Retirement Update

So far, retirement is going well. It is taking a little time to adjust---mostly in good ways. My life, as I knew it, has definitely changed. For one thing, since Butch retired, I haven't been on the treadmill once. I always knew I was a creature of routine. I get on the treadmill first thing in the morning. After that, I started my day---make the coffee and tea, unload the dishwasher, run a load of clothes, make breakfast (we've always had breakfast together---even when the girls were growing up we all sat down together), shower and get ready for the day---done by 8 a.m. Sometimes, I worked out after Butch left for work and started my day a half hour later. Now, we get up, have coffee and tea in the living room with the fireplace and a conversation. Very nice, romantic even. But it's definitely thrown a kink in my habits. Add to that keeping the girls this week while Steph is out-of-town on business---has kept me extra busy.

For Butch, the phone has been ringing off the hook. So many people want to "do something" with him. He's had so many meetings with people to discuss ideas and propositions, plus his normal board meetings, he's pretty busy for a retired guy. The girls call him a lot. Sandy and Mindy plotted to call him several times every day and say what fun it is to be able to talk to him just whenever. To that he said, "uh huh"---while not acting irritated. They let him in on the "joke" by the second day. There is something nice about knowing that you are not interrupting anything too terribly important.

I'm even handling the "mess" of having him home. He's a pretty neat guy mostly, but somehow the house always gets cluttered on the weekends. Now it's a weekend every day. I've mentioned in the past how he uses the kitchen chairs as his own personal coat racks. Now the kitchen table has become his office/desk. He has a very nice office upstairs and even moved all of his Central Parking office stuff into it, but he doesn't use it. I don't know why. I don't mind having his computer cord draped across the counter to the table either. I just ask him to clear off his desk so we can have dinner.

Jeanne reminded me that we were going to get back to our stamp collections in retirement. We had put them away when Sandy was born and have just moved the boxes from house to house through the years. When I suggested that, Butch said, "Barb, I don't have time for that!" Of course he doesn't. Between cloroxing the cabinets and drawers from our pesky visitor (which we have never caught in either the live trap or "sticky" traps---that everyone else seems to keep stepping on), making phone calls, and working on his computer, he's very busy.

He's been able to take advantage of some caches as soon as they are placed. He runs out of the house and is so excited when he comes home with a FTF. (Geo-cache talk for First To Find). Since last January, he's found over 325 caches all over the United States and Scotland. His goal is to find a cache in every state. Too bad the weather has been so cold and crappy here. That makes golfing "out" too.

Without the free valet parking, I've been enlisted to do the airport runs---which tends to interfere with my schedule. I was just getting ready to having my days to myself again after the carpool. I didn't even get a day before the retirement happened. Next week he goes to Chicago on Monday and Tuesday to meet with 2 groups. You might know that his going and coming interferes with my schedule. He tries to be accommodating by saying that he doesn't expect me to change my schedule---he can just drive himself and leave the car. I might take him up on that.

Probably the best result of retirement is that EVERYONE (from friends to business associates) is taking him to lunch---and paying! Leave it to Butch to figure out a way to make money (sort of) in retirement! That's my entrepreneur!

I have to say, we're only 3 weeks into it and I'm loving it! Of course, I was gone one week!

Oh, and one more thing. Our microwave (25 years old---original to the house) finally bit the dust. Wouldn't you know it, there's not a microwave made that will fit the spot. Our only alternative aside from major carpentry work, is to buy a countertop microwave and hire a company that builds custom surrounds to encase it. The microwave is pretty cheap---only $125.00. Seems like we paid twice that for our first one in the 70's. It will probably cost us an arm and a leg to have the custom trim kit made. We'll see.

Pictures from my scrapbook weekend soon.