January 2020: Walking in the dark

Had anyone told me a few months ago that I'd be walking outside IN THE DARK in Wisconsin in early January, I would not have believed them. Nonetheless, I just finished almost four splendid if slow miles an hour after dark, covering most of my familiar paths.

With my Amazon Prime music I have an updated and more complete set of fully personalized playlists, 'Appleton' is my favorite and usual first choice, as I have added the recent finds. Steely Dan, Carole King, Roseanne Cash, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Rush, the Bo Deans, the Doors, Kansas and more memories from Binghamton, Penn State and Kansas days, circa 1969-1985 fill my time, setting off vivid memories of people, places, events.

Still looking for more joy in my new life. Want to spend more time doing the things I want to do -- after I figure out what those are -- and less time doing the things I don't want to do, after I finish the things I have to do.

It is also taking time to being accustomed to a one-story, three garage home. After more than twenty years at Oak Farm I have grown comfortable with a second story, higher ceilings, a smaller garage -- including not needing a large gas heater to keep the almost 950 square foot garage from falling below freezing -- and the emerald domain. The smaller space is ideal for this point in our lives, with Jane and Gaby out of the house, but there are still times when I see myself living in a two-story, 4,000 square foot farmhouse, surrounded by acres of lawn, fields, and trees. But that's not going to happen.

My latest task is to find a (family) healthcare plan for 2021, after COBRA plan runs out. A call today to WPS revealed the true horror of ACA -- Obamacare -- exchange plans, where good coverage could cost $30,000 a year just for Dena, Jane and Gaby. Here's hoping I find netter plans elsewhere and that Jane and Gaby are able to find and afford plans of their own next year. In any case, "healthcare insurance" is a horror show, the product of the most expensive lies in human history, e.g., a family will save $2500 a year, "If you like your healthcare plan you can keep it."