Getting Your Thumb Cut

Ouch! One minor slip landed me in a major fix two days ago as I accidentally cut my thumb while in the garden and that put me out for the last couple of days. It is much better now but I am limited to light activity like typing this online diary and even then my wife is not too happy about it. She wants me to just rest the thumb and put my leg up just watching TV the whole day but you know one cannot really do that the whole day. It si also not healthy to just sit around doing nothing and engage in sedentary activities all the time so I thought it would be good to make sure I at least work some blood circulation in my body. Typing this is not too difficult although there is still some slight pain, but it keeps my fingers active and also my mind too. She will have to accept that her husband will be stubborn sometimes and afterall it is just a cut and little swelling nothing to be too concerned about. There is no infection owing to her putting on some antiseptic quickly although initially it bled quite a bit but the doctor said the cut was not too deep and it was purely a cut to the flesh, no injury to the finger bone thankfully. I did not feel too much pain to be honest but it could be due to my high pain tolerance.

It was also fun sitting in the car on the way to the doc's as my wife drove us there. She does not drive very often, quite rarely in fact, and under all that panic and concern she had over my cut thumb, she drove the car in a state of panic as well. Looking all flustered and... cute. It was also raining and it made the whole joruney quite an experience if you ask me. She was screaming and cursing at other drivers and believe me you she very rarely opens her mouth to engage in harsh language. I had quite a nice time laughing about it and it kind of took my mind off the pain, which I am very thankful to her for as well, on top of driving me around. I could have done it myself but she would not allow me to do so. I thought my cut was not that serious at all but you know my wife loves me so much, she gets really worried with anything that happens to me physically. Even when it is a little cold, she would get really worried and fuss over me. I cannot deny that it is a really nice feeling and has more to do with ego than anything else, but it also makes me love her even more, because I know she loves me that much.

Since the cut, I have not yet returned to my garden but it can wait I guess. I have just been reading more and sleeping a little bit more as well. I do not watch TV or movies the whole day because it is not good for the eyes, and have not been able to step into the kitchen since it would mess up the little bandage around the thumb. I guess you could say I am having a nice little break during my retirement. The latest books I have read include some translated Japanese novels which are from the mystery and thriller genre. They have been really interesting and perhaps I will try to write a short review in the future if I do not get too lazy after this very minor injury that I have gotten. I also some interesting TV shows that have got me thinking about the state of politics in our country recently but to be honest, as long as whoever gets elected as our next President does something good for our economy, that would be enough for me. I know there are amny people who are not doing that well nowadays and could do with some changes to the economy but they also have to work harder and save more. It is always good to think long term and not always trying to look for that quick short cut and gain that would be nice in the short term but in the long run never benefits anyone.

Clearing My Garden

I have said time and again how much I enjoy my gardening as a hobby and today was no different. I do not spend time in the garden everyday, but today was one of those days that I did, and it was tiring, but very satisfying. My wife decided to make a trip to the town center with her friend Joyce and so I was all alone at home and planned to tidy up my garden once again. I had not pulled out the weeds for almost two weeks and they were starting to invade my garden once again, so out came my gloves and I spent a good half hour exercising my legs squatting down and pulling out the pesky little greens. Then I tended to my potted plants which lined my garden wall and watered them well. Some I added fertilizer as I saw that they were not looking as bright as they used to be. I have always wondered whether those stories of people talking to plants and making them grow better were true. I was so tempted to try that out today since I was alone there and my wife would not be around to see her husband becoming crazy or senile at his age after talking to his plants. In the end I could not bring myself to do it, what if one of them actually spoke back to me? I might have fainted there and nobody would have been around to save me.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon just browsing the Internet and catching up on news around the world. It is interesting how powerful this medium is, and I find myself fortunate to be able to have the chance to be in a time when there are virtually no boundaries left between countries and men and women, and we can all find out more about everything and each other through this medium. But I was more interested in reading the news and after that, since my wife had not returned home yet, I popped in another dvd and caught another movie. This time, it was the Shawshank Redemption, based on a book by Stephen King. Believe it or not I have never seen it as I was really busy back then and never had much time to watch anything. I really enjoyed this movie and thought Morgan Freeman was excellent in it. I was quite moved by the story as well, and made a note to pick up a copy of the book. You know how it is with movies, they seldom follow strictly to the book if they are based on one, and the book often provides more substance to the characters and really draw out the plots and storylines really well. That is one reason why I enjoy reading so much, because authors always have the artistic freedom to flesh out their characters and stories.

My wife soon returned home not long after I completed the movie and I decided to help her out in the kitchen with the dinner, as I felt that she must have been tired after spending the afternoon out in town with Joyce. My wife does not get as much exercise as I do, except with her chores at home and in the kitchen. Most women would say that is a lot of exercise, but I always feel that she should also spend some time with outdoor activities as the fresh air and sun would do wonders for her. She told me she had a good afternoon tea with Joyce and they then spent time window shopping and doing the usual housewives thing. We decided to prepare a light meal for the evening since we had pretty much had a long tiring day and it might not have made for a good night's sleep on too heavy a stomach after physical activities like gardening and walking around town. It was a light fish fillet for each of us, some fresh greens, and a glass of white wine each. We believe in having a bit of wine from time to time, not overdone, but good enough for a health heart like many of those scientific reports seem to suggest. Before turning in, I am just finishing this little diary entry and we also had a nice little turn on Scrabble. Good night!

Trying To Live A Life Of Peace And Quiet

Ever since I packed up my bags and decided that it was time to settle down and live life quietly and happily after years of toil under the hot sun, it has always been my desire to just have a nice time everyday, just doing the little things I love to do but never could find time for hidden behind stacks of paperwork on the office desk. Now at my ripe old age, although some may call it still relatively young, I have been spending basically all my days indoors in my little comfortable house, with my wife who shares the same things and interests that I do, and we really have about the most picturesque life a retiring couple could ever have, and probably could be described in a fairytale storybook. Now that I have also discovered putting my thoughts down on the computer, it has been another addition to my list of hobbies that I enjoy doing since young.

The difference now is that I can finally have the time to spend on them, and enjoy them thoroughly. It has taken me decades but I feel that it was well worth it. Not many young people nowadays realize that you have to pay your dues before you can earn them. They just want to enjoy life too early in life, and they will probably end up dead broke and angry when they are older. Then they would be trying to justify themselves disgruntingly saying that they did what they thought was the best for themselves, and that at least they had the time of their lives in their youth. I will not go into that because everyone deserves to have their own opinions, but my own opinion is that I am now happily retired, and have enough money for the rest of my life, while enjoying all my simple hobbies and time with my beloved wife. True happiness has been earned through our dedication to making our lives better and we are thankful for everything we have now and have ever had. Simple things like reading a book becomes so much more enjoyable when you know that you can wake up the next day still enjoying it and spending the whole day on it.

It is also a joy waking up each morning breathing in the fresh garden air from our windows, bathing in the morning sunshine as we stretch our old bodies to release the energy for another bright and sunny day. Sipping the warm cup of tea at the breakfast table and munching away at our toast with lightly spreaded strawberry jam, we would spend the morning reading the newspapers and watching the early morning talk shows, while discussing the previous day's happenings and current events being talked about in the newspapers and on TV. We then indulge in our hobbies such as more reading, catching up on movies that we've missed, and maybe making a short trip to the town center for anything from shopping to having a little meal. Sometimes we will try to plan for a nice trip out of town to a lovely beach to enjoy the sun and sand, or make a touristy jaunt to some attractions that we never could find time for in the past. Or we might even just spend an afternoon with our gardening chores. That is what a good life is about, and we are grateful that at our age we still have the energy and time to do so.