Take this job and

Say goodbye.  A little over six years ago I became eligible for retirement, but had been thinking about it for a few years before that.  But, it took until last Friday to make the leap.  I had to give them three months notice, but I had until Thursday night to change my mind.  Two years ago I did decide to retire, but then chickened out.  So, it's been on my mind for quite a while.  Poor Mary has had to listen to all the hemming and hawing for years.  She deserves a license to practice therapy.

There was the playlist (Never Comes the Day, I Shall Be Released, The Thrill is Gone, Don't Come Around Here No More); there were the movies (About Schmidt, Burn After Reading); the presents (flannel shirts and work shoes); the books (Cabin, Self-reliance, Pruning, Walks in the Berkshires).

Anyway, Friday was the big day.  Mary gave me my new business cards ("Jubilado", available for odd jobs, hours 10-noon) on my way out the door.  Packed up, turned in my Blackberry, said goodbye.  The longest weekend.

Joe and Margaret joined us for dinner at Mi Rancho with Peace Corps friends.  Annie sent an e-card, and Joe gave me a rope belt.  And that was that.  Now, onwards.

What else?  We went up to Pittsfield last weekend and saw the first concrete progress, as they tore down the two old additions.  We stopped as usual going and coming and chatted with Grandma who was well and eager to hear all the news.  We saw John and Marilyn a couple of times including dinner at their house (with an ice cream cake to die for).  We saw a small ad in the paper for an "acoustic" concert in Pittsfield and decided to go.  Our surprise was that the show was put together by Mary and Johnny's cousin, Connie Boyle, and featured the national flat-picking champion.

And the news includes Joe giving notice to his current employers having heard word that his security clearance for a USAID job came through.  Margaret is in Kansas City for the NAFSA (National Association of Foreign Student Advisors) where she is escorting a group of Iraqi student advisors.  Annie has been working flat out to make up for time off while she was in China; we understand but have not seen yet, that there are some pretty hair-raising pictures of her in the mountains of western China.

We spent some time (and cash) at the REI sale this weekend, getting bikes and gear for our trip out west later this summer.  Yesterday, Mary and I went for a bike ride along the national mall at twilight; very moving on Memorial Day.  Also spent a fair amount of time in this garden here, trying to push back the weeds before taking off for most of the summer, and then returning to more weeds!  Hey what else am I going to do?  While gardening, I came across a nest of small, tiny newborn birds that look as if they had just hatched.  It was my excuse to stop working, at least there.  

Tomorrow, Mary goes to work and I go back up north, with a friend who started the foreign service with me.  We both need a little time to bang at and tear down walls.  

So, that's it from here; love.  

No turning back!

This morning I wrote to our contractor asking him if he got the fax I sent last week, giving him the final go-ahead to start.  All he wrote back was YES.
 
This afternoon, we got photos from Johnny showing they had indeed started, and the two additions that were falling down are now down.  Permanently.
 
I'm excited.  Mary's nervous and scared.  Maybe it's the same emotion.
 
Anyway, we'll see for ourselves this weekend when we go up. 
 
We forgot to tell the contractor that we need to get into the basement, but that door is now boarded up, since the only way to get to it previously was through the now torn-down kitchen.  Can't think of everything.

Love from down here
 
 

Iraq

Margaret's home.  Yeah!  Sounds like she had a memorable visit.  She said people were very nice, delighted to see her there and ready for her to come back (except her parents!)  She had gone over as part of a project to train educational advisors for Iraqis who would help students who are interested in studying at U.S. universities.

I hope she will write something for you all.  She was in northern Iraq - Kurdistan -and there were terrible incidents of violence while she was there, in Baghdad and in Kurdistan as well.  Everyone she met had had some terrible ordeal.  Anyway, we're glad she's home and I don't want to pre-empt anything she will write.  One of the photos here is of the Citidel in Erbil, the town where she was staying.  It is the oldest continuous lived-in city in the world.  The world.

Joe came out this morning for brunch and we started planning our summer trip out west.  He bought a return ticket from Denver on July 23, so we know that date anyway.

We expect Annie to be home within a day or two.  She had called on Mothers Day and sounded like she was having an amazing trip as well.

Sean came down and spent the night with us this past week, in anticipation of a job interview here in Bethesda.  Hope it went well Sean.  And then he hustled back home for his birthday celebration!  He must be getting close to being 14, right?

We got news that our contractor is going to start on our Pittsfield renovation any moment from now.  Keeping our fingers crossed.

We also went to talk to a financial advisor and he advised me not to retire.  Too late for that.  So it looks as if I may have to do some part-time work for a while.  Who knows?  The sermon today at our church touched on retirement, and the minister remembered a mentor who retired and went to a new home which he called "Meanwhile".  Nice name but I like the name for 5 Hancock Rd better:  "Everywhere you look"

Two more weeks.

Did you all have beautiful weather this weekend like we did?  That meant chores, including my favorite annual job:  cleaning the gutters.  Joe held the ladder for me.

Mary went to a rug-braiding class this weekend near Philadelphia this weekend, and stayed with Grandma on Friday night.  Thank you Grandma!

Did anyone notice?  The Reds are in first place tonight.  

Even if you didn't notice, have a great week ahead.  Love from down here

May Days

We just pulled up to the curb (since there is no driveway) from a night in Pennington/Hightstown where we saw Grandma, David and Paula, Peter and Janet.  Mary said we really only got to Hightstown 26 hours ago.  It seemed longer as we had a lot of chat and eating and then start all over again.

Grandma looks good, healthy and alert, and eager to know all the news about her grandchildren.  Who are, by the way, all doing well, on all sides.

David and Paula had driven down from Rochester, combining meetings in NYC, New Haven and Flemington with a stay in Hightstown.  We ordered out and had way too much food; Mary got a sixteen piece pizza when she normally eats 3 pieces.  She ate all of it this time, just to show us she could.  

Peter and Janet had gone into NYC for Prairie Home Companion, tickets for which Peter had gotten for his birthday.  They met up with Johanna, Sean and Amanda after the show, and ran into a big police barricade.  The next morning, they found out it was an attempted bomb, not too far away from their theater!  

We stayed with Peter and Janet (thank you very much!), but didn't see them until the next morning.  Nor did we see that night all the signs of a recent big birthday around the house - messages and balloons.  Looks like it was a grand time.  We had a slow breakfast with them and caught up on school and politics and work and summer plans.

Speaking of which, we decided to follow Horace Greeley's advice and start John's retirement by going west "old man."  We're toying with tracing the Lewis and Clark route, in the comfort of our air conditioned SUV.  Joe had talked about taking some time off and heading to Montana as well, so we'll have to see if we can get our schedules working.  Anyone else?  We sent away for some literature and are starting our planning/dreaming.

This week, it's travel.  Annie's first, leaving for ten days of vacation in China.  Then Margaret is going to Iraq, for a meeting and conference of sorts with her new job.  

We also got finally good news from our contractor, and he is in possession of all the building permits needed to start our long-awaited renovation.  Looks like it will finally happen.

Feels like summer outside with temperatures in the 90s.  Only four more months of this.  Love it.

Best to you all. Next Sunday is Mother's Day! Happy days!
 
(Oh and by the way, Mary only ate three pieces.)