In Retirement, Her Calendar Fills Up

We came back from our honeymoon with $1.25, an apartment, which was hard to get in 1948, and a car that my father had bought for me when the war was over. So we had those two assets. That was great, and that’s how we started.

I worked part time, and I gave my husband every single paycheck that I ever made, because it’s our money. From the beginning it was instilled in us that you just put away a certain amount for the future.

We saw how our parents struggled, and we knew that we had to have money. We had four children to raise and educate and all that to pay for. You must save money.

We had a five-year plan for retirement, where we planned everything out beautifully, so we knew what we were getting into. My husband retired at the end of ’89.

We haven’t had one bit of conflict. He plays golf. I don’t bother him. If I want to go to a meeting, he doesn’t bother me.

I am a joiner, and one thing leads to another. A friend suggested I get into an adult-education class. She wound up not going, and I’m still with them. I didn’t even know what the subject was when I got there. My friend said, “Let’s go,” and we did. It’s Tuesday morning. It’s literature, stories and books.

I also joined the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Hillel, and I bake for them twice a month. I serve once a month. I never baked before. I experimented, and it went well.

Then I decided I need to do some type of exercise, and someone suggested a yoga class at the East Valley Multi-Purpose Center, on Colfax. So I went over there.

See, I had plenty of time, and I was looking for things. And in the yoga group I met a lady who said that she goes to take oil painting on Friday at a recreation center up on Vanowen.

I started that and enjoyed that very much. So here I was involved now in quite a few activities.

I have an activity file, and you can get mixed up if you don’t consult it. Everything that you join, they’ve got their dates that they want you to hold. I’m busy through June.

And the children keep us busy too, with one thing or another. Come to this and come to that, and they’re always giving us dates of things we should put down on our calendar.

All birthdays and anniversaries and all occasions are celebrated, and anytime we’re needed I think their father is worse than I am. He’ll run for anything that they need.

We’ve had the good and the bad, like everyone. Two divorces in the family, and their hurt feelings are our hurt feelings. We have three lovely grandchildren, and I’d like to see all my children married. Right now there’s only one out of four, not such good odds, so we’re working on that.

One of my daughters, she’s gotten us involved in having the Sabbath dinner at home. I invite company, and I do make the whole dinner.

You light the candles, and you say the prayers, and I have my children and my grandchildren. They love it, and it became a big thing here on Friday nights. I try to limit it to 10 or 12.

Even we’re surprised at how well we get along. My husband has said a couple of times, “Well, we haven’t had one argument yet.” We’re just getting along beautifully, and I’ll tell you something, I couldn’t do all this without him being around.