All's Well That Ends Well

Me and my traffic stopper

I almost titled this "The Birthday from H**L"!!!   Read on!

My birthday is on Monday, April 3rd.  Since the forecast for Monday is 100% chance of rain.  I thought I would celebrate it a couple of days early and take a trip an hour south to the Choctaw Indian Casino in Philadelphia, MS.  So, around 10:00 AM this morning, I said goodbye to my wife, headed into town for a quick errand.  Well, some road work was going on in town and as I was approaching the first officer on Hwy 12 (I thought) he was waving at me (my car gets a lot of that).  It turns out he was trying to flag me down.  In my rear view mirror I saw him jump in his car and turn on his lights.  Evidently he had radioed ahead to the intersection being worked on because the police officer there flagged me down and had me stop behind his car as the other officer pulled up behind.   So there I am in my "Hippie Bug" between two city cop cars with lights flashing.  When the first officer came up I jokingly asked, "should I get out and spread 'em"?  He laughed and said, "no, when I first tried to flag you down, I just wanted a picture of your car.  Then after you kept going, I saw you didn't have a tag, so I had a legitimate reason to follow you and I called ahead."  I explained about getting the car this week and showed my receipt for the ordered tag, posed for some pics for both officers, and then headed south (in my new OLD car).  Tooling most of the way 5 miles below the speed limit.  No problems going down, so I decided I would do the same and take my time coming back from the casino (as I'm still getting used to the car).  (Not sure of exact time - took no watch.) Well, a little over half way back (2 or 3 miles north of Louisville, MS) I ran over something and my rear, passenger side tire shredded.  No problem, that's why I have AAA.  But no phone.  Again no problem - lots of traffic on Miss. Hwy. 25.   Within 5 minutes a good Samaritan had stopped and let me call AAA.  AAA told me that someone would be there in 45 minutes to an hour.  90 minutes later the truck showed and the guy changed my tire. (My back and leg aren't great - that's why I didn't do it myself - in case you wondered.) Before he put the spare on, he pointed out that the spare was worn uneven and it should probably be replaced soon.  At this time, thanks to him, I knew it was around 4:45.  So I said, :thanks, I'm headed straight to Wal-Mart: (only 20 or so miles away).  I pulled around the repair truck as he finished the paperwork and headed north at 55 MPH (in a 65 zone).  Ten minutes later the repair truck passed me.  Five  minutes after that - you guessed it - my spare shredded. Took a little longer to get someone to stop this time.  The guy that did stop actually drove past me, did two u-turns and came over so I could use his phone.  So I again called AAA, explained that this was a 2nd call, and my spare had shredded, so I would need a tow truck.  I was told (again) 45 minutes to an hour.  Don't know how long it was, but it was longer than that - I was listening to the MSU-Ole Miss baseball game.  Anyway around 6:30 the tow truck arrived, but it would not work for my car.  They needed one with a flat bed to carry it.  So off they went to get a different truck.  He got back with the truck, loaded my car, and off we went.  My sweetie picked me up (tire and auto was closed by now) and I arrived back home after being gone approximately 11 hours.  A much longer day  than I anticipated.  But, remember the title of this post!  Turns out that the second good Samaritan is also an independent film producer.  He asked if I would be interested in allowing him to use my car in a film.  He said something about writing a script about a man and an old car.  He then stopped, said  "Oh, Hey!  -  I could write something about an old hippie.  Would you be interested?  With that beard, you look the part."  So, as stated, "All's well that ends well" and  at 62, I may be starting my acting career!
And a couple of points before wrapping up, (1) Really glad I didn't do this Monday, and (2) State beat Ole Miss 5-4.  April Fool's tomorrow!  Be Alert!

It's Good to be the Husband.....

.......(paraphrasing Mel Brooks - as the King - in "History of the World, Part I")

Hey, I'm so excited I have to sit on my hands to keep from clapping and doing the Happy Dance.   This has to be one of the coolest birthday presents ever.  My wife gave it to me.  So I must be doing something right.  Eat your hearts out!

1975 VW Beetle

Okay -  I have 5 adult children - all with kids of their own.  So I think this little bit of wisdom might help them out more than me.  (But it is funny.)

Live!

I've been sitting here a bit, wondering what to write, and got to pondering that I have a birthday in a couple of weeks.  I'll be 62.  Wow!  My children are all adults, most, in their 30's.  Which in my mind, is kind of where I always picture myself.  And no, I don't know why.  Other than my youngest child being born, the only other big event I had in my 30's was retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard. (I joined at 17).  I'm actually in better physical condition than I was when my 30's ended.     Well, enough mental meandering.
I can say that at 62, I have a pretty good life.  I've retired from 2 careers, and other than a 6 month part-time job, I haven't worked since age 60.  And at this point, I feel no need to.  I'm not rich, but my wife and I are comfortable and our house is ours.  We enjoy just being us and spending time with our (canine) girls.    I read, watch TV, and putter around the house and yard, when- and if - I want.  DKW and I make no demands on each other, and when we do have the rare disagreement, we get it smoothed out pretty quickly.  Life IS good!

Carpe Diem -If ya up to it!

Getting old is not for the weak and faint-hearted.  Yesterday, after a rainy couple of days, was a really nice day.  Sun was shining, temp was high 60s/low 70s, and I decided to do a little yard work.  I only worked 2 or 2 1/2 hours, and accomplished one large-ish and several small tasks.  The large-ish task was taking down a dying flower bed around a dead tree stump and removing the brick border.  I had to use a shovel, hoe, and rake to do this.  I'm happy the job is done, cause when I start mowing, there's one less then to have to go around. (At least once I get the stump out or leveled with the ground.)  That's the good news, the bad news is that I'm paying the price today.  My back is sore and my (bad) knee is aching, soooo............  Guess I'm back to taking it easy today, maybe I'll feel up to doing a bit more on Saturday.  Today though, I'll do the laundry, a little cooking, but nothing too strenuous.  Spend a little time with my sweetie and let her take care of me.

Spring Forward!

Why This? Why Now?

For a few years I had a different blog, and I will provide a link, if anyone is interested in reading it. But to answer the questions posed in this post's title I will have to give a little background.  I joined the U.S. Coast Guard at 17 and served 21 years before retiring.  I followed this with a second career at Mississippi State University and retired in 2015 at age 60.  My time is now MY TIME.
My first wife, Sue, passed away 3 months after our 29th anniversary (in 2005), and I was devastated.   I never thought I would get married again.  But life goes on. After a couple of years, I joined a free online dating site  and went on a few dates.  I dropped off after a few months because the dates I did go on were desperate and/or out-and-out liars.  After a 3 month hiatus, I re-opened my account with a brutally honest profile.  The first person to respond (in December 2008) was Debra, and we hit it off immediately.  We made it legal and tied the knot in October, 2009.  Between Sue's passing and marrying Debra, I came to the realization that I'm not truly happy unless I have someone to share my life with and take care of (i.e. spoil).  So that answers "Why This" - I'm happiest as a husband, and even though I've retired (twice) from full-time jobs - I really feel that "husband" is my career calling.  As to the second question - "Why Now?"  Well - why not?  I'm retired and I have time.    I do enjoy TV, but I also read (a lot) and have a hobby.  That, plus writing, does a lot to keep the old gray matter active.  Which I want to do, as I will be 62 in about a month.
I think this is a good start, and I will try to post at least once a week or more and share the joy of life and wife!  WoooHoooo!