I Think

Good catch. Might be worth taking a look at the other fixtures in the place.

We had a funeral today. It was my first where the subject has been cremated. It was one of my brothers in law. He was no true friend, but I owed him to be there. He had me pegged as a Negro loving liberal yankee type and could not respect me. But our lives were intertwined for thirty years. We sometimes helped each other out, he as an electrician, me as a carpenter. And he truly loved his family. With all of his health problems, he smoked as much as he wanted and he drank when he felt like it. He went to the doc with a painful leg, which proved to be caused by an aneurysm. The doc tried putting a stint, but he failed to stop a clot from killing him. It was a nice ceremony, held at the VA cemetery. He got a three shot salute and taps. The minister delivered a pretty good eulogy. They then folded the flag over him and presented his son with it. We didn't go for the dinner we were offered. It was held in the home of somebody we did not know.

We ate at the cafeteria tonight. She had a salad and half a piece of baked fish. I had a whole piece of fish and pinto beans. We both had new potatoes and no dessert.
I fed Rocky before we left, but he always leaves it alone until we get home. When we get up in the morning I give him a dental stick, which he refuses to touch before my wife comes in. I don't know how he would handle getting boarded out, if it came to that.
He killed a third possum yesterday.

I THINK...that in S. Korea, of all places, if there's going to be a fireworks display with huge explosions, they should notify everyone first. I nearly soiled myself just now.

I bet you thought you were being executed by an anti aircraft gun.

Something very disturbingly much like that, yes.

Rocky is a very useful dog, at times. Just a while ago, a wasp somehow got in the kitchen and it took a dislike to me. As I swung wildly at it, it darted around, trying to get in a good sting. Then Rocky jumped in and grabbed it in his teeth. He killed it without getting harmed himself. I only hope that when ax murdering home invaders break in, he is as quick to defend me as he was tonight.

Tomorrow is my second to last day on the job. The boss is going to give me a dinner this week. When she began questioning me on my preferences, I asked her to do all the planning. So it will be a slight surprise. I began work there on July 13, 1992. Didn't quite make the year.

Rocky sounds like quite a character and will do his best to keep you busy and entertained in retirement.

Congrats on the retirement. Even though I like-ish my job, I look forward to not being required to be anywhere in particular most of the time.

I congratulate you on your retirement. I envy you too. Enjoy.

Thank you, people. It's rather unsettling to me, to be leaving there forever. It takes part of the purpose out of one's life. I will step up my projects from home in hope of making extra money. I had abandoned the octagon picnic tables I was working on, but may revive them also. I learned while selling that one I finished that I was charging just half of what one normally sells for. Plus, the novel I am now working on is from a whole nother perspective than anything I have done in the past. Since my older work has never made me enough money to get excited over, I am doing the new one strictly in hope of making money. Nobody here is likely ever to know what it is, no matter the end result, because I will never tell. My autobiographical fiction has not sold. Because it is an awkward length, it is hard to find anyone even interested in looking at it.

My house will be paid off in July of 2017. But the notes are as low as you would find. Less than four hundred dollars and that covers taxes and some extras, such as trash pick up.

I will start a new alternatives health program on Wednesday. I had put it off until retirement, because it requires ten uninterrupted hours per day to get the result I fully expect. But I will get into that another day on this thread.

I feel reluctance to even leave the house this morning. I no longer want to show up for work.

You and David Letterman, huh? In a new interview with Jane Pauley, Letterman reports being "naked and afraid. Maybe you can get him to blog here, too? J/K

I've been following along silently with your retirement plans. I'm sure that whatever you do, will be an adventure. I wish you the best. There'll be no moss under your feet, I'm sure.

I'm likewise involved with writing, but not ambitiously pursuing. I've been better pursuing my photography. No reason that it can't be both. Trying to get myself to start writing again regularly with an eventual goal of being read by more than just me. Started 2 years ago (then dropped out after some serious health issues) of a local Meetup ('Net social group) for writers. Going to go back again soon as health has improved. Lazy doesn't work for me.

I'm struggling to think of a day that I ever wanted to show up for work. Even easy work.

My philosophy toward writing is simple. Write.

At the job today, I worked in a newly vacated apartment. Did all of the small things, such as polish the metal on the fixtures, clean the A/C coils, fix the toilet seat, make the toilet flush better, fill all the nail holes in the walls, clean the lens on the kitchen light fixture, make the hole for the overhead A/C vent smaller (the new covers are almost half an inch shorter) - and so forth. The jobs that require crawling on the floor and/or painting I left for the other guys. Normally that is not my job and hasn't been for seventeen years, but we all do whatever is necessary to keep the place going. I would have gotten back to scraping and painting the stairs, except it rains every single day anymore.

I have enough money held back to build one of the octagon tables and enough boards to make a few of the other projects. Going to have to separate family money from project money from here on out.

The deed is did. I was officially retired, as of noon today. We had as many residents in as knew me these days, and two former maintenance men of the property. Plus, mrs edgarblythe came too. They had the office decorated with retirement banners and balloons. We had sandwiches and tea, plus a huge retirement cake from Krogers. I whined that if they go ahead and tear down the Pierce Elevated freeway bridge, I did not know for sure what would be our forwarding address. Some of the elderly ladies hugged and kissed me and a few cried. I stood as tall and stoic as Randolph Scott. I told the boss to please tell the owners "Thank you" for me. She said there was a package from them in route for me. I said, "Thank goodness I didn't say anything nasty about them." Tomorrow, the festivities continue. We are going to have lunch at Goodson's. Some of the management company execs are expected to attend. I will not be surprised if business developments deter them, but the thoughts are there.

Congratulations, man!!!!

Very happy for you Edgar. Now don't forget to keep those fingernails dirty

Thank you.

My fingernails have never been clean my entire life.