Keep Moving

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I decided to ride the new NorthCoast Trail from Fremont, Ohio to Elmore, which is somewhere around 10 or 11 miles. The plan was to have our son ride back, bring the van and pick us up in Elmore. However, my husband got the really good idea to ride back instead. Needless to say, we made it, but 21 miles was definately the furthest we had ridden for a very long time!

Bicycle riding is supposed to be good cardio exercise and , hopefully, good for the arthritic knees, which I inherited from my mom. It may be a little late, but now I can honestly say that "I now understand what she went through with the pain!"

My husband and I both have the "sissy" gel seats for the bikes, but I am thinking of adding a pillow!

The Golden Years

Well, it happened last week. I knew it would, but I had blocked it out of my mind, or tried too. It's one of those crisis events that you tell others is rediculous- and then it happens to you.
In Ohio, we have these discount cards called "Golden Buckeye Cards." I got one in the mail!
Then, it suddenly occurred to me that, yes, my birthday is this week, and yes, I will be old enought for this card.
I have mixed feelings here. On one hand, it's really depressing. On the other hand, what discounts can I get?

Medicare and Social Security

For some of us not yet into the Medicare and Social Security issues, all of it seems complicated. Apparently, it's also going to become more expensive as well. According to many articles written this year, the powers that be, have determined that at least Part A will run out of money around 2017. The government has promised that this will not destroy Medicare, but will require that seniors pay more per month out of their Social Security checks to pay for it. This, on top of the supplemental insurance that we will need to take care of what Medicare does not cover.

If that isn't bad enough, Social Security is predicted to be in serious trouble by the year 2037.

Both of these programs together make up about one third of the federal budget, which is already stretched beyond belief.

My question is, "If we are already in trouble funding Medicare and Social Security, how could we possibly fund a new health care program that would conceivably cost billions?"

(From the Examiner.Com Cleveland June 17, 2009)

On May 12, 2009 the Board of Trustees of Medicare sent their annual report to Congress. This report projects that the trust fund for Medicare Part A is not adequately financed for its needs over the next decade.

Citing the poor economic conditions and lower payroll tax income, the Trustees now project that the funds for Medicare Part A will run out in 2017, two years earlier than originally projected.

Exercise Those Brain Cells

I used to jokingly say that I once took a memory course, but forgot to pay the installment payments. Now, that doesn't seem quite so funny since it seems like I forget things a lot more than usual. And, I'm beginning to wonder if age isn't the only culprit. It might just have something to do with technology itself.
It's a convenient world we live in, maybe too convenient. We use calculators to do our math, GPS to help us get where we're going without reading a map. We push a button to dial the phone, instead of remembering numbers, and use voice reminders and computers to record data instead of writing it down. Many of us wait for the film version of a book to come out rather than read. Store clerks rely on the register to tell them what your change should be, and then, some of them fumble around forever trying to figure out how to count it out.
Last Christmas my sons bought me a Nintendo DS. For those of you not familiar with that, it's a small compact video game that acomodates a large variety of games, and an impressive line of "brain exercisers". I'm not promoting these games, but it seemed reasonable to me that any game that made you think and encouraged quick reflexes could possibly be useful. Basically, the various games challenge you to remember numbers, words, put various things in order, and see how fast you can do math problems. Crossword puzzles, sudoko, ect. are also good pastimes for the mind. Actually, anything that makes you think and takes you and your brain into new and unexplored areas.
While writing this, I was thinking of my grandparents, who went from the horse and buggy life of their youth, to the TV era. They lived well into their 80's, bright and alert, and, in reprospect, I can say that they were always interested in the newest thing that was happening around them. They read, they discussed, and they were forever curious about life.
Besides keeping the brain busy with these tasks, several experts have recommended other activities for those of us past 55. A few of these are continuing education, travel, and branching out into hobbies and new daily detours from the normal routine which apparently help stimulate the brain, and some say, even deter alzhiemers and dementia.
While there seems to still be a lot of debate on whether or not mental exercise can actually stave
off mental decline, and encourage new growth of brain cells, everyone agrees that it can't hurt.

The following was taken from an article in the Washington Post about a study on brain exercise.
"Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds Study Finds"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html

Ten sessions of exercises to boost reasoning skills, memory and mental processing speed staved off mental decline in middle-aged and elderly people in the first definitive study to show that honing intellectual skills can bolster the mind in the same way that physical exercise protects and strengthens the body.

The researchers also showed that the benefits of the brain exercises extended well beyond the specific skills the volunteers learned. Older adults who did the basic exercises followed by later sessions were three times as fast as those who got only the initial sessions when it came to activities of daily living, such as reacting to a road sign, looking up a number in a telephone book or checking the ingredients on a medicine bottle -- abilities that can spell the difference between living independently and needing help.

Red, White and Blue

.

Originally, the colors used in the flag in 1777 did not have any specific meaning, but the following explanation by Charles Thompson, secretary of the Continental Congress, explained the meaning of the colors in the Seal of the United States.

"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."

http://www.usflag.org/colors.html

I was mowing at the farm the other day and thinking about the flag, and realized that there are a lot of those values still alive and well in the heartland and across the nation

This is my heartland version of the red, white and blue.

Happy 4th of July !

An Ode to Porches

More and more I am noticing new homes with lovely front porches, complete with wicker furniture, flowers, and antiques. They look lovely. The problem is, I never see anyone on them.
In the "old days" porches were really an important part of everyday life. Dad read the paper there. Mom mended things, or shelled peas, or read. (I know we don't actually do these things much anymore). However, the front porch of the past was the meeting place of the neighborhood, the news front, the political problem solver, the gossip area, the music fest.
Several of the men in our neighborhood would sit on the front porch in the evening and play guitars, or harmonicas. Imagine that!
Neighbors kept an eye on their kids and their neighbor's kids as they rode their bikes or played in the yards.
You were aware of what kind of birds were around your house, and if there was an owl in the area. We noticed the first night that the fireflies came out, and when the locusts started their calling.
Of course, I grant you, that this was before air conditioning, so, sitting on the porch waiting for a breeze was a better alternative than sweltering inside. And, folks didn't have the internet, TV, or video games.
The good thing was, that people got to know their neighbors, took time to visit, and, I somehow believe that sitting and swinging on the old swing was a better stress relief than watching the evening news.
So, here's to the old front porch. Hopefully, we can turn off the tube, or the computer once in awhile and sit out there. You'll be surprised what you can see and hear.



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Retirement?

The challenge of retirement is how to spend time without spending money.
- Author Unknown

Well, who would have thought that in only a few short years we would actually be thinking about retirement, or actually there already if you're lucky. Retirement was something that your parents did, and was wayyyyyyyyyyy down the road. Well, the road got shorter before we knew it, and now, especially in the current economy, a lot of us are scrambling to figure out if we can actually retire at all. We are seriously looking at our retirement accounts, pension plans, and Social Security facts, figuring up what we will actually need, and praying that we will win the lottery in the next couple of years.
First of all, I am not a qualified retirement analyst (disclaimer here), and I am muddling through this just like millions of others out there.
There are, I discovered, although it shouldn't surprise me, a lot of facets to the whole Social Security angle. Of course, we all know that if you take your SS early, at, say 62, you will get a lot less than you do at 66 or 67. There are two opinions on this- (of course), and what it seems to all boil down too, is a throw of the dice.
Any way you look at it, if you wait until 66 or 67 to retire, and live, say, twenty more years, you are going to collect more in the long run than if you retire at 62. Others have told me that they would rather get "something" now, than take the chance of dying earlier and not getting much of anything back. This is a grim prospect anyway you look at it.
Of course, sometimes we need to retire early, and there is no real choice, due to health problems, loss of job ect.
There are a lot of good websites discussing the pros and cons, complete with retirement calculators, estimated amount of funds needed after retirement, and future inflationary trends,-all of which will give you a massive headache, but are, unfortunately important.

Here are some sites that may be important in your future.

Social Security online
http://www.ssa.gov/

How Baby Boomers Will Change Retirement
http://seniorliving.about.com/od/retirement/a/newboomerretire.htm

Senior Citizens Resources- U.S. Gov.
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml

Retirement Headlines

Every Penny Counts

A few months ago, I was talking to a lady in my town, and as usual, the first topic was the economy, the price of gas, inflation ect. ect............She told me that she was actually paying less on her cable bill since she called and complained that it cost too much! I couldn't believe this, but, one morning, feeling a little braver than usual, I called my cable company and, feeling really stupid and a little rebellious, told them that I thought my monthly bill was too high. There was a short pause, and then the lady excused herself for what seemed like an hour. She finally returned, and told me that she would lower my monthly bill for one year by $20.00. Would that be ok? Yes!
Feeling empowered, I called my cell phone company, grilled them on their newest promos, and saved another $15.00.
By the end of my morning power trip, I had managed to save about $50.00 a month.
In all, this taught me a valuable lesson. It never hurts to ask, and if you don't ask, you'll never know what you can do. Companies will very seldom send you a note saying, "Excuse me, but I think you are paying us too much."
Here are a few of the areas I started out with, and I'm sure there are many more.

1. Do check with your telephone and cellular companies and see if they are running any specials. While you're at it, double check your current services to see if you are actually paying for things that you never really use.
2. Check out your cable or dish service and see what they can do for you. They might not be as obliging as mine, but it's worth a try. Also, they might be running really good rates for new customers, and it never hurts to point out that loyal older customers need breaks too!
3. It may not be a money-saver, but I like to pay my utilites on the budget plan. At least that way I'll know what to expect.
4. Check over your car and house insurance. I recently realized that we were paying collision on a car that has been in storage for fifteen years.
   
5. If you have a water softener and are paying rent each month, take a look at how much you have spent. It might be cheaper to buy it outright, and since it's used, they will cut you a good deal.

Get out and Move!

It's summer again, and there are more opportunities to get out and exercise. Bicycles come out of the garage, we get new walking shoes, we try to get rid of the winter bulges that we accumulate over the winter.
While studies have shown that we are undoubtedly the first and largest generation to take to exercise on a widespread basis, it is important to remember, and I'm sure that everyone is aware of this, that you go into it slowly. If you haven't run, or walked, or cycled, or swam for twenty years, don't try to do it all in one day. I speak from experience. Just because it wasn't a problem in your twenties, doesn't mean you can do it now!

There are four or five important exercises that most doctors will tell you are the most beneficial.
In the following article at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319246,00.html, these are the big five.

I. Stretching- Limbering up, and gradually, over a period of time, getting those muscles and joints and tendons to stretch and move again, is essential for all the rest of your activities.

2. Strength training- For a girl, I could always lift fairly heavy loads, (which in hindsight probably wasn't that great for my back), and I never thought that the day would come when I couldn't. However.........I have recently found out that lifting weights is not only good for strength, but my bad shoulder, my upper back, abdomen, and those "wings" that form under the arm. I also discovered that if you haven't done this for several years, you shouldn't pick up where you left off and start with the 25 pound weights!

3. Cardio- This, obviously, is to build your endurance and strengthen heart muscles. Again, build slowly. This doesn't mean running five miles your first time out. (Most of us would never make it anyway).

4 .Balance-This is really important as far as I am concerned. Falling is not a good idea at an y age, but as we get older, bones are much harder to mend.

5. Core- I don't like to think about my core. In fact, I only just learned what that meant from watching infomercials. Anyway, building the abdomen (part of core) is important for the strength of your back as well, and clothes fit way better.

As I get older, I find that I am thinking more and more about exercise in terms of the limbering up, rather than the vanity side. Of course, I do want to be able to get into last summer's clothes, but I find that a couple of miles on the bicycle everyday does wonders for my arthritic knees, and the weights do strengthen my bad shoulder.

We Might be the Last

This is Flag Day. One of those days that most of our parents never forgot. Mom always had the flag out bright and early. It wasn't a law or a hardship. It was something that you did because you honored your country, believed in it, and especially felt grateful to all those who had suffered and died in all the wars to keep the rest of us safe.

We just might be the last generation to remember patriotic holidays. We might just be the last generation to remember patriotic parades, old and young veterans, who dragged out their uniforms and marched proudly behind the flag down Main Street.

We might be the last generation to remember how every man removed his hat when the flag went by, and everyone else put their hand over their heart. How everyone tried to sing along to the National Anthem, and got all teary- eyed when the old vets saluted as they passed their flag.

We might be the last generation to remember that saying a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag started out our day in school. We thanked our Creator and our country that we were Americans, and we didn't think there was a darned thing wrong with that!

We might be the last generation to attend Memorial Day ceremonies and cry when taps are played.

We've grown a little since those rebellious days of the 60's, (hopefully). We know that change is sometimes good and necessary, but we also remember our roots, and our past. We remember that a lot of good people died to make our country what it is today- a place that a lot of other nations emulate and a lot of people want to call their own.

So, maybe, we could pass on a little patriotism to the next generation. It's just a red, white, and blue piece of material, but there's so much history and faith and goodness behind it that kids today are missing. It's not a bad thing to love your country, honor your vets, and respect your flag. These things should never go out of style

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.-Abraham Lincoln

You Might be a Boomer if.............

Your idea of a day out is three doctor's appointments
Your doctor looks like he just graduated from junior high
Your breakfast consists of more pills than cereal
Your knees go down, but not up
People in their 60's no longer seem like "old timers"
You find it hard to believe that a co-worker was actually born in the 80's
Teenagers ask you about the old days- (the 60's)
You don't recognize the rock stars you once idolized on TV because they are "SO OLD!"

You don't recognize the names of current rock stars or groups or movie stars
You remember life before cell phones and internet (and TV)
You know who the Cisco Kid and Sky King are
Items are showing up in antique stores that you still use around the house
Clerks ask you if you get the senior discount
Clerks call you dear or sweetie or other nauseating names reserved for the very old
You begin to seriously think about retirement
You begin to wonder if retirement is actually possible
You consider looking into becoming a greeter at a department store

We Are Not Over The Hill

In spite of the fact that some days we feel a lot older than we are, we are not over the hill. I take great comfort in the fact that I had a great uncle who lived to be nearly 106! So, with that in mind, here is

Rule #2

Don't dwell on what could have been, should have been, or what you didn't accomplish (yet). Think about all the things you have done. Heck, there's time. A lot of our politicians still have careers way past 60! (Well-maybe that's a bad example right now.)

Anyway, Grandma Moses didn't start painting until she was in her 80's!

Boomers Unite!

I had a shock last week, so startling that I was immobilized for the rest of the day. A group of us were talking about age. Unfortunately, the rest of the group were all younger than me by anywhere from 5-30 years. Before I knew what I was saying, I blurted out that I would be 60 in July. It was the first time I had actually verbalized that fact. I was shocked. There was silence, and then sympathetic looks all around. I try to be realistic, but this was a reaction I hadn't expected out of myself.

I knew this was coming. A man that I don't even know called me "young lady". My husband naively commented that this was probably a compliment, but I know that people say these condescending things to people of my age as a well-meaning gesture of kindness.

It's like that first time that some twelve year old at the checkout counter or the ticket booth looks at you, pops her gum, adjusts her nose ring, and says, "Do you get the senior discount"?

It's the waitress who says, "And what can I get for you dear"?, and pats your shoulder.

And the 18 year old doctor who starts his sentence with, "At your age......"

And, the first time you realize that you haven't recognized any musician or group since 1980, and who the heck are any of these people at the Academy Awards? And, you mention Jimmy
Stewart to a group and they don't know who he is!

Someone asked me recently if I could still run. Sounds funny, but I didn't know. All of our lives we sort of took it for granted. We ran as kids. We ran after our kids. But, for some reason, I haven't had any need to run lately. I waited until no one was around, and then trotted up and down the back sidewalk a few times. The first thing I noticed was that the hips moved funny now. You might say - stiff. Next, I wondered if I could skip. To the amazement of our dog, I skipped through the kitchen, the family room and back to answer the phone. My husband was calling from work. "You alright?" "Yes", I wheezed. "I was skipping". There was silence. He didn't ask.

Hey, we were the "Pepsi generation", the boomers, the hippies, the flower children- (well, I wasn't exactly because I'm from a small midwestern town, and we were really rural.) But at
least we were "way out" in spirit. We were going to change the world.

Two years ago, at our 40th class reunion, the chairman got up, looked around and said, "Where did all these years go?" Where did they go?

Anyway, I started to take stock, face this head on, and make some survival rules for myself.
Boomer suggestions welcome.

Rule 1.
Realize your age, but don't dwell on it. My grandparents never mentioned or complained about their age. They didn't seem to notice.

A woman I know, who is about 70, ran her first marathon, sky-dived, and bungy-jumped all after her 60th birthday. Last year she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. She says, "never limit yourself by thinking about your age first". See, I am way ahead of her already. I don't want to run a marathon, sky-dive, bungy jump, or climb a mountain. I just want my knees to work, both going down to pick up something and coming back up.





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name="postBody" rows="17" cols="47" id="textarea" wrap="soft" tabindex="5" dir="ltr"><span> I had a shock last week so startling that I was immobilized for the rest of the day. A group of us were talking about age. Unfortunately, the rest of the group were all younger than me by anywhere from 5-30 years. Before I knew what I was saying, I blurted out that I would be 60 in July. It was the first time I had actually verbalized that fact. I was shocked. There was silence, and then sympathetic looks all around. I have always tried to be realistic, but that was a gut shot that I had not expected out of myself. I knew this was coming. A man that I don't even know called me "young lady". My husband looked confused when I told him about the insult, and naively suggested that it might have been a compliment, but I know better. These are the condescending things that people start saying to people my age as a well-meaning gesture of kindness. It's like that first time some twelve year old at the checkout counter or the ticket booth looks at you, pops her gum, adjusts her nose ring, and says, "Do you get the senior discount?" It's the waitress who says, "And what can I get for you dear?", and pats your shoulder. And, the 18 year old doctor who starts his sentence with, "At your age. . . ." And, the first time you realize that you don't recognize any musician or group since 1980, and who are these people at the Academy Awards? And, you mention Jimmy Stewart to a group and they don't know who he was! Someone asked me recently if I could still run. Sounds funny, but I didn't know. All our lives we sort of took it for granted that we could run. We ran as kids, we ran after our kids. But,for a long time, I haven't had any need to run. Sure, I can run. I waited until no one was around, and then trotted up and down the back sidewalk a few times. The first thing I noticed was that the hips moved funny now. You might say-stiff. Next, I wondered if I could skip. To the amazement of our dog, I skipped through the kitchen, the family room, and back to answer the phone. My husband was calling from work. "You alright?" "Yes", I wheezed, "I was skipping". There was silence. He didn't ask. Hey, we are the "Pepsi generation", the boomers, the hippies, the flower children- (well, I wasn't exactly, because I'm from a small midwestern town, and were really rural). But at least we were "way out" there in spirit. We were going to find ourselves and change the world. At our 40th class reunion a couple of years ago, where the people you remembered in your mind had been replaced by people you didn't recognize at all, the chairman looked at all of us and said "what happened to all those years?" Where did they go? Anyway, for my own survival and others, I have started to compose some rules and guidelines for myself. Suggestions from other boomers welcome. Rule 1.- Realize your age, but don't dwell on it. My grandparents never mentioned their ages. I don't think they noticed, or if they did, they didn't pay any attention to it. A lady I know, who is about 70 now, ran her first marathon, sky-dived, and bungy-jumped all after her 60th birthday. Last year she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. She said, "never limit yourself by thinking about your age first". See, I am way ahead of her already. I don't want to run a marathon, sky-dive, bungy-jump, or climb a mountain. I just want my knees to work, both going down to pick up something and coming back up. <div id="twitter_div"> <h2 class="sidebar-title"> </h2> <ul id="twitter_update_list"></ul><div id="twitter_div"> <h2 class="sidebar-title">Twitter Updates</h2> <ul id="twitter_update_list"></ul> <a href="http://twitter.com/lighthouselenna" id="twitter-link" style="display:block;text-align:right;">follow me on Twitter</a> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://twitter.com/javascripts/blogger.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/lighthouselenna.json?callback=twitterCallback2&count=5"></script> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://twitter.com/javascripts/blogger.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/lighthouselenna.json?callback=twitterCallback2&count=5"></script> </span>