Snowbirds Living in the Philippines : A Happy and Productive Father's Day Here at THD

Sunday, June 15, 2025

A Happy and Productive Father's Day Here at THD

Today's Father's Day was quiet, a gastronomic delight ( see brunch menu above) and a productive day for me. I cancelled my afternoon bridge game, hoping that I will have an uninterrupted brunch with my oldest daughter Dinah. I forget that she informed me last week, she might be late arriving from her trip to Portland, Oregon visiting Elaine and her future grandson expected the end of July this year. Dinah. messaged me she would be back home around 8PM and will greet me after that. My oldest son, Dodie and wife Ruth is currently vacationing in Tahiti and I do not expect a Father's greeting. My youngest daughter Ditas and Grand Daughter, Carenna in Alexandria, called me and commented on my query on by blog, asking if I AM a Good Father. Thank you, Ditas and Carenna.

My morning was super productive. After my regular TV Mass/morningCNN news and before my sumptuous branch of Lobster Egg Benedict and Prime rib ( see Photo below)💚, I had finished the draft of a short story and two poems, I titled "YOU CAN NOT KILL A CACTUS". I plan on posting these on my blogs in the next couple of days. I am still amazed how AI technology is helping me in my daily writing obsession/activity.

💚My Lobster Egg Benedict and prime Rib with Horse Radish was yummy!

Here are some photos I took of this event. Thank you Ted for being an excellent host, beyond the Call of Duty. It was a Fun afternoon for an ice-cold beer and snacks. You did an excellent job of making the afternoon of about 12 senior residents a pleasant and happy one.

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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.