Congratulations my friend. Yeah, 41 years and retirement are huge accomplishments.
Curious what you have planned.
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Thank you @Respectfully_Declined @NotJrvedivici and @LindaWhit !
I plan to just decompress for a couple of weeks and maybe learn to cook. I have an excellent teacher in Mrs. P 
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Looking forward to see your dishes!
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Yeah! But I think you’re far from there yet. Sad story with my friends, one had job problem, hid his drinking problem from his wife in the beginning. Lots of fights at home, continuous obsession with more drinking and depression. Long story short, he lost his job, wife and children quitted. Last time I talked to him, he wasn’t in all his mind and acted more like a child.
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Don’t become a motivational speaker 
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I am so sorry to read that but it is such a common story among substance abusers. To seek help requires a significant life event often in the form of losing a marriage, job, family, or their health. Far too frequently it is all of them. And for many that doesn’t even persuade them to want help. And topping it off we often replace one vice with another so having a good support group is really important.
I have a good friend in California (immigrated from England) who retired May 30, 2014 on his birthday and 30th anniversary of being sober. I call him each year and the first thing he says is ‘thank you for remembering ’ followed by saying ‘37 years sober today’. Lol. He’s quite successful professionally and happily married. He’s a very good and wise man and quite the joker. I don’t know how his wife manages him.
Since he’s Brit every July 4th I send him a huge flower arrangement stuffed with US flags and a big “Sympathy” banner along with a card saying something like “You’re on my mind on this difficult day.” I use the same florist each year and they have a great time making and delivering it.
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Pictured above are red Rambutan I picked two days ago. Today I helped a neighbour to cut a few huge branches of his yellow Rambutan tree. Thousands of Rambutans from those branches. Kids from all around enjoyed them. And still a lot left.
I was too scared to cut the branches sitting on the tree. Operating the chainsaw on a tree is too dangerous. So I supported him to do it. Climbed the ladder so many times carrying the chainsaw, my arms are paining now. 
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Lovely! Support is important, great that he did go sober. Not easy.
My friend was sober for a short time, maybe a year or so. But got tempted again, unfortunately, he is still paying his price today, he is considered as a handicapped person.
Maybe people aren’t inform enough the damage of alcohol addiction(?!) Another sad thing I see among many elderly, the only thing that makes them a big bright smile on their face is alcohol. I saw in this especially with my in-laws, they drink to forget the problems and they talk too much and too stupidly, and they fight among each other and they get upset and stop talking to each other for days… and the cycle continues.
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Hola amigos and amigas.
It’s open season on chicken fajitas and cervezas. I just realized I need to upgrade from no fajita sizzle platter to two (just in case I have company ). I doubt it will up my fajita game. 
<— closest I could find.
You are very brave. Once a friend helped us and climbed a ladder encased in ice to cut a big tree branch that had fallen on our roof in february here in the NE usa. Our walkway was also icy but the intrepid dude just marched up our sloped walkway with the chainsaw running. Scary but that branch was gone.
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Great minds think alike. Cdc left me far too long at Costco the other day and this jumped into my cart. Read some reviews After purchase like the impulsive shopper I am. Excited to try these for pizza and seared scallops too. Love the wooden holders. I just have to open the dam box. Maybe tonight. Hey it’s hot okay? https://www.costco.com/tramontina-cast-iron-fajita-set%2C-2-pack.product.100765778.html
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I just both one for what you paid for two. FML!
PS - I’ll be in Pennsylvania Wednesday. Pls consult cdc and let me know what time dinner is. 
Love the gift. Wait England doesn’t celebrate the fourth of July?? Kidding. My mom used to bend her elbow heavily at times. When I was living in North Miami she sent me a letter including this quote:Albert Camus Quote “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” I cried. A lot. I knew she meant it when she quit drinking her way. Because of her letter. When I moved back to her area near Doylestown Pa we got to talk. She told me that she just got tired of feeling sick all the time. Vodka was her poison and she told me she put a bottle of vodka available on her kitchen counter at all times. She never opened it but it was there if she wanted to.
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Doh. I really don’t need two but the shipping would be killer. What part of Penna? Costco is crazy and their return policy is for realz. Cdc really did leave me alone way too long there. I found a five pack of tenderloins prime for seventy dollars. Three are in the chest freezer. Best cooking purchase I ever made btw. Been trying to learn cdc about beef. This purchase was quite a splurge but you can eat every last bite. Harley is so mad. NO Scraps for her highness.
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Now that Conan’s parents are finally both retired they can devote more time to lushing it up. Dad is bombay gin, mom is wine. Mom serves dinner at three pm so she can drink more but generally she starts at noon. She gets up around five am though. They watch tv and drink. Conan says he is nothing like his parents but his absolute favorite hobby is watching tv and drinking when the 'rents are not home. I really really can’t judge but the ID is strong with that family.
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I don’t need two either but I typically buy multiples of things. I have a psychological problem thinking I will like something and won’t be able to buy it again. Haha.
A short stop in Philadelphia to visit a friend’s daughter at UPenn. She’s a bit of a surrogate daughter.
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Some compensate by calling it Thanksgiving Day. 
I celebrate Independence Day 
and give great thanks to the French 
.
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