Retirement - is it Really Coming?

Lots of catching up to do!

Let's start with Mother's Day. Can you imagine how many Mother's Day cards there are available for sale? Let me just say that my retirement, added to Larry's retirement has not resulted in a single duplicate card.
Having said that, what do you suppose it means when I received the two cards shown below from two of my sons - one in NJ and one in VA. Doesn't sound too odd, I guess, until you realize that they feature a Mama squirel and her young son at the Dr's office and Mama is saying "I can't get him to stop playing with his nuts."

Inside they read, "Thanks for loving me, Mom, even during my squirrelly phase."

Yes, I received a beautiful necklace from Larry, Colleen, Larry 4 and Julia - as well as a fabulous luncheon with them and Colleen's mom and dad, and a traditionally beautiful card from Tina and Jessica too, but does it say something about me that I find the squirrelly cards just perfect?

And now for Retirement - is it really coming?

I love my husband. I really, really do.

I love him for everything he is and does and ever has been.

I ask God to bless him and to never depart from him.I even recognize that he needs all God's help in order to live with me! :)

That said..................

Tonight as I write this, I have come to the end of a month long preparation for a party aforesaid husband requested.

While I was still working, he retired - just about a year ago. He really wanted a retirement party. He loves parties. So do I. The difference is, I like to attend them. He likes to have them.

Well, no, really, I like to have them too. But I like small ones. I like parties where I get to sit with just a few dear ones (be they friend or family) and chat and enjoy. He likes mighty ones. He likes to have the noise and the commotion of a crowd. After all, he doesn't hear or notice most things anyway - that male way of focusing.I had a really difficult last year of employment and wasn't up to having his party. I promised I'd have it after retirement. Then I got sick - and it lasted too long. Because I wasn't breathing, the housekeeping was not kept up....I fell behind in so much.

Finally, I am paying up. Party day is just about upon us.

And I can barely move!

We've hauled stone, and dirt, and plants and mulch. Lar and our neighbor have built a new patio. The back yard is turning into something really restful and enjoyable and enticing. By the sweat of our collective brows. It started out looking like this.

I was seeing light at the end of the preparation tunnel. Lar was almost done with every last thing he thought he had to do outside and was nearly ready to come in and do the things I desperately needed help with inside.

And then the e-mail came - last night.

Either we go to the farmstead and do some work on our victory garden plot or we lose it. Like NOW!

So this morning by 8:30 AM we were there. Of course, he hadn't bothered to get the rototiller working. So this "donkey" stayed behind digging 25 foot rows (well, just 1 and 3/4 rows) by hand while he drove madly to the neighborhood garden center for fencing and some plants. We got the rows planted, the fencing in, and were home by 10:30. Team work at its finest. And no chance of losing our garden plot.

And now, I am finding it difficult to walk. I am hunched over. My abdomen and groin (sorry - TMI) are aching, and my arms are tingling. But party day is upon us...and then, can I even imagine...perhaps Retirement will begin. Probably not.

That was Friday. Then came Saturday - party day. All the amazing work done outside, we had little use of it all....rain on and off all day. But it really didn't seem to put much of a damper on the day...because Lar did a really decent job of the garage, lots of folks ended up utilizing that area - which is also where we had most of the liquid refreshments set up. And this house has an amazing capacity for party-ers....so it worked out well despite the weather.

We counted about 60 or 65 people in attendance and I have to say that somehow I managed to visit with most of them for a decent amount of time.

We were hoping folks wouldn't feel gifts were necessary, but people were very generous and we will be enjoying a number of meals, some books and lots of wine for months to come. I received a really lovely bracelet from Mike and Tina and Jessica, and Lar had received a beer of the month subscription from them as well.

I created our thank you cards and yesterday we mailed about 24 of them. I love the way they turned out. Started out with a saying I found by Thornton Wilder that really said what we felt.

Printed them and then each went into the ScrapBoss - a tool I have found really useful for scrapping and for card making.

And voila - an end result which was exactly what I was hoping for. Even embossed most of the envelopes to match.

Our caterer, Michael, did a phenominal job on the food - as always - and there were many compliments. He also, as usual, provided so much more food than was necessary that some folks left with dishes, and we have about 5 or 6 meals or more in the freezer. We love his food and hope he stays in business forever! I always forget how well he anticipates absolutely everything and anything we might need. http://cateringbymichaelnj.com/

Mike, Tina and Jessica stayed over night and as a result, we were able to visit long into the night with Larry's family and Mike's and then the next day they assisted in eating up some of the leftover food. Best of all, Mike's family got safely home.

I've been having somewhat of a pity party since Saturday because of the strain(s) in my abdomen and lower back...but each day seems to bring a bit of relief and today - Thursday - we got to the gym, had a soak in the hot tub and a swim and yet more relief is felt. I'll be very glad to see the end of it!

I am hoping to have some pictures to show from our wonderful, fun, loving party, but until then....I am getting this posted....and feel somewhat caught up!