This is what they meant I guess

All my retired friends kept telling me that once I retired I would be busier than ever.  Who knew how right they would be!  Since my 65th birthday in April, I have indeed been busy.

Len and I  hosted a delightful house concert with Kelly and Blu Hopkins, in a very full house (47 bodies) and enjoyed their company before and after, along with friends Shawn and Sid Tozer from Vernon.




Meanwhile, Len is trying to finish up the Buick and has been scouring the internet for this part.  Any guesses? 


Also, I have been doing weekly visits at the hospital and care facilities as a Hospice volunteer.  My garden has been planted and I spend time digging up weeds around the yard.

The nicest thing is to sit outside under the mosquito netting enjoying coffee or a meal with Len and Emma.  (Emma is now deaf, poor puppy! so keeps a keen eye on us during the day).

We have another house concert coming up this weekend and a bunch of band gigs in the area, so no rest for the wicked!

Turning the big 6-5 and other goings-on

April 2019 - a full month!

About a year ago, I started to think about what volunteering I might want to become involved with in the community.  There are a lot of options in a small town with an interest group for everything.  There is curling, hockey, community associations, reading, literacy, special needs, hospital auxiliary, card-playing groups, painting classes, the Arts Council, music festival.... well you get the picture!  So when I started thinking about volunteering I looked at what I think my skills and gifts are.  I see myself as caring, calm, supportive, warm and capable.  (Also very humble :) obviously).

So when I saw the advertisement for Hospice Volunteer training, I was immediately drawn toward it.  In my early years of nursing, I took some palliative care training and thought at one time that I might make this the focus of my career.  Things didn't turn out that way, but palliative care, end of life care - hospice - has always remained on the periphery of my mind.

As the very first post-employment commitment, I signed up to take a 2 weekend hospice volunteer training in 100 Mile House.  As it happened, this coincided with my birthday weekend for the last 2 days of training as well as falling right after the Senior Chorfest in Kelowna.  It was a busy couple of weeks!

Mom still loves to sing (at 91) and I thought going to Kelowna for 2 days of singing would be a nice get-away for her.  I talked my sister, Elaine, into coming along so she could drive Mom and we could have a bit of a reunion.  We stayed in a great little Air BnB house only 5 minutes from the singing venue.  I drove down Wednesday night, we sang all day Thursday and Friday, ending with an evening concert.  By the time we got back to our BnB, had a visit and packed up. it was 11 pm.  I got up on Saturday at 4:30 am to make the trek home in time for the Hospice training.  All was well until Kamloops, then the rain began.  By the time I was part way up Hwy 24 from Little Fort, the snow started.  The road turned from slush to snow to pooling water and back to slush.  I was forced to slow way down and tried to remember not to brake or steer suddenly.  I prayed no deer would decide to cross as I approached.  As it happened, I got to the training only 1/2 hour late.

On day two of the training, Sunday, Palm Sunday and my birthday, we finished up a very intense and emotional course related to all things death and dying.  The group of 8 new volunteers grew quite close through the experience.  I was pretty exhausted when I finally arrived home at suppertime.  So it was nice that there was no big surprise party or anything unusual.  Instead, we had left over lasagne and then a band practice with our guitar player, Ab.  (Our fiddler was out of town).  I had lots of lovely and thoughtful phone calls from family.

Not sure what exactly it means to be 65.  Not sure if things should or will change in any noticeable way this year.  It is hard to think of myself as officially "senior", so I am not going to.  As my Mom says, denial works. 

I certainly didn't dive into a depression, but the milestone did not go unnoticed, especially since I was deep into thinking about death and dying.

Certainly made me want to be sure to live fully and intentionally, and not to let these next years just "happen" without me noticing.  I'll let you know what that means when I figure it out!

Cathryn

FIRSTS AND LASTS

There have been a lot of firsts and lasts over the last week.

My first big Retirement party was on Thursday, March 28 at the Heatley Pub in Vancouver.  A fine musical time was had by all!  Kathleen Nisbet and friends came to play.  Len brought his banjo, I brought the stand-up bass and we played a few tunes, but mostly visited and ate and drank.  There was a wonderful honouring ceremony before the festivities began in earnest.  Very humbling. 

Len and Emma (the dog) spent a day at Stanley Park while I worked my last day in the office.  Last meetings, last emails, last out the door at the end of the day.  I had things to finish up, and so one by one my co-workers popped by to say a last goodbye, or didn't and slipped out the door until it was eerily quiet and I realized there was no one left but me.

 Len reminded me that no matter where you are in the city, the noise never stops.  It is never truly quiet.  I guess that is true.  Even walking on the beach at English Bay there was an underlying hum of activity, human speech, traffic noise and even the electric buzz of wires.  We sure noticed the quiet on the first night back, sitting in the hot tub in the dark, dark night listening to....well, nothing.  Not even a breeze.

Yesterday (Sunday) was the first time I got out into the garden for 2019.  I cleaned out the greenhouse, picked up dog poop (!) and then cleaned the first of my 2 large flower beds.  My back and legs were a bit tired by the end of it all.

The first Monday morning when I didn't have to get up and go to work was today.  Being April Fools, Len made a secret call from his cell and then informed me it was work calling with a questions.  Ha ha, got me!

Another first which is strangely delightful also happened today.  I put my laundry out on the line for the first time this year.  How lovely to hear the birds singing and feel the breeze as I hung out all those clean duds.  Small things, but such are the things that bring true joy.

Happy socks and duds on the line

Last Day of the Full Time Home Office

This where I have spent 7 years of my working life.  Luckily the window looks out where I can watch the local deer meander through the yard.   There are worse locations!

There were some of challenges - working through VPN is not always a smooth process, but it worked more times than not.  And the Surface Pro I work off was very flakey when it came to sound settings.

I just now realized that today is the last full day of working from home - next week (the last week) I will be in the Vancouver office to do my final hand-over.  Wow!  Those last few weeks went by very quickly!

In celebration, I bought myself a retirement ride - an eBike.  I plan to still pedal, but at least my poor knees will get some relief on the hills, of which there are many in our community.  Len is fixing up a basket to put on the rear carrier so I can pedal to the local store (5km each way) for groceries and beer.  Too bad the yard is still icy and mucky - I can't get the bike down to the pavement very easily.  I am sure that after my trip to Vancouver the yard will be better.  And I will have all the time in the world to bike to my heart's delight.

Countdown!

Well the countdown is on!  2 weeks and counting.
I have a few things planned for the first non-work month - keeping more than busy!

As it happens, the local Hospice Society is doing training for volunteers the second week of April, and this is a once a year thing in our small town.  So I will be spending 2 weekends in training.  In between I am traveling with my less-senior sister and more-senior Mom to the Senior Chorfest in Kelowna.  It should be a lot of fun to sing with 200 other older choristers!

A couple of weeks ago I picked up my latest musical undertaking - a bass viola da gamba.  It is sort of like the two instruments I already play a bit - cello and upright bass.  However, the 6 strings and frets and having it tuned with a 3rd in the middle (like a guitar) makes it a bit challenging.  Luckily come April I will have lots of time to figure it out.

If I get good enough quickly enough, there is a Conclave (gathering) in Oregon this summer.  I would love to go!

Viola da gamba
Sort of like a cello, no end-pin so you wedge it between your legs!

Back and forth to Vancouver

Looks like most of my exploration these last months of work includes flying back and forth to Vancouver.  I am headed back to the coast this evening.  I fly on Pacific Coastal Airlines, in a Beechcraft 1900.  I have my favourite seat which puts me in a position where I can see the altimeter (so I know we really are above the rocks!).  Also, when I look out the window I can see that the front gear is down as it is reflected in the spinner of the propellor.  Control issues?  Who me???

I like the smaller aircraft because I can see what is happening.  I would rather know than not know.  However, I have had a few instances of anxiety as a result of seeing the cockpit.  When the captain takes out the big binder, the operating manual and various papers and spends a long time looking at them, obviously discussing with the second officer, it makes me a little nervous.  Or when an annunciator light comes one.  Or when the captain keeps looking out the window toward the engine.

I have had the aircraft I came in on "grounded" due to a mechanical issue, but have never had a real in-flight concern.  Not yet anyway. 

I don't like flying at night very much; I like to be able to see the ground or if I can't, at least how thick the clouds are.  And the worst bumping around the sky I have experienced has been on night flights.  And wouldn't you know it, I am flying out tonight and back Friday night.  Twice in a week.  Oh well, a chance to practice my relaxation breathing!

Where, oh where to go?

Len and I have been tossing around some ideas of trips to take during this first year of my availability.  Having a small airplane is fun, but we are so weather-reliant that it is hard to make firm plans.  That is one thing about a full-time job - you need to schedule time off.  So once I am "foot-loose-and-fancy-free" we will be more able to hop in the plane and go visiting when the weather cooperates.

So far we have settled on the fact that an across-Canada trip will wait until 2020.  We hope to hit the Oshkosh Air Show on one leg of the trip.  We were there in 2002 and Len has been back once since.  I would like to go again - there is something so special about camping with 10,000 of your flying friends!

For 2019 we will be a little more modest - go visiting the family in Sechelt, Canal Flats and St. Albert.  Maybe we will get as far as Winnipeg where we have good friends.  If not this year, then as part of our Cross-Canada trip next year.

Other than flying, I hope to participate in some musical camps.  Len and I will both go to Mountain Fever Bluegrass Jam Camp at the Flying U Ranch at the end of April.  I want to go back to the Mountainside Chamber Music week in Nelson in July.  And maybe Nimblefingers camp at the end of August....we'll have to see how the money holds out.

There are two elements to our travel - friends and family.  That's really what it is all about.  Visiting old friends, making new ones.  And always throwing in some music.  Len on the banjo, me on either mandolin or stand-up bass.  Too much fun!

So enjoyable to think about the upcoming summer in the midst of January!  Last year at this time we were planning our trip to Iceland and Norway.  Seems that when the snow flies, our imaginations get busy!