October 22 - Fall Fog, Young Explorers and a Question of Retirement

October 22, 2026

Day 1,846 of the Adventure

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We've been experiencing an "Indian Summer" of sorts here lately. After a blazing summer and a short burst of coolness, warmer temps have recently been keeping us company and giving us the opportunity to absorb the changing of the seasons. I've been pondering one question in particular lately at my early morning campfires. Am I just weird for choosing a life that requires a more primitive approach? Maybe I am. At an age where most of my peers are planning for and stepping into retirement, here I am splitting and stacking firewood for the upcoming winter. I'm going through my checklist of cold weather preps regarding getting equipment ready for either use or storage, depending on how things develop. I've heard that the forecast this year includes the potential for the strongest El Nino pattern we may ever have seen. A lot of times that means ice storms where we live. Losing power nowadays really doesn't mean that much to us. We seem to be able to generate much more than we use, even if we get persistent clouds for extended periods. The storage capacity of the batteries has been better than I initially had expected. As I compare this odd life I've chosen to the prospect of a normal retirement, I'm really not disappointed in it.  I've always felt that my regular life would look a lot like my retired life. So far, that seem to be playing out fairly accurately. 

Most of my friends are making plans for finding retirement hobbies, trips that have been set aside for years and learning new routines that revolve around a new-found freedom from the life of a job. In some ways, I guess that's true for me as well. The difference is that my most interesting "hobbies" are those that involve continuing to develop our acreage. Our grandkids have informed us that we do not have anywhere near enough hiking trails and golf cart trails yet. They are becoming very enthusiastic, fledgling explorers. They have also expressed concern over our firewood stack. Is there enough for the campfires they intend to participate in? Their concerns also include why we did not have a garden this year. Strange things for small children to worry about! Frankly, that's been one of my concerns as well. I've assured them that the break from gardening was only for this year while we tried to get our house construction moved forward. I suppose that even building the house could also be looked upon as one of my "retirement hobbies". 

True, there is more to do than we probably have retirement time to get done. That simple truth is a motive that keeps us getting up in the morning and getting with it. My instinctive tendencies to try to build a "prepared lifestyle" feed into this routine perfectly. The enjoyment I get from building all of this is indescribable. It's like I have a personal 50-acre adult sandbox. Entering the backwoods to carve out a trail, build a campsite, share those moments with grandkids brings a smile to my face. It doesn't happen nearly enough with them....... yet. I'm looking forward to having them become more active in the backwoods experience. They've been a little young for much of it so far, but they are getting to the age where their interest is definitely on the increase. The oldest one is informing us now of how we should "name" our trails. It's an indication that the roots of the outdoor life are beginning to take hold.......... That's a good sign!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “We go and do the things that you're calling exploring and adventuring ... and for us, it's just regular life.” ― Gayle Kabloona

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