I know I have adjusted to retirement because I’m not bothered by the fact that a couple of tasks I would have done in a period off between classes now constitute a days’ work. Plus living alone has limited the number of things I actually have to do, so that I sometimes spread those two tasks over two days, lest I have nothing at all to do on some days. Of course an aging body requires much more maintenance than a young one, so certain activities like walks, exercises, long baths, etc. now can be counted as tasks that justify getting up in the morning. As my father used to say, “It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.”
But this week I weakened. It was Tuesday, and I was slowly drinking my morning coffee and preparing for the Ramble, when Randy from Swan Lake Nursery phoned to say he had finally found a kid to plant the cedar that would replace the one that had died. He’d be here just after 8. I was overjoyed because the alternative was taking out the dead one and planting the new one myself, but the hike was off. All went well. Then the phone rang. Goret, the insurance broker we first contacted when we bought the house, was finally back at work after a bout with a bad back and could see me at 10. Perfect! After two hours with her I had renewed car insurance, car license and house insurance as well as bought travel insurance for Korea. I had accomplished a weeks’ work in a morning and rewarded myself with a good walk. I returned to find a note on the door informing me that Fed Ex had tried to leave a package. I had been expecting one, but not quite so soon. It was from Jay and contained my assignment to help him renew all his papers in order to stay teaching in Korea. I was devastated. It was only 2 o’clock. I could have gone immediately to FAX the requests for sealed transcripts to Lakehead U. and Concordia. I snapped and foolishly tried to phone Fed Ex to see if I could intercept their delivery truck. What a mistake. I’ve never been good with automated telephone systems, and either I’m getting worse or this one is the one that’s been waiting for years to break me. There was no possibility of just hitting 0 and talking to a real person. I had to enter the 14 number delivery code and on and on. I was trying for the third time to enter the code when, miraculously, I was connected to a real human being. At first I was so shocked my voice came out in the same strident tone I’d been using to curse the machine, but I calmed down before the person hung up and slowly managed to convey my message. The woman said she would try to contact the driver. I had to postpone the tutoring session I was supposed to have so that I could await her call. When she got back to me after about twenty minutes, it was to say that she hadn’t succeeded but that I could get the package at the main office on Airport Road near Kelowna at 8 the following morning. All was fine. I had my class late and picked up the package the following morning with no problems. The FAXes were on their way by 9a.m. Thursday. The week continued at this frenzied pace. I’ve had my hair cut, seen the physiotherapist, bought all the pharmaceutical supplies I need for the trip on the seniors’ discount day at Shoppers’ Drug Mart, taken a tour of most of the many murals in Vernon and gone on the Sunday hike. Now I’m going to kick back and enjoy a meal that I have about once a week, roasted pieces of chicken, yams and sweet potato, all done on one pan in a toaster oven.
The view of Vernon, Kalamalka Lake and Terrace Mountain from the top of today's hike up East Hill.
Spring Beauties are among the early wild flowers that are out now.
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