A Day in the Life of a Retiree ...

A department store about two miles away from my home is having a grand opening this morning. It was giving away ten bucks in store dollars to the first 200 customers, so around 8:45am I sped over to partake in the event. When I arrived, the parking lot was already three-quarters full, and it was a zoo. A line had formed, and it snaked around the parking lot. I was thinking that even if I did not make the 200 count, the store should reward me and others behind me for just showing up. Retirees like me were freezing our butts out there. Artic air from the north had blown into Tampa Bay a couple of days ago, dropping our temperatures to the low 30s at night, to the 40s during the day, the coldest it's been in six years. The guy behind me said he actually enjoys the cold weather. No wonder - he's from Pittsburgh, Pa. I congratulated him on the Pittsburgh Steelers winning the Super Bowl. He said he screamed so hard he lost his voice the next day!

After my shopping, I stopped by the local library to borrow some DVDs. I'm on a mission to re-watch all my favorite movies. I checked out "The Big Chill", Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock", and "Pride and Prejudice."

Later in the afternoon, it warmed up to the 60s. I peeled off my winter clothing and went to work in the yard/garden. The two bougainvilleas I had planted just after the new years lost quite a bit of flowers, but seemed fine. I moved all my potted plants (impatients, geraniums, blue daze) and herbs (cilantro, rosemary) from the garage to the outside, and did some weeding. It felt good to have the sun on my back.

Tampa is lucky. We had rotten weather several days before Super Bowl Sunday. On the day of the game, it was cool, but sunny. Next day, it went downhill, culminating in the aforementioned artic blast. This weekend is gonna be nice again. Just in time for Gasparilla, when the pirates invade the city. A tradition that dates back over 100 years, the Gasparilla invasion will be led by the pirate ship Jose Gasparilla, booming with canons as it enters Hillsborough Bay. After she docks at the Convention Center, the pirates will force the mayor to surrender the city. This is then followed by a parade of pirates plundering around the city with floats, beads, and other goodies, New Orleans style. A day of good times, for sure.

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