When is it time to hang it all up?

[mrsclem]

Har-dee har har har. There are some things that I will NOT do. Plumbing would be high on the list!

But I will use the extra time for an opportunity to run to the garden center JUST TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE!

Plumbing is fun! I removed a half-bath and turned it into a laundry room. Over a dozen pipes had to be rerouted or sealed but it works. Did electrical as well.

 

[combatwombat]

Plumbing is fun! I removed a half-bath and turned it into a laundry room. Over a dozen pipes had to be rerouted or sealed but it works. Did electrical as well.

Some of us are just built funny. I rarely feel more in my element than when I'm doing electrical and plumbing.

 

[SarahT]

Hang it up? Nah. I just turned 65 and dug my latest (last? Ha!) pond, 1400 gallons, by hand (Florida light weight sandy soil) and am landscaping the yard and amusing my younger neighbors to no end. I'm replacing grass with no-mow, no-irrigation, less-fuss Florida-friendly native plants, some will go into the TBD (To Be Dug) bog.
That being said, you are smart to think ahead so that whenever you start to slow, your pond and yard are more self-caring (I hear the boggers here chanting Bog! Bog!). You can out-source the not so fun stuff (like grass mowing and shrub tending). But most of all, I encourage everyone to enjoy their todays.

 

[Hoopernancy]

I’m 67 and recently built a new house. Decks and porches are being built right now and landscaping will begin in a few weeks.
I’m preparing my pond and bog plans now and will start the pond build in September after I recover from Hip Replacement.

when do I hang it up, NEVER

 

[brokensword]

Hang it up? Nah. I just turned 65 and dug my latest (last? Ha!) pond, 1400 gallons, by hand (Florida light weight sandy soil) and am landscaping the yard and amusing my younger neighbors to no end. I'm replacing grass with no-mow, no-irrigation, less-fuss Florida-friendly native plants, some will go into the TBD (To Be Dug) bog.
That being said, you are smart to think ahead so that whenever you start to slow, your pond and yard are more self-caring (I hear the boggers here chanting Bog! Bog!). You can out-source the not so fun stuff (like grass mowing and shrub tending). But most of all, I encourage everyone to enjoy their todays.

Soon, you'll be given an application for the BFC!

 

[SarahT]

Soon, you'll be given an application for the BFC!

I'd be bog digging right now, but Tropical Storm Elsa is coming for a visit.

 

[waynefrcan]

62 and keep adding to the plants and garden every year. We still do all our own yard work when most of our neighbors use a service. Hubby does all the lawn work - with a push mower! Entire property is on a severe slope so riding mowers don't work. BTW- he's 66 and still working full time.

Yes, I have an older friend/couple in late 70's. They have hired out at $2,000 per summer for pond and yard. The guy had triple bypass 3yrs ago and the gal had a brain bleed this past winter. So I bet it's $3,000 a year now.

 

[waynefrcan]

Just built mine as its just getting finished and at 58. I look at it as getting my ass off the couch and keeping yea young and trust me i'M dealing with a used and abused body. That commercial with the step up rocking board with built in ski pole aint for me.

No arthritis?

 

[waynefrcan]

I'm 60 and still work for a living. Not sitting at a desk mind you, but actual hard physical labor. When I get home for the weekend, all I want to do is relax with pond/yard/ house/car/farm maintenance. and do that all weekend long. Mabe get a little flying in as well. But I've found that if I don't stay physically active, I won't be able to keep up with the hired help. I relax by working at home. Digging ditches, shoveling gravel, forging something useful from a chunk of steel, etc. I just can't sit still, until late in the evening, when all is quiet, and the pond has an awesome reflection on it. My Dad was the same way, up untill 2 weeks ago when he flew west at the young age of 95. (his mom was 104)

That fine genetic background is a big plus!

 

[waynefrcan]

I'm 60 this year, work full-time and find my SANITY in my yard and gardens.

We did hire a couple of neighborhood teens to mow the grass last year - they are starting a business and offered a great price. They charge us $15 a time and only cut when it's needed. Takes them all of 10 minutes and saves me at least 45 minutes a week. I CAN do it... I just don't ENJOY doing it, so that was a good trade-off. We are in the process of getting rid of bushes that require trimming two or three times a year - not interested in doing that kind of work anymore. Again - I can, I just don't want to. We had three big hedges that were almost 30 years old - they were ready to go. Replacing them with easier care plants and in one area just expanded the food growing space!

We hire out major tree trimming, but otherwise we do all the routine maintenance, planting, weeding, watering, pond care, etc. We enjoy it, it keeps us moving and outside, in the fresh air and sunshine, keeps us in touch with our neighbors... don't foresee stopping any time soon!

Cool!

 

[waynefrcan]

You ask...when is it time to hang it all up?
I say...When we stop breathing!

Ya but the wife wants a condo

 

[addy1]

Ya but the wife wants a condo

Aww yuck................ the dictators there run your life, it is living in a apartment even if you buy it. We have had enough of condos and condo boards, for the rest of our lives.

 

[waynefrcan]

Plumbing is fun! I removed a half-bath and turned it into a laundry room. Over a dozen pipes had to be rerouted or sealed but it works. Did electrical as well.

Yuk, depends if you know what you're doing then it's a good feeling. But now it's found out with older homes [before1990] there is just too much hazards in the building materials.

 

[combatwombat]

I'd be bog digging right now, but Tropical Storm Elsa is coming for a visit.

Get that liner in there and collect your free water!

 

[brokensword]

I'd be bog digging right now, but Tropical Storm Elsa is coming for a visit.

dig fast...