Tag Archives: Retirement

The Day Febreze Became a Household MVP

17 Tuesday Feb 2026

Posted by in Fishing, Kayaking, Life, Nature, Retirement, Uncategorized, Weather

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Four a.m. came early this morning… but who am I kidding? Four a.m. always comes early. I’m convinced 4 a.m. wakes up feeling productive and personally offended that I don’t.

The only reason I willingly get up at that hour is Bible study. Otherwise, if you see me awake at 4 a.m., something has gone terribly wrong — like I heard a strange noise, or I fell asleep at 7 p.m. and woke up confused and slightly offended.

Like usual, I sat there drinking my coffee while reading my morning devotion. There’s something peaceful about that quiet time… mostly because nobody else is awake to ask me where anything is.

After that, I went over the material for Bible study so I wouldn’t show up sounding like I just crawled out of a cave. Which, honestly, is exactly what my brain feels like at 4 a.m.

Since retirement, there are only two things that get me out of bed early.
Number one: Bible study.
Number two: Fishing.

Fishing and I haven’t spent much time together this year. I’ve only been once since New Year’s. The weather has been acting like it has a personal problem with me. Too cold. Too rainy. Too windy.

This week, the temperature is perfect… but the wind is blowing 10–15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Fishing in a kayak in that wind is less “peaceful day on the water” and more “Lord, if You get me back to the boat ramp, I promise to behave better.”

After Bible study, I met my brother-in-law and one of my fishing buddies for breakfast. Naturally, we talked about fishing. Because if fishermen aren’t fishing, we’re talking about fishing… or buying fishing gear… or trying to explain to our wives why we need more fishing gear.

We talked about kayaks and my plan to buy another one once I can raise the money. I refuse to go into debt for a hobby. I like fishing… but not “eat ramen noodles for six months” fishing.

Around 10 a.m., as I was leaving the restaurant, my wife texted me:
“The water is off.”

Not just our water. About 70% of the city.

That’s not a “someone hit a pipe” situation. That’s a “somebody is having a really bad day at work” situation.

I still had errands to run, so a couple of hours later, I made it home. We had a little water pressure, but not much. I immediately filled the bathtub so we’d have water to flush toilets if this thing dragged on.

Let me just say — that was one of the smartest decisions I made all day.

I called the water company.
They said about six hours.

Six hours came and went… still no water.

I called again.
Same report.
Just a new six-hour timeline.

That’s when you know you’ve entered the “Well… this is my life now” phase.

I have to admit, I was slightly entertained reading Facebook comments. Some folks were VERY upset about not being able to flush toilets and how things were getting… aromatic.

When people start describing their house as aromatic, things have gone off the rails.

Ten hours later, the water finally came fully back on.

The whole thing reminded me of visiting my grandparents when I was younger. They didn’t have indoor plumbing. They had an outhouse. If you had to go, you grabbed your courage and made the trip outside to the little wooden shack out back.

And let me tell you… I can still remember that smell. That smell had layers. History. Personality.

Suddenly, our ten-hour water outage didn’t seem quite so bad.

Across Oceans No Problem… But North Dakota Is Apparently Narnia

02 Monday Feb 2026

Posted by in Amateur Radio, Life, Retirement, Uncategorized

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After sharing the news about finally reaching the state of Hawaii, I decided to make a map showing all of my long-distance contacts thus far in 2026. I was pretty proud of it… right up until I realized I had to explain that it does not include my contacts inside the continental United States. If it did, the map would just look like I sneezed ink all over North America.

What really caught my attention, though, is something that makes absolutely no sense to me. I can sit down, turn on the radio, and talk to someone in Italy like they’re sitting across the street. No drama. No struggle. No begging the radio gods for mercy.

But North Dakota?
Alaska?
Hawaii (until recently)?

Apparently, those are protected by an invisible force field.

I’ve tried to come up with logical explanations for this, mostly so I don’t have to accept that radio waves are just messing with me personally.

First — The Antenna
My antenna slopes from East to West. That probably means something very scientific and important. I’m not an antenna expert, though. I’m more of a “put it up, see if it works, and if it doesn’t… stare at it like it betrayed me” kind of guy.

Second — Operator Population
Some states just don’t have as many HAM operators. That makes sense for Alaska and North Dakota. Hawaii is small, and I honestly don’t know how many operators there are. For all I know, there are a handful of guys rotating shifts between operating radios and living their best life on the beach. And honestly, if I lived there, I might not be inside talking on the radio either.

Third — Time Zones (The Real Culprit)
Most of my hunting happens in the morning. There’s about a four-hour difference between Hawaii and me, and about three hours between Alaska. So when I’m wrapping up radio time and moving on to things like work, errands, or pretending to be productive, they’re just waking up and figuring out where they left their coffee mug.

Meanwhile, when I’m making contacts in the East — Belgium, Italy, places like that — it’s the middle of the night over there. Apparently, those operators are either serious night owls, incredibly dedicated to the hobby, or avoiding sleep like it owes them money.

The longer I do this hobby, the more I realize HAM radio is this weird mix of science, timing, geography, luck, and occasionally sacrificing a little dignity while calling CQ for the tenth time in a row.

But that’s also what makes it fun.

Because at the end of the day, I can bounce a signal off the atmosphere, talk to someone on the other side of the planet…
…and still get ghosted by North Dakota.

And honestly, that feels personal.

I Found Hawaii Hiding in the Static

31 Saturday Jan 2026

Posted by in Amateur Radio, Retirement, Uncategorized

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I’m not the type of person who posts something just to make a post. If I share something, it’s usually because it’s something I think is worth sharing — something about me, something about my surroundings, or something that happened that was funny, interesting, or meaningful.

But something happened this afternoon that honestly felt a little bit amazing.

It’s also something I’ve been working toward for well over a year… which means at this point it’s moved from “hobby goal” to “mild obsession.”

Some of you may not know what I’m talking about, and that’s totally fine. I’ve mentioned before that I’m into HAM radio and POTA (Parks On The Air). Basically, operators set up in parks and make contact with other operators. There’s an award if you manage to work a park in all 50 states.

For the past year, I’ve gotten contacts in every state… except Hawaii, North Dakota, and Alaska.

Those three have basically been my radio version of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and that one sock that disappears in the dryer.

There are apps you can download that alert you when one of your missing states is on the air. Sounds great in theory. In reality, it usually means you rush to the frequency just in time to hear what sounds like someone whispering through a pillow… during a hurricane… from 4,000 miles away.

This afternoon, I got a notification that a station from Hawaii was on the air.

I jumped to the frequency.

Nothing.

Just static. Beautiful, expensive, professionally tuned static.

I listened for a while, hoping something would magically appear. Nope. Just more static. So I moved on and tried other POTA stations. Strike out there, too.

So I figured, why not go back and check Hawaii one more time?

This time, I could barely hear him. Like… if I blinked too hard, I might lose him.

So I threw my call sign out there, fully expecting to be ignored, like when you wave at someone in public and realize they were waving at the person behind you.

And then…

He came back to me.

We exchanged information, completed the contact, and right about then, my brain went:

“Wait… did that just happen??”

After over a year of chasing that contact… I finally got Hawaii.

I’m pretty sure if anyone had been watching me at that moment, they would’ve seen a grown adult sitting in front of a radio grinning like he just won the lottery… or at least found that missing dryer sock.

That was a huge accomplishment for me.

Now it’s down to Alaska and North Dakota.

And if today taught me anything, it’s this: sometimes the signal is there… You just have to sit through a little more static, be a little more stubborn, and try one more time.

(Also, if you’re in Alaska or North Dakota and like talking to slightly overexcited radio guys… I’m your guy.)

The “List”

26 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by in Cancer, Photography, Retirement

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It’s spring down here in the deep south.  At least for now.  Cooler temps along with some rain expected next week.  For those that are keeping up, my to-do list is slowly getting shorter; and I do mean slowly. Being that the weather has turned a little warmer, I’ve taken advantage of it and I’ve been doing a lot of work outside.  My back yard is slowly showing itself again.  I’ve spent several days cutting Privet and dragging the limbs to the street.  My back yard has a slight incline so after cutting the limbs I  have to climb this incline so I’m easily winded and I have to take a lot of breaks.  A person in good health would have already finished with this project and moved on but it’s taking me a little while longer.  I’m still not finished with it.  The limb collector only picks up once every other week so I don’t want a pile of limbs just sitting there waiting to be picked up. So, I’ve been working on doing some painting in the meantime.

Like I’ve stated on an earlier post, I’ve started using a task list to help me stay on target.  I must say that it’s making a huge difference.  The weather has a lot to do with what task I work on but as long as the weather stays nice for a few days I’m able to get quite a bit accomplished.  If the weather is cold or rainy I’ll stay inside and concentrate on doing some housework or do some woodworking projects.

Cooking has always been something I like doing so since I’ve retired I make it a point to help the wife with the cooking.  When both of us worked, it was difficult for my wife to create dishes that were both healthy and quick.  She is tired most days when she gets home so her choices for dinner was usually something unhealthy.  Now that I’ve retired, I do most of the cooking during the week.  I do a lot of grilling, very little frying and some slow cooking in my crockpot.  Most of the items I cook is new to both me and my wife so it’s made dinner very interesting.

Life goes on!!

Making Sawdust

23 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Photography, Retirement, Woodworking

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2018-11-28 14.14.17

I must admit since I got married, I have been collecting woodworking tools but I have never been able to find the time to work with them.  I guess my first tool was the table saw, then a few small power tools like a drill, a Skill saw, a Miter saw and the list goes on.  Right now I have so many cordless drills that I can’t keep the batteries up on all of them and they all die.  In fact, I just ordered two new batteries for one of my more heavy duty drills.

Most of my drills came from when I worked.  At first, the company would supply us with cordless drills but when I went to use one, either I couldn’t find one or when I did the batteries were dead because the last person who used it didn’t put it back on charge.  I soon started buying all my tools that way I could lock them all up and they would be there when I needed them.

Anyway, now that I’m retired, I’ve started working on some small projects that were either needed around the house or projects that I’ve seen that I think I could sell at some craft shows.  My first project was, of course, the picture frame.  When I first started making the frames, I just couldn’t get it right.  I was using my miter saw that I bought some twenty years ago, cutting on a forty five but when putting everything together, the last corner was nearly a quarter of an inch off.  I couldn’t figure it out.  I watched Youtube videos on the subject, I was doing everything right but no matter what I did, I was still a quarter inch off on the last corner.

A few years after moving in this house, my dad and I extended our deck on the back of the house.  My dad is a real craftsman.  I’m just an imitation compared to him.  My dad, in order to help with some of the cuts, bought a miter saw large enough to cut some of the six by six posts that were required to build my deck.  After having all the trouble with my cuts for my frame, I decided to do a couple of cuts using his saw, being that he never took his saw home.  I want you to know that that was the prettiest frame that I had made.  The forty-five’s fit nearly perfect.  I went back to my saw and realized that when cutting a forty-five, the blade was square at the fence but as it moves toward the outer edge, it was out at least one-sixteenth of an inch.  When you add all that up, that’s at least one-quarter of an inch out.  No way to fix the saw.  There’s no adjustment for that.  I know.  I took the saw to have someone look at it and there’s no way to fix this.  Luckily, I have my dads saw and the last time I talked to him, he’s given me this saw.

Now that I’ve got a saw that cuts a good forty-five, I started making frames, and a bunch of them too.  All shapes and sizes.  I use plexie glass and real glass.  I’ve even got my mat cutting equipment and different colored mats.  I have a driver tool to hold the picture in the back of the frame.  I have everything needed to make and sell picture frames. And I got bored.

2018-12-31 18.06.33

Next up, a paper towel holder.  Or a poor excuse for one.   The plans call for a jigsaw, which I have, to cut the pattern out.  But, for some reason, I keep burning the curves.  I have a jigsaw that has a scroll feature on it but I haven’t been able to master it yet.  I also have a router and I used a trim bit but it ended up tragically.  It was my first try and I’ll try again I get the nerve.  It was pretty scary, to say the least.  It was so bad that my son, who was helping me at the time, said “Dad? “I don’t think that was supposed to happen”   No crap!!.

2019-01-16 16.36.37

Next up, clothes hamper.  Made from recycled pallet wood.

Don’t look too much at the lid.  I am still working on it.  In fact, I’m still working on all of it.  I’ve spent the last few days sanding on it.  If I had known that my wife wanted it sanded and stained, I would have done the sanding on my bench sander before nailing it all together.  Oh well, It’s giving me something to do.  If everything works according to plan, I should finish sanding tomorrow and start the staining process.

I look at sites such as Esty.com and see some of the prices these people want for items such as this and I think they must be crazy for asking for such an outrageous price.  But, going through everything that I’ve done just to get this far, I’ll have to say that they should be asking for more.  According to Esty, the picture frame should go for $35, the paper towel holder $75 and the clothes hamper $175.  Do I think I’ll get that much?  Probably not.

I’ll up date on both, the clothes hamper and the paper towel holder when they’re finished.  I think my next project will be a much needed foil rack for one of the cabinets.

Life Goes On.

Long Overdue

10 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Cancer, Family, Leukemia, Pets, Photography, Retirement

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It’s been since September since I’ve posted anything so I figured I’d do a little update on what’s been going on. First of all, I went to the dentist today and had some work done and I had to take a prescription pain pill to take care of the pain that I was in.  So, if this doesn’t make sense, that’s why. As stated in my last post, I’ve retired.  I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am about that. I get updates from one of my co-workers every once in a while and let me tell you when I get off the phone with him, it makes me so happy to think that I no longer work at that place.  The management at that place has taken a turn for the worse and it seems that I left just at the right time.  The stress that I felt while I was there is no more.  That within itself is worth retiring over.

So, what is my plan since retiring?  I’ve got several irons in the fire, none of which requires getting up and going to a regular job.  I was blessed with an excellent pension and my 401k didn’t look bad at all either.  I made an appointment before retiring with a financial planner and he told me that I had nothing to worry about.  In fact, I got a little raise since retiring so I think we’re going to do just fine.

On most occasions, I get up with my wife when she gets up to get ready to go to work.  I usually sit and talk with her while she’s eating breakfast.  After she leaves, I usually take a shower and go to the garage and work on some woodworking projects.  I take care of the laundry and try to have dinner cooking when my wife gets home from work.

Other things such as setting up my camera so that it can take pictures of the bird feeder have been another little project that I’ve been working on.  It’s the simple things in life that make it interesting.  My cats and I enjoy watching the birds in the morning while we’re sitting in the kitchen spending time with the wife while she’s eating breakfast.

On another note and this will be the last of this update for now.  My cancer numbers are starting to look pretty good but on the other side of that coin, my iron levels have started to plummet.  I’ve had to do two iron transfusions and had to have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to find out where I’m bleeding out.  Ulcers, I’ve got two bleeding ulcers.  Another pill to add to my pharmacy list.

Thanks for taking the time to read and I’ll post again soon.

Today’s Thoughts 4/27/2018

27 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Photography

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While I’m sitting here waiting for my sleep aids to take effect I can’t help but wonder what life will be after I retire in a few months.  I don’t have anything really planned after I retire other than the norm…such as yard work, paint the house and other odds and ends that needed to get done. My wife thinks that I should maybe find another paying job.  The problem with that is, except for the last few months, I’ve been in and out of the hospital and doctor’s office so much that I can’t build up any vacation time.  Every time I build up some hours something happens and I’m back in the hospital again.  Usually, when I go to the hospital, I’m in there for four or five days with the doctors running all sorts of tests.  It’s always the same results; fluid around my heart and lungs.  They don’t listen to me though, and off I go for a battery of tests.

Anyway, maybe I can find a part-time job, working only three days a week or so.  I’ve even thought about getting my CDL and becoming a school bus driver. Work a few months out of the year and off during the summer.  I think I’d like that.  Except, my wife doesn’t think I’ll like that. Said I don’t have the temperament for it. I’d probably throw a fit and get fired.  Maybe…maybe not.

I’ve tried raising bees.  I’ve got everything needed to raise a couple of hives.  They keep leaving though.  The last hive I had was doing so good. They had made enough honey in the super that I went out and bought a hand crank extractor.  Two weeks later, the original hive was gone and other bees were robbing all the honey out.  No honey for me and no bees.  After three times of losing the bees, I think maybe beekeeping is not for me.  Too expensive just to have the bees leave.

I have an HVAC contractor’s license.  I guess if all else fails I could go into business for myself and work on peoples air-condition units.  I tried that years ago, found out that people want you to do the work for free.  Ended up having to get payment up front before doing the work just so that I would know I’d get paid.  I stayed too busy and plus, I don’t like working in people attics.  Too hot and too cramped.

I did photography work as well for many years.  I did mainly weddings.  There again, people wanted you to do the work for free.  Had signed contracts but yet when the wedding was over, I would spend weeks trying to get in touch with them to get the remainder of my money.  Another thing about weddings.  There were a few wedding that never started on time.  I would tell the bride to be there at noon if the wedding started at two just so that we would have time to get all the pictures done before the wedding.  I had one lady show up ten minutes till two dress in blue jean shorts, wife beater t-shirt and her hair still in curlers.  Remind you now, the wedding started at two and she shows up at ten till still needing to get dressed.

Sleep meds are starting to kick in.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Retirement

06 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

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Only 163 more days. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, although dim, I can still see it. Some days, like today, it seems that it will never get here. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing once I retire but I’m sure it won’t be dealing with some of the crap that I have to deal with now on a daily basis. I know that I’ll have to find something to do otherwise I’ll get as big as the side of the barn. I have several hobbies that will keep me from sitting on the couch and there’s always yard work to do. Maybe I’ll find a job that I can drive people around a couple days a week. Who knows?

Update 3/4/2018

04 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Leukemia, Photography

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I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted an update and I do apologize for that. With my health such a roller coaster and my job is as crazy as it is well, I just haven’t taken the time to write.

First of all, let me say that I’m feeling better today than I have in years.  Seriously, with all the crap my body has been going through, it’s about time.  But, I have a feeling that it’s about to change for the worse again.

We found out that the meds for my CML was causing all the fluid to build up around my heart and lungs; more so the lungs.  In short, the oncologist took me off my meds and my pulmonologist took 1.5 liters of fluid off my left lung.  He left fluid in my right lung due to him not wanting the infection to set in on either or both the lungs.  A heavy dose of Lasix and now my right lung is clear of fluid.  In two weeks I see my oncologist and a new med will be prescribed and one of the main side effects is fluid retention.  Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

At this writing, I will be retiring on August 15th of this year.  After 32 years I’ve finally had enough, well, I’ve had enough long ago but I can officially retire when I turn 55 so I’m turning in my notice.  I’ve got a lot of hobbies so I know I will stay busy.

I’m working on a Youtube video about the tornado that went through our city back in 2011 and I’m doing some test shots with my drone.  Let me know what you think of it.  In the video that I’m working on, I will hopefully show some areas of our city that still shows some damage that the tornado left.  I will also show areas of major improvements that wouldn’t have happened if the tornado hadn’t visited our city.

There’s a lot more going on but I’ll post about it later.  I hope you enjoy the video.

 

Tim