Summertime Gardening

Repost from August 2015:

This past week, the daytime temperatures have ranged from 95-105F, humidity under 30%, gentle breezes, and terrible air quality due to the many fires west of us in the Yolly Bolly mountains and Trinity range.  Three fire fighters have lost their lives while battling these terrible forest fires.

Our summer garden has been productive this year in terms of tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, kale, zucchini, herbs, and cantaloupes.

We have been pulling up vegetable plants in our sunny garden that have run their course and are now fading away.

The daytime heat has stressed all the plants despite reasonable watering.

The Spirit of Gardening:  Over 3,500 Quotes, Sayings, Facts, or Poems.  Compiled by Mike Garofalo.

The Month of August

 

Mushrooms and Puffballs

Repost for December, 2014:

In the past month, here in Red Bluff, California, we have had many days with rain.  These rainy days have caused the spores from many types of mushrooms and puffballs to appear in the ground around our home.  Karen has stalked these little fungi, and taken many pictures.

"A mushroom (or toadstool) is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae, sing. lamella) or pores on the underside of the cap. These pores or gills produce microscopic spores that help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface.
"Mushroom" describes a variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used even more generally, to describe both the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota and the woody or leathery fruiting bodies of some Basidiomycota, depending upon the context of the word.
Forms deviating from the standard morphology usually have more specific names, such as "puffball", "stinkhorn", and "morel", and gilled mushrooms themselves are often called "agarics" in reference to their similarity to Agaricus or their place Agaricales. By extension, the term "mushroom" can also designate the entire fungus when in culture; the thallus (called a mycelium) of species forming the fruiting bodies called mushrooms; or the species itself."
-  Mushroom - Wikipedia

 

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 11

Daodejing by Laozi
Chapter 11

"Thirty spokes unite in a nave, but the nothingness in the hub

Gives to the wheel its usefulness, for thereupon it goes round;
The potter kneads the clay as he works, with many a twist and rub,
But in the nothingness within, the vessel's use is found;
Doors and windows cut in the walls thereby a room will make,
But in its nothingness is found the room' s utility;
So the profit of existences is only for the sake
Of non-existences, where all the use is found to be."

-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 11 

"Thirty spokes share one hub.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the cart.
Knead clay in order to make a vessel.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the vessel.
Cut out doors and windows in order to make a room.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the room.
Thus what we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can be put to use."
-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 11 

"Thirty spokes share one hub.
It is just the space (the Nothingness) between them
That makes a cart function as a cart.
Knead clay to make a vessel
And you find within it the space
That makes a vessel as a vessel.
To build a house with doors and windows
And you find within them the space
That makes a house function as a house.
Hence the Being (substance) can provide a condition
Under which usefulness is found,
But the Nothingness (space) is the usefulness itself."

-  Translated by Gu Zengkun, Chapter 11 



"Thirty spokes surround one nave, the usefulness of the wheel is always in that empty innermost.
You fashion clay to make a bowl, the usefulness of the bowl is always in that empty innermost.
You cut out doors and windows to make a house, their usefulness to a house is always in their empty space.
Therefore profit comes from external form, but usefulness comes from the empty innermost."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 11 

"Although the wheel has thirty spokes its utility lies in the emptiness of the hub.
The jar is made by kneading clay, but its usefulness consists in its capacity.
A room is made by cutting out windows and doors through the walls, but the space the walls contain measures the room's value.
In the same way matter is necessary to form, but the value of reality lies in its immateriality.
Or thus: a material body is necessary to existence, but the value of a life is measured by its immaterial soul."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 11


"Thirty spokes will converge
In the hub of a wheel;
But the use of the cart
Will depend on the part
Of the hub that is void.
With a wall all around
A clay bowl is molded;
But the use of the bowl
Will depend on the part
Of the bowl that is void.
Cut out windows and doors
In the house as you build;
But the use of the house
Will depend on the space
In the walls that is void.
So advantage is had
From whatever is there;
But usefulness rises
From whatever is not."
-  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 11   

"Treinta rayos convergen en el medio,
pero el vacío mediano
hace andar al carro.

Se modela la arcilla para hacer jarrones con ella,

pero de su vacío interno
depende su utilización.
Una casa está abierta con puertas y ventanas,
otra vez el vacío
permite que se habite en ella.
El Ser da posibilidades,
sólo se utilizan a través del no-ser."
-  Translated by Alba, 1998, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 11 

"Though thirty spokes may be joined in one hub, the utility of the carriage lies in what is not there.
Though clay may be moulded into a vase, the utility of the vase lies in what is not there
Though doors and windows may be cut to make a house, the utility of the house lies in what is not there.
Therefore, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not."
-  Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 11 


"Thirty spokes share the hub of a wheel;
 yet it is its center that makes it useful.
 You can mould clay into a vessel;
 yet, it is its emptiness that makes it useful.
 Cut doors and windows from the walls of a house;
 but the ultimate use of the house
 will depend on that part where nothing exists.
 Therefore, something is shaped into what is;
 but its usefulness comes from what is not."
 -  Translated by Kari Hohne, 2009, Chapter 11 


三十輻共一轂.
當其無, 有車之用.
埏埴以為器.
當其無有器之用.
鑿戶牖以為室.
當其無, 有室之用.
故有之以為利.
無之以為用.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11   



san shih fu kung yi ku.
tang ch'i wu, yu ch'ê chih yung.
yen ch'ih yi wei ch'i.
tang ch'i wu yu ch'i chih yung.
tso hu yu yi wei shih.
tang ch'i wu, yu shih chih yung.
ku yu chih yi wei li.
wu chih yi wei yung.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11   



"Thirty spokes unite in one hub: on what in it is nothing
depends the usefulness of the cart.
Clay may be made into vessels: on what in them is nothing
depends the usefulness of the vessels.
We cut out doors and windows to make a house: on what in them
is nothing depends the usefulness of the house.
So the existent may be regarded as profitable; the non-existent
may be regarded as useful. The sage discards the outer life in favour of the inner."
-  Translated by P. J. Maclagan, 1898, Chapter 11

"Thirty Spokes converge upon a single hub;
It is on the hole in the center that the use of the cart hinges.
We make a bowl or cup from a lump of clay;
It is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful.
We make doors and windows for a room;
It is the empty spaces that make the room livable.
Thus, take advantage of what is visible, by making use of what is not visible."
-  Translated by J. L. Trottier, 1994, Chapter 11

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter. 

  
Chapter 11, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.  

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

A Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

Home Safety Tips for Seniors

"Housing Tips and Advice from The National Aging in Place Council

The Boomer’s Roadmap for Aging in Place: How to Prepare Today for your Senior Years

Preventing Falls at Home

Fall Prevention Tips for Seniors | A Home Design Guide

Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging

The Benefits of Cooking with Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Guide

14 Ways to Help Seniors Avoid Isolation

Canine Caregivers for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients

A Senior’s Guide to Using Computers and Software

Economic Security for Seniors Facts

Home Safety and Security for Aging-in-Place Seniors"


Thanks to Information provided by Elder Impact:

Marie Villeza
information@elderimpact.org ǀ http://elderimpact.org/
340 S. Lemon Ave #5780 ǀ Walnut, CA ǀ 91789

Here are some resources for Seniors that Mike Garofalo has added to his hypertext notebooks:  

Aging Well

How to Live a Good Life

Fitness Methods for Seniors

Tao Te Ching Chapter 47 Dao De Jing

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 47

"No need to go outside a door
To see totality
Or look out of a window
For seeing what will always be
Going out you go astray
At home and center all is one
The seer doesn't have to do
To see that everything is done."
-  Translated by Jim Clatfelter, 2001, Chapter 47  



"Without going out the door, you can know Heaven below (the sacred body).
Without looking through a window, you can see Heaven’s Tao.
The more you go away from yourself, the less you perceive.
The sage does not go out, yet knows;
does not look, yet names;
does not do, yet finishes."
-  Translated by Barbara Tovey, 2002, Chapter 47



"Without opening your door,
 you can know the whole world.
 Without looking out your window,
 you can understand the way of the Tao.
  The more knowledge you seek,
 the less you will understand.
  The Master understands without leaving,
 sees clearly without looking,
 accomplishes much without doing anything."
 -  Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 47  

 

"One need not pass his threshold to comprehend all that is under Heaven,
nor to look out from his lattice to behold the Tao Celestial.
Nay! but the farther a man goeth, the less he knoweth.
The sages acquired their knowledge without travel; they named all things
aright without beholding them; and, acting without aim, fulfilled their wills."
-  Translated by Aleister Crowley, 1918, Chapter 47   

不出戶, 知天下.
不闚牖, 見天道. 
其出彌遠, 其知彌少. 
是以聖人不行而知.
不見而名.
不為而成. 
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 47 


pu ch'u hu, chih t'ien hsia.
pu k'uei yu, chien t'ien tao.
ch'i ch'u mi yüan, ch'i chih mi shao. 
shih yi shêng jên pu hsing erh chih.
pu chien erh ming.
pu wei erh ch'êng. 
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 47 

  

"Without going out of the door
One can know the whole world;
Without peeping out of the window
One can see the Tao of heaven.
The further one travels
The less one knows.
Therefore the Sage knows everything without travelling;
He names everything without seeing it;
He accomplishes everything without doing it."
-  Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 47 



"Without leaving his door
He knows everything under heaven.
Without looking out of his window
He knows all the ways of heaven.
For the further one travels
The less one knows.
Therefore the Sage arrives without going,
Sees all without looking,
Does nothing, yet achieves everything."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 47  



"Sin salir de la puerta
se conoce el mundo.
Sin mirar por la ventana
se ve el camino del cielo.
Cuanto más lejos se va,
menos se aprende.
Así, el sabio,
No da un paso y llega,
No mira y conoce,
No interfiere y cumple."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 47



"Without going out of my door I know the Universe.
Without opening my window I perceive Heavenly Tao.
The more I go abroad, the less I understand.
That is why the self-controlled man arrives without going,
names things without seeing them, perfects without activity."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 47 



"There is no need to run outside
For better seeing,
Nor to peer from a window. Rather abide
At the center of your being;
For the more you leave it, the less you learn.
Search your heart and see
If he is wise who takes each turn:
The way to do is to be."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 47

Chapter 47 of the Tao Te Ching

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching

English Language Translators' Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List



Further Teachings of Lao-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries (Wen Tzu)   By Thomas Cleary

The Lunar Tao: Meditations in Harmony with the Seasons   By Deng Ming-Dao

Awakening to the Tao   By Lui I-Ming (1780) and translated by Thomas Cleary

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices   By Mike Garofalo  

Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries   Translation and commentary by Brook Ziporyn  

The Inner Chapters of Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi)   Translated by A. C. Graham


                                   

 

Home For the Holidays

My best wishes to all for a peaceful and pleasant winter holiday season.  May we remember our accomplishments this past year, have few regrets, and hope for good health, peace and prosperity.  May our shared history make us proud.  May the Earth rest and bear the sweetist Wenatachee cherries and gently cradle the mighty Columbia River.

Katelyn, Mike, Karen, Makenna, Beryl

We have our Christmas and New Year Celebrations with family and friends.  This year we did Italian style meals.  Karen and I decorated interiors of our house with typical holiday season art.  We exchanged presents and best wishes.

Today, our children and their families will have lunch together at our home: lasagna, brocholli beef roll, cardoon (Texas Celery, artichoke stalks cooked, breaded, and fried), wine, and ourdourves.  Karen is positive and joyful.  Feasting for Fun!  Good Cheer!

Time for my NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS:
Walk our dog Bruno once each day.
Learn how to effectively use CorelDRAW 2019 and Corel PaintShop Pro 2020 software.
Take a class in drawing.
Practice Tai Chi Chuan in class led by Jill Ross on Friday and Saturday.


Because of my interests and hobbies, and the fact that I am now retired at age 73, I spend a lot of my time indoors in my office, study, mancave, den, reading room, art studio, hang out space, retreat, etc.

The temperatures outdoors are mostly in the 40F's these days, and it gently rains a lot.  There are few gardening chores in December.  My reading and writing ROOM is nice and dry, cozy, and comfortable.  The room is insulated.  I always dress to stay warm.  I use an electrical heater set at 50F.

My STUDY is about 10'x12'x8'.  Bookshelves that we made cover the north and south wall.  A window faces south.  A small closet is on the east side of the room.  In front of the west wall is a large table with computer equipment.  Another small wood table is on the south side is used for art projects, reading, laptop computer, games.  The room is carpeted, but I would prefer a hardwood floor for easier rolling on my large office chair.

The computer equipment in my home OFFICE includes a Dell Inspiron desktop with Windows 10, Epson Workforce WF-3640 Printer, Samsung 21"dia screen, Logitech keyboard, old Toshiba laptop, and an Epson Perfection V600 scanner.  I purchase Internet access, and other services, from XFinity Comcast.  My annual modest earnings from my websites keep me current with computer hardware and software every four or five years.

Here is a photo of my STUDY, looking to the south on a foggy winter day.  There is a large sweet gum tree in our front yard.  I can use the wood table for drawing and art projects, books, laptop computer, digital camera equipment, a game, or a small  electronic keyboard.

My dog, Bruno, thinks my study/office/studio is his DOG CAVE.

What Do They Here?

"But these are all landsmen; of week days pent up in lath and plaster─tied to counters, nailed to benches, clinched to desks. How then is this? Are the green fields gone? What do they here?"
- Herman Melville, 1851, Moby Dick, p. 13

Could we not add, in 2017, transfixed by televisions, glued to computers, plugged into AC/DC, moving things endlessly, wrapped in chores, ... "What do they here?"


So, what we are doing here is moving into our home in Vancouver, Washington. Our realtor gave us the keys to the house today.  

Living in a nice home, in an established neighborhood, will be one foundation of our upcoming experiences and adventures.  

Lots of family have volunteered to help us move.  I've hired movers to transport our stored belongings from Red Bluff to Vancouver.  We will hire other people as needed to help us move into the house.  

Personally, with my left arm, I cannot lift objects over ten pounds, push or pull vigorously, or lift my elbow above my shoulder.  These restrictions, because of my recent 6/6 heart pacemaker implant, will last until July 10th or later as needed.  I seem to be doing fairly well thus far.
  

^^^^

Vancouver, Washington, Northwest USA is located in the Columbia River Valley. The general area has variety of many big plants: evergreens and deciduous trees, ornamentals, shrubs, broad leafs, pines, firs, spruces, cedars.  Trees are everywhere here in the "Evergreen State."  This is quite a dramatic contrast with the North Sacramento Valley orchards and farms where we lived for the last 19 years.  For anything to live in Red Bluff, we needed irrigation for seven months of the year.   

Annual Rainfall (Average) in places we have lived:

Los Angeles, California        14.93 inches 

Red Bluff, California            24.52 inches

Biloxi, Mississippi                64.89 inches 

Vancouver, Washington        39.30 inches

Alexandria, Indiana             41.00 inches


^^^^^

A Home for Us - Maybe

We sold our old home on 5 acres in Red Bluff, California, where we had lived for the last 19 years, on April 5, 2017.  We moved to Vancouver, Washington, on April 10th.

We are proceeding with steps to purchase a home in Vancouver, Washington. On 5/15, this house will be formally inspected.  On 5/18, the house will be appraised.  On 5/19, the fireplaces and chimneys will be inspected.  We hope to be close to a deal on 5/24.  Guild Mortgage is handling our VA loan application.

A tentative date for our move in is June 15, 2017.  It might be earlier, since the house is currently unoccupied.   

This house was built in 1972, has 1,702 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 fireplaces, and sits on a .3 acre lot in a suburban neighborhood.  Lots of grass in the front and back yard, and very large fir/pine trees in the back yard.  The front door faces south.  Sunny front yard and part of back yard for landscaping, flower, shrubs, and a vegetable garden.  The property is on a corner lot on a cul de sac.  

This house, on NE 100 Street, is in the general area of Padden Parkway (78th Street) and 94th Avenue.  The new house is 7.6 miles from my daughter's home.  Our son's home is 5.3 miles away.  Fred Meyer Supermarket, Lowe's and numerous other Big Box stores, restaurants, and smaller retail and service stores are just 2.6 miles away. Home Depot and CostCo are 2.5 miles away. Gold's Gym at the Vancouver Mall is 5 miles away.  Two public libraries and two bookstores are within 6 miles.  The 205 Freeway, at Exit 32, is 1.2 miles west of the home. Curtin Creek is .3 miles to the west.  Sunset Elementary School is four blocks south.  Some signs and maps list this as the "Sunnyside Neighborhood," or "Five Corners Area" of Northeast Vancouver.    

Karen and I could enjoy living here in Vancouver!  

Finding a New Home

Karen and I are spending a lot of time looking for a home to purchase, establishing residency in the State of Washington, and taking care of business matters.  

Don't have much time for reading, writing, blogging, and website development.  

I'm sure our lives will settle into normal by July.  

Best wishes for a wonderful springtime for all my readers.  

Goodbye Red Bluff CA

On April 3, 2017, we signed the escrow closing papers at the Placer Tile Company in Redding.  Our home and property in Red Bluff were finally sold.  We occupied our old home until the morning of April 10th.    

This will be my last Cloud Hands Blog post from Gushen Grove, Valley Spirit Center, Red Bluff, California.  

Today, 4/10, is the day that Karen drives our 2007 Chrysler 300 and I drive our 2003 Ford Explorer to the City of Vancouver, Clark County, State of Washington. The drive is 500 miles on Interstate 5 from Red Bluff to Vancouver.  Vancouver is on the north side of the Columbia River across from Portland, Oregon.  The City of Vancouver has about 157,000 population.  We are moving from a rural area in Northern California, population 14,000, to the Portland Metropolitan Area with over 2.2 million people.  I lived from 1946 until 1998 in Metropolitan East Los Angeles.  

Both of our cars are packed with essential belongings.  Our dog, Bruno, rides with Karen. We stop and rest , and sometimes switch cars, at the numerous clean public rest stops along I5 (e.g., Canyonville or Klamath River Crossing). We also stop and eat at restaurants along I5.  We stop at two gas stations.  




We lived for and worked for 19 years in a rural area, seven miles south of the City of Red Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, California; from June of 1998 until April 10, 2017.  

We enjoyed meeting new people, contributing with our coworkers, serving and educating children, making friends, serving in our community, and helping other people.  We both worked part-time for 17 years for local school districts.  

We both loved gardening on our five acres of clay soil, outdoor activities, and natural history studies.  We both enjoyed the dramatic seasonal changes in the North Sacramento Valley, California.  Our neighbors, all senior citizens, were all pleasant and freedom loving.  We sold our home to two women who support their aging grandfather, and are raising many children.  

We liked traveling and camping or moteling in Northern California from the Pacific shores near Fortuna to the high desert near Susanville (California State Highway 36); and all the mountains, forests, lakes, and valleys in between.  We visited our children and their growing families four times each year in Portland, Oregon, from 1999 to 2017.    

I enjoyed developing all of my hypertext notebooks and my Cloud Hands Blog during this period.  Each year, one to two million documents were served to people around the globe.  

I enjoyed teaching from 2002-2016 at the Tehama Family Fitness Center in Red Bluff.  Over the years, I taught yoga, tai chi chuan, qigong, mat pilates, spin cycling, Silver Sneakers, and personal fitness training.  

I enjoyed working for the Corning Union Elementary School District from 1999-2016.  I worked part-time, during the school year, as the District Librarian (Certificated) or as the Technology and Media Services Supervisor (Classified).  

Karen worked part-time for the Tehama County Department of Education for 15 years as a Special Education Instructional Assistant (Classified).     

A very positive experience of nearly two decades for both of us.  We left behind many friends, and many good students in the schools and gym in Red Bluff.  

Goodbye to our beautiful Red Bluff Home and our many delightful experiences since 1998.  

Can't turn back, life goes on, the moving finger has writ.      

Hopefully, we can arrive safely, a bit tired, in Vancouver this evening.

Proceeding with Packing 5

Yesterday, we enjoyed a fine Spring day outdoors with some local friends.
Today, Sunday, is our final day at our old home and property in Red Bluff, California.
Tomorrow, at daybreak, we drive to Vancouver, Washington.  We are staying at our daughter's home.

Home Being Sold

We are very busy with preparing to sell our home in Red Bluff.  It looks very promising that a contract for sale will be finished within a week.  It looks like we will be moving out on April 14, 2017.  So we are busy packing and moving items to a storage container in Red Bluff.  

Visiting with Family

My daughter and her two daughters came to visit Karen and I on Saturday afternoon, 6/25.  We've been mostly hanging around our home and property and playing.  Nice summer days for family fun.  

Today, everyone is going up to the Shasta Caverns Tour above Shasta Dam. Lake Shasta looks nicer with the water levels up high.  I will stay at home, trying to mend my knees, watering, taking it easy, daydreaming.  

Wednesday we plan to visit Whiskeytown Lake.  

The Flinn's will leave Red Bluff for Vancouver, Washington, on this coming Saturday morning, 7/2.  

Busy with playing with grand-children, daughter, and their new Lab dog.  

Little time for reading and writing.  

Starting My Retirement

Yesterday, I decided not to return to my part-time position with the Corning Union Elementary School District.  I will not be working during the 2016-2107 school year.  I have resigned and retired, effective June 30th, 2016.  I worked for this K-8 school district, with 2,200 students, for 16 years as the District Librarian or Technology and Media Services Supervisor.  

I retired when I was 70 years of age.  I have been gainfully employed since the age of 15 in libraries (city, county, school), teaching, management, factories, the US military, fitness trainer, supervision, web publisher, and information services.  54 years of working at all kinds of jobs.  Fortunately, I was always able to find some kind of employment.  

Overall, I am in fairly good health except for my injured right hip, right knee, and left knee.  While running on 3/13, I fell on my right side and injured my right hip and right knee.  While descending a stairway on 6/18, I stumbled and fell down and injured the bursa in my left knee.  Hopefully, with treatment, rest, yoga, and massage I will regain my former fitness and resume athletic activities.  

My wife, Karen, retired in 2014.  We are moving to Vancouver, Washington.  

We are selling our home and property in Red Bluff, California.  A 1909 square foot house, 4 bedrooms, and 2 baths.  5 acres of land, 2 wells, 2 ponds, extensive gardens and orchard.  Photographs.  Here is the Zillow listing.