Retirement Home Purchase And A Tree Fetish

trees

There are many things to consider when a person purchases a home for their retirement days. So far, I think that it is best for me to retire in a senior apartment. Now that I am divorced, I really do not want the responsibility that goes along with home ownership. Of course if I found a small house, I would be willing to rent a retirement home. When I was younger, I had the pleasure of owning several houses. All of them had beautiful trees in the yard. I have a tree fetish. Something about trees fascinates me. My tree fetish came with a price.

One house that I owned had beautiful large trees in the backyard. It reminded me of being in a forest. When fall came the leaves turned beautiful colors but fell off the trees. I did not have one of those munchers, just a hand held rake. For days I worked and worked. I swept the leaves up and put them in plastic bags. The city would not take them away unless they were in paper bags. I came up with a bright idea just to throw the bags in the old shed out back. Then summer arrived. The lawn mower was in the shed. When I opened the door, I was met by hornets. They chased me into the house. Lucky for me, I had a friend that was not afraid to get my lawn mower out of the shed. By winter the huge hornet nest had frozen. It captivated one guy that I called who collected hornet nests. It was so big and a great find for him. He removed it when the weather got real cold. Yes, hornets like leaves but not cold weather.

Then spring came again. I had saved all my pennies for a weekend get away. When I returned home, I found one of the huge tree limbs laying on my neighbor’s garage roof. My home owners insurance did not cover so that was another expense. Later the trees needed trimming. Some of the branches had died. The estimates were over $3,000 and my back account said $300. In addition, the trees had poison ivory growing in them. Lucky for me again! I found a couple of guys that needed some bucks and they cut me a deal to do the trimming.

Then the day came that I wanted to build a deck. Yes, you guessed it! One of the trees had to be cut down because it was too close to the house. The estimates to have the tree removed were more than the estimate to build the deck. Lucky for me though, I found the same guys needing a few bucks. This time though they did not haul the trees away. The city inspector was not pleased and I got a citation. Now I had to dish out another $1,000 for tree removal. Slowly, though I was loosing my tree fetish.

Actually I did loose my fetish when buying my next house. There were no trees in the back. It wasn’t long until I missed the good old shade trees. My friend and I found a lovely house with many trees. She had a DISLIKE for gum balls which grow on Sweet gum trees. She had fought the gum balls at her last residence. The more she sweep up and put in trash cans the more that fell. It is unreal how may gum balls that can fall from a sweet gum tree.

You guessed it. The new house had sweet gum trees. When it rained the balls fell. It sounded like hail hitting the roof. that really makes for poor sleeping. Brody, my dog could be heard howling when he stepped on the gum balls. They hurt his feet. Also it was not pleasant when I stepped on them either. One’s ankle can twist and cause a serious accident. When sitting out on the deck it was almost necessary to wear a helmet to protect one’s head from falling gum balls. Needless to say, once again the trees had to come down. Not only was this a sad day because of the lack of shade, there were no guys that needed a few bucks. Oh my, tree removal is expensive.

So if you live in a small town or a city and are considering purchasing your retirement home, make sure you check out the trees that are in the yard. A sweet gum tree is great if there is a large yard and the tree is not growing near the house. Also, remember there are pine cones on pine trees. They make great decoration during the holiday season but you may not want a yard full of pine cones. There is a lot to look at and consider when buying a retirement home. Make your expense list and take it from me. IF YOU HAVE A TREE FETISH MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALLOW A GOOD SIZE PORTION OF MONEY ON THE BUDGET TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR TREES.

Happy retirement home hunting! Make it fun! Enjoy the journey and make it the place of your dreams! Actually, a nice palm tree in one of those 55 communities in Florida is sounding real nice to me!

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Priorities For My Baby Boomer Retirement

In my earlier years, I dreamed about the day that I would retire. I would sit on my front porch with that special person and munch on grapes, while reminiscing about the good things in life. We would travel to places such as Las Vegas, Florida, Hawaii and enjoy all the sights. Our children would bring our grandchildren to visit during the holiday season. Retirement life as a baby boomer would be filled with rest, relaxation, laughter, peace and serenity. The days of having to do would be gone. There would be no more sixteen hour shifts to work, no alarm clocks to set, and no rushing on week ends to get the lawn mowed before a work week would begin. Our children would enjoy visiting us. The grandchildren would play in the backyard. Jake, the dog, would lay lazily underneath the Elm tree. Jake would always be ready to play catch with us with his favorite ball. At night we would retire to our bed, pat each other on the bottom, give a hug, and fall off into a peaceful contented sleep. Our boomer life would be about not doing after all the years of hard work that we both had done to finally get to this place.

Now forty years later, my retirement dream, at age sixty-three is still about not doing but the not doing has changed. My priorities in life are different as they are with many of us in the boomer generation. Here is my not doing list as it is for today.

I will not worry about tomorrow. Worry keeps me from enjoying the things in life that can be enjoyed for free such as a sunrise, a sunset, music, art, a cloud formation, the sound of rain, the beauty of a snowfall, the taste of a freshly baked cinnamon roll, the softness of a babies hand, or the sent of a lilac that has just bloomed.
The television will not be my top priority each night for entertainment. I will not waste countless hours watching soap opera’s and sitcoms about other peoples lives. Instead, I will be utilizing my time to make my life one of purpose that is encouraging to others that may follow me.
Since there is no special someone in my life today, I will not spend hours trying to change that person or any other person to my way of thinking. Trying to control another is not in my plan today because it is a time sapper and a selfish way to live. Each person has earned his own right to think and be just as I have earned mine.
Even though it is important to look our best, I will not spend hours in front of the mirror trying to make sure every hair is in place to please another human being. Instead, I will enjoy the feel of a fresh shower, place a smile on my face, and be grateful for the person that I have become. My days of people pleasing are over. Yes, I am over it!
Shopping will not be an obsession in order to compete with the Jones next door. I will not shop until I drop, spending money on a credit card for things that will only bring a moment of pleasure and sore feet. Instead, I will appreciate what I have and reassess my needs.
I will not compare my life to that of others and feel regret. Instead, I will live in the moment and keep a positive attitude toward the future.
I will not plan my meals around greasy french fries, hamburgers, salty hot dogs, and mounts of unhealthy foods that will leave me feeling guilty right after my feast. Instead, I will love myself enough to eat a more balanced nutritional meal. I might break those rules on occasions though just because, I can.

There you have it, a not do boomer retirement list! It might seem a little silly to many but as I review it, I can see where it will bring about a lot more valuable ways to spend my time and enjoy the time that I do have. Who knows, maybe someone will enjoy doing the not doing with me. Then we can still take those trips without arguments and time busters.

As usual, I will end this by saying, “Enjoy the journey!” It is in your hands what you will not do so I hope that you share your not do with us.

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Baby Boomers Retiring: Boomer Generation