The "Movin' On With More Time On My Hands" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Getting ready to head to visit my dentist.  Not my most favorite visit, but one that will help keep me from having to wear false teeth when I get old.  I know...my kids keep telling me that I am already old...but I keep forgetting it.  Wouldn't you?  Well...we have finally settled into our new home in the little village called Woodcrest Villa which is listed on their postcard as a "Continuing Care Retirement Community."  Wait a minute...please...I yelled... "CAROL---did you read what it says on the one side of the post card we got the other day from the guy who came around to check on us?  It says continuing care on it...My wife replied... "Yes, dear...I read that. Did. you?  It doesn't say both of us, did it?  I think that means you!"  Wow!  Well, anyway, we are here and the place is really neat.  The first day we got here a little lighted sign at the entrance read, "WELCOME CENTER" with lights that read "Welcome New Residents" on the top line and "Larry & Carol Woods" on the bottom line.

Neat to know that everyone entering Woodcrest Villa knew that we had just moved into or new home.  Our new home is known as a Villa and has a living room with a dining room and kitchen to one side of the living room, and a "sunroom" on the other side of our living room.  We have found that our cats, "Snickerdoodle" and "The Gray Lady" love the sunroom where they can sit on the back of our furniture and look out the windows at all the birds that are nearby.  If you enter through the front door and take a right...you will find a laundry room, large bathroom, guest bedroom which also serves as an office for both of us, a master bedroom and master bathroom.   There is an entrance into the garage off of the kitchen.  What is nice is that it is entirely on one floor with no need to use any stairs. All door knobs, handles, etc. are lowered a bit in order to make every room easy for someone in a wheelchair to have access to the room.  Every doorway is also slightly larger to accommodate the width of a wheelchair.  The developer who designed the villas really had everyone in mind when they designed them.  We have carpet in the bedrooms with tile in the kitchen and hardwood in the living room, dining room, entrance and hallways.  The garage is large enough for a fairly large car and with extra space for shelving and a laundry area.  We also have access to a storage area in the ceiling with an entrance in the hallway.  Two villas join each other on one of the walls.  The grounds are rather large with plenty of yard space that is covered with grass and all types of flowers and bushes.  And,the best part is that I no longer have to mow the grass, rake the leaves, shovel the snow or perform any upkeep on the property.  I can spend my time reading, working on my various projects such as my stained glass projects, watching television, visiting with all our new neighbors, visiting the various buildings in the complex, taking trips to the Chesapeake Bay Area and enjoying life.  Oh, yeah...I get more time to write a few new stories to send along to you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.