Empty Nest

1. a stage in a parent’s life after the children have left home.

I never had children so that nest thing never really happened in my life. I have had pets and this past year I lost my cat and the year before that I had lost my dog. Both animals were inherited by me from a former tenant. I opted not to give them up.
I live in a two-bedroom cottage. It's over 100 years old and needs more attention than most places. Weeds grow high and I don't own a lawn mower. I have had tenants over the years; some were better than others. The last one (a 20-something from Modesto), would lock himself in his bedroom and play interactive games at 3:00 am. Towards the end, he lost his ability to pay rent so I had to ask him to leave.
Living with humans is not always easy. I can be pretty cooperative as long as I am not picked on. I have spent hours with people who chatter away like magpies and never ask me questions. I have come to like that situation (although I would probably prefer just working in silence). Some folks just share way too much information. And worse yet (IMHO) is when they ask questions without boundaries of me, to which I offer a nervous laugh and say something like, "I don't share in public," "That's too personal," or "If I tell you, I'd have to kill you."
I heard of the empty nest from a friend of mine. She is in her late 50s (I'm guessing) and had a child late in life. The child was much wanted. The pregnancy was much difficult. But she had one and the child is now ready to enter college.
My friend works in hospital billing. Her husband--who used to be a P.I.--now works in a fast food chicken restaurant. They moved from CA to TN.
Maybe I'll visit them on a trip back east. Dollywood is on my bucket list.