SHOULD YOU INSTALL A STAIRLIFT?

Soon after you retire, your children begin to give you advice. And if you live in a two story house, they’re apt to say you ought to move. At that point, unless you’ve worked past the age of 70, you’re feeling pretty spry. The very idea of trading in your double decker home for a one level seems ridiculous. But as the years go by, and your knees begin to give out, you see their point. And yet, the longer you’ve lived in the house you love, the more difficult it is to move. The very idea of all that upheaval stresses you out. Finally, you have to make a decision. Should you downsize, or install a stairlift?

My husband and I have always had arthritic knees—his much worse than mine. But somehow, we managed. After all, we knew there were benefits to a house with stairs. More exercise, stronger leg muscles, and maybe even a longer life.

And then, around five years ago, after a very bad rainy season, our defenses weakened and we called a stairlift salesman. We liked the company rep who called on us. He measured, evaluated our situation, and gave us an estimate. We were sold—even gave him a deposit which he said was refundable if we changed our minds right away.

Then, the weather got better. Our joints didn’t hurt so much. We worried that our house would look cluttered and depressing with all this handicapped paraphernalia. My husband got some shots in his knees, and decided he really could handle the stairs just fine. We got our deposit back.

Should you install a stairlift? Yes, if it helps you stay in your own home. — Should you install a stairlift? The cost is far less than the expense of moving.

Fast forward five years later to the present time. My husband suffered a major fall. Lucky his bones are strong. Nothing was broken, but he had a knot on his head and bruises all over his body. Time to face reality. Before even telling our kids about the fall, we’d already called the stairlift company. Believe it or not, they still had the original estimate on file. Even though prices had increased, they honored the quote they had given us. The cost of the product was far less than the expense of moving to another place.

The stairlift is in, and it looks fine. We didn’t have to take down any pictures or lock up a closet door. The house looks pretty much the same, and he feels better, gliding smoothly up and down the stairs with no pain in his knees.. Should you invest in a stairlift? If it helps you stay in your own home awhile longer, I would say yes.

March 15, 2021March 15, 2021

KARMA STRIKES BACK AT CHARLES

Does anyone remember when Princess Di Married the Prince of Wales? From the outside it looked like a fairytale marriage. When, in fact, it was a nightmare from the git go. How many bridegrooms would leave their betrothed alone in a dark room the night before their wedding, while schmoozing on the phone with his old girlfriend? Apparently, Diana wanted to back out, but her sisters told her she had to go through with it. She married a man who didn’t love her, and she knew it. If he’d kept it to himself and put on a good show, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But Charles treated her like dirt, divorced her, married Camilla, and thought he got away with it. But he didn’t. Because now, bad karma strikes back at Charles.

How can anyone believe that the sons of this disastrous union wouldn’t be somewhat psyched up? Apparently, William was old enough to handle his mother’s miserable marriage, divorce, and untimely death. But Harry was just a little kid. At twelve years old, forced to march in a parade behind his mother’s coffin. It’s a miracle he ended up so well.

After the Oprah interview last week with Meghan and Harry, the British press went bonkers. How could Harry say such horrible things about his family on public television? The question is, why wouldn’t he? A victim should be able to tell his side of the story in the end. And yes, Harry was a victim of his father’s narcissistic treatment of his mother. Are we saying that people with money don’t have emotional problems? That if they do have them, they should be ashamed of themselves?

I have no idea why Charles was such a callous person. Maybe it went back to his Mom trying so hard to be a queen that she didn’t have much time for mothering. Not to mention dealing with a notoriously womanizing husband. That’s the thing about karma. It just goes on and on, echoing down through the centuries.

Maybe Harry and Meghan are trying to give their kids some good karma by moving to America. I hope it works. Because bad karma is striking back at Charles right now.

March 13, 2021March 13, 2021

DREADING DAYLIGHT SAVINGS DOLDRUMS

Last Spring at this time, the pandemic hadn’t hit our city very hard. In fact, I think we only had one or two cases of COVID-19. So, we weren’t too worried about it. Although we had started wearing masks, we were still running errands. On that first morning after the time change, I reached for my cell phone to check the weather. Trouble was, I couldn’t remember my pass code to get in. This is a code I’ve probably keyed in thousands of times. It scared me, thinking maybe it was a sign of cognitive decline. I got up, went downstairs to get the paper, had a cup of coffee. After the pass code finally kicked into my head, I realized I was in a DST brain fog. Now, tomorrow, I’m dreading the daylight savings time doldrums.

This is a real phenomenon. Losing an hour of sleep upsets our body’s circadian rhythm–the light-based cycle that tells our body when it needs sleep. Studies have found that during the first few days of daylight savings time , the risk of heart attack increases. There are also more traffic accidents and workplace injuries due to tiredness induced by the clock change.

Checked online for tips today.. The Sleep Foundation suggests that you start getting up 20 or 30 minutes early a week before the time change, so as to get your body accustomed to DST.. It’s too late for us now, because it’s already Saturday. They also suggest getting some sunlight during the day, because sunshine helps the body clock adjust. Luckily, we’ve had some warm weather, so that should be doable this week.

We would be happy if there were no time changes at all. Many states have decided to have daylight savings time all year long. . So far, 15 states have seen similar laws, resolutions, or voter initiatives approved to make DST permanent.. Those states are: Arkansas, Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Most Hoosiers are dreading the daylight savings time doldrums tomorrow. C’mon, Indiana. Lets make it permanent.

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021

WELCOME TO AMERICA, HARRY

One of the interesting things about getting our DNA results from Ancestry.com was discovering that we are about half English. This, in spite of the fact that both my husband and I had German surnames. My mother was a genealogy freak, so I knew there were some English ancestors. But my husband grew up around so many German aunts, uncles and grandparents that he assumed he was mostly German. He isn’t. In fact, he’s got some Scottish, Swedish and Irish genes . At any rate, after seeing Oprah’s Meghan-Harry interview on CBS, we’re both glad our ancestors left England . Welcome to America, Harry.

My husband’s English blood came from his mother’s family. The first Frost left England about 1635 to escape some kind of religious persecution. He must have thrived here, because there are some illustrious folks named Frost all over the USA.

My English blood came from my Grandfather White. It’s such a common name that I can’t claim a family connection to anyone with the same surname. James White sailed over to Virginia about 300 years ago.. Although uneducated, he managed to move his family of 12 sons up to Indiana, and acquired 5,000 acres of farmland. Someone must have married well, because my mother was able to join the DAR by proving that one of her ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence.

What would have happened if Edmund Frost and James White had stayed in England? My husband and I would be citizens of a monarchy. Descending from commoners, we might not be living very well. Maybe on the dole. And part of our taxes would be going to support the most antiquated political system that can possibly be imagined. What would happen if the monarchy collapsed? Who would care if the British Commonwealth no longer had a King or Queen?

We’re glad our ancestors left England, and I would imagine that the descendants of the prince will be grateful that he did, too.

Welcome to America, Harry. The land of the free, and the home of the brave.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

….Robert Frost

March 8, 2021March 7, 2021

THE DREADED UNSUBSCRIBE CHORE

Why do I still have AOL? It’s crazy, I know. Very outdated. The Democrats made fun of Mike Pence because he still uses it. But there are too many people from my past who still contact me that way, and I think it’s too late in my life to change my e mail. Here’s the bad thing: AOL has some way of connecting me to every website I’ve ever visited, and places where I’ve purchased anything. Not only that, the politicians have wormed their way in, and dog me for contributions to causes and people I really don’t care about. Every so often, after receiving about 100 emails a day, I find myself faced with the dreaded unsubscribe chore.

The dreaded unsubscribe chose. It's tedious to unsubscribe. — The dreaded unsubscribe chore. It’s a tedious task, but every so often it’s necessary.

Do you know how to cut down on those unwanted e mails? I didn’t , until I read about it in Heloise. You know, the lady newspaper columnist who tells you exciting ways to re purpose toilet paper rolls. At any rate, Heloise said that first, you open the dreaded e mail. Then, you scroll to the bottom of the page. Put on your glasses, get a flashlight, and squint at the fine print. Somewhere in there it says,” unsubscribe.” You click on that. And, if you’re lucky, you will receive a message that you’re unsubscribed.

But it doesn’t always work out so easily. Often, you will be directed to another message which demands to know why you’re unsubscribing, and making you verify that you honestly don’t want to get any more emails from them. Or, they ask you to key in your email address–as if they didn’t know. After you’ve done that about 30 times a , it gets tiresome and time consuming. Sometimes, they’ll tell you that it may take a while to get unsubscribed, and not to worry if you still keep getting emails from them . That’s a sneaky way to keep you from losing track of who you’ve unsubscribed. The truth is, some of them will never let you go.

At any rate, today’s the day to start the dreaded unsubscribe chore. I will only give it an hour of my time, which won’t even scratch the surface. But you have to start somewhere.

March 6, 2021March 6, 2021

CLOTHES AREN’T FUN ANYMORE

For one solid year, I have not taken the time to try on any new clothes. In fact, my closet is full of outfits I’ve not worn during the covid-19 pandemic lockdown. When I went to the grocery store, I didn’t care what I wore because no one recognized me. Especially during the cooler months when my head was covered with a stocking cap. It didn’t matter if anything matched. The only requirement was that summer clothes kept me cool and winter clothes , warm. Now that most everyone will be vaccinated by Summer, I’m preparing to attend social events where it will matter what you wear. I’d forgotten that trying and buying clothes is boring and time consuming. Clothes aren’t fun anymore. .

The first problem is that there’s no place to shop and try things on. . All of my favorite stores like Macy’s and Carson’s have closed. Do you remember those all day shopping excursions that included a fancy lunch and maybe even a glass of wine.? Those days are over, unless you live near a big city. Shopping on line is a real pain. Clothes aren’t the same color they looked like on Amazon.

And then, there’s the way things fit. If you’re a 20 something, everything looks good. Fashion models don’t eat much. But most ordinary women do. And we have a few bulges we’d like to hide. Online clothes may look good, but when you model them in front of your mirror, it’s enough to make you cry.

Now, you’re faced with returns. Sometimes there’s no charge. But often, you’re surprised to find that there is. Bought a pair of shoes for $39 that said “free shipping.” Turned out they didn’t fit. They provided me with a prepaid return shipping label that charged $10 to my Visa. And there’s the hassle of boxing the items and dropping them off at the post office.

Sooner or later, the day will come when you step back out into the world. You can spend an hour trying different combinations of tops and pants to make sure they look coordinated. What a waste of time. I had forgotten the pain of buying clothes and trying them on. Clothes aren’t fun anymore.

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

2020 WAS the worst election year I can ever remember. And that’s saying a lot, considering my age. Politics got all mixed up with health care. President Trump went into denial, saying the COVID -19 pandemic would be over by Easter. Not true. New York Governor Cuomo was more afraid of Trump’s criticism than the lives of nursing home patients. Instead of taking advantage of a Navy ship sent to accommodate covid-19 victims , Cuomo shipped them out of hospitals into nursing homes. What a mess. Locked up at home, we binged watched the internet, listening to our TV cable news station of choice. It was exhausting. Now that the pandemic is nearing the end, do yourself a favor. Quit thinking about politics.

Don’t predict the dire outcome of Biden’s presidency before it’s even started. Let it spin. There’s nothing you can do and if you believe you can foresee the state of the USA in 2024, you’re kidding yourself. Already, Trump is saying Biden’s first month was a disaster. No one can know at this point in time whether the Biden presidency will be a success. A lot can happen in four years. Looking back on the history of our country, who could have predicted Pearl Harbor? The 9/11 attack on the world trade center? . The 2008 recession? The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021?

This is what I know and believe: No matter who is elected as President, the United States of America is–and will remain—strong. . We are a nation of immigrants, with the courage to leave their native country, and the resilience to start a new life in spite of all the hardships they had to endure in a new land. Yes, some presidents do a better job than others. But: four years isn’t enough time to ruin all the marvelous things that we have achieved in the past four centuries.

So do yourself a favor. Return to school or work at home. Get some exercise. Play games. Take your family on a picnic. Have some fun. Turn off the news and enjoy your life.