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Congrats e!lie and camaro. Viki, I know next to nothing about worms except we dig them up to fish here but when I was living in the city, certain worms were suggested for composting. I can't even remember what they were. Darn senior moment.
I retired this past February and next week DH is retiring! Selling our home of 26 years the beginning of October and moving into our vacation condo in Florida. Then it's onto house shopping for a single family pool home there. We are so excited to begin our retirement in a place we really love. Looking forward to our new life and worrying about what time happy hours starts and where we're going to dinner. LOL
Here are some of the things which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside today:
1. Husband and I had a great time viewing some snippets of these 25-30 years old family movies which I am converting from VHS tapes to DVD (I do it every few years to send out to my families as Xmas gifts):
- Our little girl was so pretty, adorable and smart. She still is! She is visiting her boyfriend's family and in the process of buying her first home Yay! We are so proud of her.
- My husband looked so handsome in the old movies made 30+ years ago. He still is even with his gray hair;-)
- I still have some of the clothes which I wore in the movies (a yellow summer dress, a navy top and a red cardigan). They still fit me, and these simple classic pieces of clothing never go out of style.
- We had many fun family Christmas get together at my parents' old home with brothers and sisters came home with their young children from all over the US. With my father's passing and mother moved to the East Coast, a big family gathering had not been possible in almost 10 years but we all have wonderful memories.
2. I had a great visit with my 89 years old mother today:
- She cooked some special foods and they were all delicious. My mother took great pleasure in telling me how to prepare the dishes. Yes, I could make them myself but I know my mother loves to cook for her children and to teach us how to make things.
- As usual, my mother and sister insisted that I take home all kinds of fruits and produce from their garden. I took home another bushel of apples for more apple sauce and all kinds of vegetables.
- My mother was very active in this warm 60 degrees weather. She helped me to sort the foods and even try to lug them to the car (I had to grab things away from her hands)! Gosh, she is still quite strong in spite of having a bad back, a bad knee and a bad foot. I am glad that I inherit the could-not-sit-still gene from my mother.
- My mother and I exchanged our customary jokes loaded with double entendre as she hobbled on her bad foot walked me out to the car. Today, she started the joke in a French word so I replied back to her in French. Gosh, I had not spoken French in ages. It was so much fun. Oh yes, I am glad that I also inherit my mother's sense of humor.
I went to work today an hour early, because I had to complete yesterday's "special after-hours test" of some electronic devices, and submit a report to present in a meeting due 30 minutes after I arrive at work today. I get caught up in cubicle meetings by cohorts...tell them I'm late and have to finish the testing, and then scramble to the meeting. So far, the report is 8 minutes late, but I get it done and press "send" to broadcast the Excel sheet to all involved. I jump up and scramble down the hallway to the meeting, then down the stairs to the conference room to the meeting headed by my manager-10 minutes late.
Turns out, the manager is not there, the meeting was supposed to be headed by me.
That was the start of the day.
It gets worse.
At the end of the day, at 5:30pm, I leave work on my motorcycle, then dodge hurried motorists for an hour while I make my way home. This entails skirting cars that don't want to stop for that stupid red-thing on the sign.
I arrive at home an hour late. Exhausted, I slowly roll into the driveway and shut down the bike, grasp the handlebars, hunch over, shut my eyes and drop my head.
Seconds later, I feel a tug at my helmet. It quickly comes off, and I am greeted by a big smack on the lips by my wife. Seconds later, a scotch appears in my hands, while my backpack comes off, and we roll the bike into our garage. I am home. I have again found that which keeps me alive.
Money isn't everything....Love is. I just love the reminders every now and then!
Last edited by MichiganGreg; 08-26-2016 at 05:30 PM..
This is one of my favorite Retirement threads. There have been so many studies suggesting that we seniors are the happiest demographic. It's certainly true for me.
My husband and I just did some punting on the river Thames(I believe) in Oxford UK. It was a lot of fun for us first timers. Very relaxing near some lovely ducks swimming along. What a peaceful and relaxing way to spend an afternoon and ended our 3-4 weeks in the Cotswold area.
My wife and I have been best friends since day one. On the day we married we were technically both unemployed. Just a couple of kids. We had both quit our jobs the previous week. We moved to a new town neither of us had lived in. And we began a new retail business with a little knowledge and a lot of borrowed money. The bank would not touch us, but they were happy to take our deposits.
We worked 7 days a week for just over 40 years. And we raised three well-educated children on the back of that business. Her hard work covered many of my early mistakes. She is the best.
About a year ago we realized that it was time for us to begin an exit strategy. After some steps forward and some steps backward, we finally cashed out two weeks ago. 100 percent retired. Some time ago we bought a second home in Las Vegas, which we have since rented out to various tenants. Next month we will take occupancy of the property and this winter we will spend our first winter as retired snowbirds. We will stay north in the summer.
As our health is fair and our finances are sound, we will see how we like this new way of life. I am thinking we will like it just fine.
I got the most amazing visit a few minutes ago. (I emigrated to a European country, by the way.) It is late enough that I almost did not answer the door, fearing the religious proselytizers.
But it was the two Brazilian women who work in the coffee shop at the end of my street, Doce Tentação. I am there very frequently for a sandwich if I am lazy, or for coffee....and (unfortunately) a pastry. I have gone there for years. As I have a very large appetite with an increased dosage of Lyrica, a spine medication, I have put on a lot of weight. Therefore, in an effort to cut down on sweets I have not been dropping by.
These two women were alarmed - they said it has been two whole weeks - so they hunted me down in the neighborhood tonight after work. They found someone who knew what building I lived in, and then the buzzed the (unmarked) buzzers until someone let them in, and then they went around buzzing doorbells until someone could tell them the floor I lived on.
I was stunned and embarrassed that they were this concerned, and went to such trouble. I ended up falling all over myself for not being grievously ill.
This was so nice of them.
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