I am retired!

I am retired and it feels good.  It will be awhile before I really know how it feels.  I am coming off the high of a wonderful cookout with staff and a lovely reception planned and carried out by the staff.  They really out did themselves and made my celebration a very memorable event.  I really appreciate all their work, thoughtfulness, and caring.  It means a lot to me. 

Friday, I wasn’t feeling well.  Something was going on with my stomach and my back hurt.  I haven’t been doing my back exercises because I’ve been too busy, so I did all the exercises, then went into town and sat on the bike path in the shade and used my computer. I don’t get good reception at home.  Also downloaded a book onto my new Kindle given to me by the staff.  Quite a wonderful gift! This made me feel like I was retired.  Several folks I know went by and there I was acting like a bum with time on my hands. 

Shadow, Magnum and I went tracking with M in the afternoon, once again in 90-degree weather.  But the dogs were amazing.  M laid a track for Shadow weaving around a line of trees.  As we started, Magnum was in the back of the car barking and I told him to watch Shadow and learn.  Shadow was great.  M said it was neat to stand back and watch her.  It really makes sense to do curved tracks because who really walks a straight line?  But AKC tracks are straight lines.  It was something different and not long.  Hank, the beagle, was great as usual.  He has some really cute ways.  At a turn, I noticed that he looks quickly in the correct direction, and then goes in the opposite direction.  So M just has to stand her ground and he will come back to the correct direction.

When it was Magnum’s turn, he was great.  His track was short and straight, but he was putting his nose down to the ground and joyfully going.  So maybe the old dog can teach the young dog a few things.  This week's plans – yoga 3 times, hopefully swimming in YS pool during adult swim, early morning (6:00 am) bike ride most days, early morning (8) walk, several meetings, and a lunch.  Sounds fun.  And tonight I can stay up and watch Curb Your Enthusiasm!!  

Saying Good By

One week left and I learned at last week’s staff meeting what will be the challenge for me – saying good by to the staff.  I presented a ten-year anniversary pin to M whose anniversary is in September, but I wanted to do it before I left.  I hired her and have always been impressed with her work, promoted her, and just like her.  Toward the end of the presentation I noticed a feeling in my chest and thought, I just may cry.  I held it together and didn’t think anyone noticed.  Then at the end of the meeting I started to thank everyone for their work and tell them how much I appreciated them and I started tearing up and couldn’t finish.  I’ve done all the planning of what I will do, saving money, financial preparation for when I retire, but how do you plan to say good by? 

My analogy for knowing my co-workers is they all represent different books that I have started reading.  They are all interesting and I an enjoying the read.  Now, the books will be taken away before I have finished.  I won’t know how each story finishes.  There will be some folks that I will see, but for the most part many I probably won’t see again.  Our paths may not cross again except for a random encounter.  This is how it works in our society and maybe in most. 

This last week will be hard.  I have a cookout at lunch one day and a reception my last day.  It will help having friends there that I will see again.  It will be hard to say farewell to co-workers and folks from agencies with whom I have worked.  I still have work to do and have been thinking about how to get it accomplished.  Really, that’s the easy part of finishing up 22 years at an agency – it’s saying good by to people that is hard.

I added the picture above for a bright spot.  11 weeks and Magnum says "I own this tunnel!"

Countdown Less than 2 weeks

Less than two weeks to go before I am retired.  I feel like I am in warp speed.  I have so much to do to have everything done and so little time.  But, I feel that the next ED and staff are fully capable and can pick-up where I leave off.  It is hard to believe the day is almost here and it is wonderful.  I am certain that I will miss so many of the staff members.  We hear each other’s stories each day and are in many ways a part of each other’s lives.  I want to know how those lives go about being lived.  Leaving my co-workers is the hard part.

Magnum is now 15 pounds – 1/3 of his expected adult weight.  He’s gained about 5 or so pounds since his arrival.  He is going on 12 weeks old.  He is really enjoying his puppy agility foundation class.  He particularly likes getting to play with classmates before class.  The older puppies are for the most part very good with him.

Shadow really wants me to spend some time training her.  She follows Magnum and me and does the things I ask him like sit, down and come.  I plan to spend time just with her and maybe even tie Magnum to a tree or something to watch us do obedience work together.  He can learn a lot.  Both Shadow and Kinsey remain very good with him.  It is so fun to watch him and to play with him.  I want to enjoy these days of his being a puppy.  

Magnum and Retirement

The last few weeks have been really busy.  A new puppy is in some ways for a few days like having a new baby.  There is the getting up at night to take the puppy out to potty and the need to constantly watch what he is doing.  I have to say we are really enjoying Magnum and he is a great puppy for us.  He is now 10 weeks.  He’s been to the Veterinarian and he started his first class last week.  He is the youngest puppy in the class, but doing better than many.  I try to work at training him several times a day for about five minutes.  He has been trained to run through the tunnel, respond to his name, come, drop stuff in his mouth, sit, down, and touch my hand.  Kinsey and Shadow are doing very well with him and are quite tolerant.  He is a well-behaved puppy around older dogs.  Someone in our class said Magnum was much more mellow than other Springers he’d seen.  This is one of the reasons why we wanted him. Here he is running through the tunnel at 9 weeks.  He loves it.

Retirement is almost here and I am for the most part ready.  Mentally I am very ready and would like to be home with Magnum. I still have some stuff to do at work.  I see myself stepping back from work and involvement with staff.  It is the natural withdrawing.  I have been slowly removing stuff from my office. My replacement is hired, the Assistant Director, and her replacement is hired.  I hope the transition will be smooth.  It will be good when the transition is completed.