back teeth stopped meeting again. After months of consulting with an oral surgeon, doing jaw physical therapy, and chiropractic work, nothing has changed. My orthodontist has given up on me. He doesn’t know why my teeth reverted. The next step is to consult with my dentist. I assume he’ll want to cap my back molars with crowns so that they’ll meet. It’s disheartening to have spent so much money and time on my mouth, only to be back where I started. The saga continues…
Since we’re talking about health issues (what old person doesn’t?!) I want to mention that I did not escape unscathed from the Lyme disease I contracted this summer from a tiny deer tick. I caught it early and thought I was fine after the round of antibiotics, but symptoms slowly returned, morphing mainly into hypersensitive skin on my arms and legs. It really set me back last month. My doctor diagnosed me with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, which basically means I have nerve damage from the disease. The only treatment is time (4 more months?) and hope that my nerves recover on their own. My doctor gave me medicine for the pain, but it ended up gradually causing me even more pain somewhere else, so I’m off that. Ibuprofen seems to work best on my bad days. In essence, it only hurts when I move.
I want to close by saying that, of course, I intend to keep meandering, even though it hurts right now. Russ and I have two trips planned for 2027. I also plan to continue this blog, but I might slow down the pace. I appreciate your readership and comments. The blogging community is very special.
