I guess I’m just back to wingin’ it again, with reports on the hassles of retirement. For the past few weeks, I’ve struggled with my computer mouse and screen freezes. Every post I tried to make was a hassle in and of itself, restarting the computer over and over again. Plus, I was supposed to be relaxing in Kauai and enjoying family time, so a break from the routine was in order. When I got back home, I called a computer tech to find out what was wrong.

As he explained, my Surface laptop computer has an internal battery that swells as it ages and begins to warp the touch screen to the point that it starts to malfunction. I would need to invest in a new computer! He also offered a used model as an option, so I bought it despite a corner that was damaged, and he transferred all my data and apps. There are still a few glitches but I’m very happy with the outcome, as writing becomes once again a joy rather than a hassle. 

I’m now back in my home office for three months before we travel again. We’re thinking about trading in the 2008 Toyota Solara that we own and going down to one car. One of our neighbors is moving into assisted living and has a golf cart for sale. We plan to buy it as a second vehicle, depending on the price he comes up with. It will simply plug into an existing garage outlet and should save on gas, insurance, and maintenance. Plus, it will be fun to join the daily parade of carts that are currently all decorated for the holidays. We can take it down the street to the grocery store, to the ballpark, and to the downtown area that they’re in the process of building in the adjoining neighborhood. We could even take it to the nearby golf course – if either of us played, so I guess we’ll have to call it something other than a golf cart – maybe an old fart cart!