Snowbirds Living in the Philippines : Time to Say Good Bye to Fair Oaks is Near

Friday, April 21, 2023

Time to Say Good Bye to Fair Oaks is Near

With today's completion of the resurfacing and tiling of the swimming pool, my realtor is preparing to list my residence for 20 years for Sale. The real estate market here in Fair Oaks is picking up a little speed in spite of the still high mortgage interest rates compared to last year. I took pictures of the backyard with the pool partially filling in. I also took a picture of my side yard, after I spent $300 to have a trash guy dumped all the scraps/woods etc... on the side yard including several boxes of old books/clothes stored in the Shed. What is left in the Shed are dozens of picture frames/mirrors that I have save for 60 years. They will be on sale planned for the first week of June. Here are some photos of my backyard.

Backyard as viewed from the Family Room. Note that Robin is eagerly watching the pool filling in.

Backyard as Viewed from the Master Bedroom Sliding Door. The exercise machine is up for free adoption to anyone who can haul it.

My side yard with the Storage Shed after Clean-Up by the Trash Guy

A view of Some of My Potted Plants and My Parrot Decor from Marinduque

The start of the filling-in process- Contracted to a Professional Pool Service and Repair company near me.

Looking at my beautiful backyard with pool running gave me second thoughts of moving. But life must go on. Its time for a change. Good Bye Fair Oaks. Give me good luck to my move to Walnut Creek this June.

Note: The Estate Sale of my Household Goods is scheduled for the first weekend in June.

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Joys of Retirement

I have been retired from USFDA since 2002. At first, I feel I have lost my identity as an individual or have lost my contribution to society. However, within a few weeks all these feelings were gone. It started when my wife and I started baby sitting one of our grandchildren. As some economics professor states: "Your children are your capital investments, but your grandchildren are your profits. That is why you love your grandchildren more than your children". I really agree with the statement. Retirement also gives you lots of time to do things you like to do, such as your hobbies and of course travel. In my case, I turned my hobby of gardening and landscaping into a small business in the Philippines. This endeavor was planned about five years before 2002. That year my wife and I started construction of our retirement home in Boac, Marinduque , Philippines. The next year we built a beach house, followed by a Conference Hall two years later. Needless to say, planning and executing the landscaping was a challenge and very enjoyable. With the help of local labor, I not only enjoy the time gardening and landscaping, but also help improved the economic situation of the province by providing work and jobs to the local residents. With plenty of time, I have engaged into two specific activities as follows: First, I created a website for my small business. By trial and error, I created and design the website, www.chateaudumer.com I have never been a computer nerd or expert. But with plenty of time and patience, the fruits of my labor could be enjoyed if you visit the website above. The second activity, I have not done before was to utilize on-line activities, such as shopping, paying bills ( save you stamps) and playing computer games in the Internet. I really enjoyed playing duplicate bridge on line. You play with players all over the world and can chat in between games. But be careful, you are not spending too much time in the computer. It is very addictive. With a lots of time, my wife and I devoted more time on our favorite humanitarian project. For the last 15 years, we have been involved with medical mission to the province of Marinduque. For details please visit the website: www.marinduqueinternational.org As a summary, the joy one gets on retirement is very specific for an individual. Some enjoy their free time by learning new activities, getting involved with humanitarian projects or spending more time with their grandchildren. Others hate it, since they missed their former jobs and co-workers. Others with no children still enjoy retirement by traveling, turning their hobbies into business or more community involvement. Of course those that retire and hate it, is believe to die earlier than those that enjoy their retirement years. So, plan your retirement as early as you can. The happier you are on retirement, the longer you will live.