Life is very different with my wife home. On what normally would be a work day, I slept in an extra hour, ran my three miles with a bit more traffic, find I’m a bit behind on my typical writing window, and have had to share my computer. I’m not good at sharing! This afternoon we plan to see a movie  on Senior Citizen Day. I’m waiting on a contractor and the furnace company to do some service work. These are both steps in the moving ordeal that will soon take us into an apartment. Then, we’ll have to adjust to less space, a new neighborhood, and probably more noise. 

Goodwill will be a regular stop over the next few weeks as we purge the closets and garage. Decisions will need to be made on what to do with furniture, books, clothing, coats, and tools that we will no longer have room to store. It honestly feels good to get rid of your stuff and prepare to live with less. However, we will undoubtedly end up with a storage unit, not knowing the next step in the retirement process. Where will we finally settle down, after this my 31st move?

At the end of this week, we’ll be in the Big Apple, enjoying some shows on Broadway. We’ll also meet up with one of the absent couples from our recent Decatur reunion in Steamboat. (See Post #1049). I’m not looking forward to the red-eye, but it’s the only efficient way to get from coast to coast. With a three-hour time change combined with a four-hour flight, if you can get any sleep on the plane it’s a bonus. It’s much easier to get back. By the time we get back, we’ll be scrambling to get everything moved by the closing date on our house. This adventure will simply be a short break from packing and sorting. 

My wife and I have often joked of Senior Citizen Day at the movie theater. Today, we’re going to give it a try. In all those years of working, sneaking off to the movies on a weekday afternoon was nothing but a passing fantasy. Today, it will be a reality when we see Blinded By The Light. The song first appeared on his first album in 1973, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and popularized by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band when their cover hit number one on the charts in 1977. A little Bruce Springsteen will certainly brighten a cloudy day here in Portlandia. Plus, he’s even older than I am, so an appropriate choice for our first Senior Citizen Movie Monday! Bruuuuce!