PS: Hope to drive to CA from ND next June to see GD graduate and then return to welcom a new GGC in August.

If I ever retire, I'd like to get a Kindle Fire and start reading again, take wildlife pictures, maybe volunteer at a local VA facility. Other than that, I'm not sure yet.

I love to knit and crochet, and any baby I hear of gets a box of some of my favorite patterns sent to the baby or the grandmother. Today on my kitchen table are two sets of goodies for the 2 babies born in December. Their grandmas are good friends from the years we all worked together on our kids' projects and school activities.

For the little boy, I have knit two hooded cardigans, one thick enough to be a jacket, a cotton yarn Baby Surprise Jacket, three pair of booties, and two vests.

For the little girl, I have crocheted a blanket with her name spelled out in block letters, a knitted hood jacket, a knitted cardigan jacket and matching hat, booties, a darling short sleeved cardigan, a vest and matching booties.

Baby items are so cute and fun to make, in part because they don't take all that long to complete.

And of course I love to see my own small grandsons and to read for pleasure.

My disability forced me to retire early a couple of years ago. With limited energy and strength, I cannot travel much. Nevertheless, I managed to learn a few new hobbies. The past few months, I learned how to machine knitting. It is fun and I get quick results with machine knitting.

One great thing about knitting is that I can do items for charity. I'm happy that I am still able to give with my limited physical ability. Currently, I am knitting scarves for the 2012 Special Olympic USA. It is a nationwide project.

I believe the only different before and after retirement is what we receive for our working effort. We can either work for money, work for charity/free/someone or for ourselves. It is up to each of us in how we can use our time wisely. "Wisely" in this sense is what makes us happy and rewarding.

ntt_hou, can you tell me about your knitting machine? I've been reading about them and they look interesting to me.

Knitting machines have always looked interesting to me to. I'd love to hear more also.

My youngest is going to school fulltime in two years and I would love to take off a couple of years to fix up all the loose ends in the house and make things - sewing, crafts, etc because I know, once I go back to work, with the kids in school with homework and all I won't be able to do any of that for the next 5 years. So, crafting, sewing, DIY, gardening, cooking can easily eat up a day for me.

I'm just taking a break from sewing. It has always been my favorite hobby and I sort of stopped for awhile as the eyes were and are just terrible. (the cataract thread was interesting!) Next month we will be having our first Great grand girl, and we are excited. I've finished a quilt, some odds and ends and now making pillow cases for the older siblings that I have not yet met; but I can't not think of them during this special time. They get mailed on Friday, but I have seen so many cute things that (eyes be darned!)the sewing machine will keep going.

Other "hobbies" include photography, scrapbooking, writing and we still travel and participate actively with many travel clubs. I have done all sorts of needlework...again, eyes make it difficult for now. If the eyes get fixed, I think I will get my long longed for Embroidery Machine.

I spend a lot of time reading on my Kindle and reading books from our local library.
I cook, I garden, we travel. I keep busy and have loved retirement.....it has been almost 13 years.
Marie, let me know if you make it near the beautiful central coast of California! I would love to meet you and your DH.

At the end of this February, I will have been retired 13 years (time flies). Hobbies and Activites:

1. Genealogy (just my family)

2. Photography - a dabbler, but do understand the physics of f-stop numners, shutter speeds, and the difference between a focal plane curtain shutter vs, an iris shutter.

3. Occassional sight seeing trips as well as trips to places where my ancestors have been - great way to learn about early US history.

4. A little rock hounding.

5. Gem faceting, gem design, and performance analysis of proposed gem designs.

6. Member of local chess club - we play once a week.

I am totally addicted to quilting. I have made quilts for all my friends and family, plus many quilts for charities and soldiers. I recently bought an embroidery machine, and I'm still in the learning stage with it.

I have a dog and 3 cats that keep me busy. I also volunteer at my church and the hospital. My favorite hobby is watching my friends' baby who is 15 months old now. I watch him a couple of times a week for 2 or 3 hours. I also enjoy sewing and quilting. I am nuts about basketball and have season tickets to the college women's games.

I am one of those that cannot travel very much..but I love to garden, canning, sewing, crochet, needlepoint, cross stitch, quilting, gardening in the summer, growing flowers, and trying my hand at some of the crafts I see I might like in my monthly crafting magazine. I also have fur babies that I like to teach to behave, but they are not catching on very well. ha, ha...JK.

I was care giver for my beloved husband for the past nearly 18 years... and since his passing... have increased my church involvment. I have also met a nice fellow and he brought me to meet his family in Iowa over the Christmas holidays, and has invited me to travel with him... We get along quite well, and so I intend to take him up on some of his travel offer adventures. Tomorrow he is driving me down to my daughters where we will spend about a week.. and then back home where he will be moving into a rental to be closer to me. I am still involved in church activiites, and he is also interested in becoming involved in our church ministries..

Gardening, cooking, baking, are also interest that I enjoy..

Carolyn

I retired in 2005 due to kidney failure. Due to needing dialysis 3 times a week, I need to stay close to the hospital. I like to do handcrafts, knitting, embroidery,sewing, and I love reading and gardening. I just got a Kindle for Christmas and I love it! As long as it doesn't involve travel, i'll do it. I'm also the caregiver for my older husband with Multiple Sclerosis, which means I need to be available to cook and take care of him.

I read. I don't know if I'd consider that a hobby - an obsession, maybe? lol. We have over 40 libraries in our library system and I try to go to a different library often - plan errands so that I can stop at a new library wherever I go.

I am also a Master Gardener for my county. Partly because I like gardening, but also as a volunteer I've worked at some interesting locations - our local agricultural fair, at a Ronald McDonald house, at our local garden show (free admission for volunteers). As an MG I am required to do continuing ed every year; the classes are often interesting and relevant to my life out here in the country - although of course they also help my volunteer work.

I enjoy so many things. I spend a lot of time with my children and grandchildren. I sew for 6 grandaughters, do a little canning once again, love my flowers, trying new recipes and spending time with my hubby.

My Ole Arthy has slowed me down but I keep plugging along. I can't quit. I have always been a very independent person and want to be as long as I can..

Nothing exciting. Antiquing, gardening, taking care of the six fur-people, taking the dogs on long 3-5 mile walks and to the doggie park, going to GS's soccer games and concerts, reading. Not as much traveling as I would like, because I hate to leave the pets. Also I help with beehive and koi ponds, but H does most of the work there.