Observations

In the tail winds of the visit by the new US secretary of state to El Salvador its president offered the United State to take in criminals – both out of the cohort of illegal immigrants as well as regular Americans for the purpose of hosting them in prisons in El Salvador for a fee. […]

In various life situations I have been told and have learned that satisfaction and happiness are heavily influenced by the delta between a result achieved and the expectations set prior as to what that result could or should be. So, managing the expectations in light of one’s own abilities to influence or create a result

Today I had one of those not so infrequent events when accessing an App on my phone that I use irregularly. In this case it was the Allstate App that allows you to manage your insurance. The app would not open stating it was not up to date, and I was forced to update and

Almost three years ago our first grandchild was born. It was February 2022, and we were still at the peak of the pandemic. Our children were fully aware of this situation and the special protocols that this would require for delivery. Arrangements were made with their doctor and the path was set. When our daughter-in-law

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a cookbook – “Justine cooks”. My daughter gave it to me. I started reading it. Yes, you can read cookbooks apparently – something that the author claims as well. I had noticed quite a while ago when we went out for dinner that the fine distinction that

With my exit from formal employment beginning of July I started a different chapter of my life – the chapter of retirement. It does not mean that there may be opportunities for some activities in the future that might count as paid-for work, but I am truly not looking to start a new formal career.

Back-country skiing in its safer form entails conducting the exercise in a resort. You have got groomed trails, services and God forbid if needed rescue services during operating hours. While a true touring experience cannot be beaten – it is the easy option when you are on your own. As with many sports the equipment

While retirement is in progress for a while already, the process of disconnecting from work and the company is not an abrupt but a rather gradual process. It is planned, has steps and milestones that are being worked through. Part of the personal decision process was an assessment of the financial situation and getting comfortable

In fall and winter, we can observe elk in the meadows close to the Deschutes River. The herds vary in size. Elk are amazing and one can say majestic animals – in particular the mature females that lead these groups. So far bucks are rarely to be seen. A common scenario is that after a

When we get together with friends, we inadvertently exchange stories about our children and based on current events for them and somewhat recent events for us we often talk about college. We touch on the challenges to get started, to manage and thrive in a new environment for high schoolers newly entering one of many