I just got the dust off my ukulele. It doesn’t mean I actually played it, I’m just doing some cleaning today. I have the chords and sheet music for “Stand By Me” sitting on my desk, as my good friend continues to encourage me to play. It’s actually one of my retirement goals, but something always seems to get in the way. I’ve been gone for two weeks and then sliced my middle fingertip on a razor blade. Playing the uke makes my tender, callous-free fingers sore, even without the injury. That’s my excuse this week, but there’s a class coming up at the end of the month that he wants me to attend with him. I know I have to practice. If I did it every day like running, I would eventually get good at it, although my running hasn’t gotten any better. The uke sits by me on its wooden stand staring longingly at me every day. At least today I’m not glaring back at the dust on its surface. 

Cleaning day means time at home and back to the boring old retirement routine that I love. My wife is reluctantly back at work after her two-week vacation, so the least I can do is a little house work and laundry. Tomorrow I’m going skiing, as Mount Hood reported a foot of fresh powder last night. This will be my fifth day of skiing this year. I’m not getting any better at that either! Later this week, we’ll finally see Hamilton, a show that has somehow escaped our attention as self-proclaimed Broadway aficionados. (See Post #454). In fact, it’s embarrassing to our reputation that we’ve waited this long. Someday, I hope to play my ukulele on a Broadway stage, but maybe I’ll have to start with Civic Theater. Wait, first I have to learn how to play it, and that’s not going to happen by osmosis. 

I added a few baseball cards to my collection this week and a few new members to my Jerry Banister Family Tree on Ancestry.com. As you can see, my retirement projects are very diverse. Travel continues to be the major goal, as I’ve crossed many destinations off my bucket list this month, and made specific plans to “x-out” a few more in the near future. In the meantime, I’m content staying home for a few weeks watching documentaries, dusting shelves, writing, and staring at my ukulele. “Stand By Me.” is four simple chords (C, Am, F, and G7) that I should be able to master, instead the lonely instrument sits untouched on a stand by me.