Lazy Sundays

Wow, retirement has gotten me in its grip quickly. Today, we skipped church and worked in the garden all morning. I then swam and threw the frisbee to Emma, our golden retriever, a couple of hundred times so she would jump into the pool. For some unknown reason, she won't swim unless we throw a frisbee into the middle of the pool (she'll retrieve it from the edges without any effort). Now mind you, you'll never get the frisbee back from her...her jaws are like steel and she's not giving it up. To get her to give it up, you have to have another one ready to throw. She doesn't seem to mind that we have to get out of the pool and get the one she's just dropped in a shrub somewhere...she's totally focused on getting those babies out of the water and away from us. Occasionally a frisbee will sink to the bottom of the pool and then she will sit by the pool for hours waiting for one of us to rescue it and return it to her. She's exremely patient.

Winston, our Biscuits terrier, used to try to rescue her by running frantically around the pool and trying to grab her tail with his teeth but lately, he's given it up and is just letting her sink or swim. He's more afraid of us grabbing him and throwing him in to swim. He now heads for the doggie door if he sees us getting on our swimsuits or grabbing a towel.

It's a nice life if you can get it.

Retired one week and counting!

It's been a week since my retirement and I've been busy being a gardner, a grandmother, neigborhood babysitter and wife. In my new life, I've started dieting, exercising and devising daily "to do" lists for my husband, Bob. He's had almost 10 years of retirement and has fallen into a lifestyle pattern that I'm thoroughly disrupting.

I've been planning a fairy party (Secret Garden, Hidden Forest) for Sydney's 5th birthday and getting the yard ready for the onslaught of fairies/princesses and Robin Hoods (elves were just too girly a concept for the invited boys). The garden looks great with the pink, purple and blue lace cap hydrangeas blooming along with the lilies of the Nile (agapanthus). Now I have to figure out how to come up with a Sherwood Forest setting.

We've been swimming every day. Bob and I are falling asleep earlier and getting up later. It feels like summer vacation from school. I've reduced the Benadryl to make me sleepy to 1/2 tab and I haven't taken any Prozac for a week-- don't tell Bob! I didn't put on make-up for 4 days!

The only problem that has loomed is that the neighborhood children are drawn to us. We're trying to wean them from visiting when Sydney is not around. Kecia, Jessica and Sydney spent the night with us last night. The neighbors had supper with us last night and lunch with us today.

Maybe I do need that Prozac.