My Tireless Retirement – Week 165

 

May has been a full and busy month for me and it seems to have gone by in a blink with tomorrow being the first day of June.  The temperatures here are on the rise as we head into the summer months.  I have high hopes for the month ahead with quite a few fun things planned.  After a busy and rather hectic week prior I began this one on a quieter and much more relaxed note.  With Fridays being the one day a week where I am at the senior center all day I put no pressure on myself to do much of anything else.  I arrived home that evening hungry, tired and ready for a three day holiday weekend.  I gave myself the evening off to just sit, journal and watch a little TV in my quiet and lovely home.  By myself.  Ahhhhh, I am breathing again.  Big full breaths.

 

I find I am quickly slipping back into my regular routines and schedule and it has been very nice.  I really enjoy a slow quiet morning sipping a hot cup of fresh coffee and doing a bit of writing on my laptop and that is just how I started my Saturday morning.  As the sun was coming up I was able to enjoy the sunrise and my hummingbirds at the feeder that hangs just outside my living room window.  They have been back for a couple of weeks now and I really do enjoy them.  Watching them at the feeder makes my heart happy.

 

I was honestly expecting it to be worse

After a week of scrubbing, cleaning and laundry I was able to get into the laundry room and give it a good cleaning.  It had been a while since I had pulled the washer and dryer away from the wall and I wasn’t quite sure what I might find back there.  Fortunately it wasn’t too bad.  When I had kids at home I would always find a few missing socks but this time around the only treasure to be found was a missing bathroom hand towel, a few dust bunnies and a bit of dryer lint.

 

Squeaky clean!

Outside I pulled up some weeds and removed all of the spent tulips and daffodils from the flowerbeds so I could assess my next step.  I have lovingly named the spot where the maple tree was as the crater and I’ve noticed the vinca has tried to take over that area.  I love the pretty purple flowers on those vines.  I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve like due to indecision as to exactly what I want to do out here.  Sometimes I think I know and other times I’m not sure.

 

My supervisor stopped by for an inspection

Items I decluttered

While doing all of that laundry I did the previous week I realized I have way too much bedding and now that I’ve made the decision not to allow people to stay with me long term I know I don’t need to keep that much on hand anymore.  I decluttered a set of sheets, two pillows, a set of curtains, a sofa cover and a bunch of other stuff I collected as I was cleaning.  I also went through a bunch of empty binders a friend had passed on to me, kept two and added the remainder to the donation bag in the garage.

 

Junk drawer looks good

Utensil drawer - I use everything in here

I had the opportunity to go through all of the drawers in my kitchen and get the last of them cleaned inside and out.  I purged a few things that I no longer use including a food storage container with a cracked lid that I added to the recycle bin and then reorganized them.  I took inventory of my food wrap supplies and determined I am well stocked and need nothing.

 

More than enough food wraps

Freezer containers and lids for my Mason jars

Our weather has dramatically warmed up so during the heat of the day I found myself inside doing something I haven’t done in a while.  Crafting!  I got busy and made myself a new planner.  I have big plans coming up so I thought I’d use up some of my craft and office supplies I already had in my house and make myself a new planner.  I had a ton of fun making this.  I’m not quite ready to share my plans yet, but when I do you’ll be the first to know.  I had a blast though creating this planner.

 

I made myself a new planner

With pretty tab dividers

At work on Thursday I took a group of seniors to a restaurant and then we went to the theatre to see a live production of Little Women.  It was a fun evening and another work day where I feel so blessed to get paid to take people out on the town and have a good time.  I’m super lucky.

 

It was a wonderful week of slow living and just being in the moment for me as I took in my tidy, clean home and relished my aloneness.  I made a few really tasty and nutritious meals that gave me enough leftovers to keep me well fed so there was definitely no pressure in the kitchen.  How was your week?