Friday, January 16, 2009

New Toy Month

When I first thought of retirement I knew I had to find additional interests. I had worked all my life and knew there had to be something to fill the previously filled 40 hours a week. I worked on my list.



First, I took a renewed interest in gardening which I now had the time for. That is one of my favorite things to do. Then I made a list of the toys I wanted but also never had time for. First purchase was a computer. My, is that time consuming. This blog does not add to my computer time, I just spend less time surfing.



But I still had too much free time and I love the outdoors so I bought a kayak. Was living in Florida at the time which is an almost kayak perfect state with lots of water ways and lush landscapes around the lakes and streams. Exotic birds and plentiful wildlife. Only thing to keep it from being perfect is that your butt is only inches from the water line so you are on an eye level with Alligators (yes, they deserve a capital "A") in a very tipsy craft. Had more than one thrill in that area.



Then for my 65Th birthday, I bought a small Honda Rebel motorcycle. Had been a passenger before but never the responsible driver. Took the safety course , got my licence and took to the open road. There is a sense of freedom on a bike that you get no other way. The roads in the Ozarks are perfect for bikers. Lots of turns and almost no cars. There are more codgers on bikes in this area than in the whole of Sun City Florida. I rode for 5 years, sold it just recently to another wide eyed senior woman. Was quite grateful that I had enjoyed the experience yet still had all my body parts and no skin grafts. Life is good.



Needing a new toy. I had my new Direct TV service installed ( yes I get local channels) on Tuesday and am having fun playing with the DVR. No need to ever watch another commercial again. Yea. Oops, that created more free time.



Needing yet another toy. I have a digital camera but it is just a few stages above the ones with the image of Mickey Mouse on the case. Really wanting to capture images of some of the wildlife I see in this lovely state I needed a decent zoom. I am a baby eBayer. Until yesterday the most I had purchased was a few Orapic's and some Guava Paste. Total purchases around $20.



My eBay and computer guru came to my rescue. Joan should hire out and collect finders fees for she can find the best deals on eBay. She located a (new in box) camera with the desired features for half the regular price. I wasn't too sure but I researched and while it was still an entry level camera, it would suit me well. It was a "buy it now" price but also had a "make offer" slot. I put in a ridiculously low price in as my offer thinking surely he would not take it. He took it.



Well I was committed so I paid and am waiting for my new toy. What I am wondering is if it is in good operating shape ( the seller had a good record) and if I wasn't just buying stolen goods from a " fence." I guess you can tell by now that I tend to over think situations. Should get here in a couple of days and I hope to have some pictures to share soon.



Till then stay warm. We are in the low teens today.

3 comments :

  1. WOW! That's a lot of toys. I can't wait to see some photos from your new camera! We need a DVR badly, but so far, we have not bit that bullet.

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  2. kenju
    Hope you all bite the bullet. DVR is woderful. The options are amazing. I am not a huge TV person but now I get to watch exactly what I want, when I want, minus commercials. What is not to like? Hold your breath and take the plunge. You won't be sorry.

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  3. How come we don't notice misspelled words till we hit post. I meant "wonderful." Suppose I could pretend that is the colloquial spelling.

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