There is a big difference in “getting ready for winter” in my old life and my new life. For many years, my company The Neighbors would prepare by closing contract agreements, greasing the Boss 8-foot poly blade, tune the engine, and load tow ropes and salt (for those less fortunate and having no four-wheel-drive or less experience driving on snow). Great times, getting up at 2 in the morning, checking web cams, making phone calls and coffee, checking numerous reports, kissing the sleeping girls, and hitting the road. Really great times!
Retired life is different. We really miss the snow, never gets cold enough on Terceira. That’s just as well, because the narrow, twisting roads (often cobblestone) and hills would be a nightmare to drive and plow. Driveways here often have a 40-degree slant, put ice on that and, well…..
Here we have about a month of “fall,” plenty of time to put away the lawn furniture, stack more firewood, stake out the young avocado tree, and prepare a soft bed in the garage for the neighborhood kittens. Of course, bracing for the cold winds of winter also require several additional bottles of aguardente, the local version of brandy, perfect for fighting off chills. Needless to say, most of us also stow the beach bags and umbrellas, although we have many acquaintances who religiously take a constitutional morning swim to stay fit. (We know them; we don’t join them:)
So the seasonal changes, the memories and photos, they all remind me about retired life in the Azores. Some memories are happy, some sad. All reinforce my prevailing attitude…it is what it is. Enjoy it!