The harsh realities of lesser income!!!

Well, the first "big" expense has come up, the pool!!! The pool that I have started to swim in every morning and really enjoy, has a leak. Not a bad one, and it is fixed, but the possible cause of the leak is washed out places under the pool deck that leave voids and the pool flexes, pops tiles, and caused a couple of hairline cracks in the plaster. Leak-meister checked out plumbing, all OK. Pool deck guy says I have hollow spots under the pool deck all around the pool. He busted up one section, and you can see the hollow spots. Ideal fix is to bust up all concrete, pack in dirt, pour new pool deck with nice decorative and cool deck overlay. Band-aid fix is to fix busted section, and seal around pool bricks and any cracks in pool deck and hope that pool doesn't flex anymore. Still trying to decide what to do, $$$$ is the issue, and the realization that retirement income is not only fixed, but less than working income, so no easy quick way to recoup large cash outlays.

Below is a picture of an old pool repair, the pool was leaking and you can see the washed out dirt under the pool deck. This was about 8 years ago.

Here is new repair in progress.

Close up of the washed out area under the pool deck.

More to come, maybe just a few cracks sealed up, maybe a new pretty pool deck!!

Daily Swim

I have made a morning swim part of my daily routine. My daughter-in-law Jennifer with the twins to be, suggested I just swim laps (they would be short ones) back and forth in my pool, rather than keep struggling to force myself to get on the treadmill. From the mouths of babes, or younger folks anyway.... So I have started, and I love it. I am not a great swimmer, but I can swim free style, back and side stroke back and forth from one end of the pool to the other, for 30 min. each morning. I alternate strokes each lap along with a "noodle" lap every so often to give me a little break. I don't keep checking the clock, the water is cool in the mornings, and my hip and knees and back don't hurt. AND, with retirement, I have plenty of time to do it!

Geting Ready for Twins

Jeremy and Jennifer are getting ready for the twins. They have painted the nursery and set up the 2 cribs, with coordinating bedding, pink and green with snails for the Robin baby girl and navy and green with turtles for Robin baby boy. Plus they have JanMa's room all set up, ready for me when I have night duty. I can hardly wait.

Retirement - a chance to serve others

Retirement (not working at a regular, daily job) offers many opportunities to help others. I could spend time with my elderly neighbor, take the other neighbor's kids into the pool and play/watch them for an hour or so a day, dog sit, cat sit, whatever. This is fortunate for Bill, who re-injured his foot that had surgery many years ago, maybe even broke his heel bone (that part is unfortunate for Bill). The immediate issue this next week is he can't put any weight on his foot, has to use crutches and wear the "Boot". Well, his foot hurts like heck, he says it hurts worse to wear the boot, and it is very hard for him to get around. That is unfortunate for him, but the fortunate part is that I am available to help out. Fortunate for him to have me to fix meals, and other household chores, and fortunate for me because we get to spend time together, and he is a captive audience!!

Bill with foot propped up, it is the right foot. Notice NO boot on his foot.
The boot that he is supposed to wear all the time til next week when the Dr. will xray his foot again.

Simplifying My Life

It is especially important in retirement to stay somewhat busy, or task-oriented; otherwise it is too easy to become glassy-eyed in front of the TV. I broke my own rule, (never turn on the TV between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m), and I caught part of Oprah, about simplifying your life. Although I am not nearly in the dire straits as her guests/examples, but I could relate. So today was a closet-cleaning day. I had already moved a bunch of "work" clothes to another closet, but now it was time to get rid of them (Amy, you will be SO proud). I delivered several trash bags to the local Bargain Box, a clothing donation/resale shop in Conroe. Then I selected about 20 T-shirts that are going to become a T-shirt quilt, with the help of my sister who is a quilter. So my next trip will be to Plano/Dallas, to spend a week-end with her helping me to get the shirts into a quilt, with a side trip to Richardson to see grandson John.

Piles of clothes ready to go into bags for delivery to Bargain Box.
I think it is also important to spend time with others, face-2-face, not just virtually. I guess I sounded pathetic, so Jennifer and Jeremy invited me to join them for dinner with my nephew Blaine and his girlfriend. We ate at Gugliani's on the road to Old Town Spring, great Italian food, local and not packed like chain restaurants. Jennifer will want me to make sure you know she is pregnant with twins, not just a muffin-top!!

Charlie Dog

I have been dog-sitting for Amy (Sylvie's) dog, Charlie. He follows me around the house, ignores the cats (although they are VERY aware of him), and sleeps under the bed. The second night he found a spot on the bed, but since the cats sleep on the bed, I had him go back to his blanket on the floor. He has figured out how to UNLATCH the back cat-door, and go out into the back yard, which is not secured for dogs. I went to the store the first day he was here, and when I came home, he came in from the backyard through the cat door to greet me. So at least if he figured out how to get out, he found his way back in. He wanders around the back yard while I swim in the mornings and wags his tail at the little dog next door. If I can teach him how to take pictures, I'll post some of me swimming...
Jan and Charlie napping on the couch.

Charlie checking out courtyard,
and the front yard.

Back at home

Since retirement on June 15, I've been to Matagorda Beach; Sedona, AZ; Asheville, NC; and Dallas; and completed 2 JanMa's Digital Memories projects. The fun is over, and now it is time for some "home" projects. The Miata won't start, the pool salt cell is having a problem, and the closets still haven't been cleaned out! The twins baby showers start in another month at the end of August, and then it is almost time for them to be born, and I'll be REAL busy then. But at least with retirement, I have the time to do those things.

Dallas Trip

July 18, in Dallas and visiting grandbaby John and family. We drove to McKinney to see their new house under construction, and walked around the McKinney historic district and town square. (http://www.visitmckinney.com/) The old courthouse has been renovated as a performing arts theater, and there are numerous antique shops and restaurants all in a walk around the square. Very cute area, offering visitors a fun place to spend some time. We ate at a restaurant called Spoon's Cafe. Several of the old buildings were banks, and the old vaults are visible with the heavy doors and the old marble teller counters. There is also a Third Monday trade days (http://www.tmtd.com/) event in McKinney, we didn't even stop there, it was packed. Sort of like First Monday in Canton, but not quite as large.


Jason and John in antique store in old downtown McKinney, conducting some kind of business on the cell phone.

Poindexter helping with clean up after feeding John.
JanMa and Jason visit new house in McKinney.

John just about able to enjoy the Jumper.
John shows off his blue eyes while laying on the quilt from Great Aunt Diane.

Flying Lessons

I had signed up at Tomball College for ground school this summer, but I was the ONLY one who signed up and the class cancelled. So I have been watching a DVD course and practicing with Bill, here are some pictures taken on our last lesson.

This is really a LOT of fun.

But there is a LOT to learn.

Awesome sunset from 1500 feet up.

A BIG Realization about Retirement

I have come to realize that I don't and have not really thought about work, or missing work, or even that "Nya, nya, they're at work and I'm not" feeling. I can't remember what it was like to "work". I don't miss it, have no regrets, can't even remember when I wasn't retired, don't feel that "whew, I can go to the store in the middle of the day, or drive to Dallas to see grandbaby whenever I want to" feeling. How can that be after 31 years of working? GOOD PLANNING!!! And part of that plan included gradually transferring decision-making and responsibility at work to someone else (THANK-YOU, AMY) so that by the last week of work, someone else was hired for my job and in charge.

Another big realization, has to do with $$$$. If you spend the last years of work contributing a lot to retirement accounts, like 403B's for education, then you live on less, and that gets you used to the reduced income of retirement.

More North Carolina

Clarification on the golf cart, Mom uses it to get around Deerfield Community, NOT to play golf. It makes for a fun trip to the community center/dining room (AKA "big house") for lunch or activities; and to visit others in the neighborhood.

Pedicure resulted in green toes, to match my green shirt, and the greenery all around Asheville.
The play at Flat Rock Playhouse http://www.flatrockplayhouse.org/ was hysterical, The Perfect Wedding, a comedy of mistaken identity, we laughed a lot. Then had dinner at the Peddler, a steakhouse in Hendersonville, a few miles south of Asheville. Here is website for the Peddler in Gatlinburg, same restaurant/menu, but we went to the one in Hendersonville. http://www.peddlergatlinburg.com/

Today is shopping and pizza lunch at Pomodoro's, we will have the Mama Mia pizza. http://www.pomodoroscafe.com/

Asheville, North Carolina

Mom's house in Deerfield Retirement Community, Asheville, NC.
Asheville weather is great, cooler temperatures (mid-80's) in the daytime, and Mom has a screened porch that is great to sit out and smell the fresh air. It is very quiet here in Deerfield Retirement Community with the scent of pine and fir on the air, reminds me of camping trips, but with electricity, wireless internet, and flush toilets.

I had brought Mom the DVD 80th Birthday video I made for her of old pictures and slides I scanned and set to music. She loved it. It is a JanMa's Digital Memories project, and maybe some of her friends will like it and want their own!

I set Mom up with a Skype account and webcam, so she can video phone me and anyone else, and next fall, the twins. I'm also providing technical support for her computer and other electronics, like alarm clocks that go off at strange times of the day! We also have plans for shopping, lunches out, maybe a movie and pedicure, and Thursday we are going to the Flat Rock Playhouse in Hendersonville.

Screened in porch
View to back yard from screened in porch.

Mom's golf cart in the garage, next to treadmill, she uses both a lot!

July 4, 2009

The 4th of July was spent mostly in the pool, first with neighbor kids and later with Jeremy and Jennifer. Hotdogs on the grill, typical 4th tradition, then watched fireworks on TV, just too hot to sit outside someplace for hours in a crowd waiting for the show to start.

I have been sleeping later in the mornings, and taking a daily afternoon nap. I want to switch my exercise from the treadmill to the pool for the summer. I am investigating various water aerobics CD's to use outside in the pool, but Jennifer mentioned just swimming short laps (the pool is short) might be a good start. So today I'll do that. The pool water is much cooler in the morning.

Tomorrow I'm off to North Carolina for a week with Mom.