Wife and I took off to visit son and family in Greensburg,PA for a long awaited weekend stay. We had a great time watching Maddux putting on his stage show and the process at bedtime. Just having the time around him fills both of us with a whole lot of love and emotion.
Saturday morning we went to a kids place called Idlewild. It is just a small amusment park geared specially for the younger set. We had a great time on the rides and with a picnic.
On the down side, I had been experiencing some breathing difficulty since cutting grass earlier in the week and Saturday night it got so bad we spent a couple hours in the ER. So I was kind of disgusted with that developement but otherwise we had a great time.
Even with the hospital visit, it was great to see the kids and enjoy some time with them.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Is Retirement Right For You?
It's been a while since I've had anything worth while to post because I just been doing whatever. Nothing too overly exciting. Staying close to home for the moment. I really enjoy puttering around outside, but with the heat this year I was advised by the better half to stay in out of the sun. So of course since I always listen to her advice, that's exactly what I have been doing!
We recently had a charity event for The Carter Wish Foundation which was founded by our niece in rememberance of her son Carter. While eavesdropping on someone's conversation, which is a hobby of mine, after a lady saying that her husband went back to work after retiring for a while. Her statement was I guess he just isn't cut out for retirement. Which brings me to the question Is retirement for you?
Although finances should be considered, they should'nt be the determining factor. It isn't about not having anything to do. Trust me you can find plenty to keep you busy. The gentleman in the above conversation is a firefighter. He loved being a firefighter. So he went back to work and will undoubtedly stay until he is simply unable to perform his duties. That is great! If you love what you do, then by all means keep doing it. Not very many of us have been that lucky in our lives.
I can't tell you if retirement is right for you or not. What I can tell you is I have more time with my family and friends, I am now one of those old guys who just kinda hangs around and talks to everyone, I work a little(but only where and when I want), and I now dictate my schedule. I am not rich by any means and can't go everywhere but I now can go where I am able when I want (as long as the wife says it is ok).
The bottom line is- if you are able to retire and think you want to retire then go for it! You can always go back to work, but you will never get those years back if you don't retire.
Heading to Florida in about a month and a half!! Will let you know how it goes!
Later,
Terry
We recently had a charity event for The Carter Wish Foundation which was founded by our niece in rememberance of her son Carter. While eavesdropping on someone's conversation, which is a hobby of mine, after a lady saying that her husband went back to work after retiring for a while. Her statement was I guess he just isn't cut out for retirement. Which brings me to the question Is retirement for you?
Although finances should be considered, they should'nt be the determining factor. It isn't about not having anything to do. Trust me you can find plenty to keep you busy. The gentleman in the above conversation is a firefighter. He loved being a firefighter. So he went back to work and will undoubtedly stay until he is simply unable to perform his duties. That is great! If you love what you do, then by all means keep doing it. Not very many of us have been that lucky in our lives.
I can't tell you if retirement is right for you or not. What I can tell you is I have more time with my family and friends, I am now one of those old guys who just kinda hangs around and talks to everyone, I work a little(but only where and when I want), and I now dictate my schedule. I am not rich by any means and can't go everywhere but I now can go where I am able when I want (as long as the wife says it is ok).
The bottom line is- if you are able to retire and think you want to retire then go for it! You can always go back to work, but you will never get those years back if you don't retire.
Heading to Florida in about a month and a half!! Will let you know how it goes!
Later,
Terry
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
On The Road To Pittsburgh
The home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I have been told, is a beautiful area. The city is booming right now and things are going well there. The fact that my son just accepted a promotion and needs to relocate to the steel city is a bitter sweet moment for me.
I am so proud of him for his business prowess and the fact that he is the youngest Regional Manager in his company, Prime Communications. On the other hand, I hate the fact that he is going so far away from us. To make matters worse, my grandson of course is going away as well.
My wife and I have had many discussions about how we are going to handle this big change in our lives. We haven't reached any conclusion, but I guess we'll survive.
He is our only child so when he leaves we are it!
We will adapt and survive but it won't be easy.
I am so proud of him for his business prowess and the fact that he is the youngest Regional Manager in his company, Prime Communications. On the other hand, I hate the fact that he is going so far away from us. To make matters worse, my grandson of course is going away as well.
My wife and I have had many discussions about how we are going to handle this big change in our lives. We haven't reached any conclusion, but I guess we'll survive.
He is our only child so when he leaves we are it!
We will adapt and survive but it won't be easy.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Cable vs DirecTV
National Cable Provider ........high speed internet goes out .....can't send anyone for 3 days......so called technician spends 4 hours complaining about what someone else did to the wires in the attic...calls out lineman who works on box outside .......they both leave without restoring service scheduling "rewiring" in 3 more days.....I get home from vacation, spend half an hour chasing cables in attic, find internet cable (which by the way is not connected to anything), connect it to proper cable restoring internet service myself !!! When I called to express my concern to customer service I was treated with disrespect and stupid excuses like the entire thing was my fault!
DirecTV......roofers reinstall dish improperly.....service call set-up for next day.....technician very professional and knowledgable........installs new dish......makes sure all recievers are working....finished in little over an hour....customer rep was very helpful and apologised for my loss of service even though it was not their fault!! DirecTV gets my vote for the best entertainment provider available.
If you ever wondered why everyone complains about their cable service, wonder no more. Even if you got exceptional signal with no interuption, which isn't the case, the fact that the customer service people treat you with such a lack of respect is reason enough to never do business with them again.
I plan to check out CenturyLink for my internet so I can flush this major cable company from my life once and for all.
DirecTV......roofers reinstall dish improperly.....service call set-up for next day.....technician very professional and knowledgable........installs new dish......makes sure all recievers are working....finished in little over an hour....customer rep was very helpful and apologised for my loss of service even though it was not their fault!! DirecTV gets my vote for the best entertainment provider available.
If you ever wondered why everyone complains about their cable service, wonder no more. Even if you got exceptional signal with no interuption, which isn't the case, the fact that the customer service people treat you with such a lack of respect is reason enough to never do business with them again.
I plan to check out CenturyLink for my internet so I can flush this major cable company from my life once and for all.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Special Mother's Day
After my scary experience with not being able to breath in January and a couple nights in the hospital, I spent a lot of time thinking about my own mortality and the people I cherish most. I feel very fortunate at my age to still have a surviving parent, which in this case is my mother. Dad passed in 1999 and I'm still not over that. But anyway. My wife, Patty, and I talked about it and decided that I needed to see Mom more than once a year. So we figured the best time to make a solo visit would be the week of Mother's Day.
The thing that made it even more exciting for me is that she lives in Venice, Florida. I figured I could tell everyone that I needed to make the trip to make sure she was ok and take care of any little chores she needed done. Well as it turned out I changed one lightbulb in the kitchen and put some silicone spray on the tracks of her garage door. The rest of the week was all mine.
I spent that time wisely fishing, lounging at the pool, walking the beach, and of course spending time with dear old Mom. I figured that now between my brother and I this makes me the good son!
I had a great time with her and loved every minute. I think it was kinda special for her to have someone there on Mother's Day as well. The only thing was I missed having Patty along, so I'm not sure if I will go without her again. Now before you think what a rotten person I am for leaving her home you need to know that we both go every year for about two weeks, this was an extra trip just for me.
The only down side was when our son picked me up at the airport he told us he had accepted a job promotion and is moving to Pittsburgh. It's bad enough we won't see him but my grandson sure will be missed!
I sure have gotten attached to that little man!!!
The thing that made it even more exciting for me is that she lives in Venice, Florida. I figured I could tell everyone that I needed to make the trip to make sure she was ok and take care of any little chores she needed done. Well as it turned out I changed one lightbulb in the kitchen and put some silicone spray on the tracks of her garage door. The rest of the week was all mine.
I spent that time wisely fishing, lounging at the pool, walking the beach, and of course spending time with dear old Mom. I figured that now between my brother and I this makes me the good son!
I had a great time with her and loved every minute. I think it was kinda special for her to have someone there on Mother's Day as well. The only thing was I missed having Patty along, so I'm not sure if I will go without her again. Now before you think what a rotten person I am for leaving her home you need to know that we both go every year for about two weeks, this was an extra trip just for me.
The only down side was when our son picked me up at the airport he told us he had accepted a job promotion and is moving to Pittsburgh. It's bad enough we won't see him but my grandson sure will be missed!
I sure have gotten attached to that little man!!!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
What the Hail ?
A couple of weeks ago we got hit with a hail storm that left lots of damage all over the place. It's the first time I ever had to call the insurance to file a claim. Although I had no idea what to expect next, I am pretty surprised about the whole mess.
First it took the adjuster 2 weeks to get out here to check the damage, which I guess is understandable due to the number of homes that were hit during the storm. Except she had called me earlier in the day to postpone the appointment. So you can imagine my surprise when I get home to find her sitting in my driveway. All went well until she gave me a check for only about 2/3 of the estimate holding back "recoverable depreciation" for which I will be reimbursed as the work is completed. My question is what difference does it make how old the existing roof is, costs the same to replace whether it is 5 or 15 years old?
Next the check is made out to my wife and I, as well as the mortgage company. So I need to contact them to find out what the process is with them to get the check turned into repairs. well as we all know by now all I get on the phone is a machine! A week later, after sending them a fax, I get a response from them and now know what is needed to get the check returned.
When I call the contractor I had an estimate from, he informs me that he doesn't have the insurance that is mandatory for the mortgage company to release the check.
So now I need to find another contractor, get an estimate, make sure he has the necessary documentation so we can move forward.
Thanks Mother Nature. Wish it would all just go away!
Oh what a big, fat pain in the butt!
First it took the adjuster 2 weeks to get out here to check the damage, which I guess is understandable due to the number of homes that were hit during the storm. Except she had called me earlier in the day to postpone the appointment. So you can imagine my surprise when I get home to find her sitting in my driveway. All went well until she gave me a check for only about 2/3 of the estimate holding back "recoverable depreciation" for which I will be reimbursed as the work is completed. My question is what difference does it make how old the existing roof is, costs the same to replace whether it is 5 or 15 years old?
Next the check is made out to my wife and I, as well as the mortgage company. So I need to contact them to find out what the process is with them to get the check turned into repairs. well as we all know by now all I get on the phone is a machine! A week later, after sending them a fax, I get a response from them and now know what is needed to get the check returned.
When I call the contractor I had an estimate from, he informs me that he doesn't have the insurance that is mandatory for the mortgage company to release the check.
So now I need to find another contractor, get an estimate, make sure he has the necessary documentation so we can move forward.
Thanks Mother Nature. Wish it would all just go away!
Oh what a big, fat pain in the butt!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Weekend DIY Project
Had a great weekend with the family. It was the Saturday my son and I scheduled to install a fence around my side yard. This fence is vitally necessary since I can't catch my soon to be 3 year old grandson if he decides to split on me. We live on a corner lot with one road being really busy so we just feel better if we have him corralled.
As far as a DIY project goes it wasn't too hard. Just sinking some 4x4 and attaching the fence sections. We went with a picket instead of privacy cause we just don't care for the look of the privacy. We started about 9:00 and finished up about 5:30, actually sooner than I expected cause past experience has taught me that it would take me more than one day. Thanks to my son for handling the brunt of the work. Never could have done it without him, at least not under a week.
That is exemplified very well by my actions prior to him arriving. I had borrowed a gas powered post hole digger from my neighbor. I made sure Friday nite that I could get it running and familiarize myself with the operation. Shortly before my son arrived I decided to dig one hole just to get started. Past history should have made me think twice, however, I didn't. While on my own I managed to almost break half the bones on my left hand. Today I have this swollen, bruised, twisted thing that generally resembles a hand and 5 fingers. How it happened is a long story, why is simple: that's just me. It ain't the first time and won't be the last, but you would think I a guy would learn sooner than later. Guess I'm just power tool challenged!
Anyway, special thanks to my great son for all his help(but after all it is his kid we're trying to protect) and my lovely wife for feeding us and keeping an eye on the grandson all day.
The bottom line is the fence is up, we feel more secure about taking him outside to play, and I haven't gotten any smarter in my old age.
As far as a DIY project goes it wasn't too hard. Just sinking some 4x4 and attaching the fence sections. We went with a picket instead of privacy cause we just don't care for the look of the privacy. We started about 9:00 and finished up about 5:30, actually sooner than I expected cause past experience has taught me that it would take me more than one day. Thanks to my son for handling the brunt of the work. Never could have done it without him, at least not under a week.
That is exemplified very well by my actions prior to him arriving. I had borrowed a gas powered post hole digger from my neighbor. I made sure Friday nite that I could get it running and familiarize myself with the operation. Shortly before my son arrived I decided to dig one hole just to get started. Past history should have made me think twice, however, I didn't. While on my own I managed to almost break half the bones on my left hand. Today I have this swollen, bruised, twisted thing that generally resembles a hand and 5 fingers. How it happened is a long story, why is simple: that's just me. It ain't the first time and won't be the last, but you would think I a guy would learn sooner than later. Guess I'm just power tool challenged!
Anyway, special thanks to my great son for all his help(but after all it is his kid we're trying to protect) and my lovely wife for feeding us and keeping an eye on the grandson all day.
The bottom line is the fence is up, we feel more secure about taking him outside to play, and I haven't gotten any smarter in my old age.
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