booze and guns were always fun, I remember (or think I do) a night of shooting skeet at about 2 in the morning, the guy that pulled the lever held the Q Beam and we shot skeet 'till almost sun up, good times, the sheriff only came out once that night, private property and no one was driving anywhere so he was good with it
It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are
oversensitive, and there's nothing worse than an oversensitive woman.
My name is Ron. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Carol Anne. When I retired a few years ago, it became necessary for Carol Anne to get a full-time job, along with her part-time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed. Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from the golf club about the same time she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner.
I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club, so eating out is not an option in the evening. I'm ready for some home-cooked grub when I hit that door. She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now it's not unusual for them
to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.
Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But Boys, we take 'em for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two, or even three days. That way, she won't have to rush so much.
I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points. When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half-finished mowing the yard. I try not to make a scene.
I'm a fair man.....and I tell her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And, as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me, too. I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Carol Anne. I'm not saying that showing this much patience and consideration is easy.
Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However Guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other.
I was the same, when I was a mechanic, I wanted to work till I dropped. When I became a boss, I just wanted to put in my time, and took the earliest retirement I could.
We just got a new CEO, everybody got a letter from him with our pay stubs, and a $.02 per mile RAISE, first one in 9 years. That amounts to over $200 a month. Hmmm....maybe a nice Collings ..?...
I'm looking forward to October of 2017. I feel like retiring now, but decided to wait for the "full benefits" you get at age 65. I remember my Mom retiring at age 62, and Dad was really ticked off because she wasn't going to get full benefits if she retired early. It turned out OK, and Mom was happy. A coupla years later Dad retired, and Mom mentioned to me on the phone that she didn't know WHAT she was going to do with him being around the house with her all the time once he retired! I figure once you retire - - you're busier than ever, but doing things that count.
Does she sell the quilts - - or is it a hobby? My ex used to weave fabric. She had 4 looms here at the house taking up all sorts of space (and complained about me having 4 or 5 different instruments "underfoot"), and for her it was a hobby. She would show her stuff at craft shows, but that was about it. She never made any money off of it, but it was something she likes to do. Kinda like me with my fiddle/ banjo/ mando/ etc./
She doesn't sell the quilts, and does them as a hobby, but makes and sells dog collars as a business to support her quilts. Just like my band money supports my athletics.
There are a lot of things that make much better hobbies than jobs. I had an uncle who was a very talented photographer. He earned a living at it for years doing commercial work, weddings, fashion shoots. He got so he hated the sight of a camera and gave it all up and went to work in a paper mill. He said photography got fun again and he was an avid photographer until the day he died. He even made some money on the side from time to time but it was only stuff he enjoyed doing.
One of the hardest things with making money off a hobby is that they can be time consuming and hard to price in a way that pays you fairly but is also affordable. I used to sell my yarn (I still would, except Etsy changed their algorithm so it's harder for me to get out there and "seen" by customers), but I definitely wasn't charging enough to pay me for my time. It takes me 2-3 hours to spin a 4oz skein of yarn of 125-150 yards (maybe enough for a small hat or scarf). 4oz of dyed/processed wool costs $16-20. So if I pay myself $10 an hour, and it takes me three hours to spin, and my materials cost $20, that's $50 right there that I'd have to charge. I could buy undyed and unprocessed wool for less, and dye/process myself, but obviously that would add to my time. Spinning finer yarns takes longer, so again I'd have to charge more for finer yarns.
I know quilting and weaving and knitting are all crafts that require a lot of time. At least with something like a quilt, people seem to appreciate the finished product enough that they are willing to pay a decent amount. But unless someone is a real knitting/crochet fanatic, they're likely not going to want to pay $50 or more for a single skein of yarn. And I know a lot of knitters who are frustrated when they hear things like, "You want how much for that scarf? I can get a knitted scarf at Walmart for $10!"
same with woodworking, a lot of stuff I make and give to family and friends, you can't really sell for the time spent making it, even though people like it, it isn't something I've found a market for yet as slow as I am fitting the pieces. I like to build with no screws or nails, just wood joints that hold themselves together
working on a banjo rim now, maple with rosewood stripes, the neck I haven't figured out if I want to build one from a block of maple, or buy one already close to finished
My Air Force job was a dream hobby on steroids. I never wanted it to end... until they gave me a crew and made me a boss. I'm burned out on the music, and have been for several years. But it's easy and makes good money. But some days I fantasize about putting my banjo under the bed and never touching it again. My wife spends several hours a day making and shipping collars, it's really turned into a great business to support her quilting. Last year she was able to go in with a friend, and thy bought a really nice computer quilting machine.
I laughed one time watching shark tank, one of the guys said "If I make that deal, I'll sleep like a baby! stay up all night and cry" some of the stuff on there is pretty far out there, but some could work, dog collars could, lots of folks have dogs and want to dress them up
The guy who went on Shark Tank with the idea of filtering dryer vent air, in to the house heating system, was one of my old coworkers.
My wife already gets more business than she can handle sometimes. In fact sometimes she puts her shop in vacation mode, so she can take a break from it. She has no interest in getting any bigger!
I bought my guitar cabinet from a guy who started out making them on his own and expanded to meet demand. He hired workers, leased a building and grew quickly. It all got out of control and he ended up going out of business. Mine was the last one he built.
sometimes I wonder why business like that fail. We had a hamburger joint across the street recently go out of business. They were awesome and always packed with folks. There's no reason they should have failed, they had plenty of business.
sponsors, may be Eric would sponsor a banjer pickin marathon runner, set you up with a BHO running outfit and pay your expenses. may be not, but may be
I'm already sponsored by a local radio station that pays my entries, so racing doesn't cost me anything. I've also won some prize money... but not enough to make a living!
