Older Drivers, Wrecks and Keeping my Grandchildren Safe!

Image via WikipediaMy grandson was in a wreck. His mother's VW Jetta was totaled. He is sore but not permanently damaged. The other driver was at fault and was given a ticket. My Grandson did not get a ticket. He is 17 and the other driver is 86. We can only hope that this lady had good insurance on her car.

WHO SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT
This post is about two worlds colliding. We all worry about our teens and how they will handle a world of speed, traffic and danger. A child is so precious. They do grow up and want to look grown up. That is where cars come into play. Other than sex, I suppose parents worry more about their teen driver than anything else. A parent and grandparent's worst nightmare is having the child be in a wreck. But, as this wreck leads us to believe, maybe it is not the teen driver we should be worrying about. Maybe it is the grandparent driver.

DO THE RULES APPLY TO YOU?
If you are a senior driver, I think the rules of the road apply especially to you. Drinking and driving is a BIG no no. Good insurance is a must. There is even senior citizen car insurance and AARP provides for part of your insurance needs. Losing your abilities to drive safely and do all those things involved in driving means you will loose your right to drive. That is not good. But in so many cases it saves the world from accidents.

GOLF CARTS?
On The Sunday Morning show today they featured a story about The Villages in Florida. It seems seniors are turning to the reliable, safer golf cart when they are denied a driver's license. Those people that live in retirement communities buy fancy carts and drive them on streets designed for golf carts.

BOOMERS GETTING OLDER
In the world of the boomer we are finding that an aging population is creating problems we have not even thought about. Golf carts are not allowed on city streets or freeways. Older drivers in high traffic areas with ever changing types of traffic signals and patterns are a danger to everyone. The younger people in Florida have been talking about snowbirds for years. Retirees attached to oxygen tanks are peering through the steering wheel to see the road. Younger people are frightened by the thought of what might happen if one of these retirees should wander into their lane of traffic. My grandson is a testament to what can happen.

WHAT ARE WE TO DO
Getting old is bad enough. Slowing responses to emergency situations and limited mobility/vision/mental capacity can be a real problem. But no car???? Talk about a shrinking world! But there are things we can do:

Learn to use public transportation.
Budget for a taxi.
Learn about senior citizen buses.
Live in a place close to public transportation or in a community with services nearby.
Be social with neighbors...the need to be out on the road will be greatly reduced.
Walk...it's good for you.
If you must drive, do it earlier in the day when you are more alert.

It is just a thought!

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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