Eager To Get Outside

I woke up early, eager to get outside to work in my yard. I wish I could go outside right now, but I have to pace myself. I do my tasks in order of increasing effort so that when I am done, when I have worked through all of my tasks for the day and used all of my energy, all I have to do is bathe and go to bed, at 5 PM, or even earlier! Like most other oldsters, I have my main meal at either 11 AM or 4 PM. In the evening I eat after I have rested, heating up something nice that I prepared earlier in the day when I was fresher. It took me a few difficult years to figure out how to be old more easily. Living in my own tidy, pretty home makes me happy. I wonder how senior living will be for me?

I love to work with the Earth and try to make my own little bit of it an attractive, healthy habitat for plants, animal life, and me. The fact that I plan to sell my nice yellow-brick house next summer does not diminish my pleasure in this. Some young family will occupy this three bedroom, three bathroom home, where I have had all the mechanicals replaced or repaired to like-new condition: HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. Over the ten years that I have owned this house, I paid for a new roof, flashing, gutter guards, and corrected drainage away from the house foundation. I had the outside trim repainted. I had the son-of-a-son-of a painter (three generations) use his grandfather’s tools to beautifully retexture and paint all the inside walls and ceilings. I showed him how to apply a translucent white overcoat to brighten the base coat without hiding the wall texture. It turned out beautifully. He also restored the hardwood floors, and put in elegant beech wood baseboards throughout the house. There are now new ceiling fans in all rooms which create comfortable ambiance.

Caption: I am so eager to get outside to work in my yard this morning by Annmarie Throckmorton, 2017. (my living room)