Financially OK it seems

I had a good visit with the bank Tuesday this week. For the last couple of months, Laura and I have been "concerned" about how quickly she'll need to go back to work, and when I'll be ready and able to do something productive (and maybe earn some money too). We have "enough" to last for a couple more years, and we'll probably be OK once my LIRA kicks in at age 55, but we'd like to travel while we're still able and travel insurance isn't a big obstacle.

Well, I kinda expected that we were OK, but my meeting with the bank confirmed it. Barring another economic meltdown, and the federal government becoming insolvent, we should be just fine for the rest of our days (their projections only go out to age 90 - so I think we're OK with that). Anything we can earn between now and then is a bonus. As long as we keep spending at a reasonable level, we won't run out.

It's amazing how the third-party analysis gives you some confidence in what you have and what you've done to get it.

Big day for me on the bike!

I made a couple of milestones today on my bike. First, I was able to get all the way up a steep, rocky (slippery) slope by standing on the pedals (I haven't been able to stand on the pedals and actually pedal before). Second, I was able to negotiate some pedestrian "gates" both going uphill and downhill without stopping or falling. These are things, of course, that your average ten year old does without thinking ... but for me, it's been a challenge.  Beautiful day, today and yesterday are exactly like a year ago - maybe a tiny bit cooler. What a difference a year makes!
PS: This ain't me in the photo.

One Year...

At about noon today, it all began ... my year of living differently. It seems to me that there are two things that the stroke has left me with, more or less permanently (although, who knows - I may see some change in the months to come) - my voice has changed (soft pallet still "frozen", so I sound like I've got a bad cold), and my ability to walk more than about 3km (can't really run at all). What I can do, however, is bike for a relatively long while (30km or so), and my attention span (ie: reading a book) is probably better than it was. Overall, the year has gone by quickly it seems. Much has happened - to me and to close friends and family. I can only hope and wish that 2011 turns out to be a good year, and that Laura and I get to enjoy some of the fruits that we worked for over the last thirty years