1:53 p.m. - 2009-02-21
Reflections on a snowy day
Let It Snow : Lyrics
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.
The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Well, kids....It's snowing AGAIN!
I am so tired of snow. RH (retired husband) and I feel like we have been stuck in this snow for Y.E.A.R.S!!!
Funny, how when you are retired and you don't have to go out 5 days a week to work....how easy it is to get used to staying home. BUT you still have to deal with cabin fever.
Even our 3 cats are picking on each other...and they don't go outside. In better weather, we open the front storm door so they can lay in the sun and I think they miss that. The sun does come through the 3 big windows in the living room in the morning but some days the sun doesn't shine through the overcast clouds. So, the cats are getting feisty too!
I went to the grocery store on Wednesday because this snow was predicted for this weekend. We have plenty of food and snacks and magazines, television, Tivo, books but....it gets so boring when you don't get outside.
It isn't worth trudging through the cold and snow and driving on the slick roads to get out. Not to mention, we are trying not to spend money. We don't have much to talk about either. We watch the news and get irritated with the commentators, especially our local television stations. They are so bad about doing good reporting. Even the local newspaper has become very unappealing. We are seriously considering not renewing our newspaper when our current subscription runs out. It is a waste of money.
All in all, it makes for a boring time.
However, when I read other blogs and that other people are having serious problems...it makes me think. I shouldn't have any complaints about my life being boring when some of my favorite blogs are having trouble with their health, their families, terrible money problems and stress beyond belief. I can't do anything about it except try to be supportive in my comments to them. I do know how stressful it is to be out in the real world, working under difficult conditions, be worried about layoffs and job terminations, trying to make ends meet and pay your bills, having family crisis that you can't control. It all makes for a very sad and exhausting way to live.
Being retired does take a lot of the daily stress out of our lives. Of course, we have our own worries. We have to pay more for our insurance, we have to pay our own dental and vision needs. We have to worry if we will have enough money to live on for the rest of our lives. We have to take care of our health and hope we are fortunate enough to continue to live with only minor problems.
When we were younger, we couldn't wait to get to retirement age. I never realized, though, how much of my identity was tied up with my career. RH and I try to accomplish something every day just to make us feel like it was worth getting out of bed. It might be to clean out some junk drawers or go through old magazines. Yesterday, I found my old address book from when we first got married. It was so interesting to look at the old addresses and yet, sad to realize how many of those people have passed on.
So now the wind is picking up and howling through the trees in my backyard. I guess the lake-effect snow that is predicted for later today might be starting up now.
I read another Philippa Gregory book yesterday...THE CONSTANT PRINCESS. This was about Katherine of Aragon...the first wive of King Henry VIII. Their marriage was annulled as the request of the King when he became interested in Anne Boleyn.
I borrowed 8 books from our library 2 weeks ago. I have read 4 of them, I am halfway through the 5th one and have one more that I will read. Two of the books turned out to be books I didn't care for. I will be going to the library Monday or Tuesday (depending on the weather). I will be looking for more books by Philippa Gregory.
Our step-grand daughter who got married the end of January is now living in a one bedroom apartment with her husband and her 6 month old son. Her husband is in the National Guard and is going to be sent for training and on to Afghanistan by the middle of June. It is going to be a real test for them to be apart.
This is the way it was for many of my generation. Our generation was born during a war and many of our parents were separated for long periods of time. Then when RH and I were in high school, the Viet Nam war was starting. We were fortunate that RH's draft number did not come up. RH did try to enlist in the Air Force but at that time, they were very selective about who they chose. He had some problems with his eyes and they did not want to spend any money on medical treatment in order to take him. So....we did not have to adjust to that type of life. Instead RH joined the local Police Dept. and served for 20 years.
RH is currently scanning photos of our life together. It is amazing to look back at those pictures and realize how much we have changed. Not only have we "grown up" together but we have been friends. Lots of years and hard work, life experiences and memories have made us who we are today. After he has scanned those old photos, I hope to be able to post some of them in my blog. Right now the photos on the computer only go back to 2001.
I guess sitting in a warm house with food to eat, snacks if we want them, books, magazines and movies to watch is not so bad after all.
Enjoy your weekend.
