After 4 years in Retirement, What I Have Learned.

I have been retired from teaching for 4 years now and in that time, I have learned some interesting things.

1.  It is not necessary to be busy every day.  It is okay to have a "do nothing" day.

2.  Mornings are much better when you do not have to rush.

3.  It is not necessary to be rich to retire, being comfortable is good.

4.  Friends from work come and go but true ones are still there after you retire.

5.  Marriage can survive retirement when you learn to let the petty things go.

6.  I have not caught a cold once since retiring from teaching (go figure).

7.  When both spouses are retired, life is easier when you have shared activities as well as separate ones.

8.  I still get asked, "So how do you like being retired?" and "It must be nice to have nothing to do every day."

9.  After retiring from teaching, there are many things I do not miss.  What I do miss the most are the students and their families.

10.  I have earned each & every day of my retirement after working for more than 45 years.

Earth Day 2018

In honor of Earth Day, I could post a lot about how we are caretakers of the Earth.  I could post about how we should use the 3 R's: Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce.  I could post about being aware of climate change, global warming, pollution in the air, water and land.  I could post a lot of facts and data to help some become aware of what we have done to the Earth in the past, what we should do in the future and what we can do right now.  I could post all that.  Instead I will just post a picture from where I live.

taken at the Keweenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan in April, 2018

These are the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, and because of skies which are not polluted, I can view this amazing and awe inspiring performance of nature.  This is why we celebrate Earth Day and make it our responsibility to take care of this planet.

                                                                    Happy Earth Day!!!

In Rememberance of One of the First Ladies with Style and Class

Happy Birthday, AJ!!!

my favorite pic of him (so far)

Happy birthday to my wild child!  AJ is my youngest son and to say that he is different from his brother is an understatement.  He is so brave about so many things-much braver than I was at his age.  And I like that!  He is a super football fan of the Detroit Lions which means he is following in his mother's footsteps in that regard.  He loves cars, trucks and especially jeeps.  He can pull one apart and put it back together.  This is so unlike anyone else in the family.  It is his own specialty.  He has tattoos which I had to get used to but they are quite artistic, I have to say.  He has a big heart for family and friends.

When our children are born, we parents always think about what kind of people we would like them to become.  Our hopes and dreams for them include not just all the positive things we want for them but also the negative things we hope they never experience. 

AJ has surpassed all my hopes and dreams for him.  There have been ups and downs but the ups have outweighed the downs.  I am proud of the man he has become and I am so happy to call him my son.

Happy Birthday, Butch!!!

Happy Birthday to my best friend and husband of 45 years. You are the light of my life and the smile on those gray days. I hope today is awesome for you.

                                         (Don't worry...lawn mowing season is coming!) lol