I Sit Beside The Fire...

 I sit beside the fire and think

Of all that I have seen

Of meadow flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall ever see

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen

In every wood in every spring

There is a different green

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago

And people that will see a world

That I shall never know

But all the while I sit and think

Of times that were before

I listen for returning feet

And voices at the door

                    by J R R Tolkien

Let the adventure continue...

There and Back...

 It's a rainy, reflective day...

Thinking back over 45 years of work, I've been blessed to visit all of the 50, plus Canada, Mexico, Cuba, many islands in the Caribbean, Columbia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden, even little Luxembourg. It's been a grand adventure for an illiterate back-side-of-nowhere punk from Wolcott!

And surprisingly, as the kids got older, J was able to adventure alongside to some of the more exotics, on our dime of course. Hawaii, the Caribbean, London, Switzerland, France, South Africa, why even the wilds of Los Angeles!  She became the seasoned tourista while I mostly worked with occasional time off for good behavior!

If you've read any of the early posts, you'll know we both retired the same day back in 2019, bought a dually and RV, then hit the National Parks circuit. We were months into the grand adventure when Covid was turned into propaganda, so we hightailed it home to PA. 

"There and Back" is a theme from Lord of The Rings. It's our story too.

Like Bilbo, we've been blessed to travel and see a lot, and we're both still looking forward to our travel to the Shire.  Though after 40 years of near constant flying, I plan to NEVER get on another airplane...but we still do catch a bit of the wanderlust.

So we continue to do a fair amount of travel, but we limit it to not more than 7 to 10 days at a time now...but generally, we're up for a good road trip!

It's a good thing too, with a beautiful grandaughter down in OK, a handsome grandson up near the North Pole, family in NC, the Great Smoky Mountains calling from TN along with the white sandy beaches of FL whispering for us...each are needing to be visited!

That said, now at 67 and 68 and still a ways off from being full-time hermits, we're both growing a little more content at just being home...living and enjoying a simple life together.

Sometimes that means J working heads down in her quilting office and me trying to look busy working on the property...

...and sometimes it's just sitting together on the porch sipping coffee...enjoying the View from Windy Hill...

Let the adventure continue...

A Shared Path...

Please forgive me for sounding a bit more mercenary than most.  And please don't think me uncaring, nor judge me as unkind...

Somehow at an early age, I came to a basic belief that all humanity is made up of separate individuals, each walking their own unique path through life.  And though each walk a separate path, sometimes they cross or align with others for a period, so we are often sharing our path.

Each came into the world alone and each leave it alone once again.  Yet hopefully from that beginning to end, there were, are, and will be people around you to whom you decide to offer friendship, to some love, and they in turn share their friendship or love with you...while yet traveling their own path.

Still holding onto that belief, I continue joyfully committed to an amazing path - lovingly shared with J - and to whom I'm committed to sharing the path for a lifetime...

Although for most we meet, the path is shared for only a bit - a moment, an hour or a day, some are measured in years, and a special few for a lifetime.

But nevertheless, at some point, each --- WILL --- be forced, often not by our decision, to part paths...even with a deeply loved spouse and cherished children.

The concept, perhaps appearing cold hearted upon first hearing, once embraced can make living life a little less anxious, that final parting a little less bitter...

...and the precious time shared walking a path together - greatly the sweeter!

Though yet...

While continuing to believe the concept, I've shared the path with a few whom I still dearly miss...

And wish for just one more chance to both comfort and receive comfort with a warm, loving embrace...and offer a proper "Good-bye" with words reflecting the depth of my immense gratitude and appreciation for the privilege of sharing a path together...even if just for a while...

Let the adventure - of walking a shared path together - continue...

A Prelude...

Just a quick story...

Our son (who I've never worried about getting off the way) was in his 3rd year at college and doing great. Unfortunately J's hand-me down Accord, which he was driving, finally died.

I took him to pick out a brand new Honda Civic from a friend working at the Honda dealership...our gift to him.

We happened to pass a sleek, pretty little pearlescent 3 year old Prelude on the lot which he big eyed...for the same money.

Good father which I am, I pointed out the virtues of owning the responsible...and brand new Civic...

And of course he listened to me...and I in turn was watching him...so he drove that sporty Prelude home, the happiest guy in the world and hugely appreciative!

He babied that car for the next 10 years and received renewed joy again from handing the keys to a new 18 year old with the same big eyed dream.

I'm generally a dedicated "Function Over Form" pragmatic, but twenty years later with him in his 40's, he told me that he never believed I would buy the Prelude over the Civic.

It remained a memorable highlight for him and he once again shared sincere appreciation.

The lesson, and something to consider...

Though it was the same money...how it was spent had dramatically different results!

Let the adventure continue...

6 Years In...

We retired over 6 years ago...but it feels more like 6 weeks!

Somebody on the tractor forum, (my only social media vice!) mentioned retiring tomorrow...and asked were there any pointers from us "old" retired folk...

It started me thinking, which can be dangerous! 

So based on my View From Windy Hill, a few brief words of retirement advice to my 6 years ago self...

1. Keep moving and stay active.

2. Make a Big Goal list - and a daily ToDo list.

> The daily ToDo will keep you focused and there's a major dopamine rush from checking off the daily stuff being accomplished. 

> But don't let the daily ToDo's prevent doing the Big Goal list!

> It sounds crazy, but we still take vacations from retirement for travel and adventures.  It gives us something special to look forward to!

OBX, Blue Moon Beach in Florida, Intercourse (PA!), hiking The Great Smoky Mountains, Arden's Ranch, and of course hanging with Caleb, mixed in with some fishing, auctioning and seeing the Carolina Jumpers.

3. As much as you love your wife, you're now around her 24 hours a day.  It's going to be toughest on her, cause you're mostly clueless...

> So you'll need to work double-hard on the relationship...don't let the romance die before you do...

4. Every day is a gift from God, in retirement, you can learn to fully enjoy each one.

> From Windy Hill, we've a mile long view to a major state road across the lake.  Still after six years of retirement, I'm generally up at 5am working on that first pot of coffee, just sitting alone in the quiet dark, watching folks driving that road on their commute to work...

...And thanking my Father in Heaven that's it's no longer us...

5. One of my favorite sayings has become "...All we have is time..."

> We worked hard and saved for nearly 50 years, and we have been wonderfully blessed.

And for those 50 years, TIME was always the enemy - there was always too little and never any to waste!

> But now we set the priorities, now we set the schedules, now we determine the deadlines!

> The little stuff doesn't matter any longer! Now we happily keep our peace and sanity whether sitting in a waiting room for a Dr. appointment, waiting in a checkout line...or sitting on the porch watching the deer graze or the cats (who adopted us) lazily bask in the sunshine.

> The passing of time no longer controls us.

Freedom truly is priceless!

And after all, time doesn't matter...we're going to live forever...whether it's here or in heaven...

Let the adventure continue...