Retired X 8…

Well, last Thursday was the last day of school and the start of my 8th retirement attempt. Some may say that I am a complete failure when it comes to actually retiring. While I would like to say that this time I will succeed, I just can’t make any promises. I’ve already had a couple of meetings with the Les Turner ALS Foundation about how I can help their/our cause and committed to getting as many people as possible to their annual ALS Walk For Life at Soldier Field (more about that later). The interest in this blog has also prompted me to look into starting an apparel and novelty company based on Matthew 17:20, of which all proceeds would go to help those suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Tune in again in the upcoming weeks to see how that comes along…

So, what am I going to do with all this new-found free time? My to-do list far exceeds any amount of time that has become available to me. Those who have known us over the last 13 years know that our yard takes an incredible amount of time to maintain. We live on an acre of land that has hundreds of trees, a koi pond with a waterfall, lots of mulched beds full of millions of flowers, a large deck covered in flowerpots, bird feeders, and a squirrel picnic table (not kidding). During the dry season, which started in March this year, it takes at least two hours a day just to water the flowers. Add in mowing, weeding, and repairing Diesel-damage, and there’s not a lot of time left in the week. Caring for the pond adds on another hour a day of effort before you consider time spent dealing with that evil fowl, the Heron.

Being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease hasn’t slowed me down and retirement will not find me holding still. As Amy and I were sitting on the deck one evening, I started reflecting on all the projects I’ve completed since the symptoms began. Here are just the ones we could see as we enjoyed an adult beverage together.

We finally broke down and bought a hot tub a couple of years ago. I didn’t do the install, but the new deck was all my doing.

Our hot tub is located just off our bedroom and I hate to have swimwear hanging all over the bathroom so… you can use your imagination on how we indulge in this pleasure. One problem was that the only thing between us the UPS driver was a (very transparent) chain link fence. So, not to cause our driver undo trauma, I came up with this 9′ privacy fence made out of the same material as the new deck (our neighbors thank us too).

The rear of our house faces west and summer evenings can get the deck rather toasty. I came up with an idea to design and build a pergola to lessen the suns intensity. This is the result of that whim.

When you’ve got a koi pond there are a lot of materials needed to maintain it. The problem of where to store all that stuff was solved when I decided to build a “fish cabinet.”

KP is to blame for the next project. He is a lover of smoking (meat), so much so that he became a Big Green Egg dealer. He and Amy teamed up on me on a trip home for Christmas one year, and look what we came home with. I decided to build them their own cooking station.

The most recent project I’ve completed is a new storage shed. I had ordered one from Tough Shed through Home Depot. A couple of days before it was scheduled to be delivered, they called and said they cancelled my order for no reason. They offered to build me a new one for an additional cost and I told them where they could put the shingles. Instead, I put on my thinking cap and came up with my own.

The projects will continue, the pond always needs attention, and thanks to Diesel, all my flower beds will need repair. So please don’t worry about me being bored or looking for things to fill my days. I’ve got my hands full and then some!

All of this was dreamed of and built after I started experiencing weakness and intermittent failure in my left hand. I’m sharing all of this with you along with a promise that retirement will not find me idle and ALS will not prevent me from doing what I love to do. Our yard and pond need continual care. And have I told you we have a new puppy who thinks all of our time should be devoted to him? It’s easy to do. We love him.

That said, there are going to be some changes. After lengthy discussions, Amy and I have decided to end our days on two wheels. Truth be told, there are two reasons… one, it’s such a waste to have two beautiful bikes sitting in my man cave not being ridden. Two, my left hand just isn’t predictable. And it turns out that clutching and breaking are both important skills when riding a motorcycle.

We’ve always taken the bikes on our many trips to SD and TN, as well as rides through OK, KS, KY, NC, MN, WI, IL, FL, AZ, NE ND, ID, MT, MO, IA, WI, CO, WY, NV, SC, IN, MI, AR, WA, and even Mexico. Before we met, Amy actually rode her bike the entire length of Route 66 from CA to IL. That’s a lot of saddle time over the last 25 years, and we’ve relished every second of it. Saying farewell to the bikes does not mean we’re breaking up with the road. Our road trips continue back to Wichita this summer and Park City in the fall for an extended vacation in the mountains. And, we’ve found a new way to cause a little trouble on the pavement…

Last weekend we took the F350 down to get the oil changed with our good friends at River View Ford. Of course Diesel had to come along and was welcomed with open arms. He may have landed a job as their official greeter! We spent a couple hours visiting with John and Jack and it wasn’t until we went to leave that I spotted a super cool Mustang on the showroom floor. The Mustang® Dark Horse™ is one of the last muscle cars to be made in this generation so I had to take a closer look. In the meantime, Diesel spotted a giant pink bunny sitting on one of the showroom cars. In an instant it looked like there was going to be a pink rabbit in my truck so I immediately objected, saying, “If he gets the bunny, I get the Mustang!” Well, guess what? There’s a pink bunny in my back seat and we ordered a 2026 Dark Horse for the garage (With no bikes and no bike trailer, there’s lots of room in the man cave. And what a great new way to cruise down the road!) Sorry KP, I know you wanted me to go for the Vette.

So, this week is my middle finger salute to ALS. I’m refusing to let it dictate how I treat my retirement and how I live my life. Faith has gotten me this far and I see no reason to change what’s working. With your support, I believe that we are going to get to live many more years together, burning rubber down life’s highway. As always, thank you all for love, support, and prayers.

FGL‘s Cruise feels appropriate for a tune of the week:

As I bring this week’s post to a close, I pray that you all get to live as blessed a life as I’ve had the opportunity to do. I’m looking ahead with excitement with what this next chapter will bring and looking forward to sharing it with you, along with the memories that got me here.

Have a great weekend.

God bless.

Coach