I can’t believe it is time again for another session of Runfessions, where we confess the running sins (mostly venial) we have committed since our last meeting. Step into the runfessional and let’s begin.
“We only regret the runs we didn’t do.” that’s what I thought. Until yesterday.
I runfess, friends, I immediately regretted taking a run yesterday. Let me explain.
I am not much of a streaker but yesterday was the tenth day in a row I ran at least 3 miles. The day before yesterday, I did a 7.5-mile trail run (which I loved), and the day before that was a 10.5-mile road run (also a good run).
You might think my legs would have been tired after those runs but, not so. What sent me over the edge was playing “water tag” with my grandsons.
Water tag is just what it sounds like. Played in bathing suits, you tag someone by getting them wet. A hose is a viable source of water. So are squirt guns or a bucket.
Running at full speed around our very hilly yard wore me out. My legs felt like they had lead weights attached to them on my run the next day. I was hoping to do some intervals today, but those are not happening. Maybe tomorrow.
I wrote in previous posts about how I lowered my cholesterol 50 points by removing added sugar from my diet last year.
Therefore, I must runfess that after the completion of our recent 4x4x48 Challenge (running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours), I made apple-cinnamon-pecan muffins and cheated on my no-sugar diet.
Did I mention the cream cheese frosting? But they must be healthy. The apples, right?
I have resisted getting a GPS watch for years.
I didn’t want the temptation of being able to sneak a peek at my watch and seeing my pace or the mileage, adding pressure to my runs.
After signing up for some virtual races this spring, however, and using Strava to record the time and distance so they would be “official“, I must runfess, the idea of having a watch was pretty appealing.
The tipping point came when I talked to my trail running buddy, Al. He keeps track of his heart rate while he runs.
I struggled with confidence this spring, especially during long runs and I thought that being able to see my (low) heart rate while running might convince me I was OK.
I decided I wanted a watch for monitoring my heart rate.
Bill, knowing that I would probably dither around for months before finally actually spending the money for a watch, got me a Garmin for Mother’s Day.
I must runfess, I love it.
I have it set to display total distance, time, and heart rate on the home screen. Seeing my heart rate is indeed calming. I don’t think it is a coincidence that my two long runs since getting the watch have been my best long runs in months.
You understand the pressure I am under now, of course, to respond with a fabulous gift for Bill for Father’s Day.
My plan was to buy him a new grill, but he just bought one for himself.
Back to square one.
If you have any gift suggestions, please leave them in the comments!
See you next month for Runfessions.
You can find the places I link up here.
A smoker?
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Good idea but he already got one after he saw Frank’s!
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I “runfess” that I do not run or jog and barely walk. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but I like your posts and enjoy reading what you are thinking about and sharing. I do have a gift suggestion though it may not sound romantic. Try to get him to write you a list of things he would really like but won’t buy for himself. My husband and I worked off lists for years. Once in a while we would feel free to pick something up that was not on the list, but I always preferred spending the money on something he wanted. Example? I love sweaters and I really like men’s sweaters and you know we live in the northern tier of the state so it is definitely cold. But he cannot wear them. He would roast in sweaters. It is only in recent years, after crossing the 70 year old mark that he has added flannel shirts as a second layer to his tee shirts. So while I would love buying him sweaters, it would be pointless. Blessings from your Beach Girl Friend, Michele
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That list is a great idea, Michele! I am going to ask him to do exactly that. A list would be something I could use for quite a while.
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While I get your point, I’ve found that I usually regret the athletic things I do. Wondering why in tarnation I ever thought I could do them. Just saying, moving isn’t always that great.
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The older I get, the more I appreciate your point, Ally. I feel great doing the athletic things, then the next day I pay for them with aching muscles.
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I may come back to read subsequent suggestions for Father’s Day gifts. Men are so difficult to buy things for.
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Ugh! Especially Bill. When he wants something, he gets it. No waiting around for him. After he read this post, he told me he doesn’t want anything for Father’s Day.
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Most men are the same. John knows he can get me a balloon, and I’ll be happy. He also can’t go wrong with a plant or chocolate. What is the equivalent for a man??? They tend to want things that cost real money. All women of the world should unite and agree that from now on men will get socks or no-name hiking gear, providing it doesn’t require an additional mortgage.
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Let’s be the first two to unite on that pledge! 🙂
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I’m with you.
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I feel your pain . . . my husband is the most impossible person to shop for I have ever encountered. So, I’m no help there. As for having a smartwatch, I’m addicted to my Apple watch. Kind of a love/hate relationship with it, really . . . I’m not really sure which of us is in charge 🙂
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Ugh! Men!!! The problem with Bill is that if he wants something, he buys it. No dithering around like I do. When he read this post, he told me he doesn’t want anything for Father’s Day. If I don’t get him anything, though, he wins! 🙂
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Great post Laurie! Sorry I don’t have any gift suggestions I struggle finding my own man gifts lol!
And we do need to have a sugary (naughty) treat every now & then from our sugar free diets 😉 …Don’t we?
Bless you,
Jennifer
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Bill let me off the hook after he read this post. He said he doesn’t want any Father’s Day gifts! 🙂 I am OK with cheating on my no-sugar diet every oncxe in a while.
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My hubby always says the same too, that he doesn’t need or want for anything. I thought of bamboo socks (soft, hardy & made from bamboo) which are great for runners after I commented 😉
With sugar, Me too, otherwise we start to crave those naughty carbs 😮
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Oooh…bamboo socks are a great idea. Comfy and environmentally healthy. Thanks!
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And sustainable too! 😉
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Nice new Garmin! It’s great to track all the data, right?
My husband’s Garmin broke down a few weeks ago and he was DITHERING for weeks about which brand, model, etc. to buy.
Now he’s an expert on Garmin watches and can he can tell you ALL the features.
Does Bill already have a trail running backpack?
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I do like to track the data. I am still learning about all of the features. A trail running backpack is a great idea. Bill has a Camelback, which he can use as a backpack. My problem is that he buys whatever he wants with no dithering!
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Your water tag sprints could count as intervals, right? I would never spend the money required for a Garmin. But my wife and daughter gifted me one. I absolutely love it. I have a Phenix 3HR and don’t use all the features, but truly do not leave home without it. Thanks for coming clean, I feel vicariously ‘fessed up’.
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That’s what I was thinking – intervals! I felt the same way as you about my Garmin – I wouldn’t have spent the money but now that my hubby did, I love it!
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Those muffins look yummy. I admire that you have cut out sugar (until the muffin). I have tried to cut it back in the past but am pretty much useless after a long run or bike ride and will immediately want a biscuit with my cappuccino. Bread is another thing i need to cut back on. Ahhhh the sins 🙂
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Cutting out sugar is tough. There is sugar in everything! I do allow myself to cheat every once in a while. Now I want a cookie and cappuccino! 🙂
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But wasn’t it worth being able to play like that with your grandkids?
I have that Garmin and I love it! It is pretty basic but has all the features I need.
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It really was worth it to play tag with my grandkids. I am loving my Garmin too. It makes me wonder why it took me so long to get one!
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I runfess that I have a cheap streak so I used the big red Garmin for years. I had my husband get the same Garmin that you have for Christmas last year and it was like someone invented electricity. You cannot beat all of the features that it has for the price. I loved that watch so much though I ended up getting a more advanced one (refurbished of course! I’m still cheap!) so that I could set up more complex workouts. And I then I gave my husband the nice Garmin and he enjoys it very much, so it was a gift that gave a lot.
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I now can’t believe I resisted getting a Gramin for so long! I love it too!
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Don’t forget the pecans in those muffins – those are nutritious too! 😉 I love my Garmin, but your post reminded my I need to figure out how to change the display — I need to see my “instant” pace for my interval workouts instead of the current (one mile) “lap” pace.
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Right – all the good healthy oils in the pecans! I need to Google how to set the watch to do ladder intervals. Technology is awesome when you can figure it out!
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We got the Caveman the deluxe Air Pods with noise canceling. Not sure wth we were thinking since he acts as though he’s hard of hearing on the regular so now he’ll truly hear nothing!
When my running pace slowed dramatically (thanks menopause) I ran by heart rate and was comforted (especially in summer) that I was still getting a goof workout in. Gotta hang onto those positives!
THanks for runfessing!
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That is a great idea! Hubby loves to run with music. I think heart rate is a good measure of how we really are doing. Takes all the negative emotions out of the equation. Thanks for hosting!
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Even though it wore your legs out, Laurie, that water tag game with your grands sounds like it was so much fun! Sure wish I could see mine. And that watch is really a great gift. Wish I had a suggestion for you for a gift for Bill – he sounds like my Danny in that when he needs/wants something, he simply gets it. >Sigh< Makes our gifting jobs that much harder!
Blessings!
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The water tag game was such a blessing! I am so glad we can see family again. You are right about Bill. If he wants something, he doesn’t wait around.
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I am still working on lowering my cholesterol. Genetics be damned bc I work my ass off. I could definitely lower my sugar but it’s so good. Yay for playing w your grandkids that must have been fantastic for all of you
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I think cholesterol is something I will need to work on my whole life! You are a vegetarian (vegan?) Genetics plays a bigger role in cholesterol numbers than I realized. Good luck working on yours.
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Buys you a great gift then buys great gift-idea for himself…I’m tempted to say, buy him two steaks and a bottle of wine.
But, buy him two steaks, a bunch of veggies that grill well (asparagus) and a bottle of wine. And, if he hasn’t already bought them, buy him a really cool accessory for his grill. A veggie tray (then you can add other veggies), A cage for burning flavored wood chips (and a bag or two of chips), some nice grill tools, a thermometer he can link to his phone (if he’s techie). Just don’t forget that bottle of wine (or 12-pack of beer if he’s like me).
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Oh, yes!!! Food for the grill and a cage for wood chips. That is a great idea. Not only do I have a present for him, I get another night off cooking duty! Thanks, Dan! 🙂 Bill likes wine or beer. He’s not picky!
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Glad to help.
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I’ve worn a GPS watch for the past few years. At first I really used it to monitor my pace, but now I honestly just use it to see how far I’ve gone, lol.
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I am wondering what took me so long to get one now!
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Is this your first running watch?
I have a very old Garmin Forerunner and I still love it. There are fancier ones out there now but this gives me all the info I care to have. And if it’s not broke…well….
Hmm, responding with an equally cool father’s day gift will be challenging. Is Bill a meat eater? Perhaps get him some goodies from Omaha Steaks for his new grill…..but then in a sense that gift becomes for everyone…lol
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Yep. This is my first running watch. Up until MOther’s Day, I just used a Timex and had no idea how far I had gone. If I really wanted to know my exact mileage, I could ask Bill (if I ran with him) or map it on Map My Route.
Food for the grill is a good idea. Not only does it give him a reason to use the grill, it’s one less night that I have to cook! 🙂
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Men are SO hard to buy for! Most men, anyway. I’m surprised you love tracking your HR — but I think it’s a great thing to do, anyway.
I also think you’re entitled to a splurge once in a while. Not doing so means at some point you’re probably going to splurge even more.
Right now I can’t even fathom running back to back days, much less a streak!
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Yes – Bill just buys what he wants without dithering around. I am completely stumped!
Tracking my HR is calming for me. I can look at it and think “See…my heart rate isn’t up. I’m OK.”
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That’s great that tracking your HR is so soothing. My can go up pretty quickly, actually! Although at the moment I don’t track it as closely.
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Oh shoot – he already got a grill! That is such a fun gift idea too… What about buying an assortment of food items to cook on the grill? Like a big juicy steak or 3, or whatever he’s into 🙂
The cream cheese frosted muffins sounds amazing and totally worth it!
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Food items for the grill is a great idea! Love it!!!
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A watch! Sell-out. Since I’ve been running with Gaia GPS I’ve been recording my runs so I have a better handle on my pace and distance than I have had for years. It ain’t pretty. Today’s run… eighty-some and 178% humidity tore me up. I had a lot of chores that needed to get done when I got home and couldn’t afford to be blown-out for the rest of the day. I called for a ride.
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Yeah, I am a sell-out! I always recorded my runs in a free online running log. I like to look back at different points in my training. Yesterday was HUMID!!! I had the bright idea to run a very hilly 6 miles on the day after we did track intervals. Why does Bill listen to me? We should have done a much easier run. If only there was someone we could have called for a ride! 🙂
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I’m glad you like your Garmin! I resisted for years, as well. I’d use a simple Timex “stop watch” for races and was content with that. I bought my Garmin from a friend a few years ago, and it’s a basic one (no crazy bells or whistles because I doubt I’d ever use them). I don’t wear it for every run, just the ones where I’m monitoring my speed (those 5K time trials) or distance (when I don’t want to plan out a route).
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That’s exactly what I used until Mother’s Day, Kim – a Timex watch. I do love the Garmin for just the reasons you said. Plus, I like to check on my heart rate.
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Good for you treating yourself with some yummy muffins after your challenge – if you don’t deserve them after all that, when will you?
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Thank you. What’s a diet if you dn’t cheat once in a while, right?
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I have some good news for you… Raw vegan desserts are not only super yummy but they are healthy. They usually use either raw honey or dates as sweetener ~ you can find a lot of recipes online or order a raw vegan cookbook. Honestly once I started eating these desserts I will never go back to regular ones…. which now just taste too sweet and too heavy in comparison and come for me, with a heavy dose of guilt haha.
Well done on your progress. Love the running watch. Makes so much sense!
Peta
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Good idea. Even honey is not allowed in my diet, but dates are. I will have to find some good dessert recipes online. Thanks for the suggestion.
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I love the idea of a watch and I’m glad he bought it for you!
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I am so glad too!
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Great goals & inspiring. I used to love running, too many injuries now (joys of horse riding, at least I can still do that). Love the idea of the 2 steaks & wine for a gift. I have often wondered if those watches actually work. Have a splendid week.
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The watch is working fine, I can report! You have a wonderful week too!
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I’m late to the gift-suggesting party for Bill Laurie (due to spending the entire weekend, some 17 hours, working in the yard, including your favorite project, laying mulch and nodding off at the computer two nights in a row at around 8:30-ish).
You still did good if you only had the muffins with cream cheese on them – very admirable that you reduced you have adhered to that diet to begin with – you get a big pat on the back from me. Well, no grill for Bill then, but how about something golf related – did Bill go with your son a week ago? You said Bill used to play when he still worked, but how about some “coupons” of some type at a local golf course (assuming they are back in business again) to go golfing with your son?
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Ugh! I am so glad we are done with mulching for the year, Linda. I hope you are too.
Bill has not gone golfing with my son this year, even though Chris asked him several times. I wish he would go! It used to be so easy to get him golfing stuff for Father’s Day. Maybe he will go on father’s Day if Chris takes him. I might be able to finance that trip.
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There’s an idea Laurie. I know they scheduled it – tell him it is good to go golfing again. Man cannot live on running alone, even if tomorrow is National Running Day. 🙂 See below:
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/56504789/posts/2737290216
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I will have to work on it, Linda. I sort of suggested golfing and he didn’t jump at the idea. 🙂 We did our run this morning, though!
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The problem is, you can’t even have a little getaway for a run geared to something Bill likes as everything is cancelled. So no surprise trips for now either.
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Right! No getaways – running or otherwise – for the time being.
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Yes, not normal for a while yet. They have adjourned a few big local events to the Fall, but no guarantee that will happen even then. Just listening to how offices are opening up workplaces and accommodating workers seems like a real pain. Today I heard that Ford Motor Company is not ready to open their offices, so they stay closed until September. I am so glad I do not have to go out to work.
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In March, we moved our trip to Morocco to September, thinking this would all be over by then. There is absolutely no way we are going to Morocco in September. We will have to move the trip again. We saw a former co-worker of Bill’s in town on Sunday. She said they have no plans to re-open his office anytime soon. Most people are working from home but the ones who can’t work from home have been laid off.
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You’re right about that … not only plane travel, but who knows what it will be like over there. The travel agency or airlines should be accommodating I would think. Now that’s terrible … the staff could likely work from home but was there special computer equipment needed for the architects to work on blueprints Laurie? I remember you told me you went by one of the last projects Bill worked on awhile back. In the beginning we never knew the gravity of the situation as time went on. I’m sure each of us hoped and prayed for a quick solution. We are opening up more in lower Michigan after the 15th of June. The hair/nail salons will be opening then. I’ve agreed with how our Governor has handled things to date, but she ticked off the hairdressers and stylists because she was asked about a week ago, when they could open up as people were clamoring for their services and she responded “just Google – anyone can cut hair.” She has since made an apology for slighting them.
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I hope the airlines are accomodating. We are flying on a Portuguese airline (transferring through Lisbon). My friend leaves for 2 months in Italy at the end of June. I am going to pick her brain. If she thinks it would be safe, we may just eliminate the Morocco part of the trip and spend the entire time in Portugal. Just an option to consider.
Well, the prints have to be made on a special printer but hardly anyone prints stuff out anymore. It’s all on the computer. You need a special software program to make the drawings but even before Bill retired, the IT guy from his firm installed the program on Bill’s home computer so he could have worked from home in case of a snowstorm or something like that. I’m sure everyone has that software on their computers.
We have just made the first steps toward opening yesterday but our salons are not open yet. No date in sight. It’s no big deal for me. My ‘do looks OK without regular haircuts.
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Yes, hopefully you can get an idea of your options from your friend – two months in Italy sounds very nice doesn’t it Laurie? My boss’ family and friends of theirs rented a villa in Italy for three weeks about 10 years ago – no sightseeing though, just lounging around, shopping for their food at street shops and using the pool at the villa. Not for everyone, especially if you like to see the sights.
I wondered how that worked for the blueprints. That is good that the option is available to work from home. Years ago, a friend of our family worked at Ford Motor Company as an engineer. They converted to CAD-CAM and he had only been trained on a board and he decided to take early retirement rather than returning to school to get up to speed – he was in his early 60s at that time.
Today a petition was filed and permitted to recall our Governor – they need a lot of signatures. People say that even though we had good results, it has essentially shut down so many businesses, that likely some will never open again. My hair is long with long layers. I had a cut and highlights scheduled for April 18th – it looks okay but I see some more gray weaving into the highlights daily. Yikes!
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2 months in Italy sounds heavenly. My friend hopes to move there when she retires in the next few years. I hope she does. Then I could go to visit her! 🙂
Bill was trained on a board too. He had to learn how to use CAD, then a program called Revit, os you can see the drawings in 3D.
I am thinking good thoughts for your governor. I used to highlight my hair when I worked, but I let it grow out when I retired. Mine needs a trim but it doesn’t look too bad.
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Bill would have been much younger to learn how to use CAD. I guess our friend Bob was too old to bother at that time, so he retired from Ford. Sadly he had a heart attack and passed away a year later. He was a bachelor with no family here in the U.S. and he used to come to our house for dinner every Tuesday night. After my father left, Bob still called my mom from work every Friday on his lunch hour. Nothing more than to check on how we were doing. When he retired, he had no phone at his condo so used to go to a restaurant and call my mom every Friday. He told us he was returning to “the old sod” which was Australia where he grew up. Wanted to see his parents’ graves and see his sister. He was leaving around Thanksgiving and returning after the holidays. He had not seen them since he was in his 20s. There were no calls after the new year though and my mom’s birthday was Valentine’s Day – no card or weekly calls from Bob. My birthday in April passed, still no calls or card for me either. He was always thoughtful. I was was off work on a vacation day for Good Friday or Easter Monday and we went to the condo association to ask if he had returned from Australia. The woman had a horrified look on her face and said “are you friends of Mr. Driscoll?” I nodded and she said “sit down please” … he never made it to Australia. Had a heart attack in his sleep. He had stopped his mail through 12/31. The mail resumed in the new year, and the mailman noticed the mail piling up – went to the condo association. The told the police they suspected foul play – opened the condo – oh my. Bob had been dead since November.
I like our governor – she was strict on her guidelines, but look where we stand now. People have been pretty hateful with their protests about her, one time storming the Capitol Building demanding more rights. Military police had to be brought in, then the first floor where they stormed in with long guns was thoroughly sanitized.
I have been thinking maybe I’ll let my highlights grow out as well – my hair is light brown. I have highlights and lowlights … the lowlights are a darker brown and I don’t like that look – highlights only was a nicer look. It is not bad, but does need a trim badly.
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Bob sounds like a sweet guy! How sad that he never made it back to Australia. It must have been quite a shock when you found out about his death after all that time. What a sad ending for his life. Yes, Bill was much younger when he had to learn CAD.
My hair is mostly light brown with some gray! 🙂
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I haven’t thought of Bob in years Laurie until the other day when I first wrote about him. Yes, it was a shock – he was very nice to us and didn’t have much good to say about my father after he left and took all the money out of the bank/annuity fund, that’s for sure. He was what people used to call “an odd duck” … he had a wry sense of humor and my mom was hard of hearing and he never lost his Australian accent and talked low … my mom would say “I beg your pardon …” and he’d repeat what he said once nicely; the second time, not so nicely. He never came over for dinner after my father left – he didn’t think it was proper. But always a phonecall and asking if he could do anything. My mom always said “I hope you meet someone soon Linda – I don’t want you to end up like Bob Driscoll.” Retirement should be done like you and Bill – be young enough and healthy enough to enjoy it. I had a boss one time who went to Hawaii on his honeymoon. He/wife signed up for some land tours and he said people remarked that they were not up to the tourist attractions – they waited too long, raising their families, waiting to retire, waiting for time to take that big trip of a lifetime. That’s sad and like Bob as well.
Same with my hair – I really don’t see that many people anyway, so why not?
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Yes, Bill and I want to GO now while we are still healthy enough to do it. I don’t want to wait, then find out we are physically unable to enjoy ourselves. This Coronavirus is messing with our traveling years! Oh, well. We are having plenty of fun at home.
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Yes it is – messing with your traveling years, messing with visiting Atti too. Maybe you’ll end up driving as you mentioned as an option as that’s safer than flying right now.
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