It’s a chilly Christmas morning, our second celebration while living in Florida.  Last year we were at Disney World with my wife’s oldest daughter and her husband. It was memorable because I screwed up my back. This is our first at home with little planned. We each have a gift to open, as every year there seems to be less and less under the tree. It’s hard to adjust to the retirement fact that money flows only one way – out. 

I did make a reservation yesterday for our night in Orlando before catching a Frontier flight to Las Vegas. That isn’t until March, so we’ll be confined to the state of Florida until then. The snowbirds are starting to arrive, and we have our first meet-up next week in Punta Gorda with Decatur friends. After that, we’ll visit the San Marcos area for time with Elkhart friends, followed by a men’s golf trip to Anna Maria Island with former work buddies. My wife will stay home and entertain a girl friend from Indy, and then Ft. Wayne neighbors will visit. We’ll also take time to see my sister’s new place in Leesburg, overdue from last year, and stop by The Villages for a high school reunion with Mr. B. We’ll be busy but not more than a few hours from home until May for our Nile River cruise. 

I just had a delicious cinnamon roll, baked by a neighbor to make up for all the calories I burned on this morning’s run. Once again, I was all bundled up and alone, with very few neighbors leaving the warmth of their homes. Tally did get to the dog park, as my wife had a rare occasion to wear one of her fur jackets, a memory of when my Christmas gifts were a bit more extravagant. She still deserves the luxuries of life like champaign, but now on a beer budget. Merry Christmas.