Spring, Yay! - #89

Spring is such a happy time of year! Nothing makes me feel better than seeing beautiful colors come to life, feeling the warmth of the sun, and spending my days outside! 

During the winter months, I went through a period of time feeling down- that dark winter cloud was hanging over me; couldn’t seem to shake it. Tried to get out as much as possible but it only helped temporarily. Our last trip really helped change my focus and I’ve been finally feeling like my normal self again!

In February- we celebrated my big 69th birthday and our 26th anniversary; we spent a couple of days in Springfield, MA with the MGM Grand as our destination.  We had a lot of fun at that casino and discovered a couple of new machines we really liked to play and had good luck with.  Springfield is a city that could really use some revitalization; it looks so tired.  Though we enjoyed ourselves, there are other places I’d rather go but I’m glad we experienced it! 

The rest of February and into March, I really started to focus on preparing for our cruise to Bermuda on March 29-April 5th. I pulled out the suitcases, started putting aside clothes and items we wanted to bring.  

In between, I went on several hosted nature and birding walks with the NRT in the next town, continued with my scrabble, bingo, painting, and exercise classes, met friends for lunch and hung out with the littles. 

And then before we knew it… the cruise!! We sailed conveniently out of Boston on the Norwegian Gem. It is one of  NCL’s smaller, older ships - which is our preference. This was also the first cruise out of Boston for the 2024 season, which meant our ship would arrive to port empty and ready for us sooner than if previous cruisers had to disembark. We had access to our stateroom immediately! On this trip, we opted for an ocean view cabin on the 5th deck, midship. It was a great location. I can’t emphasize enough how enlightening it is to watch YouTube videos from content providers. Great information about the ship’s layout, activities, food, cabin tours, excursions, etc…. I find it very helpful! 

The sailing itself was very rough and although we did not experience any adverse effects, we were glad when we finally docked in Bermuda! We had left in the rainy 40’s from Boston and arrived to high 60’s/70 and sunshine!

 It was great to be able to sit out on deck and relax. 

We loved Bermuda and thought it was gorgeous! 

We toured all that Dock Yard had to offer and were planning to spend a full day visiting other parts of the island… but as they say “ the best laid plans…”.  Due to an impending storm, we had to cut our stay in Bermuda a day short and left Tuesday ( instead of Wednesday). We spent an extra day sailing, going around the weather. Our captain did a great job! 

Honestly though, we loved being on the ship.  I took a paint class, we went to the gym, movies, shows and had wonderful meals! We also loved the casino and I had great luck! At any rate, we’d love to do this cruise again, just leaving a month later.

We’ve been home a few weeks now with renewed enthusiasm.  Charlie has started going back to archery and is really enjoying! It had been a long time. 

I have started making plans for our next cruise in July - the big one!  

We have an appointment to take our trailer in for maintenance and repairs next month in preparation for our fall travels.  I spent a few days cleaning the inside and it looks pretty good, though I’m thinking about doing some simple updating projects inside but I’ll leave that for our time in Mississippi.

In a couple of weeks, we are attending the Brimfield Antiques Flea Market! It’s been on our list ever since we saw it on the show Flea Market Flip! It will be an overnight getaway and should be fun!

The last couple of weeks, I’ve been slowly doing yard work and power washing. The house is looking good! 

Looking forward to an exciting spring and summer! We’re  just getting started!

Interview With My Vampire; Retirement From Charlie’s View - #88

Though Charlie and I both retired together, we actually spend most of our days (and nights) doing very different things when we are home in Stoughton. (We spend a lot more time together when traveling and camping). For one thing, Charlie is definitely a night owl.  I am an early-to-bed kinda gal; I just love being in bed and watching eclectic tv shows at night. He, on the other hand, will stay up to 2am and later most nights.  I’ve written a lot about how I spend my time but ever wonder what he’s up to?

Charlie spends a lot of time in his shed aka HAM Shack.  During COVID I had the foresight to put electricity in there for him.  This was more for my sanity but it had a great outcome for him as well.   

He has graciously allowed me to tour and photograph his inner sanctum. 

      The Captain’s Seat

        Mission Control

       There’s a lot going on in here  

       Mementos and nostalgia 

          The “other”side of the shed

         Propane heater works great in winter

Me: What has been the best thing about retirement in the past 4 years?

C: Not having to work; doing things that I want to do. Doing projects I’ve wanted to do.  Going away on vacations which we didn’t have the time to do before. I loved going to Texas and Mississippi for the winters and even shorter getaways like up to Niagara Falls.

Me: What are some of your accomplishments during retirement? 

C: We got to travel. I got my HAM radio technician license at the age of 71; at the age of 73 I studied to get my general license.  I watch YouTubers to learn about all kinds of things- in particular building new types of antennas. I could buy a ready-made antenna but it’s a great feeling to build something from scratch and see it work the way you want. You learn so much from doing this too. The farthest place I’ve reached on the radio is Cape-town, South Africa. I participate in radio challenges put on by different radio groups. This means reaching people in certain states or countries and logging it in.  For example, to celebrate Independence Day, we had to make verified contact with people from each of the original 13 colonies; I received a certificate for this achievement.  

Me: What are your favorite things to do?

C: Sex. ( Me: Oh come on!!) I play my keyboard, work on my radio stuff, build new antennas. I also fix things around the house. I have a new mailbox that’s waiting for me to install. I always have to keep busy and I like making things with my hands.  I practice my keyboard everyday.  In addition to playing the old classics, I also like to compose original music. 

                          Practicing 

         Charlie’s latest antenna 

Me: What things would you like to accomplish in the short term?

C: I’d like to go fishing in the spring; I haven’t done that in a long time  Time seems to go by so fast even though you have the time to do them, but you just seem to fill the days up with something else.  I have been looking into the 3D printers; I could make parts from them.  But I don’t know enough about them and have to do some studying on it.  Lots of things cross my mind.  Fixing things on the camper to get ready for travel. 

Me: Are there any things you worry about?

C: Death - I tend to think about it before I go to bed.  It’s more like anxiety which usually hits me at night. I worry about war and my son Jason who’s in the military.  Things look very bad in our world.  

Me: What are some things you would like to do in the future?

C: I’m pretty comfortable with my life. Happy the way things are.  I take things as they come.

Me: What is a favorite memory?

C: I have many. Growing up on the farm, friends I hung around with when I was younger. There are a thousand things I could think of… 

Me: Do you have any regrets? 

C: Maybe that I used to hunt when I was younger; now I have more respect for living things.  I put many animals down on the farm, but that was at the end of their life when they were sick/dying. 

Charlie feeding his squirrel friends; they wait for him everyday!

It’s nice that Charlie is pretty content. Lately, we’ve been doing a little more together like going to the “Y” to exercise, weekly bingo and tomorrow we leave for a few days in Springfield checking out the MGM Grand. It’s always nice to come home to our private space to hang out and be alone with our thoughts. 

Life is What You Make It - #87

 If we are fortunate enough to grow older, we all seem to be in agreement - the days, weeks, months and years seem to go by faster and faster. Time and good health becomes our most important currency; spend it wisely but spend it all!

One good thing about keeping a blog, it is a reminder to me of how I’ve spent my time; it is a ledger of my life. When I reread my writings, scan my photos - I smile and realize I did so much more than what immediately comes to mind. I have taken chances, made new friends, visited new places, challenged myself. And I am grateful to have a life partner - willing and able to share this time with me. Thanks Charlie!

We will be retired 4 years in March and it has been better than I dreamed.  I didn’t have any expectations or preconceived ideas but rather a go with the flow attitude, allowing my interests and curiosity to lead the way.  I continue to seek out ways to participate and be involved. “Life is what you make it - and what you make it, is up to you”.

2024 is shaping up to be an amazing and adventurous year! With two cruises planned both spring and summer, plans to return to Bay St Louis next winter for 6 mos, and many other smaller trips - we will be traveling a bit.

 

My mom will be celebrating her 99th birthday this year in May; that is pretty amazing! My youngest great niece will become a Bat Mitzvah and we will join in the festivities with the family over the Labor Day weekend. The venue is at a sleep away campground in West Virginia;  we even get to sleep in a cabin!! Boy, will this bring back memories for me!

February has just left the starting gate and we can see spring in the distance! In January we celebrated Charlie’s 76 birthday in CT. We visited Mohegan Sun and had a great dinner at Summer Shack; the next day we spent at Foxwoods, browsing the shops at Tanger Outlets, gaming, and an early dinner-late lunch at The Sugar Factory. We can’t resist the ice cream at this place although I did feel it wasn’t quite as good this time. On our final day, returning home, we spent a few hours in Mystic at Olde Mistick Village. We love meandering through the shops at this quaint site and had sushi for lunch at Pink Basil - a great Asian restaurant in the village. I was glad it was still there as they have a pineapple fried rice that is to die for!

Hit 100,000 miles on my Honda!

The weather has been cold, snowy and icy but we are still out and about.  I finally lead my diamond art class; the heart keychain projects came out beautiful! Everyone really enjoyed it and I felt good. Looking forward to contributing my time and ideas again in the spring. 

 

Our next getaway is in just a couple weeks; we decided to try a new casino - MGM Grand In Springfield, MA.  This time we’ll be celebrating my birthday (scary 69)! We’ll spend a couple of nights and should be fun.

On the annoying side- I have to get another tooth capped. This tooth actually split down the middle about 6 years ago; my dentist at the time was able to mend it with a big filling and it has held well. But that split has become more apparent so- better safe than sorry.  I don’t want to wait until something happens ‘cause things always happen at the most inconvenient time! 

I’ve pretty much developed a weekly routine focused around activities at the senior center - exercise classes, bingo, scrabble; then at home - walking, cleaning, laundry shopping and projects. 

                     Stoughton Senior Center

 I bought myself a rock tumbler; I’ll see what kind of trouble I can get into with that but I have some ideas. I also purchased a sushi making kit for me and Deena. She is a big sushi enthusiast, we love it too so it will be something we can do together. 

Today will be a balmy mid 40’s which is actually comfortable. I’m joining a winter walking group today for a narrative walk in the “sheep pasture” in the next town over. The rest of the day is mine to just do what I want. Ain’t retirement grand?!!