Retire In Style Blog Too

  Opening day for the box in 2006 Did I mention that a woman drove through my library box in the middle of the night? It was the first "get out of my way" moment this week. There was a big bang, and when I looked out my front window, books and puzzles were strewn down the road. The fire dept, police, and paramedics showed up. My dog about had apoplexy. Everything is now cleaned up, and we are in recovery mode. It was way too much excitement for a retirement community. Debris from the box. My beautiful husband with his library box. Cow Paths I was raised in rural eastern Oregon, in a community of fewer than 800 people. It was a railroad town that served several large ranches. We bragged that one of the daughters of a rancher was a Pendleton Roundup Princess. Her father drove their Cadillac slowly through town each day when he picked her up from school. We did get out of the way when that car came driving through. No Ford pickup for her. Cattle were allowed to be free range wit...

Annie and Barbara (b+)  I have noticed that as people age, they inspect all their body parts every day. It is a waste of time because it is almost certain that the body parts you went to bed with are in the same condition as when you slept a few hours earlier. My late husband put broken things in a drawer in the hope they would heal and become useful again. Like that broken tool or low battery you put in the drawer, generally, things do not heal overnight.  It is possible that you think too much.  Although there are people who claim to be in perfect health, such individuals are rare. In my case, I go about my day blithely, ignoring most things. I sit when I am tired, and I read or do a puzzle to pass the time. But best of all, I work hard.  Do I have a list? Well maybe. Let's see. 1. Look up!!! It improves your posture , and you will notice things you haven't seen in years. I promise. 2. Make the obligatory appointments and KEEP THEM! Check-ups and body mainten...

Here I am, right back where I started! current stats: single (widowed and living in Oregon), aging...next birthday I will be 84 years old, health is passable, and it is fall-rainy, chilly. The people I need are very busy. Andy and Amanda are both in Abu Dhabi, Susan and Doug are here in Hillsboro (both working), and Larry and Kim (running a business and working) are close by in Cornelius.  This is the time of year when we would typically return to Arizona , but I don't miss going there at all. The decision to move back to Oregon permanently was the right one. I feel content and happy. For anyone who has done that thing, it is simply normal. When I was much younger, I noticed that old people would turn on the light outside, turn down the bed, and even put on their jammies at around 7 in the evening. The top of their fridge held liquor bottles and pills. (Yes, I did love to drive by park models in Arizona after it was dark. Sorry!) In fact, when we were in Green Valley in the winte...

Great-granddaughter, Annie and Moose + Me in Oregon Late last spring it occurred to me that I was not having as fun in Tucson as I wanted. Seriously, days were long and lonely. Even though I filled my days with my yard and visited with neighbors, and went to classes at OLLIE (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute University of Arizona) it seemed that entertaining myself was an exercise in futility. There was a gaping hole in my life. My oldest son had offered to buy the Arizona home. The timing seemed perfect for a move. A life-changing move is a big thing, but it just felt right to move back home to Oregon. My life here in Oregon had always been the real one.  That was last May. I have been here in my Oregon house since then. But the final thing was left to be done. I had not changed my mail back to here in Hillsboro. Today was the day. I am officially here "permanently". My house will be sold in a couple of weeks. It is exciting....yet I feel responsible for it still. My son an...

A friend of mine turned 104 this last week. She was given a party at the golf course we played at and people came to wish her happiness. It was a large gathering and she remembered every person's name and had a visit about children and golf games. It and she are simply a wonder. I, on the other hand, have been living my life as though it is ending. I am 83. As I had my coffee this morning, I began to think, "WHAT IF....". What if I live to be 104 and live the next 21 years as though I am dying. Goodness...can you imagine? So the question is, "How are you living your life? Do you plan for what you are going to do next year? Or are you just not planning on being around."  I did a big U-turn and changed my thinking because "What if...". I am planning my 100th birthday party! Have a wonderful day! b+

I am told I looked like  my mother. I was raised in a very small community. There were less than 700 people, and most were emigrants from Europe. My family was from Sweden. Our neighbor was from Greece. Italians, Scottish, Mexican were all woven into the fabric of our community. There was a handful of women, who simply came out of nowhere. They were just there—polished, dyed, and beautiful.  It was a railroad town and a place for miners who worked at the lime plant to make a home. Railroaders slept in hotels, or if they were lucky, they had a woman (polished, dyed, and beautiful) with a house on this end of the line, too.  I always thought Main St. was wonderful. There were three blocks of businesses. At one end was a telephone office, George's Grocery, and a movie theater. A gas station, Smoke House Bar, a cafe with a lounge, and then Grady's Bar were in the middle. At the western edge of downtown, we had a small mercantile, an ice cream shop, a drug store, a jewelry, an...