There is one book about retirement that I keep handy and look at almost every week. It is entitled 101 Secrets for a GREAT RETIREMENT by Mary Helen and Shuford Smith. One of the dog eared pages is on number one hundred – Become wise. One of the things old people are supposed to be is wise but to tell you the truth I have a way to go on that topic. I think I am more in the process of growing wise than the end result. Here are some of the words found on that secret. The heart of … Continue reading Become Wise…

I am going to admit up front that I am going to pull a “sneaky” here. That is I am going to use some data in a way the author never intended. I can just hear you say “I am so surprised, that has never been done before!” Okay, okay you are not really doing that. More likely you are not terribly surprised as this sort of thing happens all the time. But anyway here goes. As the title ( I added the “or not”) indicates the originator of this graph intended it to shock us into the action he … Continue reading The Risk of Growing Entitlement Spending (or not)…

Yvonne and I have been here several times so we have many pictures of Pleasant Hill. It is one of our favorite historic villages. Continue reading Pleasant Hill KY – October 2002

I spent today housebound recuperating from my recent rib fracture so I had a lot of time on my hands. Much of it has been spent sprucing up my various blogs. This one got a new header and captions. During my hours at my computer today I glanced at the penny on my desk.  I don’t know why it is there but it got me to thinking about the phrase used as the title of this post. E pluribus unum is latin for “One of Many”. No, I couldn’t read that phrase on the penny, my eyes are not that good anymore, … Continue reading E pluribus unum

We were one of the unfortunate States to be hit with the recent ice storm. Even four days after the event everything is still coated! To make matters worse I fell and fractured some ribs so I will be laid up for quite some time. Continue reading Ice Storm…..

No, I’m not talking about some new cocktail here I am talking about the ice storm that recently raced across the U.S. For this particular senior the combination is very unpleasant indeed!  One of the results of my deafness is that I have no sense of balance anymore. I cannot walk in the dark as my brain needs some reference point. The balance mechanism in my ears don’t do that anymore. So, long story short I took a serious spill on the ice this week and cracked some ribs. This is not the first time so I knew what to expect and … Continue reading Ice and Seniors Don’t Mix….

Ok, how many of your old married guys thought of your wife when you read the BC comic above? Come on now fess up.  After twenty five years of marriage one thing I have come to the conclusion about is that women think they were placed on this earth to “fix” the men they married. According to my wife I need a lot of fixing. :) It is a long term process so after twenty five years she is only just now getting started. Another thing I have found out after many years is that most wives don’t think they … Continue reading Ah Perfection…….

Just me and my hubby during our visit to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It was fun to wade in water which in a few months would end up in the Gulf of Mexico. Continue reading Itasca State Park, MN – 2005

While I was doing my usual volunteer thing at the local soup kitchen a few weeks ago I mentioned something to the folks there. Well it seems that my story is making the rounds there now so I thought I would talk a little about it here. Now that I am in my senior years my morning prayers seem to be more frequent and more focused. I think my warranty expired when I turned sixty as now almost every part of my body seems to be going haywire!  I have had more tests in the last four years than I have in … Continue reading Thanks God….

Rep. Kucinich Sues Over Olive Pit In Sandwich ANDREW MIGA, Associated Press January 26, 2011 WASHINGTON — Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio is suing a congressional cafeteria for dental damage he says he suffered after biting into an olive pit in a sandwich wrap he bought there. Kucinich’s attorney, Andrew Young, declined to comment Wednesday on the lawsuit seeking $150,000 in damages from companies involved with the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria. A spokesman in Kucinich’s congressional office also declined to comment. The civil suit filed earlier this month in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia said the … Continue reading Ohhh, the pain and suffering!!!

  Just your typical well used Midwestern barn Continue reading Wisconsin–October 2009

  I think this is my favorite shot of all the pictures we took on the Grand Canyon. We couldn’t get to the North Rim as it was snowed in the week we were there. Planning another trip back maybe this year or next. Continue reading Grand Canyon–December 2005

  This picture was taken from our front porch of our neighbor’s barn. I think this barn inspired us to take pictures of others. Continue reading Owen County Indiana–January 2004

  This was taken during our trip to Peoria and Bishop Hill in central Illinois. Central Illinois is flat, flat, flat. But I guess that makes for good farms. Continue reading Peoria, IL–Dec 2008

  With winter in full force now I need to bring out some pictures to remind me that Spring will eventually get here. This picture was taken in 1993 showing all the daylilies at the end of my veggie garden inside the fence. Those flowers are probably what Yvonne misses the most about our home in Fishers Indiana. Continue reading Is Spring Around the Corner?

The first words of this article caught my attention today.  Let’s pull a few quotes from the article; they are in blue below. If you want to see the original article by Anthony Schlaff click on the link at the bottom of this post. “If traffic lights were invented today, the Republican Party would be against them. After all, aren’t traffic lights a perfect symbol for government imposition on individual freedom? The government takes our money to build and maintain them, and then uses them to tell us when we can stop and when we can go.” If I didn’t … Continue reading If Traffic Lights were Invented Today the Republican Party would be against them….

  I seem to have always had a garden, except for the college years. This one is probably my pride and joy. It had plenty of sun, rich soil, and a fence to keep out the crittters. I was forced to leave it 4 years later due to moving to New Jersey to fill out my pension. And for those who wander no I don’t think New Jersey tomatoes hold a candle to those raised in the MidWest. Continue reading My Pride & Joy –June 1992

  This picture was taken at the Henry Ford  Deerborn Village in 1992. I know the think (whatever it is) in the foreground is distracting but it is the only shot I took of the front of the store. Continue reading Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop–April 1992

  We spent several hours cruising around the back roads of Northern Wisconsin just south of Green Bay.We took about 60 pictures on this day. Continue reading Northern Wisconsin – October 2010

  Took this shot yesterday as I was taking Beulah, our Basset Hound, for a walk around our homestead. We have about six inches of snow on the ground so Yvonne is in seventh heaven (whatever that means)  Continue reading Snow in the Oaks…

A little over a year ago the Republicans were screaming about the bailout of the auto industry.  The Republicans scream about almost everything so I guess that is no biggie. But it is ironic that less then two years later they are filling their portfolios with the very stock they rallied against. Back in the days when I studied economics, which was before the MBA craze, it was commonly believed that corporations were  founded on the principle of a three legged stool. When the three legs were of equal length the company was stable and worth putting in your portfolio. … Continue reading About the Bailout…..

  Perhaps one of the most famous barns in America. Everything by the Shakers impresses me with its attention to detail. The inside of this barn is awesome! Hands to Work – Hearts to God. Continue reading Hancock Village Barn, NY–May 1998

  Yeah, this is a photo of the original picture by Grant Wood. It looks just like all the copies Continue reading Art Institute of Chicago–Dec 2010

  This was a day well spent. Make your you also visit his labs in Menlo Park. Interesting stuff there. Continue reading Edison’s Home in Menlo Park, NJ–August 1997

  Continue reading Parke County Indiana July 1999

  Continue reading Utility Barn – Oct 2010

Took this picture on the way to Chicago during Christmas week. The prairies of Northern Illinois and Indiana are a bleak scene in the snow months. I thought this picture was beautiful and sad at the same time. Continue reading A Bleak Winter Prairie – Dec 2010

The debate about class sizes has gone on for decades. Some say there are too many kids in one class and some say otherwise.  When I was in Catholic grade school decades ago there were usually about 30 40 kids in each classroom.  I think it is much lower than that today but I’m not sure.  But, I do know that I believed I got more than enough of the teacher’s attention even with that class size. In those days those nuns had a tendency to wrap knuckles with a ruler if you didn’t meet up with their expectations!  I got my … Continue reading Smaller Class Sizes…