Our version of retirement: Living a childhood dream

Treacle said:
I am so pleased I found this Forum. How, I do not know. Think I was being directed by some external force as I'm going through a bad time but to see the beauty of your home (I love wood - I have a piece 100+years old which I feed with a beeswax), to experience your poetry and see such beautiful photos, I feel blessed. Thank you. Having a ball on this Forum😍
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Hey, Teacle.....that is so very kind of you to say.
Thank You

I'm very happy to be a part of these Senior Forums, and if someone enjoys a thread of mine, well, mission accomplished.

A bunch of fun folks here

Cheers
and Welcome
 

Took a bit of time in the day to jaunt 25 miles and get the mail

On the way, discovered a little roadside bistro

The baldy was really into that deer
Hardly flinched when we slowed

zZmtq7R.jpg


Of course I had to play;

LN7RFjU.jpg


B2yORpj.jpg



Get home and Zippy is gorging on the suet block

HLqGdAy.jpg


Turns out he doesn't care much to be watched while dining, either

OIzdnMP.jpg
 
Gary O' said:
Took a bit of time in the day to jaunt 25 miles and get the mail

On the way, discovered a little roadside bistro

The baldy was really into that deer
Hardly flinched when we slowed

zZmtq7R.jpg


Of course I had to play;

LN7RFjU.jpg


B2yORpj.jpg



Get home and Zippy is gorging on the suet block

HLqGdAy.jpg


Turns out he doesn't care much to be watched while dining, either

OIzdnMP.jpg
Click to expand...
:D
 

The first raised bed is done
Having to design on the fly requires patient, slow, thought filled work

This one turned out without mid build changes

Instead of buying 2x2s I bought 2x4s and ripped them to 2x2
(yes, I'm a cheap bastard)

Due to the various critters, we have to screen everything

raised bed.JPG

open raised bed.JPG

the cedar interior should last a long while

cedar interior.JPG


Since the framework is SPF, I'll stain all but the cedar interior on next ones
They'll then last long enough for us old folks

I may not even have to stain, since we don't get a whole lotta rain
But, easier to stain the framework before assembly
 
Gary O' said:
The first raised bed is done
Having to design on the fly requires patient, slow, thought filled work

This one turned out without mid build changes

Instead of buying 2x2s I bought 2x4s and ripped them to 2x2
(yes, I'm a cheap bastard)

Due to the various critters, we have to screen everything

View attachment 109234

View attachment 109235

the cedar interior should last a long while

View attachment 109236


Since the framework is SPF, I'll stain all but the cedar interior on next ones
They'll then last long enough for us old folks

I may not even have to stain, since we don't get a whole lotta rain
But, easier to stain the framework before assembly
Click to expand...
tenor.gif
 
Gary O' said:
The first raised bed is done
Having to design on the fly requires patient, slow, thought filled work

This one turned out without mid build changes

Instead of buying 2x2s I bought 2x4s and ripped them to 2x2
(yes, I'm a cheap bastard)

Due to the various critters, we have to screen everything

View attachment 109234

View attachment 109235

the cedar interior should last a long while

View attachment 109236


Since the framework is SPF, I'll stain all but the cedar interior on next ones
They'll then last long enough for us old folks

I may not even have to stain, since we don't get a whole lotta rain
But, easier to stain the framework before assembly
Click to expand...
Fine work - cedar lasts a while for sure. Very nice - whatca going grow?
 
Great, getting calls from the retail places
They 'need' more bird houses

I've never gotten calls from them
I've always dropped by to check my inventory

'Course, I've never tried to keep up during this time of year

Thing is, I'm in the middle of building raised beds, and helping my lady do her gardening
And, given it's normally late to be doing this, it's right on time here in the mountains
Our 'growing' season is a couple months (July thru Aug.....maybe some of Sept)

Don't like being under the gun, and behind


Don't like working in the shop on sunny days

Guess the prices need to go up...….

Got a couple stormy days showing in the forcast
Guess I best get busy

Wait, priorities

coffee first


Then there's that necessary 2nd sleep....

2nd sleep.jpg
 
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The problem with success, to wit, your retailers needing more bird houses, is that something enjoyable soon becomes a duty, a routine. Yeah, you're under the gun. Deadlines, deadlines......

In my semi-retirement, I no longer wake up that excited to go run bids and do the jobs they get me. Once I'm on the job, I enjoy the work, but sometimes, in Austin's 100°+ temperatures.........

At some point, I think it becomes a matter of, "Do I really want to keep doing this?" That's a tough question to answer, for all motivated, successful people, but sooner or later, you do have to answer it.
 
treeguy64 said:
At some point, I think it becomes a matter of, "Do I really want to keep doing this?"
Click to expand...
Answered that one back in 2015, when I retired and moved to the cabin
The pressing issues of business were stimulating, that's for sure
I called my own shots, and I was my worst task master
Ate it like candy

moi 30.jpg



It carried over to building these cabins
Couldn't slow down

I've now slowed down
Still work a good day
But the pace is a bit more sane

A different kind of joy

No complaints

I do like the retired me

mr happy 2.jpg
 
In truth, I was speaking strictly to the building of your great bird houses. Will you continue to enjoy building them if you're trying to meet some daily/ weekly/monthly quota?
 
treeguy64 said:
In truth, I was speaking strictly to the building of your great bird houses. Will you continue to enjoy building them if you're trying to meet some daily/ weekly/monthly quota?
Click to expand...

I picked up on that
And broadened it a bit

The direct answer;
No
Never

I'll pull my shingle

blurb fin 80% smaller.jpg


A very wise man counseled me on this early on

His likeness;

jim.jpg


Answers to Jim

We were one on this then and I've not wavered

Reality;
There is no money in this
Oh, it's nice to pick up two/three hundred bucks on a trip to town
But, the fun in creating and reveling in folk's enjoyment
That's the 'money'

If it comes to some sorta real pressure....I'll just start giving them away

Or

As Jim counseled; 'raise the price'
 
Cold out
Sunny, but cold
Good day to work in the shop

Finished up a couple more avian abodes

One turned out to be a new fav

BQSNO79.jpg


It was mesmerizingly fun to let the roots find a way around

p1n9tgi.jpg


JvWbMck.jpg


JCtGagN.jpg


I've started making the entries larger

pzFdIl8.jpg


Not totally happy with the weather cap, but it was different

1MRuWTe.jpg


anyway, it's the new shop inventory favorite

SJAx2Ap.jpg



The other became an also ran
But I was compelled to incorporate this crazy looking root that, to me,
looked like a wild boar's head hooked to a lizard body

0pnF7o9.jpg


Q4zlFQz.jpg


8OQ254s.jpg


Got done early enough to scope out the tiny meadow flora with my lady

2Ki6apm.jpg


221e0xT.jpg


first bit of yarrow this year

udWw7At.jpg



My other evening adventure was viewing sun and shadows
(It's becoming my favorite thing to do at dusk)

mY1SWYB.jpg




Sometimes I just let wooden me do that

lCYnG2P.jpg
 
I've got this pile of deer antlers
Considering mounting and hanging on the shop walls

I know, I know......lotsa folks don't like to see 'trophies' of animal kills
I really don't care one way or another
At the time, it was meat...dinner.....many dinners

I just can't bring myself to tossing 'em

Most are 4 point (8 point eastern count)

I've got plenty of gnarly wood

Any suggestions?
 


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