Back to [almost] normal

July 24, 2026

Today, I took the last dose of prednisone. Thank goodness! I’m ready for my sleep cycle to get back to normal. Most evidence of my allergic reaction to the insect repellent is completely gone. There’s still some redness in the areas that reacted the strongest, but it’s slowly fading away. Mosquitos are still biting. I purchased a bottle of Cutter Skinsations with DEET 7% to use when working in the garden. Zero reaction and no mosquito bites either.

Our weather forecast is calling for heavy rain most of the weekend. Sadie and I ran took advantage of this morning’s dry window to run errands. We passed several schools and a teacher supply store on our travels. The parking lots were full. Then, I remembered that local school staff report on Monday for preplanning week. Has it really been five years since I reported for what would become my last preplanning week as a public school librarian? Indeed it has.

Fast forward five years. There’s still some semblance of back-to-school prep that takes place in my life around late July. I take advantage of back-to-school sales to stock up on school supplies, reward trinkets and books we’ll use in the R.E.A.D. program and CraftLAB. This weekend, I’ll be finishing up the final few details for quilt camp. We start Monday at 10:00 a.m. in my basement sewing space. Instructional planning is a lot more fun when it’s on my terms and my schedule!

Not much teaching took place spring semester because life and the quilt show happened. For fall semester, my teaching schedule includes CraftLAB, a monthly sewing group at the Midtown Library and a machine maintenance class at the quilt museum in Carrollton. It feels good to see my teaching calendar active again.

I’m also collaborating with a local indie pet supply store to host a personalize your pet’s stocking workshop in early November. I’ll teach students how to add their pet’s name to a cuffed stocking or create a personalized hang tag using a simple backstitch and embroidery floss. We’ll see what happens locally, if anything, after that. I’d love to find a spot where I can teach classes a couple of times a month. I don’t mind paying a modest fee to use the space, but I have zero interest in opening a full-blown stitch lab in a retail storefront. That ship has long since sailed.

Retirement related milestone birthdays

July 23, 2026

Here’s a quick recap to refresh your memory:

59-1/2 – Age at which you can access retirement funds without 10% early withdrawal penalty

62 – Age at which you can begin to draw social security

65 – Age at which Medicare begins

67- Full retirement age for those born after 1960 (considered full social security check)

70 – Age at which social security benefits max out

75 – Age at which mandatory RMDs from tax advantaged accounts must begin for those born after 1960.

Every year around my birthday, I review my social security earnings statement. This year, a new question popped up on the screen asking if I’d like to apply for social security. It caught me off-guard for a minute, but yes, this particular trip around the sun means I could begin to draw social security if I wanted to. As with my pension calculator, once I reached the “magic age”, the SSA financial calculators were specific to my circumstances. Very interesting to experiment with different scenarios. Remember, there’s no right or wrong age to claim social security benefits. Every person’s financial situation is unique. Consult with your financial advisor and do what works best for you.

Many of my teacher friends worked until 62 and then retired – drawing both pension and social security simultaneously. It’s simple economics, really. A teacher’s pension typically only replaces about half of their previous income. Combined with social security, it means they can replace 75% or more of their previous teacher salary. If this “income floor” matches their basic monthly obligations, then a lot of financial stress can be alleviated. This seems to be true whether they are single, married, divorced or widowed. Likewise, our original retirement plan also called for me to claim social security at age 62. Four years into retirement, we have a pretty good handle on our income and expenses. After reviewing the big picture holistically with our financial advisor, it now makes more sense for me to hold off pulling social security until later. To me, a financial plan should be flexible enough to pivot as your needs and circumstances change. [Nowhere in our planning did we anticipate a stage IV cancer diagnosis at age 54 for my husband. There is no cure for his type of cancer. Our philosophy since then has been to live our best lives, giving cancer the middle finger.] Just knowing that the benefit is available to access when needed provides a certain peace of mind.

Other fun benefits of reaching this milestone birthday:

My birthday gift to myself was a senior lifetime America the Beautiful National Park Pass for $80.00.

I’m eligible for an exemption on the school tax portion of my property bill starting in 2027. (Over $5k savings/year.)

For ages 62-64, Georgia exempts up to $35,000 of most kinds of retirement income from state income tax. The number increases to $65,000 at age 65. Note that Georgia does NOT tax social security income. A nice perk at tax time next year!

I still don’t see myself as a senior adult when I look in the mirror. However, I’ll gladly call myself one to take advantage of the discounts and benefits.

Quilt Camp Preparations

July 21, 2026

Next week, Sadie & I will be hosting three teens (can’t call them ‘tweens anymore!) for quilt camp. So far, it’s been a collective effort with friends adding things to make it extra special for the girls. One friend contributed a collectible box for each girl to hold her fabric kit and camp swag. I was able to borrow two folding tables to help meet workspace needs. Others donated random batik leftovers so I could cut extra 10″ squares to offer more variety for their selected projects.

A sewing machine I’d loaned out several months ago for a teen sewing program at a nearby library (and thought was permanently gone) was returned in time for camp. It’s original shipping box had deteriorated to the point where we actually threw it away at the library last week. A hard plastic sewing machine case was suggested as its replacement. FB marketplace showed one available 6 miles away from me – clearly in good condition, but rather dirty. Twenty minutes of scrubbing with hot, soapy water yielded a perfectly usable sewing machine case at a fraction of the current crazy retail prices – plus Sadie got a ride.

I’m also trying to complete two current projects and get the quilt sandwiches basted before my sewing space is converted back into classroom mode for a solid week. This way, I can FMQ and work on other projects while their creative chaos is basically confined to the rest of the room.

I’m thankful to be on day six of prednisone. The allergic rash is mostly gone. My doctor mentioned it would probably be another week before the flare-up subsided completely and my feet/ankles would be the last to recover. This definitely seems to be the case! Anyhow, I can wear short sleeves in public again without grimacing. That’s a good sign.