Word of the Day: First

Retired for 22 years. An experienced retiree
in the best sense of the word. 

I saw a story somewhere the other day about a woman's experience with her husbands first day of retirement. I know...the first day of your husbands new life, retired with no one to be in charge of all day. Think about it.

What do you think that will be like? If you have written a blog post about your first day send me the link in you comment. If you haven't and you are retired, you need to do that soon.

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Blog Post by Me about my husband's retirement: Retirement and Duct Tape

35 Steps to a Perfect....

I wish I could assure you that in only 35 steps you could be made perfect or your world made awesome. I could sell those 35 steps in a notebook for just a little and, if it turned out I was right, I would have enough to share some with you. WOW!

However, in my world those 35 steps re-enforces my belief that my husband can do anything.

We ordered a small desk for my computer for 15% off on black Friday. Yesterday it was delivered in a very flat box with instructions for assembly. Somehow we didn't think this through and hadn't counted on a flat box. We don't think the ad said "some assembly required" We could be wrong.

So today...all day...my husband took on the 35 steps and a gajillion small screws, bolts and nails to assemble my prize. When I came home at around 2 pm he had been at the task for several hours. He was on step 24. It is now 5:47 pm and I am just now set up to write again

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I do love that man!

What did you do today?

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PS I had a wonderful day of golfing with friends! :)

Falling and Fun or Support Your Local Tree Trimmer

Here are a couple more posts about my husband. He is an amazing man.

I'm sure you know that older people fall more than younger ones and it is not a good thing! And the ways people find to fall? Holy cow! It is astounding what humans will do. Some fall because they are doing something a little daring or are not paying attention to the cracks in the sidewalk. There are rugs and cords and door jams and steps. I bet every reader could add to the list.

I fell walking on the golf course a couple of years ago and my neighbor did the same thing last month. We both fell because we stepped in holes covered by long grass. I only sprained my ankle but my neighbor broke himself in several places. Yesterday my husband began telling me about a man that fell out of a deer blind in a tree. Actually, that accident happens many times each year. I should have changed the subject as soon as I saw where it was going.

See, here is the thing...my husband and I quarrel about him getting up in trees. He is 75 and in very good health but still, I just don't think he should trim the tree while balancing on a branch. I never did. There are people that make a living climbing tree and cutting off branches. I want them to trim our trees. I am all for supporting the officially bonded tree trimmer in my neighborhood.

Yesterday we took up that very old conversation right where we left off the last time. "Why would you do that?" I keep asking.

He always stands as near to the edge as he can get!
Falling never crosses his mind.

That's when I saw it in my husbands eyes. This man/child I live with, the one that brings stray cats home and can make a bird land on his hand, loves to climb trees! He is having fun doing what he did when he was ten. My husband is proving to himself that he still can clamor around in trees and he is enjoying every minute of it. 

I don't know how this will turn out, I really don't. I am not his mother but still I feel responsible somehow. I will let you know when we actually hire a person to trim our trees. Keep your fingers crossed for him...and me. When we go back to Oregon there are trees waiting to be climbed.

Have a wonderful weekend.

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Note:  Here is a little statistic for you.

Men are more likely than women to die from a fall. After taking age into account, the fall death rate in 2010 was 40% higher for men than for women.

The Stove Is on Fire! Yikes!

In a fireplace hopefully!

The stove was on fire...really on fire. I was drying a grill pan and turned my back. It might have been me that spilled something. But I am not taking the blame! I don't think it is important. All I know is the tray underneath the burner was full of flammable liquid and it caught on fire.

The fire alarm did not go off. I'm a little worried about that.

You never really know how alert you are until the accident happens...right? My husband huffed and puffed on the flames. I got the box of soda and put it out. I know how to put out a fire...I've had some experience. The question was, how am I going to handle this blame stuff? I said in my most casual voice, Well the house needed airing out anyway!

Which goes to show you...it is not how big any fire is or who started it. It is how much soda you can throw on the blames!

Be well.

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How hard would it be to fill your spouses shoes!

Do you remember the children's story about the farmer that thought that his wife had it so easy because she did not have to go out into the fields and work? As I recall, when she called his bluff, and let him stay at home with the baby and the goat, the garden was destroyed and the wife came home to find the goat dangling from a roped down the chimney. I don't remember what happened to the baby.

Well we really do think those things. Husbands have the idea that they could cook just as good as the wife and just the right amount of salt would be on the chicken, there would be bread on the table and he could have gravy every night. The wife thinks that all those "honey do's" are not getting done because the husband is a bit lazy and not because he knows how much work they involve.

So how hard would it be to fill your spouses shoes? Could you do the taxes, hang the new venetian blinds and keep the goat from falling down the chimney?

Why am I thinking about this? WELL, my dear husband has been putting the plumbing in so we can have our very own wash machine here in our park model. I will not have to use the laundry room anymore. And while we were at Home Depot to buy 2 1/2 drain pipe and 1/2 water pipe plus all the fitting necessary to do the job I bought 4 new venetian blinds for the front of our park model. The fact that he even helped me buy the blinds is amazing. The dear man has been trying to fit all these chores into an already busy "winter golfing vacation" schedule. So I offered to shorten the one blind he has installed in spare minutes between digging, plumbing and scratching his head.

My husband always makes these household maintenance jobs look so easy. I was thinking how hard could it be to shorten the blinds. After all there are instructions and everything. I wanted to help him out in some way.  Actually I was beginning to feel a little guilty. And it's not like it is brain surgery. I thought any idiot could do it. It turns out it is hard....just plain hard. Two hand are not enough. There are plugs and strings and slats and ladder strings and a tiny pulley with an axle the size of a needle and 1/4 inch long. It took me all morning to shorten one blind.

The truth is that the longer we are married the more in awe of what this man can do I am. While I know that he would consider it the worst punishment in the world to spend eternity setting toilets and digging for sewer lines, he does it and makes it look easy. To answer my own question, no one could fill his shoes. I know I would not even know where to begin when it comes to doing what he does.

Have a wonderful day.

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