My friend meant well. He was curious about my life, which changed early in August when my dear bride took up residence in an assisted living facility not far from our home, where we had lived together for the past 40 years. The change has returned me to my bachelor days, in effect, when I lived alone. So, my friend asked me what I did with my time, my being retired, he imagined that for me time would hang heavy, and my days would be boring. Let’s take a look and see.

Today is Saturday, a great opportunity to catch up on a few things. No medical appointments for Betsy today, no physical therapy sessions for me, no rehearsals for choir or play rehearsals, no urgent errands to run.

It’s now 10:30, and I finally have some “me” time to sit down and write this blog post. Here’s how my day has gone to this point since I awoke at 6:15.

√ Adjusted thermostat to daytime setting

√ Fed the cat

√ Made coffee (decaf)

√ Retrieved New York Times and News & Observer from driveway

√ Loaded washer and started load of laundry

√ Made and ate breakfast

√ Prayed

√ At computer, created Excel spreadsheet for tracking at-home physical therapy exercises

√ Emptied dishwasher and put away clean dishes

√ Hand washed remaining pots, pans, etc.

√ Swept and washed kitchen floor

√ Removed clothes from dryer, folded and hung them

√ Made chicken and stuffing casserole for dinner and leftover meals to follow

√ Gathered recyclables and placed them in outside cart

√ Set television to record broadcasts of football game and horse racing for later viewing

√ Now writing blog.

It’s a bit after 10:45. Now I will clean the cat’s litter box, study my lines for my role in a play, make and eat lunch, take a nap, shower, dress and drive to visit Betsy for the rest of the afternoon.

That’s my dessert. Eagerly looking forward to that.