Retired at last!

   I retired December 12, 2018. The first week I wondered what I would do to keep busy, now I wonder how I ever got anything done while I was working. Getting through all the SSA paperwork was a daunting task. I'm looking forward to warm weather so I can get outside and work in my yard.
   I went through a long illness the past two years and lost 35 lbs.. By the grace of God and good Doctors I am now in perfect health and can enjoy my retirement. I'll try to write here more often now. Thanks for reading!

      This is my sweetheart, Lucy. She is either partially deaf or very aloof. She has a routine of going outside each morning at 5:30 and hunting all day and then coming in at 2:30 in the afternoon when I get home and having a snack and a nap. She then goes back out until dark. She loves her Daddy and will generally take a nap on my lap till bedtime. Debs thinks I spoil her. She's just jealous.

 

Tis the season

     I saw this tree on the side of the road today. In all I saw three decorated trees on highway 80. Someone does this every year. In the background is the runway for Greenville Spartanburg International airport. 

      My youngest son called me today with a hot stock tip. This stock comes with an invitation to the annual shareholders meeting. The upshot is that you get to pick the brains of some of the greatest financial brains at the meeting. My son wants me to buy the stock and then let him use the invitation.

     I've been on Hulu and Netflix recently watching old sitcoms. My favorites are Frasier, Cheers, Newhart, Mr. Ed, and Dick Van Dyke. All for now, thanks for reading.

 

     This is my grandmother and all her children. The handsome man on the far right is my father. Simpler days.
     November 22, 1963 I was in the fifth grade and they let school out early. The principal got on our bus and announced that the President had been shot. I was confused and didn't really understand what he meant. Just like on 9/11 the world changed that day. Things haven't been the same since. The age of innocence was over.
     I am off today and tomorrow for Thanksgiving and I'm cooking the turkey in my smoker. Debs got Thursday and Friday. We can't have two Techs off at the same time so I have to work Friday. If you are travelling this holiday I wish you safe travels.
     All for now, if you are reading this please take the time to comment, sometimes I think no one reads and I would really appreciate your comments. Thank you.
    

 

     That just about covers it.
     Debs and I were both off today. We planted a bed of tulips and Debs cleaned house. Last night we went shopping for shoes. We couldn't find what we wanted at three different stores. We found the style we wanted but no one had our sizes. When I get through with this posting I'm gonna look at Amazon for shoes. I used to buy shoes by mail all the time.

      This has to be a government agency.
      I have the day off today and I'm spending it trying to get over a headache. If I get to feeling better I will do some chores around the house. I try to help Debs out as much as I can. She works full time and then has to go care for her mother before she comes home. Thanks for reading.

     Having serious problems at work. It's a shame when you want to just go to work each day and do your job and you  have to put up with someone who gets pleasure from constantly asserting their authority.
     The neighbors chickens are in my yard again. Last Spring they dug up my newly planted garden. Someday soon I'm going to have fried chicken.
     Am I in a mood? Yes, I guess I am.
     Tonight is Halloween. For 30 years we have always had hotdogs on Halloween. I think it started when the kids were young and we needed something quick and easy for Dinner. Anyway it got to be a tradition and we still have it every year. Debs has a recipe for chili and she follows that recipe religiously. I, however, am a dash of this and dab of that cook. Debs gets beside herself when she watches me throw together a meal by reading the recipe and then ignoring it. She always eats it, though and then usually compliments me on the taste. Well, anyway, I hope you all have a Bootiful evening!

 

 

     I remember Spring. It seems like only yesterday. Time flies when you are having fun.

     I saw something today that I couldn't believe. I noticed a pickup truck with two American flags flying from the tailgate and then saw the driver. A full size Panda bear was driving the truck. Whatever you saw today, I got you beat.

 

 

     This is my aunt Mavis, 92 years young with my grandson, Landen and my granddaughter, Chloe. they are the oldest and youngest in our family. Family is important to us as it is to many of you. They may judge you but they never forsake you.

     Fall is in the air, I used the heater in my truck for the first time this fall today. A girl I used to know said it didn't count if you couldn't see your breath. It counted this morning. The okra is about played out and the turnip greens are growing. The leaves are falling and I'm looking forward to cool evenings out on the patio with a fire in the fire pit.

    We recently travelled to Arkansas for a family reunion. 600 miles each way but worth it to see family we had not seen in a while. We stopped and visited Graceland in Memphis on the way. Everyone should make a visit to the home of the King of Rock and Roll. While in Ark we stayed in Searcy and met everyone at the Red Feather Ranch in Pangburn. Our thanks to my cousin, Bobby and his lovely wife Patrice.

    On a sadder note, we recently lost our little Macy. She was hit by a car and died instantly. Our cat, Lucy, sat by her grave and meowed pitifully the other night. Tm his cat, who rarely lets us pet her, would put up with the dog nibbling on her any time. Go figure.

    I'm still a technician working on gas pumps but I hope to retire next winter. More later.

   I got a double knee replacement 18 months ago and then left my comfy office job. Back on the road servicing gas pumps. I really enjoy the freedom on the road and really, really enjoy the lack of stress of the office job.
   We welcomed into the family a new addition last summer. She is solid black and of the feline persuasion. We named her Lucy. She was about six weeks old when she was found under a tree in our friends back yard. If she had been a boy we would have called her lucky. She enjoys hunting in the yard, eating and taking lots and lots of naps.
   My beloved bride has a birthday next week and I have to think of something special for her. Maybe Ill cook her a meal. No good, I already do that. Maybe Ill take her shopping. No good, I already do that. Oh well, Ill think of something. 

Statistics  finally caught up with  me Christmas Eve. I was travelling up I85 and ran into a wreck. I hit debris in the road and my air bag deployed. I lost control of my van and hit two other cars. I ended up slamming into the concrete barrier. Fortunately no one was seriously injured. I had bruised ribs from the seat belt and small friction burns on my hands from the air bag. I spent the rest of the day in doctors offices getting x-rayed and checked out. I've travelled that highway for 11 years without incident so I guess my luck finally ran out.

Here's my sweetheart. This is Macy or as my granddaughter used to call her Macy Facey. She has her own bedroom (otherwise known as the utility room) where she sleeps on a bed with a memory foam mattress and has a heater in cold weather (prevents the pipes from freezing) and air conditioning in hot weather (keeps the freezer from over heating) . It's a dogs' life.
I've got duty this weekend watching out for maintenance needs for Spinx's 85 stores throughout SC. It requires me to log in every 2 or 3 hours and handle any situations that pop up. I seldom go out myself anymore, I just have to dispatch other people to take care of the needs. All for now.

Here's one of my technicians ready for his morning service calls. The first time one of our techs, Tim, was down in a gasoline sump to replace a pump there was a short in a wire and the sump caught fire. Tim is a large guy but it took only microseconds for him to get out of the sump and appear on the sidewalk. In ten years at this job that was the only time I've ever known of a fire. Naturally, it happened to the new guy. That was also the fastest I've ever seen a person move. all for now

This is where I work. This was taken last week when it was 33 degrees. Today it was 68 and felt really fine. My window is the one between the bushes. We are in the process of instituting a new dispatch platform and the growing pains are really fierce.
Deborah and I will celebrate 38 years together this year, she said the other day that she would feel lost without me.....ditto. She is working on a 500 pc puzzle right now. That is the secret to our long marriage..her patience.
I refilled our bird feeder last week and the cardinals have really appreciated it. I will post pictures when I get them. I watched a frustrated squirrel last night trying to figure out how to get to it. Last year I shot 23 of the furry tailed rats in my yard.
I thought that when I inherited the property everything would be cherry. Taxes and insurance quickly put that thought to rest. Well, all for now.

This is the nerve center of our operation. I sit here most of every day. The best part is I don't have to get out in the weather, Today its snowing and 28 degrees and I'm in a heated office telling other people what to do. Fanfreakingtastic! The downside is that it is 31 miles to my home. In the snow. Just had a call from one of my guys that the roads near Travelors Rest were getting impossible so I'll have to ignore service tickets to that area unless they are "critical". In the background is a screen showing where all my trucks are in real time. GPS is great! Well, that is all for now.

well, here I go again. it's been a while since I posted. I am in a new job with the same company. I now handle all dispatching for the technicians. I also handle warehouse operations. Mom passed away a couple of years ago and I inherited all the property along with the taxes and insurance payments.

Twice this week I finished my day by driving home down Highway 11 also called the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. It's a nice way to finish your day.
I had quite a week. I had to change a leak detector on a pump this week that really hard to change. Thankfully the calls were light this week and I was able to get one of the other guys to help me.
I visited Mom this week. She didn't recognise me and when I pressed her to tell me who I was she offered to "Slap your face."

We got our garden planted today. Looking forward to fresh veggies. We ate dinner out on the patio. When I went to unfold the chairs I found a birds nest with 4 little mouths looking up at me. I folded that one back up and left it alone. Above you can see what I face nearly every morning. Thanks for reading.

What a choice, gay or strait? Nothing is sacred in politics. Anyway I'm enjoying a lazy Sunday. I went to visit Mom this morning. She rambled quite a bit and told me she and several dead relatives had planted a garden. I can only imagine what kind of garden ghost plant. I'm getting ready to plant my own garden. Tilled the soil yesterday and got it ready to plant. We are going to plant tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, jalepenos, and cucumbers. Our garden is a raised bed 8' by 8'. It's not much but we have a vegetable stand next door to our house and a generous neighbor running it. We never lack for fresh vegetables in season. Our little side by side freezer is always stuffed with frozen vegetables.