Heavy rain and snow days are my favorite for reloading and watching old movies.
Snow days in retirement
- Thread starter lrb1200
- Start date
When I lived in Maine I had an 800' driveway. I was brought up you go to work no matter what. I lived about 15 miles from my job and I would always get there but the people that lived 2 miles away couldn't get there in a storm! It was work all day, get home, fire up the plow truck and spend 2-3 hours doing snow removal.
The low point for me was during a blizzard, -10 degrees blowing, snowing, and pretty miserable. I was out plowing at 1 AM so the snow wouldn't get ahead of me when the clutch slave blew out on my truck. I still follow the boyscout motto of "be prepared" and I had a slave cylinder in the garage but no room in the garage for the truck. So I laid underneath it in those conditions, changed it out, gravity bled the system and went back to it. Finished up 3ish got up at 5 and went to work.
I'm really glad to be retired in southern Arizona, last month I saw a couple snowflakes on my wife's car, but even that was too much!
The low point for me was during a blizzard, -10 degrees blowing, snowing, and pretty miserable. I was out plowing at 1 AM so the snow wouldn't get ahead of me when the clutch slave blew out on my truck. I still follow the boyscout motto of "be prepared" and I had a slave cylinder in the garage but no room in the garage for the truck. So I laid underneath it in those conditions, changed it out, gravity bled the system and went back to it. Finished up 3ish got up at 5 and went to work.
I'm really glad to be retired in southern Arizona, last month I saw a couple snowflakes on my wife's car, but even that was too much!
Last edited:
My earlier post stated what I HAD TO DO. Now I do whatever I want. I honestly don’t know how I had time to work before. Those that ask “what would I do in retirement “? I feel sorry for you. Have you no interest or hobbies? If you love your job or own a business ok. That’s different, and I get it. But people working just to work is sad to me. If you can afford it, pull the chute and slow down. My favorite part of the day is my afternoon coffee.
May will be 4 years since I clocked out after 54 years. I sympathize about the snow (born and raised in NJ) but youse guys rib us in Florida about July and August. I want to go shooting in the morning but it is supposed to break a record, 83* right now and A/C is cranking. Joe
Could be you just need a good cleaning and oil down on the weapon...all mine work fine in 83 degree weather..............
(sorry could not resist)
I'm nearly 66 and still working but definitely don't work as hard as I use to. I got out in the snow and ice today and slid around town and many businesses and schools were closed in OKC and there weren't many vehicles on the road and I thought it was wonderful! I wish traffic was always like that. I just had a handful of guys working at my construction sites and I enjoyed chatting with them and then we all went home a couple hours early. I think about retiring but every time work slows down a little I get bored easy and hate watching TV or hanging out at the house, but maybe I'll slow down one of these decades.
Last edited:
Coming up on 17 years retired. Plenty things to do to keep me occupied, including nothing. The only “work” I do is volunteering for various local charities.
Done chasing the dollar.
Done chasing the dollar.
There are years where we only have 1/2" of snow fall on our cars during a storm and then there are times that we have 40" or more on top of the car, parked outside, when it is all over.
Got to love it.
Got to love it.
Birdgun
Member
I've been retired now since 2013. Moved from northern Alabama to the Tucson area of Arizona in 2014. I do envy you folks with all those bad winter snow weather days. I'm stuck here every winter having to endure one obnoxiously beautiful day after another. While you're kicked back in your recliner enjoying a cozy fire, today my wife had me out in the yard digging up a plant. Took me almost a whole hour of HARD LABOR. Oh, how I do envy you... 
Actually, I hate snow!
Please take my tongue-in-cheek comments unserious. My turn will come this summer when it's too hot to be outside...but it's a dry heat! ;-))
God bless,
Birdgun
Actually, I hate snow!
Please take my tongue-in-cheek comments unserious. My turn will come this summer when it's too hot to be outside...but it's a dry heat! ;-))
God bless,
Birdgun
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 19,618
- Reaction score
- 31,118
I sold my businesses and retired at 55 (16 years ago). Never looked back and it has so far been the best 16 years of my life! While working I made a very nice income however I worked 6 and sometimes 7 days a week, at least 10 hours a day. I had NO time to enjoy all I had earned, so I packed it in and started smelling the roses! No regrets! 
I sold my businesses and retired at 55 (16 years ago). Never looked back and it has so far been the best 16 years of my life! While working I made a very nice income however I worked 6 and sometimes 7 days a week, at least 10 hours a day. I had NO time to enjoy all I had earned, so I packed it in and started smelling the roses! No regrets!
^^^^^^^^^ this is what I’m talking about. I worked nights, weekends, holidays, snow storms. My seniority got me 7 weeks off per yr. I’d take 2 and cash out the rest. I basically ran like a dog. I did “side jobs” like building decks and investing in real estate. My plan was to retire at 55. A back injury forced me to pull the pin at 53. No problem. Financially I was able to do it. My point is, what good is working your butt off if you don’t enjoy the fruits of your labor at some point. This morning my driveway is a sheet of ice. Last night it snowed and now it’s freezing rain. I’m drinking coffee and surfing the web.
mckenney99
Member
I retired from my LE career in July 2006 after 26+ years (25 winters) of working Ohio's highways, and dealing with some of the worst drivers in the US. I actually thought I was going to retire in July of 2005 and then realized I had the time in, but would not be old enough. When I realized I had to work through another winter, I had this overwhelming sense it would be the winter that would finally see me get hit. Over the years, there were numerous near misses in the cruiser and more than a few instances where I had to run out of the way or dive over guardrails to avoid vehicles out of control on the snow/ice. I did manage to make it safely through that last winter but I was hyper vigilant, the entire season.
After retirement, I cannot even begin to convey the relief I felt that first morning I woke up to a significant snowfall and realized it was somebody else' problem and all I had to worry about was getting up to plow the driveway.
After retirement, I cannot even begin to convey the relief I felt that first morning I woke up to a significant snowfall and realized it was somebody else' problem and all I had to worry about was getting up to plow the driveway.
Mckenney, I recall the same feeling. If you’ve never had to battle Mother Nature for a living, you wouldn’t understand.
This is essentially the advice my old cardiologist gave me when I told him I was thinking about retiring. I retired December 31, 2015 at 3:30 PM (but who's counting). I went back to attending my old bar association meetings and kept up being the Secretary of the Borough Planning Commission. It's a few hours a month but they keep my mind active and on top of things.
For years my late wife kept telling me needed to buy a snow blower. I looked at them but told her if I couldn't get out of the drive with my FWD truck, I didn't need to go anywhere. Now that I'm retired I'm even more convinced of that. The one time we couldn't get our we had a hard rain that turned to thick ice with no snow on top. The drive iced over so bad we couldn't get any traction. Remembering we had towing insurance I called a tow truck. He happily hooked a cable to the vehicles and pulled us to the road. Probably the easiest call he had all week.
When I worked at Synthes USA in Monument Colorado in 2003 I had a co-worker named Jerry. Jerry lived in Fountain Colorado and had done 20 plus years in the Army. If I understood his story correctly he had paid off his house in the late '80s or early '90s.
So Jerry had his military retirement. His home was paid off he worked at least 60 hours a week at Synthes. We would both do our 8-hour shift in our work area and then we'd go over to shipping and we would work an extra 4 hours packaging parts for shipping.
Apparently he also ran a handyman business. I don't know when the man ever slept. He worked from 2p to 2A at Synthes, I'm going to guess it took him at least an hour to get home to Fountain. He did his handyman jobs until 2:00 in the afternoon when he had to be at work at Synthes.
I bet he didn't sleep five hours a day.
Just before I got out of the army I worked at Evans Army Community Hospital. We had a civilian employee who worked second shift I think she'd been there for 30 years. She finally retired right before I got out of the Army.
Two weeks after she retired she came back to work. She had been saving money for 30 years working at the hospital. When she retired she found out that her husband had gambled it all away in Cripple Creek.
I didn't know all the details but I'm fairly certain she left him and she had to go back to work because she didn't have any money.
So Jerry had his military retirement. His home was paid off he worked at least 60 hours a week at Synthes. We would both do our 8-hour shift in our work area and then we'd go over to shipping and we would work an extra 4 hours packaging parts for shipping.
Apparently he also ran a handyman business. I don't know when the man ever slept. He worked from 2p to 2A at Synthes, I'm going to guess it took him at least an hour to get home to Fountain. He did his handyman jobs until 2:00 in the afternoon when he had to be at work at Synthes.
I bet he didn't sleep five hours a day.
Just before I got out of the army I worked at Evans Army Community Hospital. We had a civilian employee who worked second shift I think she'd been there for 30 years. She finally retired right before I got out of the Army.
Two weeks after she retired she came back to work. She had been saving money for 30 years working at the hospital. When she retired she found out that her husband had gambled it all away in Cripple Creek.
I didn't know all the details but I'm fairly certain she left him and she had to go back to work because she didn't have any money.
Last edited:
GypsmJim
Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2009
- Messages
- 4,061
- Reaction score
- 7,081
A dear friend refused to retire. He DID have outside hobbies and was active in his church. He DID love his job. The reason for working was that his father retired and died soon after and he was afraid to retire.
At age 68 his job was moved across country and he didn't want to relocate, so he retired. We had a fantastic retirement party for him on a Friday night. He had a massive heart attack and passed away early Saturday morning. His friends all said he should have retired sooner. But then again, maybe his fears were right.
And my other story...
Back in the 1950's, at age 58, my Grandpa retired due to his health. Then he had only been on Social Security for 19 years. So his pension wasn't too great. He had NO hobbies except his family and garden, yet he managed to live another 37 years. Boy he sure got his SS money back, and then some.
Best wishes to all.....
