What Do Retired People Do All Day?

Well, this week was supposed to be the start of my official complete retirement. Classes at the university started Monday and for once, I wasn't involved in anything. So the Big Question is, what do we do all day now? So far, we are plenty busy. Our late-summer yard is still verdant (above) thanks to Norm's efforts at hauling hose around. Yes, even though we are 12 inches over average for precip for the year, July and August have been dry and we have had to water. But it's worth it.

On August 5, the day after all of our anniversary guests had departed, a cold front came through, putting us back into the 80s. We enjoyed sitting on our front porch (shown in the daytime above, with over- wintering geraniums in full array) that evening, watching some lightning play from cloud to cloud in the far distance, and soaking up the cool air. Suddenly, there was a snap, a flash and a boom, all simultaneously. We dived inside and when our hearts started beating again, wondered where the thunderbolt had struck. It had been frighteningly close.

Because our neighbor was out of town, we went outside about an hour later (no more thunder or lightning in evidence) to look at trees, roof lines, check for smoke escaping from attic vents, etc. There was no sign of a lightning strike. But oddly, we saw these two shingles dislodged from our roof near the chimney. We could swear they were in place the day before, and we had not had any wind to speak of. An insurance estimate was below our deductible. So we called the company that installed the roof in 2002, and the repair was covered under our 10-year workmanship guarantee from them. It pays to look at warranty papers! Two employees of the company stopped by before lunch today and had new shingles nailed in place in about 10 minutes. No charge. End of story. Except I'll always wonder about that thunderbolt.

When we aren't worrying about the conditions of our house, we are keeping track of the neighbors. At one time this summer, four houses across the street from us were for sale. One was taken off the market quickly; we think renters bought it. One has been renovated extensively by a parade of workers and just this week a gaggle of real estate agents toured it, so it should go on the market soon although no sign is up. The two in the photo above got Sold signs within a few days of each other about two weeks ago. The near one has been on the market for over a year and the far one for about 4 months. Both owners had moved out of state. We still don't know who the new neighbors will be, but we will be on the porch on Labor Day weekend, keeping an eye out for moving trucks.
Is this a sign of an improving housing market? We certainly hope so!

Next to gardening and people watching, our favorite activity is eating, and one of our favorite places to shop for food is the Ferguson Farmers Market, which is open on Saturday mornings from May through October. We have found delicious local peaches, melons, sweet corn, tomatoes, new potatoes, squash, cucumbers, and more at the vendor places here. We also have bought bread, eggs, and sweets. A couple of weeks ago we had a cooked to order omelet for breakfast. It seldom rains on Saturdays, and we are glad.

We also are glad to report that Tropical Storm Fay missed Ft. Myers, except for dumping a lot of rain. Doug says they are taking the storm shutters down today, so they can once again get natural light in their condo. Classes begin next Monday for Doug, who teaches at FGCU. Oh, and I said at the top that I'm supposed to be fully retired now, but the student newspaper still doesn't have an adviser. I'm doing some minimal things for them right now just so they can stay in business, so although that cord is really frayed, it's not quite cut. Soon, I hope.