before

I believe the entryway will be torn down on Monday. Finally. It's been three years since I started this process. It has gotten a lot more expensive since 2020; I guess it has also gotten more extensive, but inflation is really kicking my butt.

The demolition and construction phase is supposed to take two months. I assume it will take l longer than expected. It has been two-and-a-half months since I thought it would get started. At least three start dates and come and gone. Tomorrow I will clear out whatever I've left in the entryway since the last time I thought we were getting started. 

I feel some anxiety about the new entryway looking too big and bulky. I keep reminding myself that I've been living with the current entryway in all its ugliness for more than a decade, and I can get used to whatever replaces it. 

And what about my retirement dream? Will I have to wait until I'm 70? I don't want to work that long. I started getting my UCP pension, which is a nice little monthly bonus but not enough to live on for someone like me who is accustomed to paying for wine and other nice things.