Category Archives: RETIREMENT IN THAILAND

November 18, 2025 · 3:41 am

Eureka!

A. Abbott Locksmith

My problem wasn’t being locked out, but my door being so swollen that I could not get out or in again. I actually had to have my son come and get me, forcing the door open, and then fighting it open when we got back.

Yesterday two men came, took my door off the hinges, set it up in the foyer outside my place and worked on it for about an hour. They used a hammer and chisel, plus planed the door, plus new screws in the door hinges, until they got it the way they wanted. Then they hung it back up. They are coming tomorrow sometime to paint either the edge they planed or the whole door – I’m not sure which.

The wonderful thing – something I will never take for granted again – is that I can unlock the door, turn the knob, and the door opens! Really! And – when I step through the doorway, push the lock on the doorknob and pull gently on the knob, the door shuts! Just like that! Like a real door!

No putting my foot on the door frame and trying to pull it open or closed without bruising my fingers. No loud sounds as the door opens or closes. No texting for help.

And – And – My freedom to leave and enter my place has been restored!!!!! I can leave and return any time I want to. I can meet Brian at the elevator without him having to rescue me! I can go buy something or take my laundry, or take a walk now on my own volition!!!!! HOOOOOORAAAAAAAAY!

I met Khun Arm, the main maintenance person for the building, in the elevator later yesterday and thanked him profusely. I don’t speak Thai and he speaks very little English, but he knew how happy and grateful I was and left the elevator grinning🙏🏻 from ear to ear.

Next up is my windows that leak each time it rains – the latest time this morning. Khun Arm and a glass expert came this afternoon and measured my windows. It looks like they will replace all the glass and all the frames. We okayed things, but relied on his expertise on what works best in the building what is repairable, etc. I have no idea when this work will be done, but it looks like the “towel and bucket brigade” might be a thing of the past in the near future.

I am a delighted camper!!!!😃🙏🏻🥳

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November 5, 2025 · 1:27 am

Destination?

Pngtree

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“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.” – C. Joybell C.

    My husband and I were living in the house we built on top of a ridge line and lived in with our pets for almost 40 years, trying to keep up with all the house and yard work needed to keep everything afloat. It wasn’t easy, but we were managing. Then we both got Flu A at the same time. My husband also had pneumonia. I also had bronchitis and low blood oxygen. I ended up in the hospital receiving an emergency pacemaker after my heart stopped twice in the ER. We contacted my son and he said he would come to help us, flying 24 hours from Thailand to Arkansas.

    A month later, we each packed a suitcase and a backpack, found wonderful, caring homes for our dog and cat, sold everything we owned and flew to Thailand to retire where we could be close to our son. Then my husband fell two weeks later, spent a month in the hospital and ended up in a nursing home.

    Feeling a bit like “Stranger in a Strange Land,” – Robert A. Heinlein, we’re making sure my husband is getting the best care possible and I’m living in a condo in the same building as our son. I’m working slowly on learning Thai phrases, am learning how to honor the culture and traditions here, and am fascinated by all I’m seeing and experiencing.

    I’m determined to embrace my new life. I was given a second chance at life by the hospital staff in February, and I won’t waste a minute. I am lucky that I am truly able to retire here. I never thought I would be able to say that. With careful juggling, I am enjoying perks here I never could afford in the States, such as a weekly housekeeper who scrubs my place until it shines; a weekly massage that takes out all the kinks and allows me to truly relax; my first-ever mani/pedi I get every 6 weeks or so; a haircut at the same interval; and recently, taking my clothes to the laundry to have them returned clean and nicely folded the following day.

    My son and I spend a good amount of time together. We share meals twice a day, we go visit my husband three times each week, we go places together to run errands or just have fun exploring. We go to the gym every morning so that I can walk a mile on the treadmill, trying to retrain my brain to fix my balance issues, lose my extra weight. I’m doing yoga stretches, Internet balance exercises, and dance to fun music with water bottles doing exercises for my arms.

    I plan my day around writing posts for my blog – an activity I truly love. I really enjoy finding things I find wonderful and sharing them with my readers. I have met some wonderful people I now feel close to through the blog, something I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.

    I am learning to draw a bit better, sketching things I find on the net and painting them in an art alcove in my place. I read great books on my Kindle. I watch new and old movies on my TV, and love watching YouTube music videos. Music, new and old, is one of the treasures of my life.

    I have time to reach out to old friends and new now. I’m so lucky to have good friends in my life. Most of my family is gone now, but my friends are all around me, just a text away.

    So, I feel a bit suspended in mid air in a new country, with a different language, different customs, fascinating stores and food, learning new things each time I go out.

    I embrace not knowing any of the answers. I am learning to go with the flow, just enjoying all the differences and trying to fit in as best I can. The people are so nice here, so welcoming, so forgiving of my bumbling efforts to say a few things.

    As I learn, my wings are unfolding – I am learning and growing – grateful for the chance to build a whole new life – close to my husband and son.

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    October 19, 2025 · 2:21 am

    Chiang Mai Traffic

    I am including the URLs to two YouTube videos that will give you an idea of the traffic in Chiang Mai. Actually, in the first video, the traffic seems lighter than we usually see it, but it was taken a few years ago, so many that’s the difference.

    Anyway, my hat is definitely off to anyone who can negotiate the traffic here. The Grab drivers we use all the time are masters. Not only can they get where they’re going, they know short cuts, ways to detour around problems, and make it seem effortless.

    The people on motorcycles and motor scooters have been driving these since they were very young. I don’t know what the driving age is for these, but they start out as passengers with their parents, so by the time they are doing the driving, it’s no big deal to them. They zip in and out, knowing exactly how much room they need to go between cars and right up to others on motorcycles and motorcycles in front of them.

    Add people on bicycles, people on vehicles loaded up with all kinds of materials piled up, tied on, sticking out in all directions, and then there are the pedestrians.

    I am beyond grateful that everyone seems to be taking all this in stride. Brian says there are accidents all the time, including ones between vehicles and pedestrians, but I haven’t seen anything, thank goodness, in the almost 7 months I have lived here.

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    October 14, 2025 · 2:29 am

    Tuesday, October 14th

    Freepik

    Getting visas renewed in Thailand is a master class in understanding the laws and gathering what is needed and submitting it before the deadlines pass.

    Thank goodness we have access to a company who handles this for us. It doesn’t cut out a lot of hassle, but it makes it possible to get it done without tearing out ALL of your hair.

    We went this morning, taking our 90-day reporting paperwork, plus the papers from the hospital and Harvey’s doctor in hand. Brian’s and my paperwork still requires an expert, but it’s very straightforward compared to what is necessary for Harvey medical visa renewal. We got an appointment for Harvey to be evaluated at the hospital and the main doctor to fill out the two sheets of paper required. Today the lady gave us about 20 sheets of paper (I don’t think I’m exaggerating) that she needed to have thumbprinted by Harvey. We already had pictures of Harvey at the nursing home to prove he was there.

    We had to go to the nursing home after seeing her to get the sheets thumbprinted. It took Brian, me, and the nurse to get it done. Harvey kept trying to rub the blue ink from the stamp on his face in-between thumbprints. We managed to avoid that, but not by much. We got it all done, visited with Harvey briefly, and then had to leave to get the stuff back to the visa place. (I was glad to see Harvey, apologize for not being able to come see him yesterday. I got two kisses from him. 😊

    Just after we walked into the door of the visa place there was an explosion nearby and the power went out in the office. We were able to complete what we had to do with our phones and were good to go. She will call us when we can pick up Harvey’s visa and get the stamps for ours.

    We left at 10 and didn’t get home again until 1:30. Whew!

    That was our big thing for the day, so I’m relieved we got it accomplished. When we get things back, we’ll be legal for another 90 days!

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    September 5, 2025 · 12:55 am

    Quiet

    SweetSequels.com

    I value my quiet time more and more.

    Time to ourselves is a luxury few can manage for most of our lives. We have SO many demands on our time – chores to do, people to see, a house to run, children to supervise and love, spouses asking for our help and companionship, have to’s, and more. The time just whizzes past our heads and we just try to keep our heads above water, doing the best we can.

    I never thought I would ‘retire.’ My lifestyle was such that even when I managed to work from home, I was so busy just doing the basics that my hair was blowing in the wind of time whizzing past again. We had a good life, but we couldn’t afford to have someone come and help with cleaning or yard work, workmen to repair things, etc. I saw myself just continuing swimming as fast as I could until I dropped. I wasn’t unhappy, just kind of resigned to my reality.

    When my husband and I both got so ill we couldn’t manage, our son came from Thailand, cared for us, helped us make the decision to sell what we owned and move to Thailand to be with him, then helped us get set up here. When my husband had a stroke, we managed to find a caring nursing home so we can visit him several times each week. I’m living by myself in the condo that we thought we would share.

    I have to tell you that retirement is great. I have so many wonderful things I want to do that are only limited by time and my energy. Each day I wake up, actually looking forward to going to the gym. Our son and I go interesting places or take care of errands, share meals. I now have a person who not only comes weekly to keep my place spotless, she also brings me flowers now and then! I get a massage weekly, too, and that is a luxury beyond price.

    I have found a man who does a great job of keeping my hair looking civilized, and I go every couple of months to get a mani/pedi. I had never had this luxury, either, and I just love figuring out what color I’ll have each time. 😀

    I have the time and quiet to read. I am downloading books onto my Kindle and can take that anywhere we’ll have to wait a long time, or just enjoy sprawling on my couch and enjoying someone else’s world for a while.

    I love finding and sharing things with my friends who find my blog interesting.

    I’m enjoying trying to learn to draw. The challenge of trying to draw what I see and then the fun of painting the sketches grounds me. I’m challenged and having fun like a kid at the same time.

    I’m working on a jigsaw puzzle that is the best kind of frustration. 😜 I have headphones so I can listen to music, or even take an afternoon and watch a movie! I’m gearing up to start taking walks in my neighborhood.

    I can choose to do whatever I would like (within reason – I AM in a new country and am learning every day about how things are done here.)

    I relish having time to myself – whether it’s an afternoon, or most of a day and evening. I just grin like a nut and choose what I want to do next…

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