Autumn whispered

Posted on November 7, 2025November 7, 2025 by The Retired Alchemist

Mornings are cool and crisp with a layer of fog, the leaves are turning bright orange, red and yellow, the tamarack trees are taking on a golden hue, and the geese are honking as they head south. Summer has given way to fall. And autumn whispers a quiet “hello, slow down and enjoy me.” This season of color brings some of my favorite things.

The soup is on

I miss soup in the summer. I am not a big fan of gazpacho. It is not that I dislike the taste; it just feels wrong to eat cold soup. So, when autumn arrives, I am ready to fire up the soup pot. It is one of life’s little delights to come home on a chilly afternoon to the aroma of soup simmering in the crockpot. Bonus that dinner is already prepared.

Squash soup simmering before it gets pureed into a wonderful bowl of yummy.

Oktoberfests and street fairs

Is there anything more festive than a fall street market or festival? It is a feast for the senses with the aroma of pumpkin doughnuts in the air, and colorful textured gourds and corn stocks decorating every corner. Grab a cup of steaming hot cider and wander around. While spring outdoor markets boast of lively new growth, fall markets have a more subdued ambiance. They are a quiet salute to the end of the season.

Even the music is a soulful goodbye to the season.

Slash fires

Summers in the PNW get hot and dry. Not safe conditions for slash fires so there is usually a burn ban during the summer months and sometimes into early fall. But after a few rains, you can smell the earthy, pungent aroma of smoke in the air as people burn the outdoor debris from summer. These are perfect conditions to get a beverage and sit outside to do a little fire watching. A heavy-duty burning barrel came with the property, so we have been pulling up a couple of old wooden rockers next to it to enjoy late afternoons feeding it sticks, leaves and pine needles.

This heavy-duty burning barrel has come in very handy. Recipe for apple cinnamon drink is in the Apple Palooza post.

Football

Having raised four boys that all played football, I have spent a lot of time wrapped up in layers of warm clothes while sitting on unforgiving bleachers. But somewhere along the way, I grew to really enjoy football. Now football games are as much a part of fall for me as a rotund orange pumpkin. They are especially fun now that I get to watch my grandson play.

My grandson is #15 (left). I have to take a second and be a ~~bragging~~
proud grandma – he received the defensive player of the year award for his team (right).

Fall decorating

I enjoy decorating for the holidays, but my absolute favorite time to decorate, hands down, is fall. The oranges, golds and browns call to me. Fall is the perfect time to bring the outdoors in and decorate with nature’s palette. Autumn is a wonderful season to gather some Roadsidea to decorate with. Think acorns, water chestnuts, colorful leaves, and of course, pumpkins and gourds. We moved into our new home just in time to decorate for fall (once I unearthed the fall decor. boxes.)

My friend and I spent a lovely afternoon making these chubby little pumpkins. I added some *roadsidea* to create interest and texture to this monochromatic tablescape.

Leaf peeping

Just observing the change of the seasons is a delight. Driving around you can see bursts of colorful trees almost everywhere. It becomes a pleasure just to drive to the grocery store. But up in the mountains is where you will find the tamarack trees changing color. Tamaracks are unique because they are considered a deciduous conifer; they are the only pine trees that turn vibrant gold before they lose their needles. My dad loves these distinctive pine trees, so every fall we make a point to take him on a drive to Look Out Pass (on the border between Idaho and Montana) where there are an abundance of tamarack trees changing color.

The tamarack trees taking on a golden hue up at Look Out Pass. Notice the ones near the fog line are covered in frost. Winter is close.

Fall drives are lovely, but the best way to really sink into the colors is to walk under them. Go for a stroll around town and take in the scents of brown sugar and cinnamon with your eyes. Stop. Contemplate. Exhale. Let the quiet beauty of autumn settle into your soul.

Take a walk around town and breathe in the shades of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Autumn on the water – a new discovery

The lake changes in autumn. Summer is full of fast boats and kids splashing and laughing in the water. It is BBQs and cannonballs off of the dock. Everyone is outside enjoying the sunshine. But come fall, people crawl indoors and the quiet world outside is left for those more contemplative souls.

I have discovered foggy fall mornings out on my kayak. Life will never be the same.

“I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

And that, my friends, is autumn at its best. What a gift to be able to spend some time doing my favorite things when the weather turns cool and earth prepares to hibernate for the winter. What are some of your fall favorites that stir your senses and feed your soul? Be sure to take some time to do them before the season slips away.

Cheers to the retirement years!

Feature photo credit to Mr. U who took the picture while I paddled away into the foggy morning.

Happy Halloween 2025!

Posted on October 30, 2025October 30, 2025 by The Retired Alchemist

I don’t know about you guys, but Halloween snuck up on me this year. Probably because of the move. Despite our new home being in disarray and still waiting on area rugs and a couple of chairs for the living room, we decided to have our annual soup and pumpkin carving get together last weekend. We could have easily skipped it this year, but you never know how many Halloweens you have left in you. I am glad we did it. The usual noise was doubled when you have wood floors without area rugs and nothing hung on the walls yet. Fortunately, no one seemed to mind. Well, except us older people that cannot hear as well under normal circumstances. Ahem.

It was surprising to me how much we lean into our routines. I have been doing this soup and pumpkin carving party for years, but everything was thrown up into the air in a new home. Where do we set up the tables? We have always taken a picture of the completed jack-o-lanterns in front of the fireplace. Where is the best spot to take that picture now? You have to rethink how you entertain in a new space.

I decided to add ghosts to my traditional pumpkin sugar cookies this year. I think I love them.

Gift bags were filled and ready for the trick-or-treaters.

The trick-or-treaters had some great costumes.

The pumpkin carvers concentrating on their work.

From the minute the kids got in the door, they were asking when we were going to make “witch’s brew.” Mr. U started this tradition when our kids were little. We usually served it at birthday parties, right after the treasure hunt around the property. Once the grands came along, we moved it to the pumpkin carving party, and it is always a hit. The recipe is from a friend’s family cookbook that we received as a gift when we got married. It is a simple root beer recipe, but Mr. U makes it more interesting when they add ant’s blood (aka – root beer extract). But it is the dry ice that creates the magic. Be sure to have vanilla ice cream on hand to make root beer floats after the kids are done casting spells over it.

Making witch’s brew then – over 25 years ago (left) and now (right).

I have shared this root beer recipe before here but here it is again in case you have littles in your life, and you want to create some magic for them.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a fun, safe Halloween! We will be sitting at home with our feet up by the fire.

Feature photo credit to my amazing sister, who is always behind the scenes getting things done.

Apple Palooza

Posted on October 21, 2025October 21, 2025 by The Retired Alchemist

We can’t grow citrus in our neck of the woods, but the PNW is the perfect climate to grow apples. When we moved to our new home, we inherited a mature apple tree. What better way to spend a crisp, sunny fall afternoon than picking apples in your own back yard? The apples are not large, but they are plentiful and delicious to eat. And… I am happy to announce that neither of us fell off a ladder in the process.

What to do with an abundance of apples

We ended up picking several boxes of apples. We separated the apples into the good ones and those that had defects or worm holes. (We clearly need to spray the tree next spring.) We left the worst ones on the ground for the deer to eat, and we gave away what we could, but we still had a few boxes left over. So, now we needed to figure out what to do with them all. Unlike some fruits, the great thing about apples is that there are so many things you can make from them. Of course, the number one way to eat them is biting into one that is fresh off of the tree.

Apple Cider. Mr. U has always wanted to try making apple cider so when his friend offered to let him use their apple press, he jumped at the opportunity. Armed with boxes of apples, sharp knives and the press, we went to work. We cut, crushed and pressed, and pressed and pressed some more as we watched the juice slooowly dribble out. We have never made apple cider before… and probably never will again. It is a laborious process for the amount of juice you get. But it was a fun experiment, and the juice tastes just like apples fresh off of the tree.

Apple pie. Who doesn’t love apple pie? After all, it is as American as baseball. (Speaking of which, the Mariner’s did pretty darn good this year.) My dad’s all-time favorite dessert is homemade apple pie. Since we inherited the tree from him, it was only right that I make him a pie from the apples. The crust recipe is one I got from my mom years ago. I remember asking her for it and, like any really good cook, she did not have one written down. She just threw things together from memory. One afternoon, I sat down next to her and wrote down the amounts as she threw them together. I am so glad that I did. Otherwise, the recipe would have been lost to the years.

My mom’s pie crust recipe. I typed this on a recipe card years ago on an ancient typewriter.

Apple muffins. There are so many delicious things you can bake with apples. Just the aroma of them bubbling in the oven is enough to make your mouth water. I have a great apple cake recipe, an apple dumpling recipe from my grandma and this apple muffin recipe that I got years ago from a recipe book by Gloria Gaither and Shirely Dobson. (Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the book.) I have made this apple muffin recipe a lot over the years, and it is always a hit. The recipe card is tattered and stained, as all good, well used recipes are.

Easter apple muffin recipe. Don’t wait for Easter to make it.

Apple cocktail. A couple years ago Mr. U and I made a trip through the great smokey mountains to see the fall foliage. I wrote about the trip in this post titled, Autumn People. We made a detour to visit Cumberland Gap. It was a gorgeous, magical trip and we walked away with some beautiful memories. But one of the best things I walked away with was an original recipe for an apple drink.

We had spent a day hiking and were ready for a good watering hole and dinner back in town. Fortunately, we stopped at the Nineteen19 Grill in Cumberland Gap. The bartender was making his original apple drink. They looked amazing so we had to try one while we waited for our meal. I am so glad we did. We thanked the bartender and praised him for his original fall beverage. When I asked what was in it, he shared his recipe with me. Every fall since then, we pick a crisp sunny afternoon to sit outside and sip on this apple beverage (that has no name).

A perfect fall day to sip on a delicious apple drink.

I don’t think he will mind if I share the recipe with you. We modified it a little bit.

FAVORITE FALL APPLE COCKTAIL RECIPE

3 oz. apple pie moonshine

5 oz. apple juice

1.5 oz. Fireball (he used a cinnamon simple syrup, but we were too lazy to make that, so we used Fireball instead. Hence, we cut down on the amount of moonshine to keep it from being too strong.

1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon

Mix all together and pour over ice. Top with whip cream and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Garnish with apple slices and a cinnamon stick to stir it.

I hope that you are allowing time to let these beautiful autumn days wash over you. And when you have a few extra hours, light a cinnamon & apple scented candle, put on some music and indulge in making a delicious apple recipe. Bonus if you share the recipe with me!

Happy Fall Y’all!

Planning Your Retirement Wealth Portfolio

Posted on October 12, 2025October 12, 2025 by The Retired Alchemist

What does your retirement wealth portfolio look like? Funding your retirement may include CDs, Roth IRAs, a 401(k), a pension or savings account. Having your finances figured out prior to retirement is a must. It is like having oil in your car. You are not going to get very far without it. Personally, I find financial planning a yawn. It is a necessary evil. Thankfully, my husband loves to do it. Perfect. Then I can focus on the good stuff that makes retirement fun and satisfying. And I bet you thought this was going to be a worthwhile post about retirement finances. Nope. Retirement wealth is about living life fully, closer to the bone. I will leave the financial advice to those much more qualified than me. Yawn.

As we get older, we have less of a need to accumulate stuff. I feel like we spend the first half of our lives stockpiling stuff and the second half trying to get rid of it. We recently downsized and shed ourselves of many items that had accumulated over the years. Some of it was well used and worthwhile, but frankly, most of it was a waste of time and money. Why did we think that we needed a fondu pot? Same for the bread maker that we used twice. And don’t even get me started on the treadmill clothes hangers. (Yes, embarrassingly, we bought more than one over the course of our marriage. We are slow learners.) Now I want to spend my money on more valuable things. Things that give me a greater return for my investment.

Investing in real wealth

Real wealth in retirement is about having the time, relationships, and health, to enjoy and experience life. Investing in these three things is not always easy. And yes, some of it takes money. But like anything worthwhile, the investment is well worth the effort.

Time wealth. One aspect of wealth is having time enough. The beauty of retirement is that we have more free time. As a nurse I worked many holidays, weekends and nights. Now that I am retired, I have the ability to control my schedule without a boss telling me I cannot take a holiday off or take vacation days when I want. It is a wonderful sense of freedom to be able to drop everything and go when an invitation is extended or Mr. U comes up with a hair brain idea.

How we use our time takes energy. It is easy to sit on the couch and scroll mindlessly or watch another sitcom. Then everyday slogs into the next. It takes time and energy to plan an outing, secure dates, pack up (whether it is a picnic or a big trip), invite others and commit. The investment in using your time well creates a much more fun and exciting life. Don’t waste your time wealth.

Relationship wealth. Having meaningful relationships is one of the highest forms of wealth at any age. What fun is life if you don’t have people to share it with? Sadly, there are many lonely retirees out there. People that have lost spouses, are distanced or estranged from family, or have lost friends due to death, miles or even over petty annoyances. Let’s face it. Investing in relationships takes time, effort and a hefty dose of forgiveness. But what you invest into people will come back to you a hundred-fold.

Health wealth. It goes without saying that health is one of the most important things we can invest in, for ourselves and our family. Just ask anyone who has a health issue. We often ignore our bodies until they fail us. We have enough health issues that we can’t control, so why increase the chance for problems by not investing in our health.

However, like the previous two investments, health takes discipline and energy. It rarely happens without some effort. It takes effort to trek out in the cold to take a walk or tie on the tennis shoes and head to the gym. It takes self-discipline to choose a side salad when the crispy french fries look so much more enticing. But the little things add up. Moderation and routine are the two key words to maintaining your health over the long haul.

Our recent investment

We recently made a “real wealth” investment. One that filled my soul more than any tangible item I could purchase. Last fall we were able to corral all four of our adult sons and their families to spend a week at the Oregon coast, which I wrote about here. Everyone had such a good time that we decided to do it again this year. Schedules were left behind, and cell phones were rarely looked at, as we enjoyed each other amongst the sand, waves and salt air. This is the real wealth in life. Does it take some financial resources to do? Of course. But I would much rather spend my money on that than another tread mill. Below are a few highlights from our trip. Prepare for a photo bomb.

One of our favorite things to do at the Oregon coast is go crabbing.

The worst part of catching that many crabs is that you have to clean them. It is not a task for the faint of heart. Good thing there were lots of hands to help.

The best part of catching all of that crab is a big ole seafood boil for dinner.

In a traditional seafood boil, you drain the pot and throw the food out in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves, finger food style.

I did not want to spend all of my time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up, so I suggested that each family unit be responsible for one meal. Fortunately, we have a lot of really good cooks in our family. Bonus that it gave me more time to relax and walk the beach.

Ever since the boys were little, Mr. U has made french pancakes with them. The family tradition continues with the grandkids.

And a lot of playing in the sand and waves.

We had a couple rainy days that made it ideal weather for playing games, reading, watching football, (and the Mariner’s make it to the playoffs).

What is a trip to the ocean without getting too much saltwater taffy. Not healthy, but it has to be done.

Conclusion

Most of our adult lives are all about building our careers, raising our children, and creating a nest egg to retire comfortably. Now that I am in retirement, I want to spend my hard-earned money on experiences. I want to take my kayak and thermos of coffee out on a foggy morning, just to inhale the beauty of nature. I want to spend money on a unique, memorable trip. I want to experience life. And I am willing to spend my money on that waaaay before I will buy another fondu pot.

Photo credit to DIL #1 for several of the pictures in this post.

Finding Balance

Posted on October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 by The Retired Alchemist

As we prepared to move, I boxed up my 40+ years’ worth of journals. My therapy on paper. I did not read them all… I am saving that for when I am old. 😊 But I did glance through some of them and saw a common theme my entire adult life. It wasn’t the typical goals and self-improvement stuff, although that was consistent too. It was… balance.

As a young adult in her 20’s, I looked at life through rose colored glasses. I wanted it all. And society told us that we could have it all. Any of you boomers remember the commercial with the ditty, “I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan…” This Enjoli perfume commercial only talked about the roles of women in relationship to others. There was no mention of time for yourself. This is the era we boomers were raised in.

I finally organized my journals in totes for the move.

I am sure that many of you can relate to the crazy busy years of raising a family and working at a career. I loved those years and yet, somewhere under the piles of laundry, meal preparation, housecleaning, carpools, homework supervision, party planning and being the chief organizer of the family, I neglected myself. Is that any wonder? Raising a family and trying to maintain a career is an act of balance just to keep all of the balls in the air. There is precious little time for self-care. But by golly, we can “bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan…”

Finding balance in retirement

I was talking with a friend the other day. We are both in a similar age and stage of life. She is watching her grandchild during the week. Childcare is expensive and she wants to help her own child get ahead in life. Besides, she loves this precious time to create close bonds with her granddaughter. I think there are many of us boomers that are still nurturing others: elderly parents, grandchildren, spouses, etc.

As women, nurturing (and guilt) seems to be in our DNA. These are people we love and would give up our very lives for. But when we spend too many hours nurturing others, we don’t have anything left for ourselves. We are also giving up some of our hard-earned freedom that retirement promised. Even at this stage in life, we have to find a balance between nurturing others and nurturing ourselves and our dreams.

“Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance how much of ourselves we give away.”

Barbara De Angelis

There are no easy answers on how to achieve the elusive life balance. It is obviously a moving target as life circumstances change. It is certainly easier once you are retired. But if we don’t prioritize time to do what refreshes us, then we lose ourselves, even in retirement. We have less stamina and energy as we get older, so we can’t do it all as easily as when we were younger. Anyone else look back at your younger years and wonder how you did it all?

Take time to do what brings peace and balance back to your life.

Tips on achieving the elusive balanced life

I am certainly not an expert on achieving life balance, but I have learned a few things along the way that have helped.

Take time to get to know yourself. Not who you think you are, or who others want you to be, but who you are at your core. What makes you feel alive? Then, make sure you carve out time for that.
Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk to your spouse. Talk to friends that are in a similar life phase. There is companionship, comfort and wisdom waiting to be unpacked with someone who “gets it.”
Write down your life goals and dreams. Yes, even if you are retired. What are the non-negotiables that you are not willing to let go of? What are the very things that, when you get to the end of your life, you will regret that you did not do? If travel is important to you, plan your next trip now.
Don’t neglect yourself in the process. In whatever phase of life you are in, take time to refresh your mind and soul, however that looks to you. Yes, you will feel guilt. Do it anyway.

My granddaughter keeping her balance at the beach.

Being “busy” is a badge of honor in our society. It says we are valued and important. I think retirees particularly feel pressure to stay busy. Not, heaven forbid, boring. So, we engage in activities and caregiving and any other thing to fill the void of work. We often think of life balance as a challenge only during our career years. However, it is a common thread that I am hearing among retirees as well. Particularly women, who typically take on the bulk of managing the home and nurturing others. Often to the point that we neglect ourselves. As we get to the later third of our lives, we realize that we have less years ahead and we need to shape them intentionally. Otherwise, they slip away, and we have not lived our lives. Our lives have lived us.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Anne Lamott