Chores Around the House and a High School Reunion

At home near Fort Worth, Texas...

We have finished the doctor visits, and I am now awaiting another appointment or two with my dentist, Dr. Philno Payne (get it?), who obviously has a payment due on his Mercedes, as he is working on a new crown for me. While my upper right third molar is under construction (my teeth are now officially worth more than Phannie), I have been busying myself taking care of chores around the house. I can testify that such activity continues to be w**k--about which I've already posted as being something that is really meant for someone else.

Since we have a number of friends who are fulltime RVers--a lifestyle we have contemplated ourselves from time to time--I thought I would throw them a bone and post a few photos of my performing these chores, in case they have forgotten why they jettisoned their stick and brick houses and became fulltimers.

Bear in mind that we designed the house and grounds to be as maintenance free as possible, but that doesn't mean there isn't any w**k to be done. I already posted this photo of my weed control technique, which is as close to "mowing" as I plan to get:

There are also cobwebs to be swept:

Hedges to be trimmed (I'm sort of smiling in this photo, but trust me--it's a fake smile):

I was so exhausted from all this w**k, I had to press the lovely Sandy into service cleaning up twigs that fell from the trees during all the rainstorms we've had:

While a good sport about it and smiling sweetly, she has some long held opinions about what constitutes "pink" chores and what constitutes "blue" chores. I can tell you that yard work doesn't fall into the "pink" category for her, and neither does anything on the exterior of Phannie, either. And that's fine with me, as she does the "pink" things inside our abodes very, very well.

Is it coming back to you yet, fulltimers?  Well, if that's not enough to validate your having simplified your lifestyle, maybe this will:

If you've followed this blog for a while, you are aware that we have been victims of burglaries both at home and in Phannie. That, of course, is what caused us to install a rather sophisticated security system and video cameras that watch and record the goings on in and around the house along with some other security features about which I don't need to elaborate here. I'm pointing to a couple of cameras that monitor the driveways:

When we're away, the camera feeds are not only recorded but sent via the cloud as video on our cell phones.

Well, there you have it, fulltimers; you should be feeling pretty smug by now. Do I envy your freedom from this kind of w**k and worry? The answer is yes, but even so, I don't think we will be able to give up what has become a perfect house for us as part-timers. I can't think of anything else we can do to lessen the upkeep and increase our peace of mind. The w**k? I whine a lot, but none of the chores above takes more than a half hour. I probably should just give the complaining a rest, don't you think?

We also made a quick trip to Nacogdoches, Texas to appear at my 50-year high school reunion. It was a fun evening, seeing whom I could recognize; this wasn't always easy, as the years have not been kind to some of them. Others hadn't changed at all, and I'm not sure where I fit in as being recognizable.

We did have the good fortune to be seated at the table of beloved friends Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Sitton and their daughter Pam, whom I have known for more than 50 years. Jerry was not only a high school teacher while I was there, but he is also a pilot. He was one of my instructors when I was learning to fly at age 16. In fact, it was he who signed off on a required instructor's recommendation to take my flight test for a private pilot certificate. A couple of years later, I obtained a commercial pilot's license and multiengine rating before I graduated from high school, and he was a part of that training as well. I thanked him for helping me prepare for what turned out to be a very rewarding career. It was great to catch up with these wonderful folks.


Mike and Sandy Visiting with the Sittons



Mike and Jerry Sitton

 I've also begun to do some planning--something I only do when necessary--for a long trip this summer up through Colorado to Yellowstone and on to Seattle, where we will be boarding a cruise ship to Alaska in July. But more about that later.


Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life, and please forgive me if I don't appreciate it as I should each day.