by Jerry Rade
At the end of the Summer I reached a point where I could retire.
I thought that I had it all figured out and could avoid the pitfalls
that are often encountered by people when they retire.
First,
don't buy a pickup truck.
If you have one, sell it or give it away as
fast as you can. Buy a Smart car. Otherwise you will become the local mover
for friends and family. You also get to clean up after renovations,
bring in topsoil, etc. With a Smart car no one can ask you to help.
Move
away from family and friends.
Otherwise you become free labor. It's
nice that everyone wants to help keep you busy, but no one is wanting to
pay for the weeks you spend renovating their kitchen. It seems that
retirement is often mistaken for free help.
So,
Jana and I mover north to Jasmine's Ranch (not in a Smart car, we have a
Suburban. You try getting two Rotties, a wife, and yourself into a Smart
car). I had great visions of working through the day on our property and
relaxing in the evenings.
My
thoughts were that once Winter hit I could go into semi-hibernation.
Since I no longer had to work I could get up when I chose, have a nice
and relaxed morning, and just putter about for the rest of the day.
After all, I was finally retired, right?
My plan was sound, but I didn't fully consider the missus's thoughts for how my life should now be.
So,
I get up earlier than everyone else and get a bit of time for a coffee.
If I sleep in I miss out.
Then a bit of a walk outside with the dogs.
Back in so the dogs can have breakfast.
Then out for a leisurely one and a half hour walk with the dogs through the bush. Then it's back home and I
usually have to run into town to get more ingredients for the dogs
home-made meals.
After all that I get to have a bit of lunch and then it's back out for
another one and a half hours through the bush with the dogs. And, of course, out
twice in the evening for the dogs' bathroom breaks.
So,
it seems that my sweet, darling wife is making sure that I don't get
bored, and the dogs are certainly enjoying the time spent running
through the briars and brambles.
Articles by Jerry Rade:
The Ups And Downs Of Dog Ramps
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 1) The Rest of the Story
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 2) A Dog In The House
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 3) Maybe Having A Dog In The House Isn't Such A Bad Idea After All
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 4) The New Puppy
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 5) Big B
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 6) JD
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 7) It's A Male Thing
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 8) Females Versus Males
Living With The Dog Mamma: (Part 9) You Can Train A Woman
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