Retirement........

Rich, that sounds like so much fun! Granted, I haven't had to deal with that... yet. I'll let you know how I feel about it when it happens. :laugh:

Rich Z said:

Heck no! I'm hoping to finally have more time to take a ride now and again. Did you know that moss will grow on the north side of a vehicle if you don't move it now and again? :laugh:

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Well if you ever make up to Ky and want to see where your Corvette was made let me know, I will give you tour.

I just submitted my order. I'm proud to support the Rich and Connie retirement fund!

Rich
Congrats & Good Luck with your Retirement Plans. I am glad that I was able to meet You & Connie at a few MARS shows.
I really wish I could get some of your ex keepers. There are some great deals there. But at this moment in time. I am just trying to keep my head above water. But who knows what the future may bring!!
Don't forget to take your camera with you. So we can see some other places as well.

Caryl said:

I just submitted my order. I'm proud to support the Rich and Connie retirement fund!

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Thank you! You have no idea how much I appreciate the orders right now.

And thank you to the other people who have placed orders recently. I've really never felt this way about getting orders before. Very strange feeling.... I guess it's the fact that every order brings Connie and I one step closer to starting this new chapter in our lives.

I was looking around the reptile building today thinking about how strange it will look and feel when all the animals are gone. When we thought the sale of the business was going to take place, Connie and I talked about what we would do with that building. I asked her what she wanted to do. In some of our blackest times when the work and stress would get to us, she would always lament that her entire life has been spent doing for others. Not that she was complaining, but I think she has fears of dying and not leaving any mark that is hers alone in this world. Something that she DID by herself and for herself. She said something about putting in a certified kitchen in part of the building so she could do something commercially having to do with cooking. Not sure what she was thinking about, though. She works down at a local seafood market on Wednesdays (and some Saturdays when needed) because she became friends with the owner and she said she just needs a break from here once a week. Her boss and Connie (if you ever saw them together you would swear they are sisters!) have dreamed up something to do with cooking and selling food items at events and affairs. Heck, I'm not sure of the details, but she gets excited talking about it, so what the heck. Time to let her make her mark. Not sure what all that will cost, as this was when we were expecting a really nice chunk of change selling the entire business, and we would have had some extra money outside of what would be allocated for retirement. But hell, I've sold off a bunch of my guns a little while back, so if that money has to go towards this for her, then I can't begrudge her that. Besides, I might have a part time job there myself. I mean SEAFOOD PLATTERS!?! Heck, SOMEBODY is going to have to be the taste tester for that stuff....... :laugh:

Jeff Linkchorst said:

Rich
Congrats & Good Luck with your Retirement Plans. I am glad that I was able to meet You & Connie at a few MARS shows.
I really wish I could get some of your ex keepers. There are some great deals there. But at this moment in time. I am just trying to keep my head above water. But who knows what the future may bring!!
Don't forget to take your camera with you. So we can see some other places as well.

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Yeah, we kind of miss those MARS shows. Mostly because of the steamed crabs and crabcakes, but heck the show itself wasn't bad either.... :laugh:

Maybe sometime we'll drive up there in September just to visit the show and meet a bunch of our old friends in that neck of the woods. It would probably be a whole lot more enjoyable for us without worrying about carting the animals all that way. Heck, I still remember one year doing that show when I used to do the big display tank with all my best animals. Well one year when I opened up the styro with my top animals in it, most of them were dead. I still get goose bumps thinking about that day. I'm still not sure what happened, but best I can figure is that when we stopped for the night in North Carolina, I should have opened up the styro. Maybe had too many snakes in there, but I had done that before with no problems. Maybe they just suffocated. You just can't imagine opening up bags and pulling out your top animals, nearly all of them dead and limp. Something like 30 or so, if I remember correctly. It was a BIG styro, but I had no idea it just wasn't big enough. Anyway, that's why I never did a display there again. Matter of fact, at subsequent shows, the staff would inadvertently play the same song on the same CD that was playing at that time and my eyes would kind of glaze over. I dunno, maybe that is one of the reasons we stopped doing that show.

A lot of people don't realize how stressful and fraught with mishaps that shows really are for vendors. There was always something going wrong. Heck, I don't know how many animals Connie has found after the show while we were packing up. We just gave them to someone, as I certainly didn't want more mouths to feed. It was when doing the South Carolina shows and they started allowing hots there that I decided to stop doing those shows. I certainly didn't want my wife finding a mamba underneath the table at some show.

Sheesh, you all are going to just HATE it when I'm retired and have time to run on like this in posts.......... oke:

Rich Z said:

Thank you! You have no idea how much I appreciate the orders right now.

And thank you to the other people who have placed orders recently. I've really never felt this way about getting orders before. Very strange feeling.... I guess it's the fact that every order brings Connie and I one step closer to starting this new chapter in our lives.

I was looking around the reptile building today thinking about how strange it will look and feel when all the animals are gone. When we thought the sale of the business was going to take place, Connie and I talked about what we would do with that building. I asked her what she wanted to do. In some of our blackest times when the work and stress would get to us, she would always lament that her entire life has been spent doing for others. Not that she was complaining, but I think she has fears of dying and not leaving any mark that is hers alone in this world. Something that she DID by herself and for herself. She said something about putting in a certified kitchen in part of the building so she could do something commercially having to do with cooking. Not sure what she was thinking about, though. She works down at a local seafood market on Wednesdays (and some Saturdays when needed) because she became friends with the owner and she said she just needs a break from here once a week. Her boss and Connie (if you ever saw them together you would swear they are sisters!) have dreamed up something to do with cooking and selling food items at events and affairs. Heck, I'm not sure of the details, but she gets excited talking about it, so what the heck. Time to let her make her mark. Not sure what all that will cost, as this was when we were expecting a really nice chunk of change selling the entire business, and we would have had some extra money outside of what would be allocated for retirement. But hell, I've sold off a bunch of my guns a little while back, so if that money has to go towards this for her, then I can't begrudge her that. Besides, I might have a part time job there myself. I mean SEAFOOD PLATTERS!?! Heck, SOMEBODY is going to have to be the taste tester for that stuff....... :laugh:

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Hey, watch it there Rich, ya know those fried foods will go staight to your hips..:eatpointe

Walter,
:crazy02: BOUT' CORNS !!

Walter Smith said:

Hey, watch it there Rich, ya know those fried foods will go staight to your hips..:eatpointe

Walter,
:crazy02: BOUT' CORNS !!

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Huh... Is that the place where my belly button is located? I never was much good with anatomy.... :laugh:

Rich Z said:

When we thought the sale of the business was going to take place, Connie and I talked about what we would do with that building. I asked her what she wanted to do. In some of our blackest times when the work and stress would get to us, she would always lament that her entire life has been spent doing for others. Not that she was complaining, but I think she has fears of dying and not leaving any mark that is hers alone in this world. Something that she DID by herself and for herself. She said something about putting in a certified kitchen in part of the building so she could do something commercially having to do with cooking. Not sure what she was thinking about, though. She works down at a local seafood market on Wednesdays (and some Saturdays when needed) because she became friends with the owner and she said she just needs a break from here once a week. Her boss and Connie (if you ever saw them together you would swear they are sisters!) have dreamed up something to do with cooking and selling food items at events and affairs. Heck, I'm not sure of the details, but she gets excited talking about it, so what the heck. Time to let her make her mark. Not sure what all that will cost, as this was when we were expecting a really nice chunk of change selling the entire business, and we would have had some extra money outside of what would be allocated for retirement. But hell, I've sold off a bunch of my guns a little while back, so if that money has to go towards this for her, then I can't begrudge her that.

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You are a good man Mr. Z.

Wow, well good luck with your retirement! I am sure there are a lot of people.. Including myself, that would love some of ure babies! Your gonna be on your way to retirement in no time !

It leaves a feeling, of "loss", to learn that you are leaving the breeding business, but, ... after all the time, hard work, and then some, ... you & Connie really do deserve to have a great retirement.

All my best wishes, on your retirement and for your future.

BTW Glad to see that, although retiring, you are not leaving the reptile community altogether.

Rich Z said:

Heck, I still remember one year doing that show when I used to......

...Sheesh, you all are going to just HATE it when I'm retired and have time to run on like this in posts.......... oke:

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Stories like the one in that post are why you need to write a book. Please consider a book that's heavy on anecdotes. Sure, advice for breeding and business management would be fantastic - but the reptile world would be a poorer place if your stories disappeared! You might even attract some non-reptile readers to a book like that. Just a thought....

Good luck in the future, Rich, whatever it may hold for you... I've been putting off getting some Serpenco stock in my collection for a few years now, but this is my last chance... I'll definitely be buying from you this year.

"Stories like the one in that post are why you need to write a book. Please consider a book that's heavy on anecdotes. Sure, advice for breeding and business management would be fantastic - but the reptile world would be a poorer place if your stories disappeared! You might even attract some non-reptile readers to a book like that. Just a thought...."

That could be a great idea, and something different than what is already out there. A book about running an animal business - the good, bad, and the ugly, lol!

So many memories! Do you remember the summer (I think it was the July 4th weekend, but can't remember the year) when you had just bought your land in Florida, had no house yet, and the 4 of us all camped out on it? It was hot and rainy, and little ants got into our tent. We actually went into town looking for a motel, but they were all full. Didn't get much sleep, lol! Long time ago...

Even before that, I remember you were down here (in north Florida) looking for land, and we all met and ate dinner with somebody up there (Jack Tanner, maybe?). It was the first time we ever had dinner with you, and you were suspiciously poking around the casserole dish they had prepared, trying to figure out what was in it. Connie said you didn't like to eat stuff you couldn't see! Yes, a business and anecdote book is definitely in order!

You know, a couple of the biggest expos each year could be fun and productive if you came without any animals, and just had a table or two to promote your sites, like Jeff does for KS. And then you could promote any books you write, too, lol! Just think how enjoyable it would be just to hang out, stroll around, and promote whatever you are working on! And all tax deductible! You could even choose expos where you would like to hang out a while for vacation afterwards, since you wouldn't have animals.

Oh well - enough dreaming! Back to work!!

kathylove said:

Just think how enjoyable it would be just to hang out, stroll around, and promote whatever you are working on! And all tax deductible! You could even choose expos where you would like to hang out a while for vacation afterwards, since you wouldn't have animals.

Oh well - enough dreaming! Back to work!!

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Don't dream too much Kathy....don't want to see a post from you with Retirement on it! Can't lose all the big names at the same time!!!

This post is like reading a book...I love it! You make me cry Rich! The bonds here on CS.com run deep! Your devotion to Connie and your passion for this hobby is so incredible to me. You are a good man Rich!! Give Connie a hug for me, from a total stranger, well you?

If you ever get up to Maine, let us know. We would love to sit down with you two and have a lobster dinner!! On a floating restaurant!!

I completely agree about the toll these shows take on us vendors. More than the people walking around could ever imagine and we have never done anything bigger than Manchester, New Hampshire!

Smiles
PJ

PJ@PJCReptiles said:

If you ever get up to Maine, let us know. We would love to sit down with you two and have a lobster dinner!! On a floating restaurant!!

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On a side note, can I come?

Heck, we have been talking about retirement for years...

I am about the same age as Rich. But since I never tried to produce 5,000 - 7, 000 babies per year, my idea of retirement will probably be to scale back to my favorite few dozen herps, and just breed those, along with selling some drygoods and Bill continuing to write and photograph, etc. I think as long as I am physically and mentally able to, I will keep and breed A FEW favorites, the key word being "few"!.

No matter how much you like something, once it becomes your source of income, it does become work. Doing it on a smaller scale as only part of your income has got to make it a lot more fun. But Rich is more burned out than I am, I think, because he produced SO MANY that it restricted his ability to go places and do things all of these years. With less animals, and Bill doing other things, I haven't been quite as restricted as Rich and Connie have been.

Yeah, I know I was doing too much, but I can't ever remember being any different with anything I do. When I do something, I focus on it to the exclusion of just about everything else. I guess it's because I just don't believe you can do anything well unless you give it your fullest commitment. The most difficult times was when I had a full time job along with doing this SerpenCo stuff. I guess more difficult and easier all at the same time. With a full time job, I COULDN'T expand to the point that I did after I decided to go full time with it. I'm not really sure which is best and quite likely either path would have come to the same result.

**** As a quick side note, I'm looking at a google ad in the right hand margin selling something that is supposed to help prolong your life so you can live to be 125 years old. Sheesh! Who the heck would want to do that? If I could have a 25 year old body, sure, count me in! But I'm way beyond that now, so NO thanks..... ****

But in any event, after doing this since 1978, although there are going to be tons of unfinished projects I have started or been working towards via preparatory projects, really when it all gets boiled down to the gristle at the bottom of the pan, it's really just more of the same after all this time. What new cultivar could I produce that would really and truly get me excited? What look could a cornsnake have that would get me to feeling like that day when I hatched out my first Blizzard corn (which was only the second or third one in the world at that time). Even though it wasn't a new gene, it was something very new and totally different from anything ever seen before. I haven't really had that feeling for a very long time. Yeah, some things have been interesting, or surprising, or puzzling, but nothing has really got me boiling over excited since then. So in effect, I believe I have accomplished everything I need to do with this. Everything else will just be a rerun with a slightly different cast for me. Interesting, but nothing to get the eyes popping out of my head any longer.

So is that burnout, or boredom, or just having enough and wanting to move on? Especially when I know I just can't do the physical demands much longer, and certainly know that Connie cannot either. Maybe it's just a combination of all those things gelling to produce my opinion that nothing in this is worth killing myself nor my wife over. Hell, I've been expecting to die from a heart attack every August now for the last several years. Seriously. The scary part is that I would just tell myself to ignore the chest pains because I just don't have time for that crap. I've just been too darn busy to die. Boy what a kick in the teeth that will be that when I become NOT too busy to die, that this is exactly what will happen....... Trust me, Mr. Murphy, I WILL take you down when I finally meet you.... oke:

Anyway, don't get me wrong. I still love the cornsnakes and appreciate the beauty in every one of them. But the fire can only burn so long to devote your life to something.

Thanks for helping the addiction ole friend.. You might not be breeding anymore, but I fair well know, you are a big part of the hobby.. You know yourself, what is the best for you and Connie..

Like others.. I am hoping to see a book or two...

Many thanks.. *sniffles a bit *

Regards ... Tim of T and J