RETIREMENT FUN

Other than multiple operations, I have found a LOT of things to do since I was forced by health problems to retire at age 53. I spend an hour or two every day the stock market is open watching my investments free fall and try to keep breathing. The LSW advised me to "Stop looking at it, as all you do is get more and more upset!" I can't stop!!! It's like the early Christians in the Collusseum watching the starving lions coming closer and closer. You know you're about to be eaten, but it's hard to look away.
It seems that all my life I have been interested in many things. I write, play the harmonica, carve wood, read constantly, do crossword puzzles, juggle, make up poems, and others. Lately I am helping grandson, Steven, with a Boy Scout Pinewood derby car. He also had me help a bity last year as I have many tools, craft supplies, and patience for a ten year old. This fun with him is one 0f the great joys of my life. None of my other grands seem to be too interested in "making stuff" but i still love them all. There is a rumor that I may be getting part ownership (?) of three more children in the future and this sound like fun. We'll see.
In addition to the above, my wife and I have season tix to the Guthrie theater and LOVE their plays. When younger, out whold family was very deeply into community theater as actors, set design, lighting, construction, and all that. It really brings a family together when doing a concerted activity. Another fun thing the wifie and i do is travel. We have been to all but two of the 50 states and 15 other countries and have had 5 cruises- 3 Caribbean, 1 Alaska, and 1 in the Mediterranean Sea. Except for my ending up in the "SICK BAY" three times and having to have an emergency medical evacuation from Spain, those were fun---REALLY!!
I am now anxiously awaiting Spring so I can get outside and listen to the gras grow and sip a cold one while watching my LSW garden and then mow the grass. I am looking right now for a new mower for her as she totally wore out the last one. She is also working on destrouing the snowblower. What a worker I married and she aslo changes my dressings, puts me through my knee exercises and is the world's best cook!! How lucky can one man get??

Another birthday? Consider the alternative.

I don't REALLY feel older today, but the calendar (made up, as many of you know of several CALENDS) says so. Actually it doesn't really SAY so---just like a clock or a watch which shows (or TELLS) the passing of hours and minutes rather than days weeks and months. "Telling" seems to indicate verbalization, but telling is an old word that refers to the telling ot the hours by the TOLLING of a bell as when no-one had a watch or a clock.
Bank TELLERS tell or toll money by counting it--sort of like counting the hours and days of a life. :Why, if I had a dollar for every day of my life, i'd have (here I leave the page to get to my calculator to let it TELL me exactly how many minutes and hours there are in 68 years) Hi!!! I'm back with this happy news---68 years is 24820 days which is equal to 595680 hours or 35740800 minutes and a HUGE bunch of seconds. See, I told you my age by TOLLING up the time segments and telling you on this blog. Wasn't that a bunch of fun????
I am dwelling less and less on health problems as things with my total knee replacement are going well and my abdominal incision is SLOWLY healing, but I am surely NEVER looking forward to any more operations.. 36 major ones and sever minor ones is quite enough, thank you. Sometimes I wonder how I can bear up so well and be such a "WONDERFUL, KIND, THOUGHTFUL, CONSIDERATE, SWEET, LOVABLE GUY AS I AM. I can only put it down to having been born of this day of love-ST. VALENTINE'S DAY in 1941 when the world was at war but all i knew was the love of my parents. Sure glad the love part won out and not the was part. I Love my wife and family more than I can say and more than I deserve!!