Dental & Vision Insurance Benefits in Retirement

August 23, 2025

Are they worth it? It depends on your situation.

My husband and I early retired three years ago. As a teacher, our health insurance would continue with my pension benefit – but my district does not offer retiree dental/vision like some other districts in the area. Instead, we were able to continue our dental and vision coverage under under COBRA provisions for 18 months at employee rates. Had I known the rates would continue at what I paid as an active employee, I would have bumped up to a higher level coverage on the dental during open enrollment.

Once COBRA benefits ended, I researched other options available to us through various affinity groups. We chose to go with plans offered through my FSU Alumni connection for a 12 month trial period. After only six months, I can report we will definitely continue our vision plan and cancel the dental once my current plan of treatment is concluded. Why? For us, the dental plan has such a limited network of local dentists, plus a low reimbursement rate that isn’t anywhere near average rates for services in our area. We knew our current dentist wasn’t in network, but the reimbursement rates through my previous employer’s coverage were reasonable given the monthly premiums paid. Had I been able to access actual reimbursement rates before enrolling in the individual dental policy, I would have declined. For us, self-pay is definitely cheaper compared to having an individual dental insurance policy.

Photo by Cedric Fauntleroy on Pexels.com

Asheville Quilt Show

August 18, 2025

This time last year, Sadie and I were excited about our upcoming trip to Asheville. It would mark my first overnight quilting trip with Big Girl in tow. I had reservations at a pet-friendly hotel. A local kennel had even agreed to a day of drop-in doggie day care so I could attend the show. Hurricane Helene changed all that.

On Thursday, I made the trek to Asheville, North Carolina while Sadie stayed home. I’d originally penciled the event in my calendar as a long day trip, but hubs suggested I make it an overnight trip instead. He’d been to the area back in the spring and noted there were still some areas where the roads hadn’t been fully repaired.

It was the right call. The trip to Asheville and then back to Atlanta was definitely longer than the average “3 hr 10 min” each way quoted in the GPS app. I spent five hours at the show, so that would’ve easily been a 15 hour day with quilt show attendance, time for meals, breaks and commuting round-trip between Atlanta and Asheville.

As for the show, it was definitely worth the drive. I saw many gorgeous quilts, attended informative lectures and had my 1936 Featherweight looked over by a well-respected Featherweight service technician (the main reason the show was on my radar last year). There was excellent shopportunity, with several familiar faces who’d also vended at Mountain QuiltFest back in June. I purchased very few souvenirs to take home with me – a copy of the tech’s FW service/repair manual, a Bev McCullough pattern on my list and pink & blue bobbin weight thread for FMQ.

There were a couple of exhibits devoted to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This quilt was a thank-you to all of the volunteer organizations who helped out after the devastating hurricane hit the area. My husband spent several weeks up there clearing debris with Team Rubicon. I sent him this picture along with a photo of the artist’s statement. Very moving.

After the show, I explored the area a bit before heading to my hotel. I had dinner at a local restaurant and spent the evening back in my hotel room stitching the Week 2 Mystery 5-0 units on Jane. The next morning, I explored downtown Hendersonville before heading back home.

I can definitely see bringing Sadie with me to a future quilt show in Asheville. It’s a very dog-friendly town and there are options for doggie day care while you attend the show.

Upcoming Sewing Machine Maintenance Classes @ Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum

August 14, 2025

This fall, you’ll have two opportunities from which to choose: Wednesday, September 24th or Saturday, November 15th. Both classes will run from 10:30 a.m. – noon. Cost is $40.00 per class. You may bring ONE machine to work on in the class. 9/24: SIGN UP HERE. 11/15: SIGN UP HERE.

Routine machine maintenance isn’t hard, but it is essential to keep your sewing machine in good working order. We’ll perform a basic maintenance on our machines, discuss troubleshooting techniques and when/where to take your machine in for repairs & service. I’ll also share resources for learning how to DIY for those who want to learn more.

If you sign up to attend class, you’ll receive a survey from me 7-10 days prior to class. The survey includes 3-4 questions about your machine, your experience with the machine and your goals for the class. This helps me tailor the class to better meet your needs.

Look forward to meeting you and your sewing machine soon!