Retirement has definite advantages. This past Friday my Granddaughter, Robyn, had a PA day. Her mother offered her to me as muscle to get some jobs done around the property. With a move coming up we need to organize and dispose of some items.
It was a damp drizzling morning and Robyn, decked out in old clothes, work gloves and boots, arrived just before 8:30. She set about pulling together some scrap metal for her Poppy to take into town and sell. We had to clean out the garden shed to find some of the items to load into the truck. We pulled all the contents out and sorted scrap metal, garbage and keep items. Robyn put on a mask and swept out the debris of fall and a long winter. Everything that was staying was put back in place.
Both of us were wet and dirty when we finished and went inside. After washing up and changing we enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee. Employing some of the required muscle Robyn carried two heavy boxes up stairs for me and then we left for an appointment at the hospital for X-rays on my hips.
Appointment and several errands completed we decided it was time for lunch. Robyn wanted to try out Union Burger. The menu is large and varied and after consultation we decided on our burgers. I was thrilled to find a burger with goat cheese as a topping but was amazed that the burger she chose had a slice of pea-meal bacon on it. Our appetites satisfied we started looking for plants to decorate the deck. Two large Boston Ferns and four geraniums completed our purchases. “The Muscle” carried everything to the SUV. Our last stop was the grocery store and the busy day found us both tired and ready to relax.
Groceries put away, my hips were hurting and I needed to lay down with the heating pad. Robyn wanted to watch a movie. Most of our movies have been packed and her choices were Frozen, from the Disney Studio or the four DVD pack on the American Civil War; she opted for Frozen. Left to her own devices she made a snack to enjoy during the movie. Cheese,crackers and chocolate milk were the choice of my ‘muscle’.
The movie finished and she came into the bedroom with a cozy afghan. The two of us curled up on the bed to watch an episode of Castle and one of Criminal Minds. We discussed the Castle episode trying to figure out the “whodunit”. For Criminal Minds we tried analyzing the story line. When her mother arrived to pick her up we hushed her as we were watching the final scene of Criminal Minds. Robyn’s comment at the ending was, ”he was a weird”.
This day was one of the advantages of retirement, if I was still working I would not have had such an amazing day with my granddaughter.
Notes from Napanee 