This is the second entry in my retirement column. If you missed the first, you can still read it here.
My first week of retirement after Christmas was quiet. December 24 and 25 were very cold days. We had temperatures in the single digits on Christmas Eve. We didn’t go out because my husband wasn’t feeling well, although he didn’t have COVID or the flu., so it was just the three of us and our cats celebrating the holiday at home.
My daughter made a delicious lasagna that we’re still eating because she froze some. 
Since Tuesday, I’ve had a very stuffy nose but no temperature, and my home test is negative. I think it’s a head cold. I also didn’t go to lunch with my friends as I’d planned because one of them had COVID and is still recovering. We’re rescheduling for later in the month.
Retirement life is an adjustment. A gift I received for Christmas was a To Do Planner, that will be useful with my Google calendar and help me keep a schedule.
I’ve registered for several virtual library exercise classes hosted by my library and others. I’m hoping to start a new book after New Year’s, but I decided to take a week of rest and enjoy my new freedom. The only work I did these last seven days was organize my desk. I can finally see the top of it that was once covered in papers and other items. I’m sorry I didn’t get a before shot, but here’s the after shot.
I’m still working on my writing files and hope to finish cleaning them out and sorting them by next week. There were some interesting articles and letters in the folders, some going back to the 1990’s. I came across my original Cat Writers’ Association’s application letter from 1995. For privacy, I’ve omitted the return address.
Since I’m always searching for pens, I went through the mugs of pens on my desk and threw out the ones that didn’t work. Amazingly, most of them did. There were even cat and llama-shaped pens and a Nancy Pearl action figure to remind me of my library days. The llama pen will come in handy, inspiring me to write my next cozy mystery, The Case of the Llama Raising Librarian.”
While I was cleaning, my cat, Hermione, found the extra space on my desk and took it as an invitation to jump on it and knock down items.
With my extra time this week, I caught up on my book and magazine reading, took cat naps with my cats, and walked to the library to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I also spent some time adding jewelry to my new jewelry box that I purchased with my retirement gift card. It has lots of space for my earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets and looks very nice on my bureau.
Yesterday, my daughter and I made chocolate banana muffins and bread. She’s also on an organizing kick and showed me how to use the No Waste app to keep an inventory of items we have in the pantry and refrigerator, so we don’t buy duplicate groceries or forget to buy something we run out of.
Next week, I’ll be starting a few of the virtual exercise classes I registered for and updating the bio and information on my website and social media. I’ll also be sending out my January author newsletter that will contain character naming and survey contests for readers, as well as a list of my 12 favorite books this past year. To subscribe to Debbie’s Drafts, fill out the form at https://debbiedelouise.com. Have a great New Year!
Ruff Drafts 