HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY!

I thought I would start the NEW YEAR with a RECAP of LAST YEAR and the RETIREMENT!

HOW IS IT GOING YOU ASK?

The retirement happened one year ago January FIRST 2025

My first thought was how will I keep him BUSY?

He is not one to sit and READ nor watch Television NOR PLAY GOLF!

HOW IS IT GOING ?

Well,I honestly ask myself WEEKLY, because I am not sure!

My first thought was “OH WE CAN GROCERY SHOP TOGETHER AND HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER!

I was getting EXCITED for the TIME TOGETHER!

HE DOES TAKE ME GROCERY SHOPPING,BUT ASKS TOO MANY QUESTIONS!THE OTHER DAY IN THE PRODUCE AISLE HE ASKED,”WHY ARE YOU BUYING MORE POTATOES?”MY reply was “DON’T ASK QUESTIONS!”

THE produce lady who is my FRIEND turned around TO TAKE A LOOK!I saw the smile on her face!He did point out the CILANTRO; I had picked up packaged in a plastic box was twice as much as the fresh bunch!

I did give him that WIN!

GOOD CALL HUBBY!

GROCERIES ARE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH HAVE YOU NOTICED?

I don’t think our HEAD of STATES has ever been in a grocery store……….think about THAT FOR A MINUTE!

I did have an IDEA at the time he retired that he could be our neighborhood HANDYMAN!

HE LOVES PEOPLE and HELPING OTHERS.

HE IS A PEOPLE PERSON!

EVEN TIGRE had thoughts about HOW WILL PAPA STAY BUSY?

PAPA or THE ITALIAN as you know him tells TIGRE to get off the table and to stop scratching the furniture when he is HOME!

So, Tigre HANGS OUT here on his little PURPLE TUFFET trying to be COOL!

NOTE the little purple TUFFET is made out of ANTIQUE coat hooks!

A BRILLIANT IDEA………not mine I found it that way.

SLICING PROSCIUTTO for lunch time HOUSE GUESTS with BETTY!

SHE ALWAYS gets to TASTE TEST!

BETTY is incredibly patient and polite.

Has incredibly good manners for a dog and better than some people I know!

Do you think parents TODAY TEACH TABLE MANNERS?

That would be an interesting survey!

I THINK ALL OF US OVER 60 KNOW THAT ANSWER ALREADY!

ALWAYS A SMILE WHEN WORKING!

Have I mentioned HE STOPPED EATING LUNCH?

WHY YOU SAY?

Because he isNOT MOVING AS MUCH as when he REALLY WORKED!

He would get up at 4 am.Be home by 7:00.pm.Long days for a very long time.

YEARS in fact.I always complained I spent MY LIFE waiting for him to come home.

Now he sleeps until 7:30 or 8:00 am and HE LOVES IT!

I am the one getting up way too early, so we have traded routines basically!

HE took over washing up the dishes after dinner and the POTS and PANS!

Without me ASKING!

He also sorts the laundry on Friday or SATURDAY mornings and starts the washing machine!

WHAT A GIFT HE HAS GIVEN ME!

I FEEL RETIRED!

I still am in charge of the DINNER…………..really my only job!

This photo is from 1987 so the ITALIAN is 27 years old.This is a photo of when he had been working for a few years.With our FIRST BORN.This baby of mine LOVED TO EAT!

See the spoon in his hand.He always ate with a utensil never his HANDS.

He was taught table manners from birth!

When I look at these photos I realize how fast it all really did go!

Did I do what I wanted to do?Did I enjoy what I did?DId I have fun while doing it?

GUESS THATS A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER BLOG POST!

But the SHORT ANSWER IS YES!

With the exception of ONE DREAM!

I SO WANTED A SMALL FARMHOUSE with ANIMALS GALORE!

IT’s TOO LATE as I do not have the STAMINA or ENERGY to care for them now.

Somehow that TRICKLED DOWN to the SONS.

Which makes me VERY HAPPY!

A LITTLE WELDING IN THE GARDEN FOR MY ROSE ARBOR!

As you can see here he rebuilt part of the fence.Trimmed my BANKSIA ROSE back in doing that then decided to make it an arbor when there is practically nothing left of it THE ROSE that is.

At this point all I can DO IS SMILE……..he likes THE MANICURED LOOK.

I THRIVE WITH THE CASCADING, ROMANTIC, LOST GARDEN KINDA LOOK.We couldn’t be MORE different in our opinions!

I HAVE HAD TO HAND OVER THE GARDEN TO HIM……….which was ALWAYS MY DOMAIN.

Yesterday, he started the front yard and told me the two rosemary bushes were DEAD.Could he take them OUT!Sure I said without really thinking……….

I was NEEDED for A CONSULT on a different matter later in the morning on the rhododendrons.One was dragging on the ground and growing through the BIG ONE!Did I want him to make a support for the low growing one?

That would be nice I said, thinking it will give him something to do not that I really wanted more supports showing.Then I saw the DAMAGE!The WHITE ROSEMARYI had purchased years ago from my favorite nurseryman, who is no longer there was now on the street awaiting a garbage bin!Tears started welling up in my eyes as I quickly returned to the house.To give myself comfort I said to ME, MYSELF AND I………..

“WELL, YOU WILL NEVER GARDEN AGAIN SO WHAT DOES IT MATTER? GET OVER IT!”

There has been A LOT of those RUDE AWAKENING MOMENTS for me lately.

It is a HARD REALITY TO SWALLOW because we still feel young in our heads, but the body cannot keep up.I now have MY MOTHER’s BODY of when she was older!Except she NEVER lost her HAIR like I have!I am not complaining just saying that all of a sudden you see yourself in the MIRROR and wonder when did THAT HAPPEN?

THIS IS MY MOTHERS BODY!NOT MINE!

Yes, I am still going through photos.This one is from around 2007 I’m guessing as I am wearing a sweatshirt MY SON brought back from SEMESTER AT SEA for me.We were decorating the CHRISTMAS TREE.So, in this photo we are about 47 years old.Before, the BLOG BEGAN!

SO, YES OVERALL RETIREMENT has been GOOD FOR HIM.He has stayed busy between FAMILY and FRIENDS who need his assistance.

He is NEVER HOME!

Loves to drive and run errands………

BETTY, MY DOG is with him 99% of the time.

Do you have a husband who is retired?How did you cope in that first year?

Any funny stories to share here in the comments?

I have to admit I thought it would be a bit different!

I think I have LESS contact with him now that he is HOME!

Before I got at least TWO phone calls a day and another call to announce his ARRIVAL TIME!

NOW.

Only a call if I have asked him to get some item for me and he has a question!

HE TURNED 66 on JANUARY 2, 2026.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH TO MY WONDERFUL ITALIAN/PAPA!!!

AND ALL YOU OTHER JANUARY PEOPLE!

I KNOW THERE ARE A FEW OF YOU OUT THERE!

NINETTA MY GORGEOUS COUSIN,CELESTE ONE OF MY OLDEST FRIENDS,JILL THE LANDLADY more on her further down and DEE MY DIVINE DEVOUT BLOG READER may you all CELEBRATE IN STYLE and HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR!

MANY CARDS AND DRAWINGS FROM THE GRANDS!

I LOVE THIS PHOTO!

TUBING with THE GRANDCHILDREN.

BOWLING in BIG BEAR for NEW YEAR’S EVE!

WASHING UP AFTER DINNER with his NEW ARM COVERS

FROM HIS FIRST AND ONLY LANDLADY EVER!

When THE ITALIAN first arrived from ITALY he lived with the owners of our company, but the neighbor had space underneath her home in the BERKELEY HILLS that he could rent!THE LANDLADY as we called her back in the day rang the doorbell the other day and I was napping!In my mind it would have been the AMAZON person making a delivery so I did not jump off the bed.The ITALIAN heard the doorbell and answered it!He had NO IDEA WHO THEY WERE, but was making conversation and I too was straining to hear but couldn’t figure out who it was!Plus, I had just dozed off into NEVER NEVER LAND!

The BEAUTY of this story is YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO OLD TO STILL HAVE FUN!

LANDLADY has a BEAUTIFUL LAUGH and has ALWAYS HAD IT!

AS I TYPE THIS TODAY I REALIZE IT’s HER BIRTHDAY TODAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JILL……………you are a REAL GEM and that DOCTOR KNEW IT!

When I was dating the ITALIAN and hanging out at his place this man you see here in the HORSE MASK donned a GORILLA SUIT to court THE LANDLADY!Maybe we can get her to tell us the STORY of WHY HE WORE A GORILLA SUIT in the comments?!!It must have been some kind of JOKE between the TWO OF THEM!I remember a man walking the path to her front door, in said gorilla suit as I sat outside reading!

I do not think I EVER HEARD THE REASON WHY…………….

BOTTOM LINE THEY ARE FUN PEOPLE AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO BE LIKE THEM!

WE ALL NEED TO LAUGH MORE AND HAVE FUN!

When was the last time you dropped into a friend’s home to say HELLO?

JANUARY 2, 2026 the BIRTHDAY FEAST!

IN THE JOHN WAYNE ROOM BETTER KNOWN AS THE DUKE!

Here is a bit of TRIVIA for YA!John Wayne was called THE DUKE because as a child, his constant companion was an AIREDALE TERRIER named DUKE, and firefighters in his GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA neighborhood nicknamed him”LITTLE DUKE” since he was rarely seen without the dog, a name that stuck with him throughout his life.A name he preferred over his given name of MARION MORRISON.”

RIGHT TO LEFT…………..OUR SON, his newly ENGAGED WIFE TO BE,HER ADORABLE SON,THE BIRTHDAY BOY,ME,HER DIVINE DAUGHTER and OUR SWEET LOTTIE.

BE WELL, BE SAFE AND JUST TURN ALL THE BAD STUFF OFF FOR AWHILE IT’s BECOME TOO MUCH FOR ME TO COPE WITH.IT’s making me SO ANGRY which is not good for one’s HEALTH and we all know I have enough S&&& going on for ALL OF US!

I have NOTHING GOOD TO REPORT IN THAT DEPARTMENT SO NO UPDATES TODAY!

MAYBE NEXT BLOG I CAN SHARE but today let’s keep it JOYFUL!

My words for 2026 are MAGICAL THINKING!

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

TO COMMENT OR YELL AT ME SCROLL DOWNWARDS………

THANK YOU!

XOXO