The Slow Life

The weather out in Az today is FANTASTIC! No clouds, temps in the low 80s and no breeze. Perfect day to clean the yard.

At the hacienda here in the Grand Canyon State, I have no grass to mow, but I do have bushes to trim, and leaves to blow, and dirt to rake. I find it funny that I have many leaves in my yard, but only two trees on my property. Everyone else has trees that give me leaves, so I have to do some yard work. They must feel sorry for me or something. After I did the blowey thing and picked up the debris and did a round of pooh picking (We're dogsitting with Akkadian, my "grand dog" while Debi is putting in grass.) I finally sat down to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

The pool was a little cold (60 degrees), so I dangled my feet in it, fearing that anything else I put in could have dire consequences for parts of my body. And, I was able to drink a tall glass of agua, the lifeblood of the desert. My best friend AK and I sat and contemplated the meaning of the universe and discussed how I seem to be leading a dog's life.

Being retired is pretty close to being a dog. I sit around all day, eat whenever I want, and occasionally have someone scratch my belly. My food is prepared and served to me and I pretty much get the run of the house, even getting to sit on whatever couch I want to sit on in the family room. Every once in a while, someone will play with me and talk kindly to me. I get to go for walks and bathing is an option.

But I do miss certain things. Mowing is one. I miss being on my lawn tractor going up and down the yard making pretty patterns and listening to loud rock music on my Ipod. I do get to rake my rocks in patterns, but it just is not the same. Garage nights are another thing I miss. We used to have nights where we sat out in our garage and friends would stop by or we would have them over and sit in the garage and drink and discuss things rain or shine. People out here remodel their garages into complete family rooms with big screen TVs and pool tables. It just is not the same.

Tonight we will go to a Fall league baseball game, come home and light a fire in the outdoor fireplace and sit around it until we fall asleep. We will watch the stars, listen to crickets as they try to avoid scorpions, and delve into the problems of the universe. Sounds like a swell time, huh?

It is.

Doughnut