Dear So and So

[Pax]

Bwa-ha-haa! Sorry, Pax, but that was pretty funny... :-D

It actually is pretty funny, it's like living inside a caricature.

[Crankin]

Nice, Pax. I did laugh, but it's not funny.
I also get up super early, between 4:5 and 5:30 AM, even though I don't have to anymore. I go to bed around 10, but I am often in the bed, reading or watching TV at 9. I exercise in the mornings. Sometimes I do laundry. We live in a townhouse now, so no big outdoor work, but I rarely did that before. DH started out loving yard work and gardening, but after he had been cycling awhile, it took up too much time. We hired people for that, too. In Arizona, it was dirt cheap. When we first moved here, DH did it, until like I said, cycling took over our lives.
We don't have pets for the very reason mentioned by Helene. Too much work, time, and responsibility. We did have a cat for 14 years, and when she died, that was it.
Emily, I wish I could be content, like you, but when I totally (and briefly) stopped working, I felt isolated and bereft of connections. I like working part time, as for me, my job is extremely stressful, and hardly anyone does it 5 days a week. I read and exercise, but after 10 years of cycling with the same groups, I haven't made close friends with any of them, except for my friends who are moving. There are 2 other couples we know from AMC that we socialize with occasionally, and I think we may have to up that. We like them, but they won't be traveling with us, like our other friends.
Aromig, I totally feel like you do. It is often easier for me to socialize with men. Of course, I have worked in 2 female dominated fields, but I really notice it in cycling groups. In the winter, less women go on group rides, and I always find a different dynamic. I like the guys I ride with, they are down to earth and interesting. The women are OK, but not friendly, or trying to drop me!