Category Archives: Retirement

8.7% COLA

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Cable TV, Controllers, Deceit, Elections, FOC, Going Green, Lawyers and Representation, Price of Oil, Retirement by

Just received a message that the Social Security Cost Of Living Adjustment will be almost 9%. I don’t know if that’s a record but it’s the biggest in recent history.

Still, it doesn’t truly represent the real increase of living. Consider my grocery cost rarely went more than $125 per visit to the store. Nowadays, it’s over 200. My gas bill has doubled and the only reason my TV watching hasn’t gone through the roof is tha I no longer have cable.

When Biden keeps driving the up costs faster than he drives up Social Security payments, he’s not helping anyone relying on Social Security for a living. Even more, the cost goes up day by day. The COLAs go up once a year. As such, even if the COLAs were accurate, they would always be a year behind.

Then why should he care? I doubt he is concerned about the price of a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas. He likely could care less about how much bread it costs for a loaf of bread. His last concern is how much change it costs us for the changes he’s made.

Of course he does care about our votes, but only just before election days. On the other hand, should he lose any more of his mental facilities, it will all be over for him anyway. The dems can only conceal so much.

Growing Old

Posted in Biden, Growing Old, Memories, Retirement by

I write this for those who have not yet grown old. No matter what you might think it will be like, you’re wrong. It is no one thing but rather a collection of little things.

As you grow old, the first thing you will likely notice is that the person looking back at you has become a stranger. Fight as you might, your face changes, seemingly overnight. Yet, as you think it over, you will realize it was gradually, not sudden.

Perhaps, the most devastating birthday will be your 40th. This is when you will awake to the realization that you will never become president. Most will face the reality of never becoming rich and famous. I’d settle for rich.

On my 49th birthday, I never had surgery. Since, I have had a list as long as my arm. One indication of aging is when yoy sit around talking of hospital visits. We old folks are always trying to outdo the others about our trials and illnesses.

Closely associated with hospitalizations are the meds. At 40, the only meds I took were for my alergies. Now, before retiring for the night, I take 10, most reqireing scripts. I mentioned to a doctor that I feel as if I have my own drug store. He laughed and told me of a patient he had that received a transplant. He had shelves of meds, many very expensive.

I guess 65 is also another big transition for most of us. It’s when we start dealing with Social Security. Personally, my transition went well. The people were nice and very helpful.

I have heard of some real problems, though. My wife’s grandfather was born on an Indian reservation and he had a very difficult time proving he was born.

At 72, my hair is turning white and starting to thin. I can’t complain about that. Most men my age don’t have much hair at all. Look at what President Trump did to conceal his balding. On the other hand, the current occupier of The Oval Office had expensive hair transplants, only to lose most of it anyway.

One of the biggest giveaways that we are older is that we start losing friends, relatives and neighbors. I look around and I realize I have lost many acquaintances. I hear about this one having a heart attack or this one a stroke.

I have known a few who died from alkzheimers disease. I lost 2 brothers to brain cancer. It makes me wonder why I have been permitted to live this long.

One day, I needed to get down on the floor to do something. Next thing I knew, I couldn’t get up, regardless of my best efforts. I found it utterly ridiculous. It was something I just took for granted.

Nowadays, I am far more careful. Moreover, I suggest, anyone who is able, exercise by getting on the floor and standing 10 times a day. You must realize, being able to stand is important.

You might find this odd, but you should cough regularly. The muscles used for coughing are very important. If you’re unable to cough, you won’t be able to clear your lower respiratory system.

Getting old is learning to think of such things.

Almost Paradise

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Border wall, Build the Wall!, Christian values, Controllers, Drug Abuse, Education, experience, Fast Food, FOC, Immigration, law enforcement, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion, Religion, Retirement, Socialists by

As I considered the title to this post, I realized I came up with something of a good book title. At least, it seemed that way to me. Now, I need is a good book to go with it. Come to think of it, maybe someone did already. It would be a shame if someone else beat me to it.

The point is that the place I moved to in 1977 was really nice and had been for decades. It was almost paradise, though there were a few problems.

Some of the roads were spread with pot holes. My poor little car had a real problem with the little trailer bouncing around behind us. There were but a small smattering of places to eat and we could find but 1 doctor office, 1 dentist and one pharmacy. The closest hospital was 15 or 16 miles away.

However, the schools were nice and there weren’t many police. Wasn’t much need for them. It truly was almost paradise.

In this world there are problems with paradises. Southern California, before 1950 was an almost paradise. Now, look at it. I won’t go through the list of problems there now. Everyone knows. The desire to live in paradise has destroyed it. Now the U-hauls are leaving and the people are going to other paradises; as Texas, Florida, etc.

in all likelihood, those paradises will be spoiled too. It almost always happens. Unfortunately, paradises draw the unsavory element as well as the exemplary.

It’s happened and is happening where I live. If I possible, I’d leave as soon as i could. If there were an army of police, it would not be enough. The undesirable element is drifting south from Memphis. It does say something about Memphis. No one wants to leave a good place for a worse one.

We now have doctors hospitals dentists, the whole works. Even the streets are smooth. However, it seems that every fourth car I see nowadays has Shelby County plates.

Don’t actually have too much of an objection if they want to spend Tennessee dollars in Mississippi, but they bring their driving habits too. Not only that but they bring their crime, mostly drugs, and robbery too. A couple of years ago, I posted a story about a break in in my house. Dumb thief! One look at my little 900 square foot house and he’d have known I don’t have anything.

The area right across the state line had two big thriving malls and the area around it had a multitude of stores, restaurants and businesses. The malls are now all but closed and the parking lots are all baren.

Needless to say, the value of my little house has skyrocketed. Every time Memphis comes up with a bad idea my property value goes up.

The problem is that as they leave what used to be a near paradise, they bring their stupid ideas with them, and ruin our neighborhoods.

It is not just a local problem. It won’t be long that the illegal aliens will bring their ways to our nation and destroy our national paradise.

This reminds me of a passage in the Bible in which it says that murderers, thieves, liars, adulterers, etc, etc, and so forth will never go to heaven (paradise).

At the time I first read it, I did not see the full significance as I do now. You see, any place where such people are allowed would not be paradise. It would not be long before even the steets of heaven would be ruined. When the corrupt are denied access, about anywhere would be great. Then, with Jesus there too, it will be perfect.

If you would like to go there, you need a reservation. The only way to get the reservation is to accept Jesus as your savior. Then, he will cleanse you. Those not born again are not cleansed. They will not enter paradise. They will only see eternal punishment.

if you think about it, it makes sense. Who wants a paradise full of corruption and the corrupt. Certainly, God doesn’t.

Now if I could just get all these liberals to go back to Memphis where they belong!!

Cutting Costs

Posted in Abuse of Power, AOC, Being woke, Biden, Cable TV, Climate Change, Communist Takover, Deceit, FOC, Going Green, Immigration, Liberals, Politcal Opinion, Retirement, Socialists by

Joe says it’s not his fault. He says that there’s nothing he can do about it. Yet since he occupied the Oval Office, things have been going up, fast…gas, milk, cars, rent, cable, dining out, etc, etc.

I’m retired now so I thought I was immune somewhat from the increase in gas costs. Wow! Was I wrong! I mean I only fill my 13 gallon tank every other week but it over costs twice as much to. Every time I go into the grocery store, it costs me $130 or more to get out…and we visit the local restaurants quite often.

The realization has hit me. It’s time to cut costs or our bank accounts will start shrinking. So I’ve started preparing a list of things we won’t need.

1st. Cable and internet. They are really nice but we don’t need them. Dropping them will say more $150 a month. I’ll have to rely on the old antenna for entertainment. Oddly, I’ll miss the DVR more than the stations. Other than a few news stations, I watch very little. Though I must admit I will miss watching Hannity, I can still listen to him 3 hours on the radio. Besides all this, they raise their costs every now and without my permission.

2nd. Cell phones. This one is painful for a number of reasons. Mostly I, it is a matter of emergencies. For instance, if I need to call a tow truck or I have an accident. The alternative to T-mobile is going with the cheapest company I can find.

3rd. We will need to eat at home more. I don’t mind cooking. I just don’t like the clean up. Besides, with just the two of us, we end up wasting a lot. I hate that. It rubs me the wrong way. Well, the going green folks would like it. It would cut back on my fuel usage. On the other hand, those at the local eateries wouldn’t like losing my business. On the other hand the cable company will not miss me. In Indeed, they sort of act like they want to get rid of me.

Beyond that, I guess I will have to go back to work. I’ve already considered that option. I’d already be punching time clock but my wife panics when she’s left alone. I guess if Joe keeps running things, I’ll have to figure out something.

Old Folks and Old Eyes

Posted in Computers, Retirement by

I am now 72.  To tell you the truth, I never figured I would make it this far.  Among other things, I had 4 bypasses during 1 procedure — over 10 years ago.  Those in the know realize that makes it about time for me have more problems.

However, what I am writing about here has nothing to do with my heart, but my eyes.  Until I was 40, I had very good eyes.  In fact, if I don’t need to focus my eyes on anything closer than three feet away, I still have good eyes.  Anything closer than 2 feet and I have some real problems.  Every time I need to read the instructions on how to microwave a dinner, I have to get a magnifying glass.  With the print size they use for instructions, my reading glasses aren’t strong enough.  I wonder if those people that make those things realize that.

At any rate, I sat down to my computer the other day, without my glasses.  Mostly I could read it.  Still there were parts of the screen where I needed to squint.  It irritated me because I left my reading glasses in the other room.  Worse, the one part of the screen I wanted to read, I couldn’t.

It forced me to leave the computer and walk to the other end of the house to get my reading glasses.  The thought gave me an idea.  I don’t know.  Maybe someone already thought of it.  It would be sort of nice if one portion of the screen could be displayed at 2 or 3 times normal size.  I’m not sure how it could all be worked out, but I think us old folks might really appreciate it.

In the meantime, I guess I will need to rely on the old methods.  I went out and bought a large magnifying and tied it to my screen.  That way, I won’t have to deal with another problem I have after getting old, a bad memory.  I already lost two magnifiers.