How do you enjoy your free time?

oosik · Mar 12, 2014

I retired early- 55 - so I could enjoy the property and riding my Harley. There is a never-ending list of projects on the property or I can hop on the Harley and see what's over the next hill.

HillStreet · Mar 12, 2014

ovrszd said:
I enjoy my free time very much thank you.

Retired for 2 years now. All my time is free time. There are only two days in the week. Saturday and Sunday. Saturday just comes 6 times. I rarely know what day of the week it is.

Richard,

I retired in November 2012 at age 60. I enjoyed my first winter off just catching up on inside projects and organizing things. Took a lot of metal to the scrapyard and sold old tools on Craigslist.

Summer came and I started drilling/splitting rocks for stonewalls, and landscaping/planting. This winter I have been sitting around way too much, watching TV like I never did before. Gotta break that cycle and get outside more.

forgeblast · Mar 12, 2014

I carve spoons, bowls, utensils etc....spend time with my wife and daughter, walk the dog, garden, raise bees, and read. After that I am pretty much exhausted

murphy1244 · Mar 12, 2014

My Ducks came back today and were having a Blizzard.

HillStreet · Mar 12, 2014

300UGUY said:
I love being outside, working on something. What I have really got to hate is the winters. I live in a rural area, and it gets old pretty fast. I had to run by generator 13 days in November and December. Nothing like listening to the genny run, knowing if that quits, you must move fast to keep your house from freezing in sub zero temps. Not to mention having to deal with several feet of snow....

I keep thinking of leaving Michigan.

Michigan has always been one of my favorite places. I was stationed in Sault Ste Marie in the early 70s and had a great time, spent a lot of time outdoors and had many friends. My daughter was born there and she is proud to be a Yooper.

I visited the U.P. in 2009 and it is still one of the best places in my history.

coobie · Mar 12, 2014

El Wood said:
I agree with you about leaving Michigan after the winter we've had. As much as I try to get outside during the winter months, the cold always drives me back inside. I've heard the Carolinas are nice. My wife is originally from Kentucky. Maybe we'll head there... Would you head south?

There are good things about Michigan.Not a lot of tornados,no long term droughts,no scary snakes,the great lakes and all of the dang snow we had this year.LOL.

mikehaugen · Mar 12, 2014

I am always fixing something... sometimes I enjoy it. When I actually get "free" time I like to fish and hunt. I get fishing once or twice a year lately, and haven't hunted for about ten years. Small amounts of free time I am here on tbn.

Maybe it's because I'm not old enough yet, but the winter doesn't bother me. Actually if I were retired it would bother me less because I wouldn't "need" to go out in bad weather. I actually have contemplated MN as a possible retirement destination... like "Grumpy Old Men" style, with a semi-permanent ice shanty out on the lake.

El Wood · Mar 12, 2014

71bronco said:
Woody Hayes and Ohio State fans always refer to M******n as that "team up north" . Your wife must not be a football fan. Jeff

Don't mess with her Ohio State Buckeyes!! On game days I'll look out the window and see her mounting magnets and flags all over her vehicle in the driveway. If we go into town, she'll wear her Ohio State sweatshirt which usually attracts a lot of attention!! She even has a small Christmas tree, covered in buckeyes, that she proudly displays every year.

kevin37b · Mar 12, 2014

Crappie fishing !

El Wood · Mar 12, 2014

oosik said:
I retired early- 55 - so I could enjoy the property and riding my Harley. There is a never-ending list of projects on the property or I can hop on the Harley and see what's over the next hill.

Did the thought of retiring make you nervous? I always seem to hear people say they're nervous about it. Not sure why... Maybe it's because they're opening a new chapter in life? I don't think I will give it a second thought!

ovrszd · Mar 12, 2014

HillStreet said:
Richard,

I retired in November 2012 at age 60. I enjoyed my first winter off just catching up on inside projects and organizing things. Took a lot of metal to the scrapyard and sold old tools on Craigslist.

Summer came and I started drilling/splitting rocks for stonewalls, and landscaping/planting. This winter I have been sitting around way too much, watching TV like I never did before. Gotta break that cycle and get outside more.

I know what you mean. I hang out all day in my shop but didn't do as many build projects this Winter as last. Course last Winter our weather was so good that I was able to work outside more too.

It's easy to get lazy!!!! I look around and see lazy our age all the time. I turned 62 in November.

Even with all that,,,, I've got wayyyyyy better life than I figured I'd have at this age.

ovrszd · Mar 12, 2014

murphy1244 said:
My Ducks came back today and were having a Blizzard.

Almost a non stop flow of geese and ducks flying now. I'm in a corridor of flocks crossing from the Mississippi river valley westward to the Missouri river valley for their migration Northwest. Saw a flock yesterday that strung out for a couple miles, several hundred if not thousands of geese. Ya wonder what that lone goose in the lead is thinking....

ovrszd · Mar 12, 2014

El Wood said:
Did the thought of retiring make you nervous? I always seem to hear people say they're nervous about it. Not sure why... Maybe it's because they're opening a new chapter in life? I don't think I will give it a second thought!

My job was never my life. My job was how I supported my life.

I think those that are nervous realize that they don't have much of a life outside their jobs.

forgeblast · Mar 13, 2014

My job was never my life. My job was how I supported my life. Amen to that!! I cannot agree more with that statement. People look at me funny when I say I want to retire early, that we are working on paying everything off early so we can put more away for retirement. The way I see it is my gram lived to be 92, and still drove into her 90's, I figure retirement comes I still have a lot of great years left, might as well enjoy them. The people I see who age after retiring are those who have nothing to do, those who look younger after retiring have hobbies.

grnspot110 · Mar 13, 2014

Free time, it's all free time, except the Drs. appointments!

Our home property is 1-1/2 acres, so plenty to do here.

The farm is 190 acres with plenty of timber to play in. Used to fish a lot, but not so much anymore, same with hunting.

Retired at 55, 63 now & I still can find plenty to do! ~~ Lowell

El Wood · Mar 13, 2014

ovrszd said:
My job was never my life. My job was how I supported my life. I think those that are nervous realize that they don't have much of a life outside their jobs.

Well said! I couldn't agree more.

ncnurseryman · Mar 13, 2014

I only work to live not live to work. I don't really understand the mindset of wanting to do nothing but work. I like to fish, hunt and walk fields and creeks looking for Indian artifacts. Its good exercise and it gets you outside. And driving the tractor too, of course.

Looking4new · Mar 13, 2014

I work to live in the summer time only. I also fish in summer, (no ice fishing for me), and boat.

dmccarty · Mar 13, 2014

Free time?

What is this thing called "Free Time?" :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

I really do not understand, nor can I comprehend people, especially retired people, who say they are bored and having nothing to do. I have so many things I want to do in this life and I am running out of time and I ain't that old...

I have done many things I have wanted to do but there are plenty more to do...

Later,
Dan