I’ve been away from blogging for a bit, enjoying this new lifestyle and experimenting with different schedules and activities. Obviously, there are many ways to ‘retire successfully’. I don’t feel any pressure of finishing ‘have to do’s’ but rather am enjoying accomplishing ‘want to do’s’. The ‘want to do’s’ are activities I plan for myself, whether it’s writing, reading, exercise, or doing chores or working with Greg on the building project. Greg has devoted himself full time to working on the building that will eventually become his home-away-from-home, the ‘shop’ as we call it. In fact, this garage/workshop/extra sleep space will likely be the reason we can retire at the same time and be together but not become overwhelmingly annoyed with each other. Basically we have two homes at the same location and we are each enjoying our own space. The shop has been three years in the making and all that’s left to do are installing flooring and the trimwork. At that point, which won’t be long from now, Greg can start woodworking again. The woodworking hobby almost superceded his chemistry career at the start but luckily logic prevailed, he began work at Novartis and the rest is history. This will be Greg’s second chapter, as it were.
Over the weekend we visited Central and Western New York. First stop, Syracuse, to attend our nephew Reed’s graduation from the Syracuse police academy. The ceremony at the Palace Theatre in East Syracuse was attended by family, friends and so many police officers it made me wonder: who was tending crime? Speeches from the Mayor of Syracuse, the Police Chief, and other notables were thoughtful and inspiring. Food for thought: a police officer must be at his/her best when people are at their worst. The message they invoked: we each have the opportunity to change the world, one contact, one situation, one word at a time. We congratulate Reed for accomplishing his goal of becoming a police officer after having worked through the politics, drama, significant boot camp and officer training, and of course, pepper spray and tasing.
Next stop, Rochester, or actually, nearby Ontario, NY, where Greg’s family lives. We helped Greg’s niece, Cheryl, plant an additional 3 acres on her farm “Cobblestone Hops”. Cheryl has begun her second chapter (with her husband Charlie and their 5 kids alongside) by reinventing Greg’s parent’s farm and growing hops. With family and friends, we were able to plant 5,000 hops plants in neat, tidy rows in a single day and capped this modern ‘barn raising’-like activity with a few brews around a bonfire, sore backs notwithstanding. It’s a tad ironic, considering the tee-totallers that Greg’s parents, Cheryl’s grandparents, were, but farming is farming and the hard work that Cheryl and her family invest in this venture are something we are all proud of.
Finally, I took a quick trip over to Buffalo to visit Mom. Her recovery from knee replacement surgery is remarkable. She continues with her therapy as she feels so many people are invested in her recovery that she could not disappoint. I’m so proud of her. I know she’s nearly 100% recovered since she’s already been to visit the casinos with Aunt Betty.
We’re home now. It’s been raining a lot in the northeast, and it’s cool. I don’t feel guilty writing, or baking, or doing yoga or going for a walk in the rain. I do what I want, even if what I want to do isn’t considered a monumental accomplishment. Been there, done that.
My new reality 