An Old Friend Called

An old friend of mine, who retired from association management a few years ago, called me tonight. He and his wife have moved to a lakeside community in East Texas; his wife is still working, but won't be for long.

I had called him a few days ago and got his machine; the reason for my call is that another of our mutual friends sent me an email, explaining that our friend was preparing to have a heart valve replacement in the not-too-distant future. So, I called.

We had a long conversation, with him telling me all about his life in retirement. He plays golf three days a week, is active in the Kiwanis Club, and has joined the volunteer fire department in his community. He's done about 90 hours of training out of the 187 hours required to get 'certified' for service, but he has been actively involved in fire fighting, rescue, etc. He said he's done mostly grass fires, but has been involved in vehicle extraction rescues, failed vehicle extraction rescues (couldn't get to a person in a burning car), and dealing with recovering a body from a creek bed. His retirement sounds interesting in ways (I don't do golf), but not quite what I have in mind. I like the volunteer fire fighting element; I have actually thought of such things before. As it turns out, he will be going to the same board dinner I will attend with my wife on Saturday, so we'll get a chance to see him and his wife.

Today was the last day of work for one of my favorite staff members. She took a position paying more, offering far better benefits, and providing a better future than we could offer. I wish her well, but hate to see her go. So, we're looking for a replacement. We need someone, fast.

Enough blogitry tonight. I'm going to look for land online.