guest map

I just discovered that my guest map has been disabled since I redesigned my blog. So if you have attempted to mark your location recently and failed, you should be able to do so now.

down hill from here

This morning I started a project of cutting down Mulberry saplings and young trees that have grown up around our garden. I tried to start the chainsaw but I couldn't even get a spark from it. I cleaned the spark plug and adjusted the gap, but no luck. Dorothy said we will probably have to have it tuned up. "No," I said, "we just had that done a few months ago." She said it was probably more like two years ago. So to prove her wrong I got out the check book and searched for the entry that would indicate when the work was done. I went back a year and a half and found nothing. She was right (unless we paid cash). Instead of this blog being a chronicle of my growth as a human who is realizing his potential after retirement, it may turn out to be a record of my descent into dementia. Dang!

healthy, wealthy, and wise?

Monday morning I was out of bed at 8:oo, yesterday at 7:00, but here I am this morning, up at 5:00 writing this post. I'm trying to find a happy medium with bedtime and getting up time, but it's eluding me. I've talked with other retirees my age and they report that they're getting eight hours per day but they are distributed around the clock at odd times. Sleeping all night at regular hours may be a thing of he past.

When I was a child I would sometimes wake up early and listen to the sounds coming from the kitchen; the clatter of plates being stacked; the bell-like ring of spoon against cup as my dad stirred sugar into his coffee. Now as I move around the kitchen in the hours before dawn, I'm making those sounds. Sounds and smells have the power to bring up memories buried deep within the soul.

Dorothy and I have volunteered to help with the Katrina evacuees in Arkansas, but we haven't heard anything yet. In fact, they haven't even arrived at our locality. I understand the delay in getting rescue efforts underway. Individuals jump into the fray in a crisis, but the wheels of an organization grind exceedingly slow.

quote of the day

The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.
-- Thomas Merton

quote of the day

"If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life."
Abraham Maslow

monday morning notes

Thing are gradually changing. I stayed up last night until 11:00 and actually slept until 8:00 this morning. I haven't slept that long in years. I think the job is slowly seeping from my psyche and body and I'm actually learning to relax.

I received a few good books as gifts at my retirement party. The Davinci Code, Gods and Demons, Chicken Soup for The Grandparent's Soul, Daily Inspiration for the Purpose Driven Life, 365 Days of Power, and Sparkling Gems from the Greek. I can't wait to get started on these.

Our church has joined with others in the area to provide food and shelter to a group of Katrina evacuees. The Arkansas Baptist Assembly is taking 800 people and providing them with a place to stay. Each church is taking a certain area of responsibility to provide necessities. Our church, First Baptist, Siloam Springs is providing toiletries (tooth brushes, deodorant, etc.) The members are simply purchasing these items and donating to a common supply. Our local Walmart has already run out of tooth brushes. Dorothy and I are going to do our part. We're going to call today to see if they need any volunteers. We want to have a hands on role in this. This is another advantage of retirement; we're free to get involved.

quote of the day

The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is to live inside that hope.
Barbara Kingsolver Animal Dreams

redondo beach 1964

Ricci and Sandy Davis brought this picture with them when they came up for my retirement party. The four of us were at Redondo Beach one night in July, 1964, and Sandy took this picture of Dorothy and I. If it wasn't for Sandy there would have been no pictures of our times together back then, and she's still taking pictures. Our camera wasn't working so I'll have to wait to receive copies of the pictures she took last night to post them on this blog. It was a great party though. Customers, co-workers, family members, friends from church, and neighbors. We had a memorable time.

oh heck

Looks like the spammers have found me. I enabled a word verification program for comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

states I've visited

You can make a map of the staes you've visited by clicking here

all ready

Yesterday, Dorothy and I worked to get this party ready. She finished the cakes, and cleaned house, even made some cookies (they were delicious, with oats, rice krispies, and chocolate chips). I got the grill cleaned up and made sure the propane tank was full, I even cleaned up the horse shoes in case someone might want to toss those. Were looking forward to sharing some time with friends and relatives. I'll have pictures tomorrow.

signs of aging

Dorothy and I have a walking program and I thought that after 21 years of walking a postal route I would have to pace myself in order for her to keep up with me, but it's the opposite. I'm having to push to keep up with her. I didn't realize I had slowed down so much. Of course, I'm 60yrs old and she's just a 55 year old youngster.

A few days ago my son-in-law Burk pointed out the fact that the car tags on my truck had expired. The sticker said Oct 04. They couldn't be expired; I'll get a sticker next month that shows 05. Then I saw other cars that had Oct 05 stickers on and some already had 06 stickers. Somebody must have stolen my sticker right off the license plate! Yesterday I was rummaging through the glove box of my truck and guess what I found. Yes, the sticker I bought last September was still in there. I've gone a year without affixing it to my plate and have never been stopped by the police. They must have their minds on other, more important things, like donuts.

making progress

It's Friday morning. I slept until 6:20. Boy, am I getting lazy! I had a cinnamon bagel and cream cheese and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I haven't gained a pound in the first three weeks of retirement. Dorothy and I are getting ready to go to the track and walk. We hope to do 1-1/2 -2 miles this morning. Then I have to do some weed eating and Dorothy is going to ice and decorate the cakes for my retirement party. We'll be busy most of the day. I love this unstructured, non-routine, think it up as you go retired life.

hogwild pizza

My daughter Rachel's boy friend, Jonathan, opened a new pizzeria today in Fayetteville, Ar. so we decided to check it out. It's called Hogwild Pizzeria. We had the Cajun pizza and it was delicious. They have several specialty pizzas to suit every taste. Chicken Fajita, Mexican, Teriyake Chicken, Shrimp Scampi, to name just a few. We're looking forward to visiting often and trying a different style each time. Jonathan is also a graphic artist and designed and built the sign you see on the outside. Tara is sitting in the big chair after eating lunch at Hogwild. No she's not that short, the chair is that big. The restaurant is located at 1200 N. Garland, Suite 7, Fayetteville, Ar.

by the way

I'm getting up each morning at around 5:45. That's an increase of 15 minutes sleep each day. I'm slowly sleeping a little later.

I asked Marley Kate how she was doing in kindergarten. She replied, "Nap time is boring, but I slept through it."

Dorothy and I were planning a road trip in October, but if the price of gas keep increasing we may change our minds.

We received our Walmart circular in the mail yesterday. I was happy that I didn't have to deliver them. Yippee!

I was laying in the hammock yesterday and looked at my watch. It was 4 o'clock. My fellow letter carriers were just punching out (if they were lucky) and going home after a long, hot day. Retirement is great.

Dorothy's throwing a retirement party for me this weekend at the Proctor Community Center. We've invited friends, family, workmates, and former customers. We'll have a good time, eating hamburgers, and telling tales about the rigors of mail delivery over the years.