It’s a day of boring bliss, as I finally get back into my retirement routine. Everything has gone as expected this morning, after several weeks of routine interruption. I got up at 6 a.m., walked the dogs, ran three miles, ate an egg, opened a bottle of Diet Coke, kissed my wife good-bye, watched the trash pick-up on schedule, and settled into my office chair to write. It was perfect. I might watch some TV, take the dogs out for a walk, and then get suited-up for a cocktail party tonight. I would probably rather stay home and eat a meatless meal tonight, but spousal duty calls, and I’m glad to do it. It’s a work-related function for my wife, who makes it possible for me to remain comfortably retired. 

The past few weeks have been hectic with travel schedules that taken us away from our Oregon home. The weather has also been disruptive, and I’ve had adoption on my mind. My writing has reflected on this difficult issue, and now it’s time to just get back to the basics of enjoying retirement. Our good friend’s daughter just had a new baby and we’ll be out in Grandma & Grandpa’s vineyard tomorrow, clearing the property for the 2018 grape crop. This will provide an opportunity for an early “Leadership Meeting” this week. “Date Night” will go as planned, and we’ll also get to see “The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music.” It’s a sure sign of spring, as the clocks “spring” forward into next week. Unfortunately, this means running in the dark again, just when I was starting to get used to not wearing reflective gear in the morning. The clock is ticking down on the departure of our Mediterranean cruise, so more travel is in the near future.

I’m just going to enjoy a week at home, even through there’s dog grooming and a dentist appointment that will “drive” me out of the house and into the cruel traffic flow. I also have a certified letter to mail and some packages to track down. I did arrange for a trip to Thailand in 2019 yesterday, and would like to get one more day of skiing in next week if possible. These little getaways are the joys of retirement. I also have a baseball card show coming up, but will miss the traditional opening day breakfast. In a way, I’m glad I won’t really have a team to follow in the NCAA tournament, but I will get my brackets ready. Tomorrow night I will do some chicken on the grill to fulfill my weekly kitchen pledge. My dinners the last couple weeks have either been cancelled or terrible, so I will need to rebuild some recipe confidence.

My baby sister is celebrating a another birthday this week. She just retired at the beginning of this year. I did not get to see her when we went back to Indiana last week, so it’s approaching a year-and-a-half of not getting together with my remaining family. She too, is adopted, and was able to reconnect with her birth mother. (See Post #398) I’m still not sure that I want to go as far as she did, but I would at least like to secure more photos of my birth mother and some information on the Marine father. The loss of my parents a few years ago, helps me pursue this curiosity without deviating from my strong loyalty to them.

I finally finished the Grant book, and have moved on to less-taxing subjects. I also binged the Netflix Ozark first season of shows, but I can’t get the Amazon Prime app through Comcast, so I’ll have to wait to watch Justified and Sneaky Pete, or stream them on my computer while we’re traveling. I’m currently reading James Patterson’s All-American Murder, the true story of football superstar Aaron Hernandez. I also bought the new Jonathan Kellerman book “Night Moves,” another of my go-to authors. The treasure hunting brothers did find a ruby on Oak Island, and I think we’re done hunting for Hitler for another season.

I sent my wife three-dozen roses this morning. I almost forgot that I ordered them, as a make-good for being out of town during Valentine’s Day. I was able to get them a lot cheaper than during the high-demand holiday, and she can hopefully also enjoy them all week long. She hasn’t been happy with my last few posts, since I continue to refer to weekends, holidays, and vacations as “hers.” I had to remind her that these events no longer exist in my retirement vocabulary since every day is now the same. I enjoy my time with her, and try to express my love through poetry, but I don’t always use the right words as I continue to expound on retirement, sports, adoption, and pets. I use phrases like “literary freedom” and “literary license” to justify any possible inaccuracies in these daily confessions.