redundancy and women...

Here I am again... at 4 am.  Something I read recently is bubbling through my mind. I can't even recall exactly what or where it was... but it had to do with being 'redundant'. 

Redundant - to me such a strange word.  When you look up the meaning or definition it says, "no longer needed, superfluous, unnecessary, not required, dispensable, expendable, useless, etc." 

I've heard it used more in England (in movies and books) referring to retirement... and it makes me sad. I never thought of retirement in that light. In fact, I always looked forward to the freedom retirement would afford... and does. 

But lately its come more to my attention that as time goes on, we are redundant in the sense that women as they age after having spent so many years caring for their children and spouses - can suddenly have that role disappear.  Children grow up and away, husbands may no longer be in the picture (due to death or divorce) and then, who are they?  With any careers they may have had gone with time and age, with children off living their own lives, and husbands no longer by their side - they have to refind their focus. 

It is a matter that needs addressing.  How does one do this?  

My children are all married with families of their own - living their own lives as they should. Luckily for me, my spouse is still by my side. But so many of my friends or acquaintances have lost theirs... and are continuing on their own. Those that have children may have grandchildren - and that involves one change of focus. 

Being a grandparent is a new role... a wonderful heart filled complicated role that I'm more than happy to take on. Not having known my own grandparents, I find this a fascinating journey where there's more pure enjoyment and less responsibility than parenthood held. But at the same time, it does expand your 'worry quota'. Yes, parents still worry about their kids, whether they're 5 or 50... and now you worry about grandchildren too.

But there has to be more, right?  You could argue that your grown children still 'need' you. Yes, to some extent... but it's more as emotional support... perhaps more for stability and unconditional love than anything else. This is good of course, but physically one has to accept the fact that they are grown, independent people that can do just fine without you.  And that is how it should be. It's something to be proud of. 

Yet...

it leaves an aching hole somewhere inside. A hole that must be filled with perhaps - a new focus?  We need to look inside ourselves and try to remember who and what we were before we took on the role of wife and mother. Or perhaps we are no longer that person at all, perhaps we need to find out exactly who we are now. 

Think about it. Now we have the time to think about it. Health and finances may be an issue, but refocusing our lives and figuring out what brings us joy at this stage is important. 

Do you think about these things?  I would imagine that anyone who has reached a certain age has. If so, how do you deal with it? Sharing your ideas may help someone - and helping others (IMO) is an important part of this stage of life. 

Thanks for listening... or reading... or just being there

Hugs,
Rian

an insignificant, but interesting retirement question...

While reading Postcards from Across the Pond today I was taken by the fact that Michael mentioned that he brought his wife tea in the morning. Since we do this also... except it's coffee (tea in the afternoon), I wondered just how many couples (retired or not) do this. I know my daughter and her DH do it. In fact, she was saying that they alternate.  I'm always the first to make coffee at our house and bring DH a cup while he's feeding the cats. Then he makes the second cup and brings it to me. 

Such a little thing... but somehow significant and I don't even know why. Makes me wonder how other people distribute their chores. Here I do almost all the cooking even though DH is a pretty good cook. He will occasionally make a Cajun dish like red beans and rice or jambalaya (makes pretty good stuffed peppers too!)... and actually makes  great chocolate lava cakes and flan when the mood strikes. And even though I love to cook, I still enjoy it when he takes over.

Since we've retired he does the heavy duty chores like mopping and mowing. I tend to do the dishes and the dusting, etc.  - although on occasion again I will cook and he will clean up. It works. Grocery shopping we do together... although he goes off with his cart and I go off with mine. We meet before checkout. Usually he's buying all the catfood and supplies while I'm picking up fresh meat and veggies for us.

We both wash our own clothes. I think we started this when the kids were grown, but still at home. We told them that they needed to wash their own clothes... and they did. I occasionally folded as somehow kids (even grown ones - especially boys) don't seem to care if the clothes are folded or worn right out of the dryer.  But we kept this practice up even after the kids were off on their own. Again... it works.

This is probably a weird subject (coffee and the delegation of chores), but it does touch on retirement practices... 

And before I go any further I want to mention that I read the Kindle sample of Dee Ready's "Prayer Was Not Enough"... and do plan on ordering the book. My friend lent me her Kindle and I didn't feel I could buy and download the book on someone else's e-reader, but did enjoy the sample pages I read. Dee has her own blog, "Coming Home to Myself" where you can read more about her new book.


Have a great week!  

My *One a day Women's petites* order came in. I haven't tried them yet, but they do look small enough for  me to swallow without too much trouble. They are not tiny, but about the size of a Tylenol caplet.

redundancy... the state of being no longer useful

"No one is useless in this world

Who lightens the burdens of it

For anyone else..."

- Charles Dickens

I had saved this saying that I saw somewhere and came across it recently when going through my word documents. It says exactly what I feel... in another person's words. 

So even though many of us "retired oldsters" are no longer contributing to the working world, we do have our uses. 

*We can offer moral and physical support to family, friends, and others in need (including our own and neighborhood cats) 

*We can lend our ears to those who have something to say

*and our voice to those who want to listen

*We can lend our arms to our grandchildren (in hugs)

*our vehicle to our kids

                and 

*our time to our community

*We can keep in touch with old friends

*and make new ones through  outside activities

It's true that we may be old and financially limited, but no, we aren't totally useless...

ps: (a personal update) Thank all of you who commented on my last post and recommended that I check in with a doctor after my little scare. I did just that today and apparently the EKG showed some abnormality (I still say probably nothing), but they are sending me to a cardiologist to check it out.

Happy July 1st!!

Yesterday I was feeling strange.  I think I've reached a different stage in this journey into retirement. Wrote about it here if you're interested...

clay, fabric, doctors, grandkids, and guilt

It's been a busy week. One where I had a dentist appointment (I really really don't like to go to the dentist - not even for cleanings!), quilting, pottery class, and baby sitting 2 days this week. Now this may not seem like much for some of you who are extremely active, but for me it was a lot. And it's not that I don't enjoy all of it (except the dentist part) - because I do.... but I've found that I work better at a slower pace (having a quiet day once or twice a week works best).  

IMO - by now - we all know our own bodies, minds, and souls well enough to know under what conditions we work best. And I work best when the pace is not hectic. Not that I haven't had to endure hectic times. I imagine we all have. But some people (my daughter included) work best under these conditions. They like the pace, and feel lost when things slow down (although this may change as she ages). But age isn't the culprit in my case, I've always been more comfortable when there *time* to spare.  

Owning my own time is extremely important to me. And the freedom to do this since retirement is something I don't take lightly. Sometime I wonder why this is. Is it because we go from elementary school to high school to college to marriage to kids to work, to caring for parents - that this sudden free time offered by retirement is held so dear.  Although school and school work were never my favorite things, they were tolerated well and I got good grades. Marriage and kids filled my days with love and responsibility, work helped meet our expenses and I got to work with animals which was an additional boon , and taking care of mom when she moved in with us was a bittersweet joy.  

When I look back, I always disliked deadlines. If I could work at my own pace, life would be simpler. Of course there are always deadlines in life... but now... not so much. If I wake up and don't feel like doing something, I can just not do it (for the most part anyway). It's a small thing, but means so much. Perhaps because I own my own time, there's less guilt?

I can remember when being sick, I'd feel guilty if I didn't go in to work... because I knew it meant more work for someone else. Now looking back, not exposing others to illness is more important. Hindsight.  But guilt comes with the territory. Being brought up Catholic, guilt is built-in.  I remember somewhere sometime being told by one of the nuns that taught us that chewing gum made the Blessed Mother cry.  How's that for a guilt-getter for a child?  Fairly harmless, but effective. I never chewed gum.

Moving on - Here are a few photos of some pottery I'm playing around with:

And lastly, here are some pics of a few of my favorite things:

left to right: Julie, Molly, and Tux

Molly (21) hugging Tux

Great Dark Chocolate!

Oh, and my finished small quilt now looks like this:

Weekend surprises...

daughter's horses

Our doorbell just rang and our next door neighbors had come to tell us that they planned to put their house for sale and they wanted us to know before the sign went up. This was a decision that they had just made although they have been 'considering' it for over a year. They hope to move to a nearby Retirement Village. We were surprised, but not.  I knew they were considering this, but didn't really think they would do it this soon. They are wonderful neighbors and we have been friends for a very long time (they were here when we built our house in 1985).  So if they sell, and if they move... we will definitely miss them.

Personally I can't imagine moving... at least not in the near future.  Our house is convenient, and comfortable (could use some touch ups, but whose house couldn't?).  And the cats are used to it... and who would feed the outside ferals?  It has an upstairs where guests can stay as well as 'returning kids and their kids'... so why move?  Maybe one day it will become financially efficient to move to something smaller, but right now, we're getting by fine... not great, but fine.

We just had what my son called "Memaw's  IHOP breakfast" Eat all you want! chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, biscuits, sausage, and fresh blueberries and cherries! Later this afternoon we are all going to watch the movie, "The Guardians" and eat Smores! Sounds like a good Sunday to me.

On a sadder note - apparently San Antonio area had a good flooding yesterday. We got a text from our daughter early Saturday morning that their house on the acre lot that they rent was "totally under water" and that their place on the 7 acres was "fine, but leaking... and the barn was under water". So they are in the mist of clean up.  What a difference a day makes.  When I was talking to her just Wednesday after all the storms and tornado scares around here, she was just saying how strange that they (who are south of us) had no storms  - that it was just plain HOT.

front yard of daughter's house

And I will mention that I've updated my Facebook status lately... due to some correspondence from family members and from high school friends who attended our 50th HS Reunion (the one I missed while on the Alaskan Cruise). In the past I've only checked into Facebook maybe once or twice a year... but I've promised to do better in order to keep in touch.

I'll continue with the last part of our Alaskan Cruise (Ketchikan, Alaska) soon.  Had to take this 'personal day' here.

Ghost saying, "Do you want something?"

Another oldie...

Since I'm stuck with using old blogger photos at the moment, I might as well use this one and say that it was taken 45 years ago this month. We were both 22 and just out of college.  Truth be known, I had just graduated, but DH had another semester to go since his was a 5 year curriculum.

Mom planned the wedding. I was in exams.  It was beautiful and memorable, etc., but had it been me doing the planning, it would have been a quiet ceremony with just family and a few friends. But that's my style... not my mom's. And it was fun (after a glass or two of champagne - I'm NOT a drinker, it was even more fun).

We were married in downtown New Orleans and stayed at one of the hotels in the French Quarter for a few days. We went to see 'Camelot' (the old musical with Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave).  To this day I LOVE that movie. We saw it in the old Sanger Orleans theater on Canal St. (which is gone now... as well as most of the stores, etc. from that era).

Now 45 years,  3 children and 4 grandchildren down the road, I have to say that it hasn't all been fun, but it's been worth it... and I'd do it again in a minute. Recently I heard someone say that they were divorced because their marriage didn't turn out the way they had imagined.  I remember thinking, "Really? and how many of them do?"  But I personally think that sometimes if you ride out the bumps along the way, the new adventure turns out even better than you imagined. But that's a personal opinion and I didn't express it verbally.

Anyway, as we enter our retirement years, it's hard to believe that time has flown by so fast. And it frightens me to think that we might not always have each other.  Maybe I think of this because my mom outlived my dad by 26 years. And I lost a good friend recently that outlived her husband by 20... and until she died, she would still tear up whenever she spoke of him. But this is life. We have to be strong, yes?  And besides, my plan is to go first... selfish as it may be.

25 piece hand-built pottery project...









birdhouse consists of exactly 25 individual pieces



Due to the fact that I was the only one who actually had their project finished this morning, our Instructor gave everyone until Monday to finish. So-oo, I don't have any photos of the other projects at this time. But I should by Monday... hopefully. Normally the greenware would be fired before adding the perches and wood columns, but we had to show our work in its entirty at this stage.  Later, I will fire and glaze, then add the either stained or painted wood perches and columns.

Here is another view showing the words "Home Sweet Home" etched on the walls. 

Now back to our retirement topic from yesterday.  I'm probably too tired this evening to make much sense, but after reading the comments that showed up on my blog, I feel pretty confident that we are basically all in the same boat (and it doesn't seem to matter where we live).  Since most of us are already into our retirement years, saving now is moot (well, not entirely, but pretty much).  If there isn't much coming in, how do you save?  Unless one wants to go back into the work force? I, for one, am not there yet .

So-oo what do we do? We use what money we do have carefully - meaning meet our obligations and ensure for possible future medical emergencies by having adequate insurance. Will that be enough? Who knows.  But I choose to think of it as Plan A - live within our means.  If it doesn't work, then we'll go to Plan B - which could entail either or both of us going back to work in some capacity... or heavens forbid, moving in with our kids! (just joking.. our kids are wonderful, but have no plans on imposing on them) 

And unforseen events could happen, but when they do, I will engage philosophy #1 - "what is, is and we can handle it."

Then there's always the ACT philosophy:

1. A...  Accept the things you cannot change.

2. C...  Choose to envision the way you'd like things to be (and be realistic).

3. T...   Take action towards that vision. 

Also for me, the most significant factor about retirement is the 'freedom' it brings.  This is terribly important... more so than having money to travel or splurge. Our whole lives are spent doing things that need to be done because we have an agenda.... study hard & get through school, get a good job, raise a family, etc. etc. NOW these things have been accomplished, and we 'own our own time' as it were. 

We can now do what we want to do (example: relax and enjoy the family we raised (children, grandchildren, etc. ), take pottery classes, fly fishing, whatever! Yes, I've always wanted to try fly fishing, weird, huh?  Maybe we can't take a vacation around the world, but who cares?  There are wonderful things all around us... if we take the time to look (and wonderful online friends who share their adventures and lives in blogs and photos).   Choose to be happy.  

That reminds me.  There is one other quote that I will share here. I read it somewhere years ago and it 'spoke' to me. 

"Beyond the gloom of this world lies joy...  take joy."   I did.

  

So much to say... so little time.



Brother-in-law's yard in Louisiana


This picture has nothing to do with my post this morning, just wanted to add some interest.  I'm starting this post late as I've been trying to read all of yours.  And they have been really great - which is why I'm so late getting around to my own.  But I have to leave for Yoga in a few minutes, so I may start this now and continue later this afternoon.

We have a "Clay Project" due in class tomorrow and I've been a bit crazy getting it all together. It's not our usual throwing on the wheel stuff (which I prefer), but rather something our Instructor came up with. We have to put together a 25 (not 24 or 26, but 25 exactly) piece clay structure, then draw up the assembly instructions (similar to Ikea plans), then cut out a second set of clay pieces, house them in a wet box, and give them to a partner along with the instructions for them to assemble on their own (no verbal instructions allowed). Ha!  The assembly instructions are considered part of the 'art' and must co-ordinate with the project. It's due tomorrow.  Should be interesting...   I'll take some pictures of the various creations in case any of you are curious.

And one of the posts I read today brought up so many thoughts regarding 'worries about retirement' (our own and our kids), that my thoughts are spinning. I'm a firm believer that our lives are a product of our choices (both good and bad) and it's not so much what happens to you, but how you handle it that really matters. Yes, we all come from different backgrounds, but I think the majority of people are the same. We studied, we worked, we took care of our families. We tried to save (what's the saying, 'one step forward, 2 steps back), and now we're in that long awaited phase called 'retirement'.  Were we financially and emotionally prepared? Probably not.  We're not as prepared as we should have been, but then I'm sure that many aren't.  Can we handle day to day expenses? Yes. Do we worry about the future? Yes. Can we travel extensively? No. Does it matter? Not really.  Are we happy? Yes.

I could go on, but I've got to go for now.  Will continue this later today... or tomorrow.

Growing Old...

While looking through one of my older websites, I came across this poem:


Growing Old

The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer;

The headstones thicken along the way;

And life grows sadder, but love grows stronger

For those who walk with us day by day.

The tear comes quicker, the laugh comes slower;

The courage is lesser to do and dare;

And the tide of joy in the heart falls lower,

And seldom covers the reefs of care.

But all true things in the world seem truer;

And the better things of earth seem best,

And friends are dearer, as friends are fewer,

And Love is all as our sun dips west.

Then let us clasp hands as we walk together,

And let us speak softly in low sweet tone,

For no man knows on the morrow whether

we two pass on - or but one alone.

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Makes you think... more now than it did then.  I also visited some sites this morning where the people were fulfilling their lifetime dream of traveling in their retirement years.  Some were just taking more vacations, others were actually traveling around the country... in RV's or trucks.  Their photos are awesome!  And I imagine their experiences are awesome too!

I love to travel.  And I prefer to 'live like the natives' so to speak.  This doesn't mean that I 'rough it' much, only that I like to stay in a home, B&B, mission, etc. to get the feel of the place... and not necessarily a hotel  (you know, 'eat where the locals eat'). But as much as I enjoy it, I'm not sure that being on the road 24/7 would be my thing.  The longest I've ever been 'out of my element' was a month-long trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland... which was fantastic. We weren't with a tour, just on our own.  But by the end of the month, I was tired and more than ready to go home.

Think about it...  even if you're having a fantastic time, there comes a moment eventually when home beckons.  Doesn't it?

Our backyard sanctuary



Looking through our backyard arbor into the greenback beyond...

 

We don't go back there much anymore.  We did once when we first moved here and the kids were young.  We spent a lot of time down on the lower patio by the creek, lying in the hammock, talking,  and drinking wine.  But now it's pretty overgrown, and English Ivy covers everything (which is pretty, but can also hide copperheads and water moccasins).  The feral cats, raccoons, possums, and box turtles love it!  I keep thinking that one day we will reclaim the yard... but so far, we haven't.  (Another big problem that keeps us from enjoying the area is West Nile Virus, which is prevalent here in Texas.)




One of the box turtles that live in our yard.  He comes up to eat the catfood and figs




This pic is of one of our Mama coons and her 5 kits having supper

We do enjoy watching the wildlife. Like our cats, they make us laugh... and sometimes cry.  But we do what we can for them and look upon it as a way to 'give back'.  But I do worry that one day as we get further into our retirement years, we won't be able to maintain them.  And I do believe that if you can't 'maintain' an animal (give it the food, shelter, and health care it needs), then you shouldn't have it.  I read the question on another's blog once (and I think it was meant to be rhetorical), "Is there such a thing as too many cats?" And I have to say, "Yes!"  We now have 6 inside and a host of ferals outside, and for the moment we are able to maintain all of them.  But there will come a time in the future where it may not be possible financially (or even physically as we age). This does worry me.



Critter comforts

One of our coons at the back french door...

Ok, I admit it. We feed the coons... and the possums, and the box turtles (and an occasional bobcat or coyote... but the rebuilt fence has stopped the coyotes.  Besides, they were a threat to the other critters.) How can we not?  We put food outside for the birds and the feral cats.  Are we supposed to say, "No raccoons allowed!"  I know the reasons. But I'm sorry, if they are hungry, we're going to feed them.  And it's over 100 degrees here in Texas in the summer.  We provide water year-round... especially when the creek dries up... or freezes over (which generally doesn't happen). 

This picture is one of our regulars who comes to the kitchen door awaiting a hand-out. And no, we don't get that close... or try not to. They do bring their young in the morning and evening to eat and hang out by the water tubs. Their antics provide us and our kids and grand kids with endless entertainment. 

However, this particular site is supposed to be about our recent retirement... but these critters have been part of our pre-and post retirement life, so I can't not bring them up occasionally. I could do a blog just about our cats and critters, but I have too many websites and blogs out there already.  Getting too old to multi-task so I need to combine them all here.  Besides, my old site called "Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate" (my vices - such as they are) was basically about that.  All the old pictures and info about our cats was and still is there.  You only have to click on the navigation line to see pictures and read some of the stories of our cats. But I degress.

And I haven't anything much to add today anyway.  We are meeting some old friends this weekend. It will be wonderful to see them as we haven't got together in over a year. Now that we're all retired you'd think we could structure our time better... 



Summer solstice 2012



7 cats on the bed



Today is the longest day of the year... the summer solstice.  I've had days that I considered the longest day of the year. They weren't physically the longest, but sure felt that way. But I won't go there.  I choose not to go there.  I learned a long time ago that I could choose. 

I'm a big believer in free will and choice.  I realize that we can't always determine what happens in our lives (stuff happens!)  But we can choose how we handle it... and this is what makes us who we are.

And I'm not saying that we always choose well because we don't (we are human - some more so than others).  But being aware that you have a choice and being accountable is important.

Don't know how all that came from the summer solstice, but my mind is a mystery.  Now back to retirement issues.  A day or so ago I mentioned 'routines'.  We do each have our own, but some co-habitate (is that actually a word and does it fit here? - doesn't matter).  We do both get up around 7:15 am.  It used to be 5 am when I was working at the bookstore, but we're morning people, so it didn't bother us. Now it is nice to be able to stay in bed until the sun is up.  

2 of our 6 cats sleep in the bedroom with us, so they are generally waiting by the bedroom door to join the other 4 (who are lying about in the hall with their paws sticking under the door). Use to be that they all slept in the bedroom with us, but that's another story for another day. 

BTW, the red tabby in the above picture was 19 years old and passed away last January.  His name was Thibbadeaux.

Our routines combine for the first few hours as hubby takes care of the cats needs and I put on the coffee and start breakfast. After that we're each off to do our own thing. Mine generally means heading off to the pottery studio to work on the wheel, his varies from working in the yard to building his giant model ships, etc.

By afternoon I'm back and after eating a small late lunch, usually do a few house-hold chores and then take a nap.  We both get together for coffee and a snack around 4, then there's supper to start...  Of course there are days when other things come u[; kids, grandkids,  friends, neighbors, doctor visits, shopping, lunch with friends, etc.  But for the most part our routines are set. 

We both can cook... so that's a plus.  I generally do it because I enjoy it, but on occasion hubby will fix one of his 'specialties'.  He makes wonderful red beans and rice! If I haven't mentioned it, we're originally from New Orleans and yes, we still miss the food.





No spring chicken...

Just came back from the doctor's.  Have been a bit dizzy and light headed the last few days and BP was low (100/50), so hubby (and others) thought I should make our family physician aware.  So I did. They didn't find anything. Took bloodwork (again! that's 3 weeks in a row now... but different doctors) and did an EKG. Actually they took 2 EKG's, one messed up (might show an enlarged atrium?), but the second was normal. So we're going to just wait and see...  (which is what I would have done anyway).

My BP isn't so low today... and I'm no longer feeling dizzy.  So, maybe I'm on the mend.  Or as I actually believe - it's just old age reminding me that I'm no spring chicken.  Whatever....

This site is basically about life after retirement, but I find it necessary to mention our cats to any readers that didn't follow my "Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate" website.  Their stories and pictures can be found there. They too play a big part in our retirement since taking care of 6 inside cats and a host of neighborhood ferals (and their offspring), use up a lot of our time.  I should say here that I was once a part of the Veterinary Medical field and hubby and I consider it our contribution to belong to the "catch and release" program.  Thus any animal that wonders into our yard (which is fenced and runs down to a creek) can find sanctuary, food, and water there. And if we can catch them, we will vaccinate, spay or neuter, and release.  However, some are not going to be caught.  That's OK.  We do what we can.

New Title for old site...

It is Monday, June 18, 2012.  Having just googled my old post to see what came up... I decided that the title "For Better or For Worse, but not for lunch" was apparently too popular.  So I've now changed it to "Older but better...?"  But you can find my older posts there.  I probably should have googled this title also before starting to write, but as the saying goes, "coulda, shoulda, woulda.... didn't".

This was me in school around 1954 or 55.  Life was simple then.  It gradually got more complicated... and less simple.  But it was always good.  Don't mean to imply that things were always wine and roses, but my philosophy then (even if I hadn't formulated it into words) was "what is... is, and I can handle it". And that philosophy continues to work for me today at the grand old age of approaching 67.

I have blogged or had a website for many many years.  Previous to this I journaled by hand, but when online journaling became popular (maybe 12 or more years ago), I went with it.  Sometimes I regret it as many of my websites disappeared over the years, some can still be brought up, and there are quite a few out there... the most recent having been Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate.  But this particular site was to be devoted to the new experience and adventure into retirement.  Hubby retired the summer of 2009 and took to it more readily than I had expected. Having retired from my career field back in 1991, I've only worked part time in recent years; however arriving at full retirement age was something I both anticipated and feared.

So many unknowns.  Would we have enough money to live on?  Would we miss the routine we had established over the years?  Would we miss our working family and friends?  Would we get bored?  Would we like being home together 24/7?  Etc. Etc. Etc.   And then there's Social Security, and Medicare, and Supplements....

Anyway, if you want to read the first posts during these awkward months, you will have to go back to "For Better or for Worse" and "Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate".  As now it is almost the first anniversary of both of us being home and retired.  August 12, 2011 was my last day at the bookstore... which is where I spent the last 5 years of mornings. Loved it!  Love books, love people who love books, write books, read books, etc.  So it was a good match.  But have to say this also.... I love being retired!

It has worked out well.  We both have our own routines.  Love being able to do what I want when I want...  (limited some by budget of course, but not by time).  Will go into more of this tomorrow.  Have to close for today. 
.