Category Archives: Tender Tuesdays

Sep6

TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #16

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TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #16

SAILS ARE HOISTED! YIPPEE!!

Prairie Girl knows that you were starting to think that she and husband never actually raise their sails… Admit it- you were! Well, seriously, with all the hurdles involved in getting out on the water this summer, including illness and loss of very dear family members, reduced strength requiring a new windless installation, Prairie Girl and husband finally made it out mid-July to find themselves experiencing a pesky transmission issue. And just when they thought they had that fixed, the instrument gauges started to go mad.  Back home again to find a mechanic to solve that mystery.  This only took a couple of weeks to get someone down to the marina to tell them the new … Read the rest

Aug28

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #15

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TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #15

WILL WE EVER SAIL AGAIN?

Last year’s sailing season turned out to  be a bust for husband and Prairie Girl. Husband had a 2 week window in his incredibly insane work schedule. And wouldn’t you know it? On their first night out, anchoring in a local, familiar bay- they hit a ROCK! (Refer to Prairie Girl Series #1 2016/07/27 in the archives.)

As you’re aware from former posts, husband’s 93 year old mother was hospitalized the week that he was discharged from the hospital after his emergency surgery. Let’s just say, the TwoCan wasn’t getting any attention whatsoever, the entire spring! (Other than the new installation of a windlass and a bigger dinghy…) Sadly for their family, husband’s mother passed … Read the rest

May16

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #13

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TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #13

PRAIRIE GIRL CAN’T JOIN A YACHT CLUB!

(THEY MIGHT THINK SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE’S DOING ON A SAILBOAT!)

Moving to Vancouver Island meant finding a location that was handy to the marina, so that husband and Prairie Girl could get to the boat easily for maintenance and quick decision day sails and get-aways. Looking back on the last 6 years, it didn’t quite work out as perfectly as planned. It’s true the boat was within walking distance of their new home, but with husband still working, Prairie Girl writing and publishing books, and extensive travel (both work and pleasure related), the TwoCan hasn’t always had the usage one anticipated with the move.

Shortly after moving, husband was approached by SCYC … Read the rest

May2

TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #6

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TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #6

THE L_O_N_G CONVALESCENCE

Let’s just say that once husband and Prairie Girl woke up after the operation, the fog took some time to clear before reality set in. Comprehending what had just happened took some time to digest. Husband and Prairie Girl were never so relieved to be TOGETHER! The 14 days spent in the hospital was a new journey for both of them. Never being on any medications or being diagnosed with anything serious in their years together, had led them to believe that illnesses and accidents happen to others- not to them.

Amazingly, PRAIRIE GIRL found  it to be second nature to care for her FREEDOM 69 husband.  This surprised even her! Prairie Girl, immediately … Read the rest

Apr11

TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #5

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TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #5

THE RETIREMENT THAT ALMOST WASN’T!

FREEDOM 69 TIMELINE:

January 1, 2017 – Husband Officially Retired

January 1- February 1- Husband enjoying Retirement Cruises

March 4th- FREEDOM 69 RETIREMENT PARTY

March 7th- Tour of Memorial Gardens and Meeting with Funeral Planning Consultant (Read March 11th Post: A Retirement Party on the Weekend and a Funeral Consult 2 Days Later)

March 21st-Ambulance called at midnight

March 22nd- Emergency Surgery -Bowel Reconstruction (8.5 hrs. with 2 surgeons working on husband)

April 5th- Husband discharged with Daily Home Care Nurse Visits

Prairie Girl and husband were completely blind-sided by this incredible medical journey that husband landed himself into. They imagined that they’d merrily continue into this new retirement phase with even more adventure and … Read the rest

Mar20

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES – #12

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TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES – #12

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO FINISH EQUIPPING OUR NEW BOAT?                               (…AND WHERE’S THE HEAT?)

 

Call Prairie Girl naive, but she was incredulously baffled when husband announced that there would be several expensive purchases to be made in order to completely outfit their brand new Catalina 28 Mark 11 Anniversary Edition. Prairie Girl just assumed that their DREAM BOAT was loaded to the max- complete with an anniversary plaque, a wooden hull to mount on their wall at home, a set of Catalina dishes, upgraded upholstery and blinds, a bimini and sunbrella protectors for the windows… What did husband mean when he said it wasn’t completely outfitted with everything necessary?

Prairie Girl can visualize her readers nodding their … Read the rest

Mar14

TENDER TUESDAYS- SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #4

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TENDER TUESDAYS- SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #4

A RETIREMENT PARTY on the WEEKEND… and a FUNERAL CONSULT 2 DAYS LATER!

– SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT -Instalment #4

Prairie Girl is certain that this Post Headline grabbed your attention! Seriously, it did happen and husband’s had nightmares ever since! (Please don’t think these two take the death of loved ones lightly- they don’t!) However, they do get themselves into predicaments without always anticipating the outcomes of their “in-the-moment” comments.

Last January when husband’s father passed away, Prairie Girl and husband met with the Memorial Gardens director to ensure that their father’s wishes were being followed. Husband was so thankful that he, his sister, and their mother weren’t burdened with making decisions to the BIG QUESTIONS. Opa had … Read the rest

Mar7

TENDER TUESDAYS SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT – #3

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TENDER TUESDAYS SURVIVING MY HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT – #3

FREEDOM 69 RETIREMENT PARTY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wife may have had a devious reason for planning a party with a retirement theme for husband, other than the fun opportunity to have friends over for a night of merry-making… (Hard to imagine, I know!) Have you figured out what it might possibly be? Yep, she secretly figured that if the retirement was made official with an EVENT, there really wouldn’t be wiggle room for husband to be enticed to get involved in new ventures being proposed. There had been so many false starts leading to his retirement decision that WIFE wanted it sealed in public. After all, Ryan had hit his FREEDOM 69… Read the rest

Feb23

TENDER TUESDAYS -PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #11

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TENDER TUESDAYS -PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #11

BRING THAT BRAND NEW

CATALINA 28 HOME!

I know, I know, it isn’t even Tuesday! It appears cross-country skiing was a bit much for our Prairie Girl…. Landing on her tailbone, not only caused great tenderness (specifically, “a pain in the butt”), but the whiplash from landing so hard, brought on 5 days of tension headaches due to the impact on her neck muscles…. SHEESH….

The last post Prairie Girl wrote announced the purchase (scheming) husband made of a brand new Catalina 28 Mark 11 Anniversary Edition on their anniversary. (Blog Archives, Dec. 13, 2016) It was purchased in Portland, Oregon in early spring, and husband then had to figure out how to get it home to Thunderbird Marina … Read the rest

Feb15

TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING my HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #2

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TENDER TUESDAYS – SURVIVING my HUSBAND’S RETIREMENT #2

NO MORE 4 LETTER WORK EXCUSE !

So we’re into WEEK 2 of being home after husband’s retirement cruise. WEEK 1 was spent snowed in for about 5 days (unusual for Vancouver Is.) and of course, husband’s birthday was right in the middle of that unlikely occurrence. Let’s just say, it wasn’t a memorable celebration – nothing much in the cupboards yet for creating a special dinner and birthday cake…. No one was going to join us for chili and, of course, there wasn’t a single gift wrapped, let alone a card. You see where this is going? What did happen was the viewing of the SUPER BOWL GAME that husband had anticipated watching in the Palm Desert. So we … Read the rest