I shortened this morning’s run to the minimum mile after wrestling with that bush that I removed yesterday. I was just a little stiff and sore when I woke up and saw it as an excuse for a bit of a break in my routine. I’ll do the same tomorrow because I have an early trip to the airport to drop off my family for their trip to Fort Wayne. The kids are going on to Niagara Falls with my first wife. While they’re gone, my son’s car needs some service work before I take it on the 3,000 mile drive up to the Grand Hotel in Northern Michigan. 

I’m next headed to the Chiropractor, Cardiologist, and Great Clips for personal maintenance. I’ve got a few miles on my body that needs some attention. My wife has a tap class this afternoon and is headed to the Ringling Museum with friends tomorrow while I make the airport run. She also has a lunch on Friday so “Matinee Monday” is still on hold, as we’re anxious to see the new Elvis release. Saturday night is our “Meet the Neighbors” get together, as I get back to the standard 3.1 mile running distance and surpass 4,925 consecutive days. 

We continue to watch Hack’s on HBOMax in the evenings, without much going on in our lives right now. There’s one more neighborhood gathering next week as more snowbirds head back to their northern homes, but otherwise we’re resting up for travel. Santana with Earth Wind & Fire are still part of my late August, 71st birthday plans and there’s only 80 days until our month-long Viking adventure to Alaska and Japan. We’re already starting to make plans for next year, mapping out our drive up to Maine, my last state to visit once Alaska has been crossed off the list. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy our resort surroundings and continue the travel countdown. 

Throughout my lifetime, several trees have been planted to honor occasions. I watched a birch tree grow tall just outside my childhood bedroom window and I grew with it. My wife and I decided many years ago to buy a live Christmas Tree and then plant it in the yard. What was to be an annual tradition only turned into a year before we moved, while I remember naming it “Fat Albert.” My sister and I planted trees for our parents in an Elkhart park back in 2006. The Gingko is still apparently growing, with a time capsule buried underneath. Yesterday, we ordered a red crepe myrtle for our front yard for my wife’s birthday, and this morning I spent several hours removing the bush where it will be planted.

Fortunately, my neighbor had made a big deal out of removing a similar bush in his yard. It was a major ordeal involving careful digging around water and irrigation lines, removing a metal cage that protected its roots, and ultimately pulling it out with chains hooked to a pick up truck. I was expecting the worst, thanks to him, but instead it came out rather easily. I had to relocate a few plants, disconnect an outdoor flood light, and navigate around a water pipe in addition to my sprinkler system lines. I will probably need some help lifting it out of the hole once the new tree arrives, but it was not nearly the hassle I was expecting – at least so far!

I do anticipate some sore muscles tomorrow and my chiropractor appointment will probably require more adjustments than usual. However, this major project seems to be well under control despite worries about disrupting driveway pavers and alerting the HOA with a cracked water line. I probably should have gotten their permission in the first place, but it’s sometimes more fun to be a neighborhood rebel.
My wife is pleased with having palm trees in our yard for the first time in our lives. We thought about adding another but ultimately decided on the red crepe myrtle to add some more color and coordinate with our red fountain and urns. It helps our home to stand out a little bit in a neighborhood of similar construction styles.

We have not done holiday tree decorating for many years now, as we were never able to compete with my wife’s sister who always insisted on celebrating the holidays at her house. We grew content with visiting Rockefeller Center every year to get our holiday fix or going to local celebrations where we lived like the Grotto in Portland. Last year, we went to Disney World on Christmas Day, and enjoyed the colorfully lighted palms that line our downtown Venice streets every December. This year we’ll put a spotlight on the red crepe myrtle, along with the palm trees, and not just for the holidays. 

My wife’s 66th birthday is over, however the afterglow will last for a while. No one savors a birthday like she does, and there’s a lot of pressure trying to make the day special. It was easier in the working days when price was no object, but on a fixed retirement budget it’s challenging. There were, however, several birthdays celebrated between jobs and with multiple homes that made glitzy gifts and elaborate vacations impossible. This was good practice for our retirement years when birthdays will likely be less elaborate as time goes on. 

I spent some time yesterday afternoon reading all the poems that I’ve written for her birthdays. Last night’s tribute was number 23 in the series dating back to 1999 when she was just 43. It brought back a lot of great memories and some laughs before we went to dinner. After dinner, we went to the beach and saw the most beautiful sunset, capping off the evening with pralines & cream ice cream at Kilwin’s. 

I think we would both agree that her best birthday (60th) was spent in Bora Bora. On the other hand, I ruined her 50th birthday celebration on Coronado Island with a kidney stone. The very first we spent together turned out special because of some unexpected fireworks during dinner. The second was in New Orleans while I was on business, while others were spent in Chicago, Indianapolis, Decatur, Austin, Portland, New York, San Francisco, and now Venice, Florida. Covid pretty much spoiled  2020 back in Oregon with take-out dinner and in-home quarantine. 2022 was her first birthday celebrated solely in Florida and with a beach drumline into a colorful sunset – the birthday afterglow!

Due to a general lack of interest and rising costs of supporting this Go Daddy site, my blogging days may soon come to an end. I have to renew by SSL certificate in September and upgrade my site’s version of PHP. All these little charges are eating away at my retirement budget. Gas prices are soaring, interest rates going up, and the stock market plummeting. These are all signs of the retirement apocalypse, and a need to make changes in our spending habits. Luxuries like a second car, streaming subscriptions, travel plans, home improvements, and dining out practices all need to be reviewed.  

I’m in a financial Catch-22 where I need to sell 401k stock to pay off credit card debt, debating whether market losses or interest payments are the deciding factor as to when. Either way I’m bleeding money that I don’t have to lose. Travel decisions have already been made for the year and most of the costs fortunately already paid in full. However, there will be some major gas expenses, car rental, and cruise excursions that will still be a factor in this year’s budget. The outdoor kitchen is more than half paid for, but there will be installation costs. I keep telling myself that I can’t take it with me and soon I may just have nothing left to pass along.

I also feel that medical costs are higher than expected as co-pays and visits are beyond expectations. I just returned from an echocardiogram appointment that has raised some concerns. Plus, the thermostat on our heating/cooling system is malfunctioning that will soon lead to paying a service call. These are the true hassles of retirement, while all of it leads to budget cutbacks and more frequent use of the words, “No More!”

Nothing to eat or drink until this afternoon, so I’m trying to keep busy. Skinwalker Ranch is on in the background and I’ll finish Barry Season 3 this morning. My wife will drive me to and from the colonoscopy early this afternoon before I gorge myself for dinner. A steak sounds great right now, but even a sip of water would be delicious. I shortened my run this morning to the minimum mile, feeling weak with an unsettled stomach. The fountain out front had dried up again in the intense heat and humidity. It’s only 84-degrees but feels like 94, even this early in the day. 

Last evening, while a chugged a gallon or so of Gatorade that quickly passed right through me, we watched God’s Favorite Idiot. I felt like that fountain outside – going full blast and then eventually drying up. Fountains seem to play a role in all things related to delicate bodily functions, thinking back to a campground scene and prostrate problems, wishing that we could flow like that fountain in the center of the lake. “Be the fountain!”

I did lose a good three pounds overnight, down to the weight that I should be normally. The problem is that I’ve probably lost a lot of muscle in these last few years, while gravity has played havoc with my spine and posture. Muscles don’t feel as firm and belly flab rolls over my belt. The important thing at this age is just to keep your shirt on!

It’s a day of clear liquids, Miralax, and Dulcolax. The ten-year tradition colon cleansing starts this morning. The shelves are stocked with 7Up, Gatorade, Jello-O, and popsicles for my dining pleasure. I’ll spend this evening on the toilet and tomorrow morning hungry or thirsty until after the noontime procedure. Tomorrow morning’s run will only be a mile. The good news is that I will probably lose a few pounds. 

Chuck joined me on this morning’s 3.1 mile jaunt, but lost patience with my slower pace after the halfway point. He took off down a side road while I stumbled home in the heat. His companionship did push my comfort level a bit, so my times were a bit faster than normal. I just couldn’t find another gear to keep up with him. In my defense, he is about 7-years younger but still a grandfather like me. We commiserated over stock market declines and home maintenance costs. I finished the last mile without music, listening to the shuffle of my feet on the asphalt road surface. Once again, my shirt and shorts were soaked in sweat by the finish and the pool was a welcome sight. 

Each morning run ends with a daily Wordle puzzle, at least over the last 100 days. I’ve failed on only 2 of those puzzles with my current streak of over 30-consecutive. I also do five 7-Little Word puzzles every day, plus Quordle, and Octordal. Everything in my life seems to stem around streaks – running, push-ups, puzzles, and alcohol consumption are the primary factors. I did have a margarita the other night at a Mexican restaurant, breaking another short abstention streak. I don’t seem to have much discipline when it comes to drinking booze – but it’s certainly not allowed until after the colonoscopy.

There is some consolation in knowing that we’re not losing as much in the stock market as would be the case if we hadn’t invested a big chunk of our IRA in this Florida home. Travel is also getting more expensive, although we’re committed to the remainder of the year regardless of the cost. At this rate, all of us retirees will soon be back at work. Fortunately, there are plenty of jobs available, if you can make more than it costs to get to work. It just makes working from home the best option.

I’m not confident that I budgeted enough savings, pension, and Social Security for the long run. Fortunately, at this point, only savings is subject to economic factors, but is flowing out of control like sand through an hourglass. Our outdoor kitchen is on hold until September when our contractor returns from Italy. The garage is now full of venting and appliances for that delayed project. We went to a plant nursery yesterday to look for a red crepe myrtle to replace the bush on the side of our driveway. My wife decided that she wanted it instead of another palm tree out front, opting for some color to match our red ceramic fountain and planters. We’ll push back any plans for backyard landscaping until next year.

Paver sealing is the popular neighborhood project of late, another future home investment for us. Most of our neighbors have been settled here a little longer and are ahead of us on many of these home  improvements. They are not traveling as much as we are this year, so their priorities are different. We have our upcoming road trip, Alaska/Japan cruise, and family get-together in Kauai to deal with yet this year. I think we need to plant a money tree!