Opinion

I retired earlier this year. I worked at UPS for 40 years. I’ve had a lot of people say you are lucky to be able to retire so young. Well, yes and no. I know of quite a few people who have retired at earlier ages and many who haven’t been able to do so. When I was promoted to full-time at UPS, part of my total compensation was in stock. I was told I wasn’t allowed to sell it unless I spoke to a District Manager and asked for permission, and based on what you told him he would allow you to or not – but basically the answer was a hard “NO.” When I saw the statement after the first year, it was like 1 or 2 thousand dollars. They said this will be worth a fortune someday, just let your money grow through compounding interest.

Our lake home is over 40 years old and so are the garage doors. My brother-in-law, Warren, has been wanting to replace them. Last week we planned to do it. He had already ordered everything and it was delivered to the house. I thought we were doing it together, but he had me help demo and then said he’d only need help now and again. I decided to insulate the garage and put up 1/2-inch plywood on the bottom four feet and then slat board above the plywood so we would have ease at hanging items. I called the Cook Building Center and they had the plywood and insulation. I asked for it to be delivered in the next few days. They showed up that afternoon with everything and placed it in the garage.

What an amazing time to live up North. The colors changing is one of my favorite times of the year. I like to walk through the woods at this time of the year, when typically the weather is perfect and there are not any bugs to contend with. It is also easier to see the wildlife in the woods as the leaves fall. However, with it comes a lot of work. Boats need to be winterized and put away for the year. Dock needs to come out of the water. They say you should change the oil in all your ATVs, lawn mowers, etc. I’m finding I’m doing more of the winterizing this year than the enjoyment out in the woods.

A bird needs a left wing and a right wing to fly. Typically, when they work together, the bird’s performance is best. We will start to see a major migration to the south as ducks and geese will form a V and fly thousands of miles. They will accomplish this amazing feat by working together. I think about this phenomenon and then I think of our country.