CAN GRANDPA COME OUT AND PLAY? Staying in contact with young people.

When my eyes do not focus and I find myself staring at the computer for longer that I care to admit, I know I need to be drawn back into the human pool...you know that one with all age groups and no computer screens. Writing a blog with "retire" in the title even has google putting me into a niche. Thankfully I remember that there is a whole world out there waiting for me to explore. Isn't that wonderful?

I started cleaning my park model like a demon the other day. I think I may be getting ready for company and I may be having a party soon. Cleaning is always a good sign.

We are signing up to go on a wagon ride next week at a ranch near the base of the Rincon Mountains here in southern Arizona and I am going to eat steak! Yup, this almost vegetarian health nut is signing up for the steak feast. I am very excited.

We are golfing on Wednesday and Friday. We are even going out of town to play on Friday to one of my favorite golf courses. The golf course called Rio Rico is very near the Mexican border so it is a ways down there. After the round of golf, we will eat at a restaurant called Wisdoms. We are celebrating a friends 77th birthday. It will be lots of fun!

Let the games begin!

CAN TOM COME OUT AND PLAY?
I know a grandpa that has never grown up. Kids on the block stop by to ask if he can come out and play. He will play catch or hit the ball around. He is one of those grandpas that fill a need in a day and time when dads and moms are very busy. That is what I want to do...I want us all to go out and play.

But I don't throw the ball around...what I like to do is find where the young people are and go find out what they are thinking and doing. I can always find young people at the local mall. After a quick stop at the play court to watch small children play I head over to Forever 21. I walk down the aisles and pretend to shop for my daughter and granddaughter. Young people are in the store along with their moms or friends. It is a very happy place to be. I get to find out what the fashions trends are going to be. I know that a toned down version of everything in that store will be what everyone, young and old, will be wearing in a few years. A day like this is like a play date at the park for me.

LEAVING MY NICHE ONLINE
Now we all know that I will be back writing...that is what I do. So even though I may be back staring at the screen I make a conscious effort to get out of the niche google has me tucked in. I like to find places on the web that younger people post. Mommy blogs and Etsy store websites draws very creative young people. One of my favorite websites, Studio Thirty Plus, is designed for people over 30 years of age...and boy do I qualify at the rate of 30+30+9!

When I joined the owners of the blog came to me via email and asked what I was doing. They were reassured when I answered that I was a retired educator that was always interested in what young people were thinking. After all, all the posts I write about being a grandparent or a mother-in-law are directly connected to people in this age group. I thought they may be as interested in me and I am in them.

This morning I noticed that this website is all grown up now. Their membership is skyrocketing and their forum has some wonderful pertinent topics. I wish them all the success in the world. The screen shot from above is from one of their members twitter site. I loved the art she used and have connected with her in order to follow along on her journey. Her blog is called Are You Serious?

GET OUT THERE AND PLAY
I hope you get the message...leave you safe little hole and go listen to what young people are saying and doing. I think you will be surprised at what nice people they are. At least that is what I have found. Good luck...and have lots of fun!

b

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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