Retirement - I'm almost 2 1/2 months into it and I LOVE IT! Have I woke up any day and had absolutely nothing to do? NO - between finishing up the business, deep cleaning my house, camping, and a trip to Iowa, it's been pretty hectic! Not to mention all the planning of building a new home! But I AM looking forward to that day when I do wake up and say to myself - there is NOTHING planned today - what should I do?
Before I retired, I would ask my retired friends what they did all day? I just couldn't imagine! They all advised me that they were busier than ever and the time just flew! I NOW understand - even though I do spend some days at home, the days just fly and I find plenty to keep me busy! I have spent a couple of afternoons on the couch with a book but certainly not enough!!
So far, here are the things I love about retirement!
1) NOT having to set an alarm!! Even though I usually wake up at the same time I've awoken for the last 40 years, I have the pleasure of rolling over and going back to sleep or getting up - my choice!!
2) NOT rushing through my exercises, showering, eating breakfast and getting ready for work!! It's so nice to do it all at a relaxed pace, knowing I don't have to be somewhere!
3) Calling my friends and talking as long as I want to without worrying about a client walking in that I need to take care of.
4) Doing my housework during the day instead of on weekends or in the evenings.
5) Having coffee on the deck!
6) Camping during the middle of the week instead of the busy weekends!
7) Getting groceries and running errands whatever time of day I want to do them instead of early mornings or lunch hours.
8) Walking into our old business, knowing I don't have to deal with employees any more!!!!!!!!
9) Staying up a little later at night if I want to, knowing I don't have to get up early!
10) ENJOYING my house - just being at home!
SO there you have it - several reasons why I'm loving retirement!!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
Iowa
We enjoyed seeing Cheri, Patrick and Kyson while we stayed at Patty's house - Kyson is just a wonder when it comes to football - ask him any question and he sure seems to know the answer - I did like his prediction of the Broncos and the Seahawks being in the Super Bowl again!!
Patty, Leonard, Glenn and I all piled in the pickup and headed out to the farm - it's always fun to see how tall the corn is!! We also went to the South Church and walked around the cemetery - it's such a beautiful spot out there and I never tire of seeing it!
Then it was out to the Loess Hills overlook! I hadn't been out there in quite a while and Leonard made the journey interesting, telling us who lived where!! The views from the outlook are amazing!
Rain came again that afternoon and we really thought it might clear up for the band later than night but it didn't - the band was cancelled! Patty and I just decided to stay home again and have peach fizzies!
One last cup of coffee on Patty's beautiful front porch!
It wasn't too hard to say goodbye as Patty and Teri are both flying to Colorado in a couple of weeks for our annual "Sisters" weekend!! Glenn and I headed down to his mom's house on Monday! Her yard needed a little bit of attention so Glenn decided to brave the humidity! The grass was still pretty wet from all of the rain so we wrapped plastic bags around his good tennis shoes!!
I waited a little bit too long to snap this picture but it sure was a beautiful sunset!
We visited with lots of relatives over the 2 days at Lolly's house and Tuesday night we went out with Geri and Carl to the casino to eat! Dinner was great and it's always fun to catch up with them! Later we went back to their house for cards - and if I'm remembering correctly, I actually won a game or two!!
4:15 came mighty early on Wed. morning but we had to hit the road early to catch our 6:40am flight! Another great Iowa trip with lots of memories................
Patty, Leonard, Glenn and I all piled in the pickup and headed out to the farm - it's always fun to see how tall the corn is!! We also went to the South Church and walked around the cemetery - it's such a beautiful spot out there and I never tire of seeing it!
Then it was out to the Loess Hills overlook! I hadn't been out there in quite a while and Leonard made the journey interesting, telling us who lived where!! The views from the outlook are amazing!
We visited with lots of relatives over the 2 days at Lolly's house and Tuesday night we went out with Geri and Carl to the casino to eat! Dinner was great and it's always fun to catch up with them! Later we went back to their house for cards - and if I'm remembering correctly, I actually won a game or two!!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
A Trip To The Midwest
Time for our annual trip to Iowa to see the relatives! And who can complain when we have $50 round trip tickets with a nonstop flight from Denver to Sioux City! Frontier had a great special that we took advantage of - good thing we booked early as the flight was full AND right before we left, we found out that Frontier is discontinuing flights to Sioux City for the winter season!
We had never flown into Sioux City before and there was no choice of flights as only one flight a day goes that route - the times weren't great but we weren't complaining. Our plane was to arrive at 10:15 that night and since it's such a small airport, Patty suggested I call the rental car company and make sure they would still be open at that hour. So I pull out my paperwork on the car and duh, I had booked it out of Omaha, not Sioux City (we had always flown into Omaha so guess that's what was stuck in my brain when I booked the rental car!!). Anyway, I got the Omaha car cancelled and a new one set up out of Sioux City and they would be open till 10:30.
When we arrived, Glenn had the rental car paperwork in hand so he could go right to the counter to get the car before it closed and since we were seated in row 5, it worked out pretty good - I was to go get the baggage. Well, we had NO IDEA how small this airport was - there was only ONE baggage carousel and it was right beside the rental car place.
Luckily the Sioux City airport is at the south end of town and only a mile off the interstate so it was easy to get to Soldier from there - Omaha would have taken us longer as there is still a bridge out.
We made it to Patty and Leonard's NEW HOUSE about 11:30 that night and I couldn't wait to get the grand tour of their home - I had seen lots of pictures but had a hard time piecing the layout all together. Their house is beautiful and what a joy it was to stay there!
Friday night Jim and Brenda came in so we could have our farm meeting and eat together. Jim brought some great steaks with all the trimmings and we had fun catching up and eating!
Saturday noon we headed to Onawa to meet Todd, Neal and the gang! Did I forget to mention that it has rained a LOT in the midwest lately! We were meeting at a park and parts of it were underwater - you even had to step through water to get to the picnic tables!! Here's Jenn and Maggie!
The 3 cousins: Maggie, Nedelle and Chance
Maggie just wouldn't stay out of the water and her parents finally just gave up and let her play - the water was so deep in places, she could almost swim!
Neal cooked us up some yummy brats, hot dogs and zucchini!
After we got back to Soldier, we headed uptown that evening to eat a chicken dinner at the community building and then checked out all the motorcycles! Since it was Labor Day Weekend, the big rally was in town - all kinds of campers and tents all over town (despite the rain) - and lots and lots of bikers! We headed into the bar to check out a new poster that had been put up recently. Patty had told me about this poster and I can't for the life of me remember having posters printed up like this but we must have!
Below is the poster of the band that I used to play in - and someone had written down all the members names that had been in the band at one time. Calvin, Barry, John and I were the original members - oh what memories I have during that time back in the 60's!!
I KNOW I look a whole lot different than I did then - in fact, I was just in jr high and many people who saw me playing the guitar on stage thought I was a boy as it was pretty rare to have a girl in a band those days...............
We didn't stay long downtown as it started raining again..............Patty's couch was a whole lot more comfortable than a crowded noisy bar!! To Be Cont'd..........
We had never flown into Sioux City before and there was no choice of flights as only one flight a day goes that route - the times weren't great but we weren't complaining. Our plane was to arrive at 10:15 that night and since it's such a small airport, Patty suggested I call the rental car company and make sure they would still be open at that hour. So I pull out my paperwork on the car and duh, I had booked it out of Omaha, not Sioux City (we had always flown into Omaha so guess that's what was stuck in my brain when I booked the rental car!!). Anyway, I got the Omaha car cancelled and a new one set up out of Sioux City and they would be open till 10:30.
When we arrived, Glenn had the rental car paperwork in hand so he could go right to the counter to get the car before it closed and since we were seated in row 5, it worked out pretty good - I was to go get the baggage. Well, we had NO IDEA how small this airport was - there was only ONE baggage carousel and it was right beside the rental car place.
Luckily the Sioux City airport is at the south end of town and only a mile off the interstate so it was easy to get to Soldier from there - Omaha would have taken us longer as there is still a bridge out.
We made it to Patty and Leonard's NEW HOUSE about 11:30 that night and I couldn't wait to get the grand tour of their home - I had seen lots of pictures but had a hard time piecing the layout all together. Their house is beautiful and what a joy it was to stay there!
Below is the poster of the band that I used to play in - and someone had written down all the members names that had been in the band at one time. Calvin, Barry, John and I were the original members - oh what memories I have during that time back in the 60's!!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Turquoise Lake, Leadville
Always one of the COLD spots in Colorado because of its' elevation, you just know if you're going camping in Leadville, you need to dress warmly!
We'd had a camping trip with friends Dick and Jane on the calendar for a long time and we met them at Turquoise Lake on Monday morning! Now don't die of shock but we actually camped in a campground!! And were completely surprised by what we had to pay - $18.00 per night - no electricity, just a spot with a picnic table and a campfire grate - wow - guess we're behind the times on what it costs to camp since we always do wilderness!
But the campground was very nice and even though we didn't have a view of the lake from our campsite, we could see the mountains!
Dick and Jane ride motorcycles so they brought an extra one for us to ride as we weren't doing ATV trails, but blacktop and some highway and gravel roads. The first bike we tried was just too tall for Glenn and I - his legs wouldn't reach the ground and it was tough every time we stopped, hoping the bike wouldn't tip over before Glenn got his leg down to the ground. We solved that problem by switching to the other bike that Dick and Jane were riding - it was a lot lower to the ground and was much easier to drive!
We saw lots of beautiful country in the 2 days we rode the motorcycle!
We went to the fish hatchery one day and that was interesting! Here Jane and I are reeling in the big one!!
The lake was gorgeous - nice and calm and we wished we would have had a canoe!
Can you tell how many layers of clothing I have on? Try 5 - long underwear, t-shirt, hooded pull over sweatshirt, zip up sweatshirt and the jacket I took off for the picture which was a lined raincoat! Believe me, it was chilly riding those bikes as the sun wasn't out but a few minutes!
Here's an evening picture of the lake!
Glenn and Dick on the bikes - Jane and I would get off at times and walk a little - my legs and butt weren't used to riding a motorcycle!
Monday night we grilled tenderloin steaks that Dick had brought - he raises cattle and boy were those steaks good! We finished up in time to have ice cream outside before the rain started!
Tuesday night we drove the truck into Leadville and ate at the Tennessee Pass Cafe - they had some strange items on their menu and the waitress talked us into ordering one of the appetizers which was deep fried brussell sprouts served with a spicy sauce. I did try one but one was enough!
It rained most of the night on Tuesday - and it was COLD! The furnace kicked on several times and we weren't surprised when we woke up on Wed. and the mountains looked like this!
We had a great time with Dick and Jane and have already picked out our lake spots for next year!
We'd had a camping trip with friends Dick and Jane on the calendar for a long time and we met them at Turquoise Lake on Monday morning! Now don't die of shock but we actually camped in a campground!! And were completely surprised by what we had to pay - $18.00 per night - no electricity, just a spot with a picnic table and a campfire grate - wow - guess we're behind the times on what it costs to camp since we always do wilderness!
But the campground was very nice and even though we didn't have a view of the lake from our campsite, we could see the mountains!
Dick and Jane ride motorcycles so they brought an extra one for us to ride as we weren't doing ATV trails, but blacktop and some highway and gravel roads. The first bike we tried was just too tall for Glenn and I - his legs wouldn't reach the ground and it was tough every time we stopped, hoping the bike wouldn't tip over before Glenn got his leg down to the ground. We solved that problem by switching to the other bike that Dick and Jane were riding - it was a lot lower to the ground and was much easier to drive!
Here's an evening picture of the lake!
Tuesday night we drove the truck into Leadville and ate at the Tennessee Pass Cafe - they had some strange items on their menu and the waitress talked us into ordering one of the appetizers which was deep fried brussell sprouts served with a spicy sauce. I did try one but one was enough!
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Girls' Weekend
After planning a girls weekend for a LONG time, it had finally arrived! No guys - no kids - just we 4 girls for the weekend!
I shipped Glenn off to Buffalo Peaks with the camper so he could scout - and the other guys were all babysitting! The frig was stocked - the beds were ready - and the hot tub was hot! Let's get it on!!
Jill drove to Denver to meet Jaime and Jessi and they made great time heading down to our house - I had peach fizzies waiting for them!
Since they had all told me they did NOT want to sleep with each other but wanted a bed to themselves, I decided to make it happen! As soon as they walked in the door, they drew numbers - #1 was the guest bedroom which Jaime drew, #2 was the 5th wheel which Jill drew, and #3 was the mattress on the floor in the lower level which Jessi drew. They all seemed happy with their choices.
Jaime actually got to open a late birthday present from the girls, a cute hat that says Volleyball Mom!
We headed to the hot tub Friday night and it was beautiful out!
Everyone slept good that night - I was up early and went for my morning walk and met Jessi coming down the driveway as I was coming up! We enjoyed a Cinnamon Butter Braid and bacon for breakfast and all got ready for the next event - tea in Cripple Creek! Any spare moment the girls had found them reading!
We had a lovely drive to Cripple Creek and a wonderful time at the tea!
We spent almost 2 hours drinking tea, eating finger sandwiches and tarts and scones!
After tea, we headed over to the Butte Theater to see the melodrama, "The Spoilers" - it was delightful as usual, especially the Olio!
Saturday evening was our feast - cheese fondue and shrimp for dinner - along with Moscato champagne that we were all laughing about as Jill popped the cork!
Dinner was delicious!
But dessert was even better - chocolate fondue with all the trimmings!
Sunday was our relaxation day - after a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage casserole, we settled in to read - the deck, the living room and the family room were our spots - wherever we decided to sit! Jessi and I had coffee and it was a nice, relaxing day!
All too soon, the girls had to head back to their families...................we have decided to make this an annual event - and I know the girls are already looking forward to it!
I shipped Glenn off to Buffalo Peaks with the camper so he could scout - and the other guys were all babysitting! The frig was stocked - the beds were ready - and the hot tub was hot! Let's get it on!!
Jill drove to Denver to meet Jaime and Jessi and they made great time heading down to our house - I had peach fizzies waiting for them!
Jaime actually got to open a late birthday present from the girls, a cute hat that says Volleyball Mom!
Everyone slept good that night - I was up early and went for my morning walk and met Jessi coming down the driveway as I was coming up! We enjoyed a Cinnamon Butter Braid and bacon for breakfast and all got ready for the next event - tea in Cripple Creek! Any spare moment the girls had found them reading!
We had a lovely drive to Cripple Creek and a wonderful time at the tea!
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
USA Pro Challenge
I stayed away from Woodland Park on Friday, due to all the people in town to watch the race! The day started out miserable and got worse as the day wore on! The rain came down pretty much all day and I was glad I wasn't out biking in that race! I knew the bikers would be coming our way about 11:45 so I was watching for them!
I had a great view from the house and stepped out on the rainy deck to snap a couple of pictures - in a flash they were rounding the corner and gone!! Not great pictures because of the rain but it was still fun to see them!
I had a great view from the house and stepped out on the rainy deck to snap a couple of pictures - in a flash they were rounding the corner and gone!! Not great pictures because of the rain but it was still fun to see them!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Backtracking..................
I fell behind in blogging..................retirement is just keeping me too busy. I never believed anyone who told me I would be busier now than when I was working - but I'm starting to believe it! So here's a little recap of the past couple of weeks!
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I joined a hiking club - it meets every Tuesday and there is a schedule done for the rest of the year - each hike is listed as easy, moderate, or difficult and lists the number of miles you hike along with the elevation climb! The first week I hiked was a lot of up and down but I did it with ease - and I was excited to do the next hike since Glenn had given me the hiking poles to use! The next hike was listed as moderate but believe me, it was NOT moderate! It was HOT that day and the climb was switchbacks amongst rocks for a good portion of the hike - thought I was gonna die! But I did survive! The next couple of weeks a friend and I just did our own hikes on Tuesday but I'll get back with the regular hiking group in a couple of weeks (after I decide to stay home on a Tuesday!)
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I also am doing a shift of volunteer work at a Thrift House in Co. Springs with 2 of my best friends! The shifts are only 3 hours and the work is easy - distributing items where they belong - keeping the dressing rooms free of hangers - steaming - my, I get tired just thinking about this hard work - ha ha! The best part of the job is checking out all the clothes and housewares! Each time we've worked, we come home with a bagful of things! I really don't think that was the purpose of doing this volunteer work but hey, I'm helping them out by buying things!
******************
Joleen and I FINALLY got to celebrate our late birthdays with a lunch at a new place in Co. Springs - it has a bakery attached and serves sandwiches and salads and wine and smoothies. A great place and dessert was yummy!! That's a mini key lime tart below and it was excellent with the fresh berries!
*************************
I took one week and completely deep cleaned the house (except the windows) from top to bottom - I figured if I got it done now, I wouldn't have to do it this fall! In fact, I probably won't even have to do it next spring either - I've found that the older I get, my cleaning expectations drop. Works for me!
*************************
One morning I decided to make crepes - I haven't made them in a while and since we had a whole batch of strawberries in the frig, I decided it was a great time to make them! They turned out excellent - mainly for the fact I have fought with that darn wooden "spreader" every time I make them and after reading through the recipe again, it actually states that after you pour the batter, just lift the crepe machine up and tilt it and rotate it and you'll have a flat round crepe - duh, you would have thought I could have figured that one out a whole lot sooner than now!
Anyway, they turned out excellent and I made a full batch which meant I had extras to take camping to use for sausage/egg breakfast burritos! Now that I've had a sweet crepe with that mixture, it will be hard to go back to the regular tortillas!
***************************
Building a house takes a lot of patience and a lot of waiting for people to return phone calls! We have met with the architect a couple of times and FINALLY have the floor plan the way we want it! Our contractor is bidding out the logs now and hopefully we'll have the final draft of the plans in a couple of weeks so they can go to the building department. I think the plans for having the shell done before winter are slim but I'll try to be optimistic!
******************
I joined a hiking club - it meets every Tuesday and there is a schedule done for the rest of the year - each hike is listed as easy, moderate, or difficult and lists the number of miles you hike along with the elevation climb! The first week I hiked was a lot of up and down but I did it with ease - and I was excited to do the next hike since Glenn had given me the hiking poles to use! The next hike was listed as moderate but believe me, it was NOT moderate! It was HOT that day and the climb was switchbacks amongst rocks for a good portion of the hike - thought I was gonna die! But I did survive! The next couple of weeks a friend and I just did our own hikes on Tuesday but I'll get back with the regular hiking group in a couple of weeks (after I decide to stay home on a Tuesday!)
******************
I also am doing a shift of volunteer work at a Thrift House in Co. Springs with 2 of my best friends! The shifts are only 3 hours and the work is easy - distributing items where they belong - keeping the dressing rooms free of hangers - steaming - my, I get tired just thinking about this hard work - ha ha! The best part of the job is checking out all the clothes and housewares! Each time we've worked, we come home with a bagful of things! I really don't think that was the purpose of doing this volunteer work but hey, I'm helping them out by buying things!
******************
Joleen and I FINALLY got to celebrate our late birthdays with a lunch at a new place in Co. Springs - it has a bakery attached and serves sandwiches and salads and wine and smoothies. A great place and dessert was yummy!! That's a mini key lime tart below and it was excellent with the fresh berries!
*************************
I took one week and completely deep cleaned the house (except the windows) from top to bottom - I figured if I got it done now, I wouldn't have to do it this fall! In fact, I probably won't even have to do it next spring either - I've found that the older I get, my cleaning expectations drop. Works for me!
*************************
One morning I decided to make crepes - I haven't made them in a while and since we had a whole batch of strawberries in the frig, I decided it was a great time to make them! They turned out excellent - mainly for the fact I have fought with that darn wooden "spreader" every time I make them and after reading through the recipe again, it actually states that after you pour the batter, just lift the crepe machine up and tilt it and rotate it and you'll have a flat round crepe - duh, you would have thought I could have figured that one out a whole lot sooner than now!
Anyway, they turned out excellent and I made a full batch which meant I had extras to take camping to use for sausage/egg breakfast burritos! Now that I've had a sweet crepe with that mixture, it will be hard to go back to the regular tortillas!
***************************
Building a house takes a lot of patience and a lot of waiting for people to return phone calls! We have met with the architect a couple of times and FINALLY have the floor plan the way we want it! Our contractor is bidding out the logs now and hopefully we'll have the final draft of the plans in a couple of weeks so they can go to the building department. I think the plans for having the shell done before winter are slim but I'll try to be optimistic!
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