Retire In Style Blog Too

See, I am the type of person that does three things at a time but cannot hear an explosion in the same room. The world can fall down around me and I will not notice. It is a special talent. But when it comes to my grandchildren, there are thing that get my attention right away. Total silence is one of those things. My head comes up and I move at the speed of light because I know that what might come next is probably not going to be a good thing. Here is what happens: This little girl is VERY busy but on that particular day all she was doing was figuring out how to use a broom. Phew! b+

Every time these three little children come to visit, I am reminded that play should never go out of style. Everyday should have lots of water, play, a visit to the [porta-a-]potty, jumping up and doing something, adventure, caring for someone you love, and best of all, hand holding. All of it happening while you smile and have fun. It really is that simple. When you do all those things, life is good! Playing in Puddles Visit to the Port-a-potty Jumping Up and Doing Something Adventure Taking Care of Little Sister and Holding Hands Have a wonderful week! b+

Golf Course at Sunrise Black Butte Ranch, Sister's, Oregon We have creatures wandering through our neighborhood at night. We are up during the night so we see raccoons and cats coming through. I think there are mice and I am sure there are rats. It's the rats I want to talk about today. My daughter works for a police agency and she has always said that a thief doesn't come out into the light very often. They linger in alleys and away from street lights. Like the unwelcome vampire, the light is not their friend. It turns them puddles of slime! It could be added here that most are not really very grown up. Some will be redeemed and some will not. I am not feeling very forgiving right now because we were robbed last night. We are a bit like a rape victim in this particular case. If we were to call the police, the blame would be put on us for being uncovered and out in the open. We may as well have sent an invitation to a robbery party. We did not close our garage door! We mos...

We were invited to a party for a couple that renewed their wedding vows. They have been married 25 years so it is an occasion that needs to be celebrated and honored. In this day and age finding couples still in love with one another for that long is very unusual. This couple has a group of friends, a large group of friends, that all have the same claim to fame. They are staying married for the long haul. It is amazing. These Bunko playing women turned into best friends and now their husbands have joined the "club". They are the village that raise the children, lead by example and keep fun alive. They party together, support each other through illnesses and even stalker-watch each other's children in an effort to keep them safe. The amazing thing for me is that they have been a part of my life since my daughter's children were very young. They adopted me as their token wise person. They are smart, accomplished, successful women and men. Best of all they know how to la...

I talked about Amelia the other day. She is the one that pointed out the pointlessness of painting the outside of our house because it might be a waste of money. She surprises me. There is always more to be said but I am speechless sometimes. Amelia and her magic wand! But there is more. We were discussing her return to Dubai with her sister and parents on the trip to the airport yesterday and her mother was talking about her plans as the vice-principal of the grade school Amelia will be attending. "We are going to all get together and look at what worked and what didn't. We are going to build on what works," her mother told me. Amelia was quiet waiting for the rest of the conversation when she realized there wasn't going to be anymore said. That was when she added what was left unsaid. "Don't do the things that don't work again ," she added. There you have it...the latest Amelia-ism. See, there is a saying out there about doing the same thing over a...