Happy New Year to all ! We made it through the holidays and into 2023. I am surely not the only person who had peaks and valleys during 2020, 2021 and 2022. I am looking forward to increasing normalcy in 2023.

Although I retired last June 17th, almost seven months ago, I just finally succeeded in getting some prescriptions through Medicare rather than my old company insurance and its history. It was confusing and convoluted as to what was covered under Part A and Part B, not the obvious pieces easily read anywhere one looks. Add to that Medicare prescription coverage and supplemental insurance and it can quickly become a quagmire.

My partner and I celebrated our second Christmas together with a tradition called “Our Seven Days of Christmas” where we exchange small personal gifts starting the 19th and each successive day ending with the final gift on the 25th. We also have embraced our local library services. We both attend a conversational spanish group, she attends a book discussion group to which I have attended one, and finally I am part of a writer’s group called North Fork Pen from which I derived MRFortenberry Pen. I know it looks like Mister but the MR actually comes from first letter of first and middle name.

One of my sisters became a Delta flight attendant (FA) last year and is enjoying multiple places and experiences. My wife and I will take a Viking Cruise in 2023 which will be our real retirement and honeymoon ‘trip’. We are especially looking forward to that.

I am reading books and articles at a much greater clip than the lows I fell to during the last two months of 2020 and much of 2021.

Hopefully everyone can look forward to some positives. I wish you all the best.