Plans are rarely static

The old saying is, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." It's often true, but sometimes the more things change, the more they change. Take my retirement calculation, for example. 

On the surface, I have 57 total work days, or 11 weeks, until my retirement date. I don't work Mondays, so do the subtraction and we have 46 days. Now let's figure in the new twist. They want to throw me a retirement party on Sunday, May 22. 

You know that after the party, I will not go back into the office. 

So do the subtraction and we have 39 days, less one Friday when a friend is coming into town for one day and I'm spending it with her. So we're left with 38 working days. 

Thirty-eight working days. 

Thirty-eight days I'm not looking forward to.

Thirty-eight bittersweet days. 

I'm excited and sad, contented and regretful, all at the same time. For such a long time, I thought all I'd feel is relief. There is some of that - I'm sure I'll be relieved when I walk out of that party. And my conscience will be clear. I've done the very best I know how to do. 

But maybe the most surprising thing is how worried I am about spending 24/7 with the Man of the Manor. Yes, me and the spousal unit have some different ideas on what MY retirement should look like. I'm sure it will work out. If he annoys me, I can call Deuce and take off for the woods where the man can't follow us. That may seem like a cold thing to do to a disabled person, but it's not if he drives me to it. 

I'm a fan of making lists. I may not follow them with strict adherence, but a list is part of my thinking process. It's putting my thoughts and ideas down so I don't forget them. There is value in that. Does it matter that items on Monday's list don't happen until Thursday? Probably not. The Monday critical items will likely be done first and what falls to the wayside are just notions. I can deal with that. 

So I think I'm off to make a list of ideas for the Summer of '22. Maybe I'll jot down a few things and then engage the spousal unit and see if he has any different ones. We can then "discuss" them. It should make for an interesting afternoon.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Soft ground

We've had a lot of rain this past month. They say one inch of rain equals ten inches of snow. We'd be buried right now if that were true. Weather notwithstanding, I decided to roll the dice and unhitch the snowblower and remount the bucket on the tractor. We have a John Deere 1023 subcompact tractor and I don't know how we managed before we got it. 

There are things to do that do not involve snow. A few spots on the lane need a touch-up of gravel, and I took advantage of a warm day and cut down a tree that threatened to fall across the lane. That wood needs to be cleared and I work smart, not hard. The plan is to cut up the logs and put the pieces directly in the bucket to be transported to the woodpile. The fewer times I need to handle heavy logs, the better. 

Deuce is my constant companion as I work. He sometimes takes himself on a little stroll out the lane, but he's very, very good. He stops when he gets to where the section I share with my cousin connects. How does he know? I spent time teaching him that when he was younger. The extra time you spend in their first year makes for an excellent companion. 

Last fall, the wet weather arrived before we could do a last leaf chopping. This past weekend, I took the John Deere 370 around the yard to do that. At least I tried. The ground is very soft and the mower left tread marks in places. It turns out the strip of grass I want to overseed this spring was the worst. I said tire tracks be damned and did a good chop there. I'm going to roll the dice again and spread grass seed regardless. One of the things on my agenda for this summer is creating a deeper swale for better drainage below that area. 

Planning is a good winter occupation, but now I'm eager to get going. The sale of my mother's house is pending, and I will be happy to be out from under taking care of two houses. Most of the projects planned for this summer are labor-intensive, unlike last year when we screened in the patio. Perhaps I need a spreadsheet or grid to keep me focused. I'll ponder that. It's not a bad idea. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor