Marion's Retirement

[Oldandcreaky]

So, what's the story?

[Maid Marion]

He read all the reviews and undoubtedly bought one on sale.
Then liked it so much that he bought another one at a good sale price.
Finally, it went on closeout and he couldn't resist buying two more!
He knew that someone would ask for his help on binoculars and his plan was to give them away to friends and relatives.

I have given away several pairs of binoculars myself. Karma has a way of lining up what I don't need with folks in need.

Shortly after my wife passed a co-worker had a house fire and lost her clothes.
Amazingly enough she wore the same sizes as my wife, so I gave the choice items to her.

[Oldandcreaky]

Thanks, MM, for explaining.

And thanks for being kind to the woman who lost her clothes in the house fire.

[Maid Marion]

Made a new friend at the Public Golf course where I practice chipping and putting.  One of the regulars introduced themselves and we chatted for fifteen minutes.  He likes to practice as a stress relieving activity as we all have too much stress in our lives.  He recently went into the hospital for a prostate issue.  He came out today as the heat wave had finally broken though the humidity is higher than the temperature!  I just checked an online weather station and they agree that it is 77 degrees with 87% humidity!  Mine says 88%, close enough!

I'm very unusual that I learn new things to help my golf game.  Most golfers never get any better.

Marion

[Maid Marion]

Two black ladies were going door to door for a milk delivery service!
I politely declined by didn't say I was lactose intolerant.
The lady said she liked my spaghetti strap rainbow mid-riff baring crop top!
She also talked to me again as they were leaving the neighborhood and I was weeding the front yard as the sun set. 
They were both very fit physically and I'm sure they like to see others that take good care of their health.

Yesterday I went through the house lights and made sure I had sufficient lighting to see well.
Found a burnt out LED bulb that I replaced.

Ran a new outlet for the basement so need to use a long extension cord.
The parts are really cheap for that sort of thing if you do it yourself.

[davina61]

Not allowed to do stuff like that in this country, you have to be qualified. First fix is okay but connecting stuff to mains has to be done by electrician. Saying that I did wire up my workshop and my friends garden rooms but I do know how to do it (shush don't tell).  There again American wiring is a bit strange, no earth and are you still on 110V?

[Maid Marion]

Yes, 120V AC 3 wires is the standard. Hot, neutral, and ground.

I'm actually re-using old electrical cords and connecting them to standard electrical boxes.  The box lets me add a switch near the outlet.
The flexible cord allows me to EMI/RFI protect the GFCI outlets with a ferrite toroid core.
Then I'm tacking the wire to the ceiling of the basement so I don't trip over the cord.
Finally one of the outlets powers a night light so I can see around that area without turning on a light.

[Maid Marion]

I bought some deals on the Amazon Prime sale.
An epilator, illuminated globe, white RV Queen sheets, and metal oiler can to hold aluminum cutting fluid, and limited range arrows.

I've had an interest in archery for a long time had a chance to shoot some arrows on summer company outings.  It may even be useful for self defense with the proper arrows, as I have the mental conditioning to hit targets under stress.  I now play better golf when I'm with a group and have guys watching me.

Spent some time cleaning out the garage today so I can finally park my car inside it! 
I live on a busy street so I was able to get rid of decorative metal pumps and plastic lawn chairs by hauling them out to the curb next to a "free" sign.

[Maid Marion]

Got my latest electric bill.  Almost $100!  Not a surprise with a rate hike and running dehumidifiers constantly to prevent mold so I can store clothes in the basement.  But, that is pretty reasonable considering that I'm living in a three bedroom ranch with a basement.

[Maid Marion]

I was weeding the lawn at sunset wearing pigtails.
I was reminded of something that made my wife jealous. 
Kids would ask me questions and I'd answer them as if the whole thing were scripted.
Happened again tonight as a mom was walking with two very young kids.
The older one asked what I was doing and I told him I was removing weeds.
What for?  To make the grass grow better.  The mom added that they needed to do that as well.
As an expert in answering questions I slowed down just a little and chose my phrasing to be clear.
While pulling weed out of the lawn.

Confidence is a big part of presenting female.
It wasn't until this year that I had enough confidence to ask where the ladies room was at Walmart!

Marion

[davina61]

Confidence is 75% plus of what passing is, sat in the pub on my own a couple of men kept looking my way. Have I been clocked? no just a woman sat on her own!

[Maid Marion]

Last night was the Town Party Night.  The guy who does furnace maintenance was going to the big party next door but I didn't recognize him out of uniform.  I was wearing an orange gingham shirt and a green knee length skirt while pruning the roses.  He spent a minute telling me who he was.  I asked whether or not he went to the Extravaganza and he asked me whether I'd was going to see the fireworks that night and asked where I'd see them.  He told me to go to the Golf Course up the street.  Sure enough, it was a fabulous place to see the fireworks from up on the hill.  The acoustics were great.  We were far enough away that I didn't need to wear the high fidelity earplugs that I brought.  There was an echo effect on the coming from behind me to the right.  It took 1/2 hour to walk home, not bad considering the traffic.

[Maid Marion]

Maybe the toughest part of transitioning is abandoning the "male ego" that prevents you from accepting any help or advice.  I find that with a female presentation I'm far more likely to get useful advice or offers for help.  But, many are cautious about rejection.  Body language can be helpful if you can do that. 
As an older gal living by myself there are times when life is so much easier if I can get help from my friends and neighbors.

[Maid Marion]

I learned the names of two of my neighbors this morning.  They live across the street and would like to grow roses!  Socializing is a big part of being female and I seem to be doing OK at it!  Remembering faces has never been easy but perhaps with less awkward conversations I'll be able to figure it out.  It helps that one is the mom and the other is a daughter soI can use age differences for identification.

Marion

[Maid Marion]

I talked to another neighbor walking his dog this morning who asked what I did to keep my roses looking great.  I told him I spray them with a fungicide, Bayer Advanced Disease Control.  It prevents them from getting Black Spot, which makes the leaves fall off.

My wife and a friend in the mental health business both thought I had autism.  He was doing an internship at the state mental health facility.  I spend a lot of time studying folks with autism and learned that their biggest issue by far was masking.  They would spend so much time and effort trying to be normal that they would eventually burn out and crash!  I think a lot of girls run into this as well, trying to act normal by hiding as male.  This causes a ton of stress.  Fortunately I've not had to do much of that.

I remember being embarrassed and playing sports topless.  Shirts and skins.  Guess what?  I didn't to take off my shirt and was somehow granted an exemption to keep my shirt on.  Not like it mattered as I was such a terrible athlete that I wasn't picked half the time.  The other 50% of the time I was picked last.

[Maid Marion]

I had lunch at Doogies wearing a skimpy crop top that showed off my midriff!
I figured it was appropriate because the restaurants on the Berlin Turnpike try to sell the seafood shack food folks normally eat when they vacationing on the Long Island Sound.

I ran yet another outlet in the basement, so I have convenient outlets everywhere!
Now I don't have to string long extension cords that become tripping hazards.

Heard the Pileated woodpecker again this morning.  It likes the dead wood around my property.
So many around me have cleared the trees from their yards after winter damage that my home is a green oasis that attracts all sort of wildlife.  Fortunately no deer.  I trap mice in the garage.  It rained so they went in there for shelter. 

[Maid Marion]

Clean fingernails with no polish that look good strongly gender as feminine.  Guys think they look good and girls know how much work it takes to keep them clean!  If you do that it helps to keep the middle finger nail the longest, and keep the thumb and pinky nails short, as that generally looks best.

Making French toast out of leftover French baguettes is working out really well. I'm learning how to cook them to just the right amount of browning in the fry pan.  I cook them in butter.  Then I dip them in pure Vermont Maple syrup as I eat them.

[Maid Marion]

Expert birders will often confidently identify a bird via "general impression" rather than some identifying feature.

I've been working my "general impression" by getting a light feminine tan.  My right shoulder is tanned the most since I missed getting sunscreen on it one day.  Which is the exact opposite of a farmer's tan!
I've been using a combination of IPL, an epilator, and shaving to have very smooth skin on my legs and arms.  Wearing spaghetti strap sleeveless tops helps me avoid a farmer's tan.

I bought two more sleeveless crop tops with the 30% Kohl's coupon.  Both have a square neck style.  One has a tropical motif and the other featured Hello Kitty!

Marion

[Maid Marion]

I broke my bathroom plunger.  The rubber came apart!
I bought two new ones at Home Depot.  One for the sink and the other for the toilet.
The one for the sink works really well.  When the sink fills with water I can pull UP to loosen the stuff  that gets stuck in the pipe.  Then I can work the junk back and forth to break it up.

I noticed yesterday in the mirror that efforts to reduce my beard using IPL and epilation have been successful.
Much more feminine than it was last year!  Sometimes it is hard to see the changes.

Every little bit helps give me more confidence when going out in public!

[Maid Marion]

Wearing pigtails is a lot better than a ponytail. One can see them from the front and not just the back.
 I can also sleep with them.  I bought Kitsch spiral hair ties as they are the smallest and come in pairs of different colors.  Now I need pairs of matching hair ties.

My roses are doing great this year.  There are spiders eating up the harmful insects!  Plenty of blooms all season. 

Marion