The Slippery Slope

It's been nearly a year since I started this blog. I've only made three postings in that time. Too busy doing too many things and achieving nothing.

I was amused by a couple of comments on my past posts. I thank them for their wisdom, but I have no intention of buying penny stocks, getting another college degree, or raising cedar trees for profit. I intend to learn how to manage with what I have - NOW. We are not alone. I hope to have good news to spread among others in our predicament.

We'll work with what we have. I have a lucite cane I painted with stars and stripes. If I'm going to need a cane, I might as well enjoy it. People liked it. So, to keep Cor out of my kitchen, we bought several wooden canes which he decorated with Christmas doo-dads, Good Luck icons, cute bugs, etc.

A relative asked if he could paint her a cane with lighthouses on it, and so, we started on our fumbling way. I used to have a pie basket, but it was lost in our perpetual shuffle. We found a new one at a local gift shop. The price was out of our range. We decided to buy it however, put a lighthouse on it and as the saying goes, "Send it up the flagpole and see if she flies."

She flew! A friend saw it and wanted to buy one for his wife for Christmas, but our light, Colchester Reef in Lake Champlain, meant nothing to her. Presto! "The Lighthouse of Your Choice" was born! We are boaters, so had an extensive photo gallery to draw from. We also appreciated the mysteries, both fact and fiction, of lighthouses and their occupants. Writing a concise history for each house was a surmountable challenge.

The next sale was of the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge on the Hudson River. This was great fun as we nearly ran our boat on the rocks trying to get a unique view of it. But hey! Anything for the job, right? What a shot! It pans across the river to show the Palisades in the background, not the New York shore. This was followed by Edgartown, Boston Light, Brant Point, Penfield, Cape Lookout, Minot, to name a few. Each basket had the history of the light laminated onto the inside cover. It was fun! We've branched into smaller things now; child's stools, boxes, etc. - lower priced.

But that's beside the point of this blog....I needed to answer a question for myself: How do old* people like us maintain their health, humor and honor while the world swirls by.

Have you ever noticed that convenience stores, those that people can walk to, are expensive? Of course, they don't have the buying power of the supermarkets. Recently, we paid $5.00 for a pound of butter that cost $1.74 at the super. You might ask, "Why do you buy butter?" and I might answer, "Because every once in a blue moon, I treat myself to some fresh cookies made with REAL butter, REAL brown sugar and REAL oatmeal." So, there!

We've had some health issues lately that have spurred me into thinking about nutrition and how to afford healthy food. I have kept an accounting of what I've spent on food for the past several years (thank you Quicken.) I didn't have a budget - too late for that after you've eaten it. But now I will track the categories and see where I can cut while maintaining variety and nutrition. It will be tough. Two years ago, I spent 33 cents a pound for bananas; now it's 59 cents. Little crocks of oleo were 99 cents; now $1.47.

We are lucky. Cor retired from the Bell system in 1974 - 32 years ago! They are among the Good Guys, and have kept the pension coming, but in 1974 dollars. The biggest benefit they give is medical, prescription, and dental insurance. No big deal ten years ago, but it keeps us floating now. The wolf is close enough that I have great empathy for those who must chose between drugs and food. The crisis is REAL, just like my REAL cookies.

I've whimpered enough for now...time to look for the answers. In the meantime, we can't wait to finish the lease on our PT Cruiser and get a smaller, energy efficient car. I don't think paying a lot for good mileage is a sound bet for us. We don't drive that much and would probably never make up the difference in gas savings.

Thanks for listening. I'll be back sometime soon (-er or later. I procrastinate too.)

*I am old. I was told so. A few years ago, we visited a childhood friend in Vermont. She kindly gave a cocktail party and invited several people we hadn't seen in years. We were all standing around when her sister-in-law walked in the door, looked me squarely in the eye, and said, "You're old." The room went silent. I wish I'd been able to come up with any of the bon mots I've thought of since then. I just stood, stunned, as did everyone else. Ah, well. It's all relative.

If you would like to see Cor's lighthouses, click this link: http://www.lighthouses-4-sale.com