Three years later...

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. Retirement has taken a few unexpected twists since I first began this new stage of life.
It’s been three years and three months now. Do I love retirement? I’ll let you know when I do, in fact, retire! I’m still working; it’s just that most of it is unpaid work. However, I’ve just begun a part-job that actually does pay, though I am yet to receive my first check.
When we first moved up here, I tried to find part-time work as a writer, since I had already done some writing while still living in Georgia. I went to both the local newspapers and was told they could not afford to pay any new writers. One paper, however, The Smoky Mountain Sentinel, was willing to publish a column on a weekly basis as long as I did it for free. I started writing “Somewhere in the Middle,” a political commentary that appeared between two other editorial columns by different writers entitled “Leaning Left” and “Reclining Right.” It was a cool concept, and I got LOTS of positive feedback from readers. I was willing to start writing the column for free because I had something I wanted to say, and I really hoped the publisher would appreciate my work so much he would eventually be willing to pay for it. That did not happen. I was spending HOURS each week researching and gathering information for my column. Once I had basically fulfilled my mission of educating people on the perilous condition of our economy, the column became more work than it was worth, which, apparently, was zero. I again approached the publisher and asked for a mere $15 per column and was told sorry, but no can do. At this point I decided that my hard work and my writing were worth something, and I wasn’t going to give it away anymore, so I quit. The next year I spent what free time I had concentrating on my painting. I even stopped blogging.
Then one day a friend of mine who worked for the other newspaper, The Clay County Progress, told me that her publisher might hire someone to cover local government meetings. She knew I loved to write and had taught government, so she thought the job might be right up my alley. I told her I would be interested. She said she would tell Becky, the publisher, and that she would probably call me later on. Several weeks went by and I heard nothing from anyone. Then one day, Doug and I attended the Festival on the Square in Hayesville, and we ran into my friend from the paper. Brenda told me that their main staff writer was leaving soon, and that they would be looking for someone to replace her. Brenda talked to Becky about me, but told Becky that I would probably not be interested in a full-time position because of my parents. (Besides that, I really did not want to come out of retirement completely. I like it too much, and I’ve gotten used to the freedom.) Becky told Brenda that she was considering replacing her staff writer with part-time, work-from-home help. Brenda thought it would be perfect for me, and I was definitely interested. I made an appointment to see Becky and took samples of my writing. She really seemed to like it. The only problem was, the more she talked about the job, the more involved it seemed. She not only wanted me to cover government meetings, but write at least two other feature articles each week. Sometimes she would assign me topics, but mostly I would have to seek out subjects to write on myself. I would also come into work for a full day each Monday and meet with her another day of the week to go over topics for the next week’s paper. She estimated I would spend around 24 hours a week, but knowing me, I would have spent longer. Becky ended the interview by telling me she had about four other people to talk to about the job, and that it would be at least two weeks before I would hear back from her. I went home and PRAYED for guidance, not sure whether I could handle the job or not. I finally decided that if it was offered to me, I would try it. After all, I could always quit.
Two weeks went by. I heard through a mutual friend that it was between me and one other person. I honestly didn’t know whether I was hoping to get it or not. Two and a half weeks later, I still hadn’t heard anything. I went to Mama’s to clean her house, and that day it seemed she and Daddy needed far more help than usual with everything. I came home hours later and told Doug that I really did not think I could handle working 24+ hours a week and Mama and Daddy, too. They needed MORE of my help, not less of it, and it would only get worse with time. Even if I could, there would be no time at all for painting, and I didn’t want to give that up. I’d already waited most of my life to have time to pursue my love for art. Besides that, I had two houses and a yard to keep up – and a garden. And I wanted time to visit my grandbaby. I told Doug I would contact Becky and tell her I was withdrawing my application. I figured she might have already hired the other person anyway. I sent Becky an email that day and felt relieved afterwards.
The next day I got a message from Becky telling me she was so sorry because she had planned to contact me that day offering the job! She did understand, however, as she had cared for her own mother until she died the previous year. I told Becky I really felt like God had kept her from calling me until I understood what I needed to do. She then asked me if I would consider ONLY covering the government meetings. I agreed to do that and believe that it all worked out for the best. Mama was relieved to know I wouldn’t be much busier than I already am.
So this past Tuesday I began my new career as a reporter for the Clay County Progress by covering a public forum on the construction of solar farms throughout the county. If you are not familiar with these, they are areas of about an acre covered with many large blue solar panels mounted on silver frames standing in a field of gravel and surrounded by a chain-link fence. They harvest the sun’s energy, thus the name “farm.” That energy is then sold to the local power company. So far, four have been constructed in the county and permits have been issued for seven more. Because of a lack of zoning, a farm can be built just about anywhere outside of town. As you can well imagine, people are irate about having one built on their adjoining property! Many people consider them an eyesore, destroying the natural beauty of these mountains where the main industry is tourism. There had been so much complaint, the Board of Commissioners called a special meeting to allow the public to voice their opinion about declaring a moratorium on issuing any more permits.
The meeting drew around sixty people who, for an hour and a half, voiced passionately-held opinions on the topic, both for and against. It was fascinating! I sat there scribbling notes furiously and came home that evening to type a rough draft, which I sent off to Becky last night. I’m still waiting to hear back from her. I cover another meeting tonight when they vote on the moratorium.
I got so interested in the whole solar farm issue that I volunteered to write another article on solar energy, since there is still so much people don’t know about it. That includes me, so off to the Net I go to do research! So far, I think I am going to enjoy this. I guess I am now partially, or mostly retired. I’ll keep you posted.