NOW PLAYING: Free At Last

2 February, 2001
My dad has just enjoyed his first week of retirement. He took an early retirement package from the company he worked for after being in the heating & air handling systems business for 30 years.

He designed and built the industry's first aluminum air-duct forming machines while working for M.S.I. (Manufacturers Systems, Inc.) in Detroit Lakes, MN. Many of those duct machines constructed 15 years ago are still in daily use, too. He has his name on some of those machines' patents, and has been building and repairing or modifying them ever since, in addition to designing and building ducting parts and attachments.

I know my mom is thrilled that he's staying home, and dad has seemed very happy about it, too -- though I'm not sure that the fact of "retirement" has really sunk in yet. He made the comment the other day about how it sort of felt like he was "on vacation," but when that "vacation" started to stretch out over a month or two, then retirement would probably become a reality for him.

He's been working around the house and yard and just went with mom on his first "full-scale" grocery shopping trip in a long time. Dad likes golfing and is an avid and excellent woodworker -- so he'll have plenty of things to occupy all his new free time. Mom & dad are planning to move back north, and have discussed getting an RV in the future, which would allow them to escape the fierce winters of the Minnesota for a few months each year.

For over 40 years he's been working hard to provide a good living for himself and his family, and I'm glad that he has the time now to relax and play and work on some of his own "projects."

Thanks, Pa -- and congratulations.

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