Thursday, March 27, 2008

Retirement Report #1


This flower, a "Gazania" is a new discovery from Hughes Plant Farm south of Tyler. This is a great place to buy plants and we filled up the back of the Ranger on a trip there earlier this week. I still don't have everything in the ground. Approx 1/2 to 1/3 of Dallas prices.

We're enjoyng the daily discoveries walking through the plantings from last year. Everyday something else pokes it head through the dirt or a blossom appears where that was none yesterday. We are working hard in the yard and there's a lot more to do. By Sunday evening we'll have another 50-60 shrubs to plant and some other amenities to add.

We are feeling like retirees in a small town. We drove into town today so I could get a haircut while Glynda was doing the same. We topped off the activities by checking out a new cell phone plan, getting library cards, and making arrangements for a trailer to bring back the last of what's remaining in the condo.

We visited with Bev and Alex Wednesday evening while enjoying a glass of (really good) homemade blueberry wine!

I've taken a couple bike rides and today did the four miler around the block (hay ride route).

Highlights of the day include walking to the mail box to see what Kathy (the mailperson) has left and watching the noon news after lunch.

The vegetable garden is in. Tomatos, onions, bell peppers, red bell peppers, green beans, okra, zuchinni squash, yellow squash, carrots, turnips, and I'm going to try some lettuce.

We are staying very busy!



And thanks to everyone for coming to our retirement party. It was a great afternoon weatherwise and a really great family gathering. (I'm using this picture to get even with Jill for her failure to delete a really bad picture of me. Don't forget to click on it so you can see the large image!)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

$300 an hour for digging ditches

The satellite dish for the HDTV needed to be moved 33 feet from the old location. Direct TV charges $3/foot for digging ditches and I'm too cheap to pay that! In the East Texas sand it took me less than twenty minutes. That's more money per hour than I've ever made before! What a way to start a retirement!

OK - so it really did happen!

We did actually leave our jobs and move to Quitman!
We did actually sign a contract to sell the condo!
We do actually have HDTV and DSL installed at our new home!
It's 9:30 om a weekday and I'm sitting in my study having coffee and a piece of coconut pie that Glynda made yesterday.
The agenda for the rest of the day is really open!
I think I'm going to like this.

Monday, March 3, 2008

First Spring Flowers














We pushed back the mulch and found the crocus. The daffodils are blooming too!