Fun in the Sun

The title of this post has to do with the big red beach umbrella that Rick ordered.  He used his Christmas and birthday money from the girls to get his dream umbrella with a sand stake and a carrying case.  As you can see by the pictures, the biggest problem now is to learn how to put the darn thing up!

Rick gets his Christmas present via a delivery service.

"OK, I think I remember how to do this."  (Didn't anyone tell him
that it's bad luck to open an umbrella in the house?)

Rick vs. the Umbrella.  I think that the umbrella has this
battle covered!

It's a draw.  The umbrella is up, but it's not fully open yet.

Yesterday we went to Tampa Bay Millwork to order out the pocket door which will close off the kitchen from the new laundry room.  We have been debating whether to choose a solid door to match the garage-to-house door or to go with a much more expensive full-pane glass door with a rainwater look.  I did not want to go with clear glass, but having a patterned glass pane that would still let light flow through was very appealing.  After much debate, we decided to go with the rainwater glass door.  Then Sonya, the decorator, mentioned that the glass door was thicker than a normal door, and Rick said, "We can't use it, then, because we would have to purchase modified hardware for the pocket door."  I wish that we had known about the door width from the start; we could have saved a lot of time and indecision had we known.

We ordered out the two panel wainscot door to match the garage-to-house door.  While the garage-to-house door is fire-proof, this pocket door will just be a solid core door.  That will be enough to keep noise confined to the laundry room, and I rather like the idea that if the laundry room contains baskets of dirty laundry, I can close off the room completely from any guests. An added bonus is that even as a solid core door, the door we ordered is about 1/3 the price of the glass-paned door.

While we were at the Millwork store, my cell phone rang.  That made me a little uncomfortable since most people have Rick's cell number.  My phone generally only rings because someone in the family has either really good or really bad news.  This time, however, the phone call simply offered another opportunity and another decision.  The call was from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, my former employer. Lori from the General Studies office asked me if I wanted to teach one, and possibly two, classes online for the College.  The call was about Oral Interpersonal Communication, a class that I have taught often.  In fact, I wrote the online version of the class.  The College had a late start class that a teacher originally had chosen, but at the last minute the teacher backed out of the deal.  That left them with a class that starts Monday but that had no teacher.  Lori also said I might be able to pick up a second class that has already started.  That class was taught by a former colleague of mine who, due to personal reasons, might not be able to complete the class.

Rick and I discussed the offer.  I was thinking that the money would be good, but I knew that Rick was totally against me teaching since doing so would take up quite a bit of my time.  The reason I decided not to accept the offer had nothing to do with the time commitment and everything to do with Wisconsin state taxes.  As of 2013, Rick and I are residents of Florida, and as such neither of us are making any income in Wisconsin.  If I chose to teach, then I would have to pay Wisconsin income taxes again this year.  We want 2012 to be the last year either of us made an income in Wisconsin.  Florida does not have income tax, so we do not want to go backward by having to deal with income from a state that taxes that money.

We have to be very cautious with our money, but we are doing OK right now.  The whole idea is to simplify our lives, to work hard to make Gladys a comfortable home, and to find time to enjoy our retirement.  Of course, part of that enjoyment will be going to the beach, listening to the waves wash ashore, and to relax under our big red beach umbrella.