Yee Gads, Lola!! Thank God for being single and FREE to live life on our own terms.

mustang, when the kids were little, we definitely played more cards and board games in the winter. Ross isn't a big game player so I don't think I'll be playing board games too much in my empty nest.

chatty, you bring up a great point. Ross and I definitely consider one another when it comes to doing things any time of the night or day. We like to make sure the other is comfortable doing something should we choose to do anything without one antoher. Make sense?

Absolutely Dotsie, makes perfect sense and just one of the reasons the two of you have such a wonderful relationship.

I agree Chatty. It takes that very special mixture of respect, consideration and love to have that kind of perfect marriage. That love you have Dotsie, emanates right through your posts.

Dotsie, it's a sign of a great marriage, when a couple has given each other the right to have differing interests. I once knew a man who told his wife, 'I want you to be interested in only that in which I'm interested', now you know that marriage was doomed!

An empty nest just gives a couple the luxury of more time to indulge in their shared, and individual interests, and pastimes, and the time to develop new ones. It really can be a fantastic time of life.

Interesting that Chatty made the connection between how we act married vs single. It's true though. My husband was always locked in his office in the evenings and I got into the habit of waiting in front of the TV with a book for him to come out so I could spend a bit of time with him.

I used to get so frustrated that I was spending my life waiting to live it with him. Now that I am single, I am gone most evenings, working or to church. If I am at home I try to work some, cook something to eat, do laundry, clean a bit, read, but I still spend too much time in front of TV. I guess so many years has developed a nasty habit.

I need projects, but have little ambition these days. So much of my creative energy is going into working 2 jobs. The house I'm renting is small and there's little area to spread out a project and leave it sit between work sessions. I have a tiffany lamp that has scenes on it that got broken in a move. I want to take it apart and frame each scene seperately to give as gifts. But, I need a large area to take it apart without the dog walking in bits of broken glass etc. I thought I would do it in the shed, but the weather has turned too quickly to work on it this fall.

starting over, oh my. I have a hard time with women living in the shadows of their men. It drives me crazy. I want to tell them to get a life. Sorry. I don't mean to sound harsh, but why should we sit around and wait for them?

Your project sounds like such a good one. Do you have a board you could use to do the project? Then maybe you could slide it under a bed when not working on it?

Hannelore, thanks for the kind comment. I'm touched.

Jeanine, I'm with you on your comment. I'm enjoying the empty nest more now that I can get around a little bit. My knee is healing.

Starting over, I made the comment because I have lived it. I have been single, married, widowed, married, divorced and widowed, married again and now divorced. There is a huge difference between single and married and our actions during those times. I thought the differences were worth mentioning and am not quite sure why you think it is 'interesting' that I am the one mentioining it.

I just meant that it wasn't a connection I had made in my mind, but I realized after reading it that I have lived 2 different ways--married vs single. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings in some way...I was only acknowledging who the original writer was and the revelation of your statement.

No problem, was just wondering. It is an amazing concept to me that some don't see that we live totally different, single versus married.