New Lesson

I’ve been retired for 2 weeks and of course it is wonderful.  The but is that I’ve not had enough time for myself at home.  I’ve had too many things going on each day.  I also realized I need to stay away from my former work place.  I went back for a baby shower and it was nice to see people, but being there made me feel sad.  I just don’t belong there anymore and need time to process it.  I ran into J at the grocery and he talked about when he retired he went on a trip to decompress.  I had thought about that but since Alan is still working I decided to wait until he’s also retired.  J agreed I should stay away from my old workplace and take time to process my feelings.  I really valued having another retiree to talk with about this.  It was a surprise the feelings I experienced when I was at my former workplace. 

So, the next couple of weeks, I will be careful to keep my days more open.  I am really enjoying my volunteer work with my local board.  I really like the staff and other board members so it is enjoyable while also fulfilling my need to contribute to the community. 

Magnum is growing bigger everyday.  His legs are longer and he looks gangly.  He struggles with coordination at times trying to run too fast or stop too suddenly.  I spent several days weeding my flower garden, which had turned into a jungle of weeds.  I kept putting off weeding and said I would do it when I retired.  So, while I worked weeding, Magnum would grab a weed I pulled and would run with it in his mouth, racing through the jungle and around the yard.  He would do this until he was ready to drop. He was so funny to watch.  Magnum and I have 3 classes a week and he is doing so well in each.  We train for very short periods several times a day.  It is just fun. I’m trying to remember to take lots of pictures.  He seems bigger each day.

So, retirement is good and has taught me some new lessons.  

First Day of Retirement

The first day of retirement was unexpected.  I started out in the hot tub, which I hadn’t done on a weekday since I got Magnum because he needed my time.  Then went for a bike ride.  I was ready for yoga and a meeting with E and let Shadow and Magnum out in the garage while I went to get laundry to hang-up outside.  When I came out there was a yellow dog, young intact male.  He looked about 9 months to a year, very friendly, but what was he doing in my yard?  I immediately put Magnum in his crate – worried about disease and other things.  The dog kept going up to Shadow and she growled and gave him an ugly bark when he got in her face.  He seemed to know something was different with her and kept putting his face next to hers.  So I grabbed Shadow and put her in the house.  In the fight or fright department, Shadow is a fighter.  With her blindness, she is unable to tell what is a real threat.  I didn't need to have my girl in a fight.

Kinsey is the mellow girl and thought, hey a new friend to visit.  I hung out the clothes with my new buddy – yellow dog.  I had to leave Shadow in the house when I left, but thought that was the best thing to do.  When I got back, 4 hours later, yellow dog was still there.  I then attempted to chase him away, plead with him, but all to no avail. He hung out in the garage and under the tree with fresh water.

I called my pet sitter D to find out what she would suggest.  From my daily bike rides, I know all the dogs in my area and yellow dog did not belong to any of my neighbors.  On my bike ride I had noticed two dog dishes  in an aisle in a field about a mile from my house.  I think someone dumped yellow dog there.  I decided to call the Clark County Humane Society because they keep dogs longer than some of the other shelters.  They said they probably wouldn’t be out until the next day.  When Alan got home, I told him I planned to feed the dog because he was very thin and starving.  Alan agreed and also thought he was a nice dog.  If it wasn’t for Shadow and Magnum, we might have considered keeping him.  Alan said he looked like he had some pit bull in him, but he was very sweet.

Alan’s perspective was good – he said he didn’t know what would happen to the dog, but we had given him companionship, food and kindness.  The Humane Society came on Tuesday morning almost exactly 24 hours after yellow dog had arrived.  We had given yellow dog 4 meals and lots of dog biscuits while he was with us.  The man was gentle with him and I feed yellow dog biscuits.  The man said the census was low at the shelter, so they would probably be able to find him a home.  Whether it is true or not, I need to believe yellow dog will find a good home.