The "I Just Can't Do That Anymore!" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just finished working on the deck behind out house. Spent a few hours cutting all the grasses to the ground and using my push power mower to cut the ornamental grass so it will grow better in the spring. Also have a weeping miniature red maple tree that I trimmed back since it was getting too big for the space where we have it. After 3 hours of all the manual labor I was tired. My back started to hurt and my right hand was starting to swell. Wow, I just can't do that anymore! Age has set in. That would be old age, I guess! I still have the pond to clean out and hook up the pump so the one surviving goldfish can enjoy the waterfall again. Then I need to start on other parts of our property. The acre of grass and shrubs needs raked before the grass starts to grow. I was going to trim the arborvitaetrees to a more manageable height, since they took a beating this winter with the snow and ice, but decided against that and am getting quotes to have someone do that for me. I'm starting to gain more wisdom as I age. I don't need to move a ladder around and climb to the top and stretch to cut the tops off and shape them. Let someone else do the hard stuff and Ican do more of what I enjoy. I do need to finish staining the exterior of the house. My son Tad and I did two sides last year and I plan to finish the other two sides this summer. That is something I can do myself since it doesn't require a tremendous amount of lifting and bending. Also need to power wash the deck and fences around the deck, but again, this is something that doesn't require lifting or straining. And, it's fun to do! Spring is here and summer isn't far behind. Time for the outdoor chores. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.