G.R.U.B.

"SNOW BIRDS"

First off I have to give a great big "Congrats" to both of my parents as they have officially retired and are starting the Good Life. For those of you that do not know this amazing couple, they are truly the reason I enjoy life to the full and they are my inspiration for chasing my dreams. To the rest of you that know my folks, I don’t have to explain any further as I’m sure you already feel like part of the family.

Dad (KovacJ) is my number one hunting partner and no one I would rather be out with chasing memories in the great outdoors. Mom (PKovacik) is an absolute trooper as she has had to deal with not 1 but 2 outdoor addicts for many years and has been there to make sure we have plenty of stuff cabbages at hunt camp and has even taken up deer processing and helped me gut one this year. At her request I bought her a pink fishing pole and tackle box this year as she plans on spending some time at the Lexington Harbor over the summer as her latest hobby. We may have finally corrupted her! Both Mom and Dad retired from the City of Warren this year. Mom was a court administrator and Dad a 39 year police veteran. They have served their time to us all and I could not be more proud and thrilled that they are starting a new chapter in their lives.

I’m writing this as an observation to all, that retirement is what you make it, just as life is. To some it could be the start of growing old or questioning what will you do with your time. Not these two. Vacations , more time in the woods or on the lake, going to the gym and spending quality time with their family, friends and each other is what keeps them young in heart, body and soul. The proof is in knowing people like my parents. Dad would hike fields and climb trees all day long for a chance at the big one and I challenge anyone to accomplish as much in one day as my mother is capable of. With that said, I am inviting you all to join along in this first chapter of the Kovak Retirement Journey as Mom and Pops spend their first winter season in Florida. I entitle this, “SNOW BIRDS” and it can be found in the forums for your enjoyment and comments. I will be posting Dad’s weekly journal which has already been nothing short of hilarious.

Here are the first entries he has been sending, enjoy! :

December 29th, 2011

Okay, I thought you would get a kick out of this. I'm stopped, getting gas and your mother, trying to be helpful is cleaning the windshield. Once I'm done, I Look around and your mother is nowhere in sight. I figure that she went into the gas station to use the rest room. I start the car and I'm ready to back up. Just then, I notice your mother coming around the passenger side with a big wad of paper towel. I think to myself, "no she didn't" yep, she did, she was cleaning the back window. Tim, you wouldn't know but the van is packed in such a way, with so much shit, that there is no way you can see out the back. I told your mother, lucky that we have a back-up camera on the van or I would have ran her ass over.

Okay, then we go to dinner and of course your mother is asking this young man next to her if he had ever eaten their before and a bunch of other stuff and I look at her and she is wearing this neck brace around her neck that looks like a horse collar. Of course she didn't realize that she still had that on. This guy must have wondered whether to continue the conversation or grab your mom and look for a field to plow. She is priceless.

January 1st, 2012

Okay, your mother and I are getting ready to experience how the peeps at Spruce Creek celebrate New Years Eve and already she's getting on me to be on time. I say, "don't you want to be fashionably late?" Naturally that doesn't go over big even when I explain that we have assigned seating. Anyway, at exactly 8:30 I roll into the parking lot and the place is packed. As we walk inside the music is already going with this guy sitting on the stage playing an organ to the hot hip hop number, "Ain't she sweet," a song that Nonnie use to sing around the house. Now I contemplate, "this gig started at 8:30 and people are already dancing and eating," what time did they get here, noon perhaps?" "In fact, they already look tired, except that you can't break a sweat to a Waltz. All I know is that no matter what time I would have got there I would have been late. We sat with some very nice people and had a nice time. However I did make some distinct observations. The guy who was playing the organ did diversify and played some CD's (or cassettes, or 8 tracks or 45 records or 78 records). Now, his favorite selections were and as a matter of fact repeatedly the following block busters; "Old time rock and by Bob Seiger" and "Staying Alive by the Bee Gee's." I didn't connect with the first song being playing a few times but the second song got me to thinking, "hmm, Staying Alive, did these folks just love disco or was this their utmost wish for 2012?" Mom did approach our disc jockey, Johnny Tario with a request for Mick Jager Moves by Maroon 5 or something by the Black-Eyed Peas. He looked at her kindly and said, "Listen, these people are old, you look 36, how the hell did you get in here," nice try though, I think someone else asked for the Black-Eyed Peas. The highlight of the evening for me was this 83 year old guy at the table who served in WWII. He was wounded with machine-gun fire early in the war and was shipped home. He was singing along to a lot of the tunes and every once in a while he would very slowly get up, with much difficultly to dance a couple of dances with his wife. The one dance he did get up to bust a move with was...you guessed it, "Staying Alive." Also, there was a couple that was 93 and I was amazed at how well they could "get down" on the dance floor. Right after the stroke of 12 there was an amazing transformation that occurred. I turned around and everyone seemed to vaporize. They fled out of this place like grease lightening. I don't know if the oxygen tanks were running low or the "Depends" were bursting at the seams. Anyway, we had fun and the people there were very nice. I hope you all had a fun New Year's Eve. I did. Will give you more as I get it.

January 4th, 2012

Okay, coming back from the activities building after doing floor exercises with the peeps from Spruce Creek (a story within itself), we're cruising back on the golf cart, tooling down the boulevard. Now, your mother has been telling me she wants to use the golf cart so when I start my physical therapy she will have a means to go to the activities building to do things. So, I find an out of the way path to get her acclimated. She gets behind the driver's seat and asks me in a concerned voice, "how do you adjust the seat?" I let that go. Next, she says, "you better put your seat belt on." I explain that the top speed of this battery operated rocket is 18mph and I doubt that I'll be ejected from this muscle car which is barreling down thunder road with no other vehicles, bikes, people, animals or insects in site for the harrowing 2 mile trip. So, mom starts to really get into it and I look over at her and I see intensity, concentration and sense that she having a blast. I also notice that because it has been cold here and your mother is wearing her hooded jacket trimmed with fur, that is tightly wrapped around her head, she showed a very strong resemblance to Kenny from the "South Park" show. Once again.....priceless!

SEE MORE ON THE FORUMS UNDER "SNOW BIRDS".