My Day in Retirement

Last night I had dinner with some friends from Arbor Springs and they all wanted to know what I had been doing. That is a hard question to answer. During my working days, I spent my day dealing with the technical problems common to all elementary schools. After work, I rushed to the gym and then home to fix supper and prepare for the next day. In retirement, my day is so different. Here's a look at my day in retirement.

12:36 AM - Kenny and I head to Wal-mart for Prilosec. He enjoyed the tacos and salsa at 8:00 the night before, but the spicy food isn't agreeing with him. I always wondered who shopped during the early morning hours, now I know!

1:15 AM - Time for bed!

7:30 AM - Libby is barking. After I drag myself out of bed at her insistence, I remember that the subscription to our payroll program has expired and today is payday. A phone call to the software company is futile - they don't open for a couple of hours. After a quick breakfast, I head to the gym by way of the gas station. Wow, gas is only $3.49! For the next hour, I watch Nip Tuck and sweat.

9:30 AM - With a cappuccino to go from Espresso Lane, I'm off to Wesley Woods to hang pictures. Mama and Daddy moved in March from a 3 bedroom home to a smaller apartment. Many pictures were hung last spring, but there are still lots more. Today 2 decorative fans, 4 plates, 1 clock, 2 molds and 10 pictures are added to the walls of their beautiful new home. Kenny comes by at noon with lunch from Sprayberry's.

12:50 PM - Time to deal with payroll!

1:15 PM - The Church's website is still not working! This has been very frustrating trying to find a solution but by late afternoon the issue is finally resolved. Now I need the time to update the site.

1:30 PM - Time for tomatoes! Our friend, Marshall, has an abundance of late tomatoes and was kind enough to share with us. Last night I peeled, chopped and cooked some for Stewed Sweet Tomato Relish. Time to finish the relish!

Mid afternoon - As I stir the tomatoes, I make phone calls to 4 friends, something I rarely did while working.

4:00 PM - What am I going to do with all these tomatoes? After checking out So Easy to Preserve I decide to try Tomato Jam, but find that I don't have allspice. Thankfully Payton does and he is much closer than the grocery store.

5:00 PM - I stand back and admire the 20 jars of relish and 6 jars of Tomato Jam . But there are still more tomatoes!

5:30 PM - Kenny and I make a quick trip to the Veggie Patch for fresh corn and okra. The okra is sliced and the corn is cut from the cob and added to the tomatoes with chopped onion. After simmering for 30 minutes, the tomato mixture is frozen for vegetable soup that will be enjoyed on cold winter days.

6:45 PM - Baking time! The family reunion is Sunday and I'm taking Granny's Chocolate Cake. Since tomorrow we are having a Weenie Roast at the barn and watching the Dawgs football game, I decide to bake the layers tonight.

7:00 PM - Kenny cooks bacon for what will probably be our last BLTs for the year.

8:00 PM - The cake layers are cooling and the kitchen is clean! I'm ready for a warm shower.

8:30 PM - With a load of clothes in the washer, I sit down for the first time since my 20 minutes on the exercise bike this morning - that is if you don't count my time in the car and at the computer. The evening is so nice that I take my laptop to my favorite spot, the day bed on the back porch, and begin blogging!

10:10 PM - This entry is complete! It's off to the laundry room to put clothes in the dryer and stop by the frig for a glass of wine before heading back to the porch to make my grocery list and plan for tomorrow. Then maybe I'll work on my next blog entry, or update the Church's web page, or check Facebook.