Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
Latest activity
Classifieds
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Log in
Register
What's New?
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More Options
Advertise with us
Contact Us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
The Range
Firearms Chat
Day Ten of my recent retirement,,,
Search titles only
By:
Reply to Thread
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="TheDoubleD" data-source="post: 3503005" data-attributes="member: 43754"><p>Retirement. What a ride!</p><p></p><p>I was working overseas at the time. I had a deadline coming up in a couple weeks to submit paper work for an extension of another two years in my position. Wife and I had been discussing retiring or extending. I had been working on an extension memo and a retirement application. But we had not made a decision. </p><p></p><p>Got a call from the boss in the US. He spent an hour ripping me up one side and down the other about how we were not doing our job right. At the end of the conversation he told me he wanted my extension memo. I told him the wife and I were discussing it and I would have it in by the deadline. He said he wanted it now, Close of business. I hung up the phone, opened my brief case and pulled out the extension memo and the retirement application. Since it was afternoon where I was- COB was in 20 minutes, it was still morning back in the states. I was forced into making an important decision immediately. So I signed the retirement papers and dropped them in the FAX to the retirement office and sent my boss a CC, and went home.</p><p></p><p>10 o'clock that night, afternoon in the states, I got a phone call at home from my boss all upset, telling me all the problems I had created for him to find a replacement for me on short notice. He actually asked me to retract my retirement app. Ha!</p><p></p><p>I retired March 2008. </p><p></p><p>We came back to the the US and drove around places we had lived or thought we would like to live and finally settled in Montana. We loved the open country and the hunting up there. We even liked the winters. </p><p></p><p>I had been retired a couple of months and was a lost soul. I puttered and piddled around a bit and was moping around the wife annoying her when she said, "Find something to do, or I will find something for you!". </p><p></p><p>The neighbor was a wheat farmer and he took me on for harvest. He put me in a swather and drove me up and down the field for a one pass showing me how operate the machine. He got out, pointed out across the prairie and said there is 25,000 acres out there, when you are finished let me know, and I will put you in the grain truck behind the combine.</p><p></p><p>Been busy ever since.</p><p></p><p>We did the RV trip one time. Didn't know how to do it right. Didn't have the right equipment. Truck broke down. The Wife died on that trip.</p><p></p><p>I stumbled around as a widower for a while. I put on Victorian Rifleman Gathering's in Pennsylvania and Montana. I also did a Cannon shot in Montana. I went back to college for a semester. Then I decided to take on a contractors job in Afghanistan. Did that for a year. </p><p></p><p>On one of my R&R's from Afghanistan, I travelled to Paris, France and meet an Okie gal-married her 11 months later. There is story for the Hallmark Love story channel. We tried to travel back and forth between the two places. OK-MT for a while , but the 1500 mile separation was to much. I sold the Montana house and moved to Edmond.</p><p></p><p>Our life in Edmond is hectic. We have schedule book to keep track of all our activities. Something we often ponder is when did we ever have time for a J-O-B. </p><p></p><p>All during my working career I was told to put away money for retirement, and I did. When I retired I was surprised how much we had. When I was saving no one ever said what you used it for after retirement. After retirement, at first I was frugal and we used it for things like a new roof on the house or added insulation in the attic. I didn't want to take too much out. My late wife had been a stay at home mom and later a stay at home wife. She had social security, but no other pension income. My pension was our sole retirement income. When I passed she would still get a pension, but reduced. I wanted to hang on to as much of the retirement nest egg as possible for her to have it after I was gone. When she passed I wasn't sure what to do with the money.</p><p></p><p>The Okie gal has her own income, I have mine and that makes us comfortable. We have traveled to 35 states putting over 125,000 mile on our two vehicles, mostly on my pickup. We have also travelled to 14 countries. My nest egg money makes that possible for me now.</p><p></p><p>For the past 11 months we have been isolating. For a retired couple with reasonably good health it has been hard. But it is amazing how many little projects that were left undone around here, are now getting done.</p><p></p><p>One of the new obligations I took on in retirement is to make sure the dogs get there nap-every day at 1 o'clock. Tough job but it must be done.</p><p></p><p>So there is my story. To sum it up, retirement is not for the weak or timid. When you are retired, you no longer get weekends and holidays off, no vacation time or sick leave. Every day is a retirement day. You must show up-unless you get a job or die, and I have no intention of doing either one of those anytime soon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheDoubleD, post: 3503005, member: 43754"] Retirement. What a ride! I was working overseas at the time. I had a deadline coming up in a couple weeks to submit paper work for an extension of another two years in my position. Wife and I had been discussing retiring or extending. I had been working on an extension memo and a retirement application. But we had not made a decision. Got a call from the boss in the US. He spent an hour ripping me up one side and down the other about how we were not doing our job right. At the end of the conversation he told me he wanted my extension memo. I told him the wife and I were discussing it and I would have it in by the deadline. He said he wanted it now, Close of business. I hung up the phone, opened my brief case and pulled out the extension memo and the retirement application. Since it was afternoon where I was- COB was in 20 minutes, it was still morning back in the states. I was forced into making an important decision immediately. So I signed the retirement papers and dropped them in the FAX to the retirement office and sent my boss a CC, and went home. 10 o'clock that night, afternoon in the states, I got a phone call at home from my boss all upset, telling me all the problems I had created for him to find a replacement for me on short notice. He actually asked me to retract my retirement app. Ha! I retired March 2008. We came back to the the US and drove around places we had lived or thought we would like to live and finally settled in Montana. We loved the open country and the hunting up there. We even liked the winters. I had been retired a couple of months and was a lost soul. I puttered and piddled around a bit and was moping around the wife annoying her when she said, "Find something to do, or I will find something for you!". The neighbor was a wheat farmer and he took me on for harvest. He put me in a swather and drove me up and down the field for a one pass showing me how operate the machine. He got out, pointed out across the prairie and said there is 25,000 acres out there, when you are finished let me know, and I will put you in the grain truck behind the combine. Been busy ever since. We did the RV trip one time. Didn't know how to do it right. Didn't have the right equipment. Truck broke down. The Wife died on that trip. I stumbled around as a widower for a while. I put on Victorian Rifleman Gathering's in Pennsylvania and Montana. I also did a Cannon shot in Montana. I went back to college for a semester. Then I decided to take on a contractors job in Afghanistan. Did that for a year. On one of my R&R's from Afghanistan, I travelled to Paris, France and meet an Okie gal-married her 11 months later. There is story for the Hallmark Love story channel. We tried to travel back and forth between the two places. OK-MT for a while , but the 1500 mile separation was to much. I sold the Montana house and moved to Edmond. Our life in Edmond is hectic. We have schedule book to keep track of all our activities. Something we often ponder is when did we ever have time for a J-O-B. All during my working career I was told to put away money for retirement, and I did. When I retired I was surprised how much we had. When I was saving no one ever said what you used it for after retirement. After retirement, at first I was frugal and we used it for things like a new roof on the house or added insulation in the attic. I didn't want to take too much out. My late wife had been a stay at home mom and later a stay at home wife. She had social security, but no other pension income. My pension was our sole retirement income. When I passed she would still get a pension, but reduced. I wanted to hang on to as much of the retirement nest egg as possible for her to have it after I was gone. When she passed I wasn't sure what to do with the money. The Okie gal has her own income, I have mine and that makes us comfortable. We have traveled to 35 states putting over 125,000 mile on our two vehicles, mostly on my pickup. We have also travelled to 14 countries. My nest egg money makes that possible for me now. For the past 11 months we have been isolating. For a retired couple with reasonably good health it has been hard. But it is amazing how many little projects that were left undone around here, are now getting done. One of the new obligations I took on in retirement is to make sure the dogs get there nap-every day at 1 o'clock. Tough job but it must be done. So there is my story. To sum it up, retirement is not for the weak or timid. When you are retired, you no longer get weekends and holidays off, no vacation time or sick leave. Every day is a retirement day. You must show up-unless you get a job or die, and I have no intention of doing either one of those anytime soon. [/QUOTE]
Insert Quotes…
Verification
Post Reply
Forums
The Range
Firearms Chat
Day Ten of my recent retirement,,,
Search titles only
By:
Top
Bottom