October 15, 2013

he's home with donuts.....



it's not fall without a trip to the apple orchard, but the funny thing is...we never buy any apples when we're there. instead, i take photos and we always indulge in their fresh warm apple cider donuts. call us weird.


lately, my thoughts are filled with nothing but wanting to write {actually i feel a "need" to write} but i'm not getting anything down on paper or even here on my blog. i blame it on the weather.

when winter arrives here in wisconsin, i hibernate. i don't ski or snow shoe or ice skate. oh sure, you might get me outside to build a snowman or make a snow angel or throw a few snowballs, but that's it. so i find winter a perfect time to get everything done that i didn't do the rest of the year and that includes writing. lots of writing.



i hope my hubby is enjoying his retirement as much as i am. i love having him home with me. you see, now that he's retired, technically...i am, too, but nobody ever really notices when a stay at home mom retires. instead everyone looks at me and says, "so, is he driving you crazy, yet?" well the answer is always a profound, "NO!"

so what exactly did i retire from you might ask? well, anyone married to an executive whose climb includes moving twelve times from state to state will know exactly what i'm not doing anymore. i'm not having babies and moving to a new state when they're only 6 weeks or 9 months old. i'm not coordinating movers on both ends of a full household move or shutting off utilities in an old location and hoping i have the start date correct in a new one. i'm not unpacking boxes only to have them packed back up 6 or 9 or 24 months later to be moved yet again. i'm not finding new doctors or dentists in a new state. i'm not taking kids out of their schools and away from their friends and moving them to a new one while praying they'll be okay. i'm not saying good-bye {with tears streaming down my cheeks} to friends and neighbors. i'm not acting as a single mom while my hubby travels internationally. i'm not finding new teams for our kids to play on. i'm not finding a new person to handle our hair, our insurance, our yard needs, our snow issues, a vet, a groomer, groups to become involved in...and holy crap, the list goes on forever.

could i go on and on and on?  i could, but i won't. you get the picture...and to be honest, because it's all we really knew, we loved moving to new places. we were always telling people that we had "gypsy" in our blood and that we were always one step ahead of the law when they asked,  "why so many times?"

could we move again? of course. will we? well, isn't that the million dollar question of the day. snort.

and now i  raise my glass to everyone who has retired, no matter what they did, or how long they did it... because a job, no matter what, is a job is a job is a job.


i hope you're falling for fall the way we have been. walking and playing in "her" colors and warmth {while swatting the %$&* bees away} have been everyday activities for us and when it ends, well let's just say, there might be tears on my screen.

21 comments:

  1. Content, that's what you are, and it's a great thing.

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  2. We're still waiting for our cool front...I think it's supposed to get here tomorrow. Summer always overstays its welcome in the south. :/ Glad you are enjoying your hubby's retirement; I am doing the same!

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  3. Gail is right about we'll have to alittle longer than you will for the cold to hit...we still have roses, hydrangeas, camellias blooming but it always seems to hit when we aren't looking.
    I am with you on the retirement...I was in a very similar boat and when hubby retired I decided I needed to as well...I think the nicest thing besides just being together is the flexibility in our schedule. We can go when we want to and stay as long as we want to in most cases...It's definitely a fun stage of life...

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  4. Yes indeed. No one really "notices" when a stay at home mom "retires" but I'm glad that you have and you and the man are filling your days with joy and pleasure and living life that "matters". You've both earned it. And your apple orchard photos are "ripe" and "juicy". Love them! xo

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  5. I think the retirement will be the start of a whole new adventure for you two beautiful, active, fun loving people !
    Congrats on a well earned time to enjoy !

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  6. Love that last apple picture!

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  7. Just sounds like you are happy and enjoy being with your best friend. What a nice thing. Your apple orchard pictures are just lovely...and apple cider donuts are to die for! Just had a couple or more :( for the first time last week. Oh my! Delicious and moist and quite possibly, the best I've ever had! *swoon* We made our annual trip to the orchard a few weeks back. Came home with 40ish pounds of honey crisp. We now have an abundance of applesauce in our freezer. Here in NW Oregon, we are enjoying our first real Indian Summer in many years. Amazing!! Crisp mornings, cold nights and warm sunshine by day...heaven!

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  8. We moved 7 times over the past 16 years so I too have been doing much of the same that you did, except we no longer had children at home. Still, finding new doctor, dentist, hairdresser, auto services, etc. it was fun, but hard work all at the same time....so I totally get what you are saying. And, he retired this year only to start his own consulting business. So, he is retired from corporate America but at home more which I like. XOX. I totally get what you are saying.

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  9. The colors are magnificent right now, so yes I am loving Fall.
    Gypsy blood, I think I have a little. There is something exciting about the move.
    Yes, a job is a job is a job for sure.
    Just finished the book you recommended, This I Know by Susannah Conway.
    Whew! Now for some thinking and more writing. Good luck writing this winter.

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  10. Oh, it's a beautiful autumn for you. And that makes me glad!

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  11. You deserve retirement too Beth, after reading your list I was winded. Way too much work. Enjoy those donuts and cider, and most of all, make the best of your retirement.

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  12. Donuts are high on my priority list too. Glad you have this time together to enjoy life.

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  13. I am loving the retired life. Knowing I can get up when I want, even if it's often the same time I did before. I can bake on a weekday -- in the day! If I want to take a road trip, I don't have to ask for time off or be back at a certain time. I can spend hours picking up the house and I don't mind because I'm not doing it on my only "free" days. I can shop at the grocery store before it has the after-work crowds. I can get my hair cut during the day or go to the dentist earlier than a 4:00 appointment. I can take long walks down to the ditch and then stop at Rick's or invite him for lunch. Yes. I'm very happy. And I am glad you and John are, too--though I never thought for a moment you might not be! Happy autumn, my friend. Indeed. It makes me smile!

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  14. You are blessed to have this time...enjoy it (well, it sounds like you are!!!). And apple cider donuts??? OMG...my favorite!!!

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  15. I think retiring sounds really good right now, but sadly it's quite a ways off for us. Not because of age but because of life itself! It sounds like you're enjoying every minute with your husband and you should! Lucky you. Enjoy these deliciously free moments; oh, and those delicious apple cider donuts sound too good to be true.

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  16. Sharing an apple-cider-donut day. THAT is the epitome of retirement, accessorized with romance.

    Love it.

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  17. You paint that life so well with your words, Beth.....what a gem you've been
    to your hubby.....glad you're enjoying the himness happening in your home now:)
    -Jennifer

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  18. so happy for you to have this time together, enjoying the sights and sounds of your beautiful autumn. your words seem plenty good, to me.

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  19. I am so excited for you both. Your love story is very like mine. Not the moves and the executive bits, the love bits. We have our summers home together each year and it is giddy time. Giddy, I say!

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  20. My husband can't wait to retire and I can't wait to have him home with me. We've done the moves and packers . . . we may not have kids but with four animals it sometimes feels like it. Enjoy your time together, Fall is such a beautiful time of year.

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  21. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos! But no pictures of those doughnuts! The weather has been exquisite here too!

    There was a time when I worried about having my husband around all day but now I wish he would retire...

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth