Category: retirement

Living in Two Worlds

Posted in beach, charity, chorus, dancing, Facebook Marketplace, memoir, memorial service, neighbors, November, retirement, suburbia, Thanksgiving, thrift stores, weekendLeave a comment

I have a house in suburbia, where I sing in a chorus, go dancing with friends, and shop at amazing thrift stores and then resell to the public through Facebook Marketplace. Then there’s my beach town, where life is slower, the ocean is one shade of blue, the sky another. Deer wander in front of… Continue reading Living in Two Worlds

Wrapping Up the Weekend

Posted in bartender, dogs, gardening, humor, letter carrier, lunch, memoir, October, party, planner, racetrack worker, rats, relationships, retirement, sewingLeave a comment

(re-run from 2019) It’s Sunday evening, the dogs are snoring, and I reflect on my awesome weekend. Nothing monumental happened.  It was your run of the mill event, with a return trip from Monterey, a potluck party to attend, a visit to Sis, lunch with my son, a couple of dog walks, and an afternoon… Continue reading Wrapping Up the Weekend

Fix Your Past Mistakes, or Get a Million Dollars?

Posted in a million dollars, California, chorus, Facebook, family, friends, memoir, relatives, retirement, The MartianLeave a comment

(re-run) A recent Facebook post asked if you’d rather go back in time and fix all of your mistakes or don’t do that and get $1,000,000 instead. That’s easy. People will take the money. What if the choice were, go back in time and fix all your mistakes or don’t (no money)?  I’d say no… Continue reading Fix Your Past Mistakes, or Get a Million Dollars?

Another Dog Story

Posted in AI, auto repair, customer service, dogs, humans, memoir, neighbors, pit bull, rats, retirement, robot, veterinarian, water company, windshield replacementLeave a comment

My water bill for the beach house arrived. It was $2500. Someone had left the hose running in the front yard. It could’ve been me. It could’ve been my neighbor. At any rate, I finally got the adjusted bill with $1900 taken off. Yes, I still have to pay $600, but that is much more… Continue reading Another Dog Story

Leopard in a Tree and OCD

Posted in Africa, antianxiety meds, Howie Mandel, memoir, OCD, retirement, roller coasters, safari, travel, wildlifeLeave a comment

My girlfriend and her husband went on safari in Kenya. “You should do it!” she said. “It’s amazing!  Just try it!” I have to admit that her photos were amazing – lions, lionesses, giraffes, elephants, some taken at very close range.  When I saw the leopard in the tree photo, I had to ask how… Continue reading Leopard in a Tree and OCD

Off the Grid

Posted in alcoho, alcohol, Beatles, chorus, dancing, Facebook, Father's Day, GERD, girl friends, memoir, power, power company, power outage, retirement, socializing, stomach issues, widowers, wineryLeave a comment

(re-run) The power went out.  I was in the middle of a movie when everything shut off.  Soon my neighbors were texting me, asking me to report the outage to PG& E. The more the better, they said. A few minutes after that, I received a robocall. The outage was affecting 5000 customers. The power… Continue reading Off the Grid

Off the Power Grid

Posted in Beatles, chorus, dancing, Facebook, Father's Day, girl friends, memoir, power, power company, power outage, retirement, socializing, widowers, wineryLeave a comment

(re-run from 2021) The power is out.  I was in the middle of a movie when everything shut off.  One of my neighbors just texted me, asking me to report the outage to PG& E. The more the better, they said. A few minutes after that, I received a robocall. The outage was affecting 5000… Continue reading Off the Power Grid

Reflections on a Retired Thursday

Posted in childhood, chorus, Costco, COVID, dogs, errands, horse, horseback riding, memoir, memory, OCD, retirement, traffic, Zoom, ZumbaLeave a comment

(RE-RUN) You’d think retired people have seven days a week to reflect on their past lives. Not so, Smokey Joe.  There was chorus, plus a COVID booster shot on Tuesday which produced a huge headache. “Take Tylenol,” my adult child who lives down the hall said. “No, you’re supposed to let the vaccine do its… Continue reading Reflections on a Retired Thursday

Coming Out of the Fog

Posted in care giver, CC&Rs, curb appeal, grieving, HOA, landscaper, liens, grief, memoir, native plants, real estate, realtors, staging, retirement, Silicon Valley1 Comment

When a family member dies, you go on with living. But everything is affected by the loss of the family member. You don’t realize it at the time, but it is. A year and two months after losing my older sister, I am finally getting back to normal, or the new normal. It’s weird to… Continue reading Coming Out of the Fog

Reflections on a Retired Thursday

Posted in childhood, chorus, Costco, COVID, dogs, errands, horse, horseback riding, memoir, memory, OCD, retirement, traffic, Zoom, ZumbaLeave a comment

(RE-RUN) You’d think retired people have seven days a week to reflect on their past lives. Not so, Smokey Joe.  There was chorus, plus a COVID booster shot on Tuesday which produced a huge headache. “Take Tylenol,” my adult child who lives down the hall said. “No, you’re supposed to let the vaccine do its… Continue reading Reflections on a Retired Thursday