What do you do?

[plantman]

:smile-big: It's kind of funny in a way, retirement I mean. I looked forward to it, having nothing to do and all day to do it. Problem is, now you have time to do all those things that you have been putting off for all those years. Suddenly things like making money and advancing at your job are replaced by keeping healthy and enjoying the people and things that are around you. There are so many things I want to learn and try, I don't know where to start. The answer is, start someplace !! Comming back to pen turning and woodworking has given me back the feeling of being able to still do something in life that makes one feel good inside. Answering questions on this site makes me happy to be able to pass on some of the knowledge I have gained in almost 70 years. And being able to ask questions about things I am not sure of, and receive the answers from the people on this site, is as they say, " priceless ". What do you do or enjoy in life ? Jim S

 

[Fireengines]

I've always believed, for a male, if you enjoy your job and are considering retirement (under the age of 67) but have nothing to do after retirement, don't retire! If you are 67 or order, find something you enjoy that will be enduring.
It looks retirement is working for you!

 

[bigevilgrape]

Right now I'm job hunting So I spend my day filling out applications, entertaining the dog and wood turning/spinning/knitting.

 

[walshjp17]

I am almost 68 and retired two years ago in March. Played a lot of golf to begin with now into traveling and woodturning/penmaking. Not missing the daily grind one iota! Wake up at 8-ish, eat and read email, turn some pens, shop for dinner, watch the news, chat with friends, watch a movie. No pressure, no worries, know life!

 

[Smitty37]

I left the rat race 21 years ago, when I was 54. Since then, I have been a real estate salesperson, a real estate broker with my own office where I also did some income tax prep for a few folks, a mobile home investor/salesperson, bought fixed up and sold a couple of old houses, worked for a stock broker, worked for a car rental agency, operated an online coin business, worked as a gate guard in the community where I lived, made about half the furniture in my current house, built a patio here, built a kids swing/slide/rock climb/pirate ship, took up pen turning and started the pen turning component set business I have now. I am and have been fairly active in church, swim, ride a stationary bike and walk my dogs a couple of hours a day. Other than that I've just kind of laid back and taken it easy.

 

[bobjackson]

I retired at 62 with a pension (now 67) and honestly don't know how I had time to go to work. I stay busy volunteering and working in my shop and there is always something that needs fixing with the houses. I do still teach National Electric Code classes for the State of Ohio for continuing education for inspectors and state contractors.

 

[firewhatfire]

41 and I turn pens for fun. I work in a police,fire, and ems dispatch center for my other fun(er... I mean job) I found pen turning and sold a boat and my golf clubs are now getting rusty. Looking forward to branching out into other areas of woodwork. small boxes and such.

Phil

 

[plantman]

I left the rat race 21 years ago, when I was 54. Since then, I have been a real estate salesperson, a real estate broker with my own office where I also did some income tax prep for a few folks, a mobile home investor/salesperson, bought fixed up and sold a couple of old houses, worked for a stock broker, worked for a car rental agency, operated an online coin business, worked as a gate guard in the community where I lived, made about half the furniture in my current house, built a patio here, built a kids swing/slide/rock climb/pirate ship, took up pen turning and started the pen turning component set business I have now. I am and have been fairly active in church, swim, ride a stationary bike and walk my dogs a couple of hours a day. Other than that I've just kind of laid back and taken it easy.

Smitty; Talk about " A jack of all trades ". What do you do in your spare time ?? Jim S

 

[knowltoh]

I retired from teaching Chemistry and Mathematics after 37 years. Today is my 68 birthday and life is good! I have lived in Northern Michigan all my life. I am an avid flyfisherman on MI's AuSable River. I have tied flies commercially years ago for spending money. Tying flies became work, so I started turning reel seats. A few years ago I was at a Woodcraft store and signed up for a penturning class. I have been hooked since then.

6 years ago my wife and I started spending most of the winter in Florida in Titusville. We have kayaks and I fish from the kayak as well as fishing the surf at Playlinda Beach.

I don't see how things could be any better!

 

[Smitty37]

I left the rat race 21 years ago, when I was 54. Since then, I have been a real estate salesperson, a real estate broker with my own office where I also did some income tax prep for a few folks, a mobile home investor/salesperson, bought fixed up and sold a couple of old houses, worked for a stock broker, worked for a car rental agency, operated an online coin business, worked as a gate guard in the community where I lived, made about half the furniture in my current house, built a patio here, built a kids swing/slide/rock climb/pirate ship, took up pen turning and started the pen turning component set business I have now. I am and have been fairly active in church, swim, ride a stationary bike and walk my dogs a couple of hours a day. Other than that I've just kind of laid back and taken it easy.

Smitty; What do you do in your spare time ?? Jim S

Actually since I slowed the business due to my heart condition, I still have a lot of free time I now am doing a few orders a day rather than 10 - 15 so the business takes quite a lot less time. I've started going to the store with my wife more often - I used to shop a lot because I cooked a lot, but since she gave up her 9 to 5 job a few years ago she wants to do the cooking (probably thinks she's a better cook than I am) and I've gotten out of doing much shopping.

Edit: you know I forgot that in 1997/98 I built a 440 Square foot summer cabin with full code complience for electric, plumbing, insulation, and structural. This was in the Poconos in NE Pennsylvania. I did have help erecting the shell and putting on the roof but the rest I pretty much did myself. Well some things like the sand mound septic system had to be done by "approved" contractors also so I didn't do that myself.

 

[Longfellow]

I am 80 and spend as much time as possible salvaging local,( Central Florida), wood which I cut to pen blank size, to be listed on Ebay and sold. Keeps me active and bill collectors away from my door. I love fishing and target shooting, but don't do much of either anymore.

 

[Hexhead]

In another month if I'm still alive, I'll be retiring at 65.
Isn't there something called golden years, not sure what happens.

 

[Smitty37]

In another month if I'm still alive, I'll be retiring at 65.
Isn't there something called golden years, not sure what happens.

Yea we call them golden years -- but at times they can seem a little more like brass than gold.

 

[plantman]

In another month if I'm still alive, I'll be retiring at 65.
Isn't there something called golden years, not sure what happens.

Yea we call them golden years -- but at times they can seem a little more like brass than gold.

:doctor: I think the " Golden Years ", refer to the years and money you put out for the doctors and drugs to keep you semi-healthy !!! I know when I retired at 62, I didn't expect that one of my biggest expences would be the $1560.00 a month for health insurance until I reached 65. After that I paid $1100.00 every 3 months for four years until my wife reached 65. That's the price you pay for having a younger wife, but Shes worth it !!! Jim S

 

[Sataro]

This year makes 20 years of teaching science & technology. I'm 55 & plan on going for another 10 years before I decide to drop out of the teaching race... Started turning pens about 4 years ago for a hobby, but began selling them. Found out I could sell my pens & keep my tools paid for with my pen profits... Planned on getting into bowl making & branching out but I stay too busy just making pens.

 

[Chrisjan]

I found myself jobless one morning in October 2011... not a good situation at 39! I fetched the lathe I bought my Dad to turn pool queues the previous year seeing that he wasn't really using it. The idea was to get turning on some bowls, goblets, tops etc. I did some previous turning while at school and now and then on other people's tools... THEN I SAW AN ACRYLIC PEN BLANK in the woodwork shop... Curiosity got the better of me and I started pen-turning too.

Got a new job March last year - and all my co-workers are using my fine writing instruments for getting various contracts, acceptance certificates and other documents signed. Sold some on verbal reference. Did a bed for the youngest son this festive period and turned the legs - also some pepper mills for gifts. Tried the metal spinning thing too... but that's on ice till further notice. I need to perfect the skill though - I turned some torches that need heads to hold the flammable parts with liquid fuel soon. Will try some segmenting shortly.

 

[leodelion]

I've been retired for over 20 years, and aside from a few health issues, enjoying every minute of it. Less hassle, less money, but more time to do the things I want to do. Family and friends are foremost.

 

[leodelion]

Some of that gold turns to rust.

 

[JLewis]

I, once I figured out what I wanted to be "when I grew up" have been restoring cars professionally for almost 20 years. I did take a break for just over a year to do museum conservation work. You know run of the mill restoration on Saturn V rockets and some presevation work on recovered artifacts from the Titanic and Carpathia. So I have been one of the fortunate to "never have worked in my life" as I enjoy what i do and wouldn't trade it. I have been living retirment for most of my 41 years on the planet.

 

[Leatherman1998]

I am a penturner that is homeschooled. At 15 (as of the 6th) I still work with the Civil Air Patrol doing emergancy services. To support all this I work with my Dad doing seamless gutters, and have thoughts of joining the Air Force.

Levi Woodard
Woodardwoodworks.com

Sent from my Galaxy player using Forum Runner

 

[PaulDoug]

Retired a 55 and found it was a mistake. Just wasn't ready. I don't regret leaving the place I had worked for of 31 years, but I regretted not having adequate "mad" money to support my hobbies. I went to work delivering flowers for a florist. It was a great part time job and enjoyed it so much I did it for 10 years! Kept me in mad money so I didn't feel guilty buying wood and tools. Than I retired again, my driving was not as good as it use to be. Now I'm wishing I had the mad money again, so in march I am going to work at a damn counting fish. It's a sweet deal. Bunch of us old guy are going to do it, and working together we can pretty much pick our hours.

For fun, I do woodworking. I have been building a variety of things, pens, bottle stoppers, bowl, a kayak and now I'm working on a street organ. I try to do more and more challenging projects.

 

[Smitty37]

I, once I figured out what I wanted to be "when I grew up" have been restoring cars professionally for almost 20 years. I did take a break for just over a year to do museum conservation work. You know run of the mill restoration on Saturn V rockets and some presevation work on recovered artifacts from the Titanic and Carpathia. So I have been one of the fortunate to "never have worked in my life" as I enjoy what i do and wouldn't trade it. I have been living retirment for most of my 41 years on the planet.

That's a great job. Most of us are, unfortunately for us, not able to do that kind of work for a living. It's nice to know that some people can do that as their life's work.

I looked into restoring an old car once, and was just overwhelmed by the number of things I would have to learn how to do (not just do, but do really well) and the time and energy I would have to put into just finding all of the parts I'd need. I decided I'd probably never finish the job.

 

[Haynie]

Retirement is a dream I may never achieve, but that is a political rant. It is a depressing thought. I am seriously considering a change in careers but my wife informed me that gold digging boy toy was not a job description and she did not have the gold to dig anyway.

Enjoy your retirements.

 

[TellicoTurning]

In another month if I'm still alive, I'll be retiring at 65.
Isn't there something called golden years, not sure what happens.

They may be the golden years, but seems like we are just spending our gold to cover the health problems brought on by old age...

 

[Smitty37]

In another month if I'm still alive, I'll be retiring at 65.
Isn't there something called golden years, not sure what happens.

They may be the golden years, but seems like we are just spending our gold to cover the health problems brought on by old age...

That's a tough thing, when my dad was 65 health costs were next to nothing for old folks on the one hand, on the other hand, many of the things we are treated for and many of the treatments that cost us so much weren't available then.

 

[plantman]

I am a penturner that is homeschooled. At 15 (as of the 6th) I still work with the Civil Air Patrol doing emergancy services. To support all this I work with my Dad doing seamless gutters, and have thoughts of joining the Air Force.

Levi Woodard
Woodardwoodworks.com

Sent from my Galaxy player using Forum Runner

:airplane: Hi Levi: I loved being in the Civil Air Patrol when I was in high school. Our wing had a C119 we would fly around in. A real bone shaker !! If you do well in the service, the service will do you well also. Good Luck !! Jim S

 

[plantman]

I, once I figured out what I wanted to be "when I grew up" have been restoring cars professionally for almost 20 years. I did take a break for just over a year to do museum conservation work. You know run of the mill restoration on Saturn V rockets and some presevation work on recovered artifacts from the Titanic and Carpathia. So I have been one of the fortunate to "never have worked in my life" as I enjoy what i do and wouldn't trade it. I have been living retirment for most of my 41 years on the planet.

:hammer::hammer: AHH !!! THE LIFE OF A CAR NUT !! When I was in high school, every Saturday I would go down to the shop and watch my dad repair cars. Those were the days when you could actualy put a torch to a fender without it melting. The seed was sown at an early age. I learned how to customize my own cars ( I used lead ) and paint. Then it was Model As, Corvettes, Street Rods, ECT. You get the picture, it never ends. The only thing that has changed, is I found it much easier these days to just write a check, turn the key, and drive away. Most cars nowdays you can't work on yourself anymore anyway. Enjoy the good life !!! Jim S

 

[plantman]

:biggrin: I want to thank you all for your interesting inputs, and hope you all live happly ever after. Jim S