I'm Ba-a-a-a-ck

What busy times! I thought retirement was supposed to be a laid back, boring time of life?? Got back late Wednesday. I had trouble sleeping Wednesday night, and finally took a pill about 4:00am. Well, at 10:00am the doorbell rang, and DH nowhere in sight! Stumbled out of bed, grabbed a robe and went to the door to find our neighbour--not someone I know well. He had locked himself out of the house with no wallet, no keys etc. Could he use the phone? The kitchen was a shambles, but in he came and then finally DH showed up . He had been in the basement with no clothes! He had found a pair of pants in the laundry and had come up as quickly as he could. These two talk all the time over the back fence, so I made my escape to let them talk. Then the neighbour had a question about the medical system so, of course, they called me back and I ended up chatting to him for aobut half an hour--in my nightie and robe.

Thursday night we had our Guild meeting. Every May we have what is called a "Treasure Chest". Members donate new and newer items, and receive draw tickets in exchange. They can also buy draw tickets. Everything donated is divided into several purchased tubs, and then tickets drawn to win the tub and everything in it. I was in charge, and had thought that I was going to be all alone looking after all of this, but the ladies fo Ravenesque pitched in and helped me out. I've also re-connected with an old friend at the Guild, after many years apart ( about 45 years when I think about it). We met the week of April 13, 1948, and were childhood friends until our early teens, when she moved away. She had agreed to help out with the Treasure Chest, and then discovered that she had also agreed to help someone else! Anyway, I took in a full cardboard carton of "stuff", but then won one of the chests, so came home with almost as much as I took in the first place.

Yesterday I volunteered to spend the day in the gallery where my stuff is on display (along with a lot of other stuff). Being a long weekend there were only three visitors-and only two of them were tourists. But another volunteer dropped in, so there were three of us sitting there looking at each other. We ended up discussing the most amazing things! Everything from ghosts and how they make their presence felt, the role of creativity on Mazlow's Hierarchy of needs, and the meaning of art. What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday afternoon! And how I have missed discussion like this, since my retirement!

On a sadder note, my SIL called Thursday to let us know that her DH, our BIL, is not well, and has, in fact, been given only a few months to live. While he's not a young man ( 80 years old), it is so sad to think about these men who have always taken pride in their physical abilities, even to basing much of their self esteem on their physical strength, being brought down this way. This man has been very much the family "Patriarch", and I can see some very sad times over the next little while within the family.