I’m grateful to have been able to retire. Not having to work is great. A few recent changes make me even more retired than I already was.

Getting Mavis was the first big change. She drags things into the house from the yard. She’s especially fond of pine cones and small branches, both of which she shreds to pieces. Stuffed squeaky toys also get shredded. Fiber fill is everywhere.

Cleaning up after her is a challenge. For starters, seeing to clean is an issue. The vacuum cleaner is one of Mavis’s favorite toys and she loves playing tug of war with the mop. Doesn’t help that I’m more likely to laugh than to fuss.

Years ago, I devoted a few hours every Saturday morning to cleaning the house from top-to-bottom. Living alone enables me to clean as needed. Time flies. I look up and realize weeks have passed since the bathroom was cleaned.

Yuck!

I finally broke down and hired a house-cleaning service. A lady comes every four weeks and cleans for four or five hours. After her first visit, my house had never been cleaner.

She’s been here twice. Aside from cleaning up the kitchen, all I do in between is sweep the floor a few times. I’m officially retired from cleaning house.

Macular degeneration also makes mowing the yard take twice as long as it should. I miss a section–or think I do–and go back over it again. And again. And maybe another time, just to be sure. Seeing to pull weeds is also a challenge.

I got an email via a tree removal company I’ve used many times about a spin-off business for mowing and other yard work. The quote sounded reasonable. They’ve been here twice and did far more than I expected, including weeding my flower beds!

My yard has never looked nicer. They’ll be back every week or so to keep it looking good. I’ll still garden, but otherwise, I’m officially retired from yard work.

I take care of Mavis and the aquarium. Laundry is also my job, along with meal planning and preparation. I know. It’s a lot, but I think I can handle it.

I’ll keep you posted. As always, thanks for stopping by.