Thursdays are my days to work in the gift shop of our local hospital. The work is easy and mostly enjoyable, although sometimes the cash register and I don't get along. Luckily, since we are all volunteers, we are not held to the standards of paid clerks in stores. So, if I put in the wrong amount and can't get it corrected, or put a candy purchase under the code for books, no one scolds me or threatens to reduce my pay. (Zero minus anything is still zero!) I enjoy chatting with our customers and also with the two other women who work on Thursdays. Dawn and I worked together at the thrift shop which the hospital auxiliary ran. When it closed a couple of years ago we moved over to the gift shop. Considering how little physical work is involved at the gift shop, it's amazing how tired I am at the end of a 6 and a half hour day. I've gotten really spoiled by retirement. Sure glad I am not working full time these days. Last night, I got home and went for a short walk with Patty. Thursday nights are choir nights, so I then grabbed a bite to eat and headed over to church. Choir is always a pleasure for me, as I love singing and we have a good group of musicians. When I got home, after choir, I was too tired to write anything on this blog.
Today was filled with running errands and having lunch with a group of long-time friends. (You will please note that I don't say with "old friends". We prefer to think of ourselves as mature, not old!) This group has been meeting for lunch for years - it fluctuates in size as we lose members and once in a while gain one. At one time we all belonged to the same church, although we have since left it. Most of us are retired now, only two members are still full-time workers. Like many retired folks, we find we are as busy in retirement as when we were employed. My friends and I take college courses, work part-time as consultants, start new businesses, and volunteer in various areas. We travel, act and sing in community theater, take art classes, garden, visit with our grandchildren and generally keep very busy.
The drive from my house to where we are currently meeting for lunch is a very enjoyable one. Much of the route is alongside a wildlife preserve, so there are trees and fields on either side of the road. Our trees are beginning to turn now. The first to color up are the reds - dogwood, Bradford pear, sumac, and Virginia creeper (five-leaf ivy). Last year we had wonderful fall color. Too soon to know what this year's will be like, but the reds look really good so far.
Our neighborhood is looking colorful as well. My friend Patty has put out her Halloween decorations now, as have a few others in our development. She has gravestones, ghosts, pumpkins, and a sign saying that "the witch is in". I have only a few items - pumpkins and a scarecrow - out so far. I may add a bit more next week. Last year I dressed the scarecrow up as a witch for the occasion. The last few years, it's been so warm on Halloween that several of us have sat outside together on the front lawns after dark, greeting the trick and treaters and combining our treats into one stop. We can sit and admire costumes while we have some snacks and liquid treats ourselves. I find that much more enjoyable than sitting alone in my house, popping up every few minutes to answer the door. Hopefully, this year will be equally mild on Oct 31 and we can be outside again.
2 comments:
Most people (myself included) find themselves busier in retirement than when they worked fulltime....but it's a FUN busy now!!! What a super idea to sit together on Halloween instead of jumping up for the never-ending doorbell. Where we live now has hardly any kids, so we are lucky if we get the doorbell rung twice. At first, it was a big adjustment for us, but now....after a few years of being here, we are okay with it. We had years and YEARS of many MANY kids coming each year in NJ. Usually we'd run out of candy...no matter how much we bought!!!
DH and I have found that we are really too busy since we retired. It is amazing how fast time flies by.
The Fall colours are just past their prime here. We live on a lake and our shore has 30 some cottages and permanent homes. You have to drive two miles through the woods before you reach our area. We are lucky though, as our road is gravel but a very good road. Because of our location, we don't get any children on Halloween. We used to live in a subdivision next to a fairly large city and there, we use to get anytwhere from 70 to 100 children. It is quite different here.
Post a Comment