# Quality time.......



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Although it was clear out today, it was too windy and cold to go for a ride. So, I spent a good part of the day in my man cave (garage). Cranked up the radio and made sure it was on a 70's rock station. 

Got some more wall cabinets hung and also hung a 4x8 sheet of peg board. I had one in my other garage and it's very handy. Mounted up some small tool holders on the side of my high work bench. It's about 4' off the floor. Kind of a stand-up work bench if you will. My other work bench is your typical sit-down style. 

Once I got the peg board nailed up, I began the process of un-boxing stuff and hanging it up. It turned out real well. If I had to venture a guess as to how far along I've come getting my garage in working order, I'd say it's about 80% or so. I still need to get an electrician out to wire up a 220/240 volt outlet for me. My wife wants me to wait until we have a list of things for him to do once one comes out. That will probably happen within a month or so. 

Anyways, it was a good day! Hell.....I'm retired, spent time in my man cave, and the Mrs. made a nice lunch for me. What's not to like?


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## AZdave (Oct 23, 2015)

Ahh, yes retirement. It is the best job I have ever had.


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## RoadRamblerNJ (Mar 3, 2018)

I'm wishing I was you.
I could play around in my garage or my 16x24 shed all day long before I moved.
Now it's all in storage until I buy property and get a house built. Holed up in a 1 BR apartment now.
"Retirement" was forced on me due to medical issues at 59 yrs young. 
On the flip side, I already own everything I will ever need re: tools, guns, reloading stuff. Sure looking forward to creating my next shop from scratch. I loaded my 8' bed in my Ram and took a bunch to the dump before I moved. Made 4 trips and I was LOADED! every time. I know I'm gonna "need" at least half of that stuff. It was good stuff. George Carlin said so.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Well my little hide out is 140' by 48' 16 stall with full tack room, bathroom, wood stove, and work shop. everything to make me comfortable Retirement is great


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

You know, at one time, I wasn't all that sure that retirement was the answer for me. There was a variety of reasons why, but I just wasn't sure. 

The first few years were a bit cumbersome. But, after a few more, it began to feel more comfortable. Now, looking back, I don't know what in the Hell was wrong with me. 

Same thing with buying this house we're now in. I felt that it was a mistake. Biggest one we've ever made in fact. But now after two months, I'm beginning to feel comfortable with it. We've had to address some problems and issues, but we're knocking them off one by one. 

Time can and does do wonderful things, if you let it. I tend to be a bit impatient at times. As I grow older, I'm letting go of some issues that have hounded me thru my life.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

Retirement was definitely for me. Before I completed my apprenticeship training I was already dreaming about retirement. It's been fourteen years and I don't miss my job at all. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning so I could fight traffic to get to my office on the other side of L.A. and then doing the same thing in reverse every evening trying to get home by 6:30. I had an interesting job and I was making double income but I got to the point where I had just had enough.
I still get up before dawn but now I just make a cup of coffee and lounge around until I feel like doing something.


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## stokes (Jan 17, 2017)

My plan was to wait til I could collect SS at age 62.When I got close to what could be my early retirement date at age 57 a friend talked me into going to the pension board to look at our numbers.I walked out of that meeting and put my papers in immediately.Havent looked back.People would ask,but dont you get bored? I say if I do,I know its nap time.While I was working I always loved what I did and never in 30 yrs woke up and felt like I didnt want to go to work today.Retirements kinda the same,I never wake up and feel like I dont want to be retired today.I was out for 5 yrs before I started collecting SS.Like somebody is handing me 2 grand a month to play with.Yes,retirement rocks.


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## hillman (Jul 27, 2014)

My job was 'downsized' when I was 59. Did contract work until 62, then semi-retired. 20 years along, savings are running low, and Trump is after my Soc Sec. Clearly have lived too long.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

It wasn't my job, it was this that made me retire.
After working on job sites with the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter, not to mention the hard physical work, it was really nice to move into the office as an estimator. The differences between working in the field and working in the office were like night and day but just looking at the picture above reminds me why I hung it up at 56.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

PhuBai70 said:


> View attachment 17884
> 
> 
> It wasn't my job, it was this that made me retire.
> After working on job sites with the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter, not to mention the hard physical work, it was really nice to move into the office as an estimator. The differences between working in the field and working in the office were like night and day but just looking at the picture above reminds me why I hung it up at 56.


I had friends living in S. CA.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Weather here has taken a good turn-around. There's a high pressure front moving in from the west.

Thinking about a m/c ride this coming Sunday. I'm way over due for one.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

paratrooper said:


> I had friends living in S. CA.


I don't know when your friends lived here but I do know that traffic here is worse than it was fourteen years ago when I retired. There are just too many people here. L.A. County has over 10 million people and is the most populated county in the country. Cook County, IL comes in second with 5.2 million people. 
I gave up a lot when I retired but it was worth it in the long run when you consider the conditions in the photo I posted. The frustration of dealing with that every morning and every evening eventually wears you out mentally.


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## RoadRamblerNJ (Mar 3, 2018)

PhuBai70 said:


> View attachment 17884
> 
> 
> It wasn't my job, it was this that made me retire.
> After working on job sites with the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter, not to mention the hard physical work, it was really nice to move into the office as an estimator. The differences between working in the field and working in the office were like night and day but just looking at the picture above reminds me why I hung it up at 56.


That photo looks all too familiar. I did +/- 100 miles/day in North Jersey traffic from 1985 until 18 months ago.
I took that same photo I can't tell you how many times just to show my boss why I was late. 50 miles translates to 2 hrs+/- each way. The last 8 yrs, I was also "on-call" 24/7, every other week. If called, and a CTRL>ALT>DEL didn't fix it, I had to go in, even if I just got home! And I was salary so, no O.T. pay.

My wife swears if I didn't get hurt, ending that career, I would have had a heart attack, a stroke or killed somebody and gone to prison. We chose to live that far from work so our boys could go to a good school in relative safety.

I didn't complain about it or regret that decision. I knew once I was close to home, the ugliness of where I worked was behind me. Once home, I could sit down with a Gentleman Jack, served neat, and watch the deer & turkeys. My boys could be on their dirt bikes, not hanging out, learning about drugs and how to steal a car.

The cost of living there was tremendous, making it necessary to stay there. With 3 cars, 1 truck and 2 motorcycles, vehicle insurance was $6k /yr. Out property taxes were $12k /yr. Gas & tolls were $250/wk. and, we needed the medical benefits. You just get "stuck" and that job becomes necessary to live there. The 20+ hrs/wk. commuting (unpaid) was destroying a car every 3 yrs. Ahhhhh!

Thank God I got hurt! My forced "retirement" made me understand I had no need to stay there any longer. My boys were doing fine on their own. I have private LTD insurance paying me $2k/mo for 6 more yrs and as of last month, I am collecting SS for another $2k/mo until I croak. We'll do just fine.

"So we loaded up the truck and we moved to Beverly---hills tha is" NO, lol. We moved to Tennessee. We sold the house and are looking to build in the NE corner of TN. Blue Ridge Mtn's are beautiful. Excellent roads for riding the m/c too.

I never expected to stop working at 58 yrs old but, it happened and I slowly realized we could afford it. I'm done getting surgeries, unless I do something stupid again. A lifetime of accumulation means I don't need any more tools, guns, brass or powder. Just time. Now I have that.

Like most of you, I can't imagine how I ever had enough time to be at work 12 hrs/day!!

Here's hoping we all get to do the things we've waited for before being "called-in" one last time.

Ed


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Plenty of positive reviews on retirement. 
I don't want to spoil the party, lol.
I'll keep the negative reviews off the thread.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

pic said:


> Plenty of positive reviews on retirement.
> I don't want to spoil the party, lol.
> I'll keep the negative reviews off the thread.


Don't be raining on our parade! At least wait until it's over and we're on our way to our cars.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> Don't be raining on our parade! At least wait until it's over and we're on our way to our cars.


Lmao!!  ,


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## RoadRamblerNJ (Mar 3, 2018)

We're all dead in 12 yrs anyway, right? Hehehehe!


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I was threatened with a desk job and being a classroom trainer. I was old enough and had everything paid for so I was out. Now I can happily say I am out to pasture which is where I want to be.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

We retired about 22 years ago. We have really good medical insurance, her really good pension, my Social Security, and we had a whole lot of family jewelry to sell to help us buy a nice retirement home.

Jean still likes to work, but not to get up in the morning. She runs a local charity.
I like to read, and I'm OK with her morning routine and her work, such as it is.
(We left Los Angeles when the nearby freeway began to look like *PhuBai70*'s traffic photo.)

I'm just turning 82, Jean is 78, and we have to buy a replacement for my 1984 Mitsubishi Montero.
Up here, we need at least one 4WD vehicle for a few weeks in the winter.

We're having trouble with the concept of buying a new car at our ages.
No, change that: _I'm_ having trouble with the concept of buying a new car at age 82.
Will I, or we, live long enough to actually enjoy it?

Maybe, instead, we need a saddle-broke American Bison.
Anybody got one for sale?
.


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> We retired about 22 years ago. We have really good medical insurance, her really good pension, my Social Security, and we had a whole lot of family jewelry to sell to help us buy a nice retirement home.
> 
> Jean still likes to work, but not to get up in the morning. She runs a local charity.
> I like to read, and I'm OK with her morning routine and her work, such as it is.
> ...


Can't you just put a new mainspring or rubber band in it?


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

BackyardCowboy said:


> Can't you just put a new mainspring or rubber band in it?


no it uses mini-panda bears which are endangered


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

tony pasley said:


> no it uses mini-panda bears which are endangered


An upgrade from hamsters?


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Today, was a very good day! I got in 170 miles, short of what I had intended, but good enough, as they were all great miles.

It was cool enough out to keep 99.9% of the bugs at bay. Only had about a handful that lost their lives to a speeding object (me) on the highway. 

My bike ran great. It loves the cold(er) weather. Must be the German blood / heritage. Really glad I was on it , and not this:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

tony pasley said:


> no it uses mini-panda bears which are endangered


Um, the Montero is Japanese-made, not Chinese.
So it uses Hokkaido apes for power. And now they've grown old, like me, so we've got to put them out to pasture.

That last "motorcycle," the one with the longhorn horns, looks a lot like my old 1965 VW. It was the car I owned (from new) before I bought the Montero in '84.
...But where does Jean sit?


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Steve I thought this was your ride


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

tony pasley said:


> Steve I thought this was your ride


Yeah: I ride the steer, not the Mongo.
I can steer the steer, and even toot his horns.
But I wouldn't want to be there when Mongo toots...
Get me, Toots?


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Um, the Montero is Japanese-made, not Chinese.
> So it uses Hokkaido apes for power. And now they've grown old, like me, so we've got to put them out to pasture.
> 
> That last "motorcycle," the one with the longhorn horns, looks a lot like my old 1965 VW. It was the car I owned (from new) before I bought the Montero in '84.
> ...But where does Jean sit?


My younger brother has a Montero. And, I do believe it's an 84 model. He's held onto it over the years. It's no longer a daily driver though. The last time we talked about it, it needed some work, but not sure as to what exactly.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

It was a really good little truck.
It could go places that I was afraid to go. It cornered well. Its 4WD and locking differential got us through all kinds of stuff. Its ride was comfortable, as was its interior. It was OK on gas use, for what it was. It didn't eat tires.
I'm going to be very sorry to see it go, but there just aren't any repair parts any more.

When I got it, Mitsubishi's reliability reputation wasn't good, but this particular Montero never needed much repair work...until just a couple of years ago.
I have to admit that, before the last engine rebuild, it burned a lot of oil (one quart per gas-tank-full). But now, it doesn't burn oil at all.
Someone might get good use out of the engine and drive train, if he's a clever mechanic and knows where to scrounge parts.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

My brother was quite the outdoors man back when. He'd take off and be gone for weeks at a time. Usually, he'd go alone. He had trouble finding others who could disappear for a few weeks. He'd load up his Montero and disappear into the wilderness.

He loved mountain climbing, camping, and white water kayaking. From the way he talked about it, it was quite the off-road vehicle. Small, maneuverable, and very sure-footed.

He just moved from Grants Pass, OR., back to Spokane, WA. He took the Montero with him.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I wonder whether he might want mine, for spare parts...

Naah...it'd never make it, being driven all the way to Spokane. Parts would fall off, all the way.
.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I wonder whether he might want mine, for spare parts...
> 
> Naah...it'd never make it, being driven all the way to Spokane. Parts would fall off, all the way.
> .


My brother is kind of under some financial pressure right now. Quite a bit, actually. But, I do expect to speak to him sometime this weekend.

I'll bring up the topic of his Montero and what he expects to do with it. If he does plan on keeping and rehabbing it, I can ask if might be interested in a parts Montero.

If he is interested, I'll let you know Steve, and maybe something can be worked out.


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