Getting ready for the trip

Today it feels like autumn in the Pacific Northwest. I spent some time in the yard this morning, assessing what pruning and maintenance needs doing. The weather forecast calls for three days of sunshine - a big deal in these parts! - so Friday will be the day I harvest all remaining squash, tomatoes and green beans, pull up the greenery and divide it between the neighbors' chickens and the compost bins, and throw some winter crop seeds into the garden. On my to-do list for the next week or so is a half hour of weeding each day. I actually enjoy weeding from time to time, and this is one of those times. The lady who does our pruning will be over next week to tidy up the yard for the off season.

Our Maine trip is over, photos saved and thank you notes written, and we're now preparing for a trip to Italy. We leave two weeks from today. I just got back from Rick Steves' travel store, two towns over in Edmonds, where we bought two Continental electrical converters, a daypack, a raincoat in a pouch, and a set of packing cubes. I have two lists going: one "packing for Italy" and the other "to do for Italy". The shopping was first; next is making arrangements for a housesitter, having my walking shoes tuned up, and reading the Rick Steves guide to Italy so we have some ideas on what to do in our free time in Orvieto, Assisi, Florence, and Rome. Otherwise, being a timid traveler in places where English is not the native language, I'd be tempted to take a nap or read. I'd like to be a braver explorer on this trip.

The days are getting shorter, and usually at this time of year I turn on my bright light and start taking a homeopathic supplement so I don't get the blues during the winter. For some reason, this year I haven't done that yet. Part of the reason is that we'll be in Italy for 18 days. But part is that I don't have that trapped feeling this year. I wonder how much of my winter blues was because I was sitting in a cubicle at work looking outside at the rain. Or, if the sun did come out, I couldn't go out in it except at lunch, which might not be the sunny part of the day. I'm curious to see how this winter goes for me.

I'm grateful today for those of you who have commented recently that I seem to be on the right retirement track. It's very good to know I'm doing some typical things!