I think that guy's been here before

I was reading the estimate for our new roof, when I came upon this line among the responsibilities of the construction company:

"We will provide a dumster."

I'm pretty sure we've had a dumster or two here before, as part of a painting crew or a tree-trimming crew. And then there was a guy I worked for....

April showers?

Say hello to Bob, featured for April in the St. Paul Firefighters calendar. Proceeds from the calendar benefit the fights against cystic fibrosis and autism.

More wonders of technology

Augie's mom explained to him that his four-year physical exam would include a vision test. The doctor would cover one eye and Augie would read with the other.

The morning of the exam, he told me about it. "The doctor is going to put iPads on my eyes to see if I can see."

Okay, he might have meant "eye pads." But I'd been showing him a video on my iPad, so that's how I heard it.

Sixteen Saturdays

Peter and I have two weeks off from Wild Rumpus Daycare for Grandkids, because mommy and daddy, being teachers in two different school districts, have spring break at different times.

It's like having sixteen consecutive Saturdays.

Peter is using the time to get ahead of schedule with his work. I, on the other hand, am feeling the freedom of retirement... unstructured days, time on my hands, freedom.

I headed into this "vacation" with a long list of projects: clean out a couple of closets, write some letters, take care of several items of paperwork, set an appointment with the eye doctor, hem some jeans, practice some tap dance steps and drumming routines, get out and walk every day, and about a dozen more.

What I actually did in week one: read blogs, write blogs, watch the Hornby Island Eagle Cam, play Snood on my iPad, try out a new photo editing program called Picnik, and sleep late every morning. Oh, and shovel snow one day, and play with the kids a couple of times when they came to visit.

In fairness, full-time daycare is hard work and I needed the break. And I still have another week to do some of those projects. Besides, there's not much urgency; most could be done just as well this summer.

When I was working, I always had a long list of tasks, and during weekends and vacations I often felt as though I was supposed to spend my time doing them. Mind you, I frequently overrode that sense of obligation. But at the end of a string of self-indulgent days, I would be angry with myself. I'd focus on all the "priorities" that didn't get done, and fail to appreciate the satisfaction and enjoyment of moving at my own pace and doing unplanned things that grabbed my attention.

I do intend to address a few of those tasks in the coming week, the second half of our sixteen Saturdays. But I'm not beating myself up about them. I value the time I spend reading other people's blog offerings and thinking about the ideas, experiences, great quotations, and stunning art that people share here in blogland. I like being able to just relax, reflect, watch an eagle onscreen or a cardinal in the backyard. If I ever feel a twinge of guilt, I will remind myself: I'm retired now, and I've earned it.