Early Morning Visitor

We live in the country. And so we expect to have some wildlife. And over the years we have had skunks, buzzards, armadillo, a variety of snakes, porcupine, a wandering horse, the neighbors cows and a burrow. But last week, we had a true surprise. A little fox found its way early one morning to our carport. The dogs were inside the house, but saw it and alerted us. I managed to get a couple of pictures. Sadly, this little guy appeared to be sick. I watched it have a seizure right under the car. But it recovered and trotted off. The very nice county animal control office received a call from another neighbor who spotted it. She tried to locate it, but couldn't. It will either die on its own or have to be put down. But it was a sweet faced little visitor to our home.

Purging

I am in the PURGING ERA of my life. It is apparently a cosmic event. Several happenings have aligned or maybe collided in my universe. And surprisingly I have found it to be very relieving. All the things I have felt obligated to save are being re-examined. The furniture, clothes, personal effects of deceased relatives has cluttered my life for several years. My own personal life clutter (toys from my babyhood for example that no longer work, feel good or look good!)is a part of this. And then those mementos of my children's early lives (a box of corasages, now crushed, faded, long forgotten,checkbooks,ticket stubs, etc). So while all of this "stuff" continued to accumulate, the cosmic events unfolded.
I had watched several episodes of a TV show on HGTV called "Clean House" and often heard the host say to people who needed help organizing/cleaning their homes and who were having a hard time ridding themselves of something that had belonged to a dead relative - "This table (substitute chair, picture, coat,etc) is not your grandmother. She's gone and she can't hate you for letting go of this THING! You have her memory. I now, often use those words when I am looking at something and trying to decide on whether to keep it or let it go.
Secondly, I have had to help my husband in dealing with the estate of his mom who lived a very long life and was a collector of many things. As he went through the items she had stored and I saw sadly how much clutter she had left him to deal with, I swore I would not do this to my children. So I began to take a serious look at what I had.
The third event involves the temporary addition to our home of a daughter, grandchild and soon to be new baby, while our son-in-law must work elsewhere and come home when able. This has required a lot of shifting of THINGS to enable them to have some personal room and privacy.
And finally, my husband do have this plan to live between home and a boat (more about that soon). So downsizing is most needed. I have become obessed, I think. I was given a Kindle for Christmas, which I never thought I would like. I have now given myself permission to get rid of the many, many books I have read once, then sat on a shelf to admire (did this satisfy a need to make me look smart to others??)Books are only old friends if you visit them once in a while. I tell myself now to share them with someone who will visit them by holding them and reading.
I have visited several websites about organizing,de-cluttering, simplifying one's life. There is a lot of info out there. Apparently many baby-boomers have over-collected and are in the same situation as me.
I do feel lighter in a way now. I'm not finished. I couldn't yet move into a smaller house if needed. But I'm working on it.

Retirement in the UK

I have found a blog about parellel retirement in the UK. Just as we are considering retiring and living part time on a boat and cruising the rivers of America, there are people in the UK doing the same thing. Well... sort of. They are retiring and living on "longboats" and cruising the canals and rivers of the UK. I listed one of their blogs down below as one of my favorites. Open it and look at the wonderful pictures. Makes me even more ready!!

MLK Day

Lots of people off today to honor MLK. Those of us who were kids in the 60's of course remember this man, his dream, and his death. We certainly went through our share of lost leaders in our time. Thinking of how his death came much quicker than he expected is a reminder to me of how even a man who is devoting his life to doing great things, can lose his life quickly. Would I have wanted him to have not done all of the things he did in his lifetime. Of course not. I'm just sorry he didn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labors. And I am reminded to enjoy mine.

Unexpected Decision

I have acquaintances that retired and moved to Mexico. They loved it. I have friends who bought that property and cabin in Colorado. That is where they and bought a townhouse on the beach in Florida and are rearranging their Texas life to retire in Florida. I know a couple who retired to a nudist community in Florida. And of course, there are the many that bought a big motorhome and now tour the country or travel north to south and back yearly as “snowbirds”.  So as my husband and I approached the years of cutting back on the daily grind of regular work, we began to ponder what our future living situation might be…

Along the way, we had “lake friends” who not only retired “to their boat”, but they went on The Great American Loop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_loop).  We paid only minor attention to their planning, boat purchase, house selling, and even their actual departure. We did, however, follow their two year trip via their flicker journal. Upon their return to our lake, and our subsequent visiting, something changed in us.

I believe, the events in our lives that occur for many people in their 50’s (arrival of grandchildren, deaths of parents and friends, and changes in our interests) coincided with the vicarious journey we made via our friends, and so....our adventure was born. Or at least the initial planning was born.  We are going to join the many retirees who cruise. However, our cruise will not be on the big cruise giants of the ocean, but on our own boat and on the rivers and east coast waterway of the United States.

Welcome 2011

Fireworks on New Year's Eve in San Antonio.
May 2011 be the best year so far, for all of us.