Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Retired for a year

After a year of retirement, and most of that time at home, I have noticed a couple of things that shouldn’t have but did surprise me.

I spend more on groceries because I usually eat three meals a day at home. I rarely go out to eat, even at lunch. It is awkward to sit alone in any restaurant, I think. I reserve eating out for when family or friends are around. Eating at home, and not wanting to use paper plates much, I also have many more dishes to do. I have a new dishwasher and run it a couple of times each week. And I drink my own coffee instead of grabbing a cup at Dunkin’ Donuts which means I save money, which is important being on a fixed income and all, but I do use a lot of coffee.

By the way, is anyone on anything other than a fixed income ever in their lives? What the hell does that mean exactly, since old folks are always yelling it at public meetings? When was I ever on a flexible income?

I have a lot more clothes to wash. In this hot weather I may sweat through one outfit consisting of shorts and a T-shirt before afternoon working on my home improvement chores. I may also use up another set by bedtime if I’m biking/fishing/swimming in the afternoon or evening. I use beach towels like they are going out of style. When I worked I had a suit for every day and took it to the cleaners maybe once a month. Mostly sedentary work in air conditioning did not mess up my clothes too much. So, I do, at least, two and possibly three washes each week. I try to dry as much as possible on the line in good weather.

Apparently, I mess the house quite quickly hanging around all day. Sometimes there is nothing I can do except make a mess like when I am pulling out old windows for repair and painting but sometimes it seems my very presence means the house gets dirtier sooner than it used to when I went out to work every day.

Don’t get me wrong: I love my house. I enjoy being home. But sometimes it seems like a self fulfilling reality: I have to be home to clean all the mess I make by being home.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Cleaning the barn

I found myself sweeping and reorganizing the stuff in my garage the other day. I know it sounds a little compulsive but it was a ritual taught to me by my late wife Martha. When we lived in New Hampshire and actually had a barn she would march out twice a year and clean it to within an inch of its life. I would follow and do as I was told all the while thinking, “It’s a barn for Christ’s sake”!

Well, it wasn’t just a barn in reality. We parked a car in one side of it to get it out of bad winter weather so that area could get quite gritty to say the least. The other side had barn doors and behind them was screening for an area we used as a sort of screened porch. It’s a French-Canadian thing: sitting in the garage or barn in the summer. And there was a hummock that could be strung across one barn door to be lazed in of an evening. No one wants to sit for a BBQ supper in a dirty, dusty barn!

I spend a considerable portion of my time now-a-days in the garage here in the good weather. I have a workshop there and do any fixing and painting of things, like windows and old wooden boats, which I can drag in out of the hot sun. So it’s actually nice to get organized and clean up.

Either that or it’s another habit I’m finding hard to break.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The habits of a lifetime.

After a year of retirement: Why am I still tempted to hurry? What’s the rush?

Often, when I realize the proper approach to a job will take longer than I originally planned, I get nervous. The work schedule will be all shot to hell! "I need to get this done and move on to the next project" is always my first thought. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that I can now take the extra time required. If I can’t finish the work today, I can finish it tomorrow or the next day, week, month or year.

Recently the weather here was so hot and humid I actually stopped work several times. While sitting reading in the ac family room I suddenly felt guilty. Why am I not getting important things done? What’s the holdup here? Am I simply too lazy for words? Let’s get this done despite the weather.

The Type A part of me seems to be taking longer to adjust to retirement than many other aspects of my personality.