Retire In Style Blog Too

I am pleased to have Susan Tolles as my guest blogger today. Susan is an Expert in Midlife Reinventions who inspires and equips women around the world to flourish inside and out. As a website creator, published author, speaker and life coach , Susan helps women celebrate and enrich their true inner and outer beauty as they age with grace and vitality. Her website FlourishOver50.com , viewed by thousands of women globally each month, provides the resources and tools to make the second half of their lives their best. Susan is a published author, contributing to the collaborative books Inspired Women Succeed   and  The Unstoppable Woman's Guide to Emotional Well-Being . Both are available on her websites or on Amazon. Susan lives in Austin, Texas, has been married for over 33 years and has three incredible children. She has worn many hats in her life and has personally experienced her own amazing midlife transformation, proving that it is never too late to discover your purpose ...

There is a standing joke here in the northwest corner of Oregon that all roads lead to Vernonia. I don't why that is so because let me tell you Vernonia is not the cultural center of the western world.  The small community lays claim to the only hardware store I know of that sells liquor and has a big sign in front to prove it.  Hardware and Liquor Store it says proudly.  I don't know about you but in my world power tools and liquor should not be combined even in a sentence.  But there it is...right at the end of main street in Vernonia. vernonia-ore.gov When you are traveling west toward the Pacific Ocean you can start in the center of Portland and make the decision which way you want to go...north along the Columbia River or a little further south on the Sunset Highway.  Either way you are going to see signs sending you to Vernonia.  It is just weird.  The little community has a main street about three blocks long, the beautiful Nahalem River runs ju...

Just when I begin to think I have a grip on who and what I am, someone like Mark Twain comes along and bursts my bubble.  It really makes it very hard to be me. Me at the Alacazaba, Spain, 2001 another innocent abroad! I have been reading Twain's Innocents Abroad  this last week.  I was prompted to do so after deciding to follow 1 Book in 140 Characters (#1book140) on twitter.  It is a book club for people from around the world.  Their last read was Mark Twain's book. Click image  The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress  is a  travel book  by American author  Mark Twain  published in 1869 which humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel  Quaker City  (formerly USS Quaker City ) through Europe and the  Holy Land  with a group of American travelers in 1867. It was the best selling of Twain's works during his lifetime and one of the best sell...

I am sorry but I have been married for 51 years and all of these years I truly  believed that the "housekeeping fairy" was going to come and clean up the mess.  Hence the mess!  Now I am 70 and fully aware that there is no such thing as a "housekeeping fairy".  My husband just told me night before last.  Imagine my disappointment.  I mean it was hard for him too...breaking the bad new and all but still, I am the one that really was shocked. After a little thought I had the courage to say, "Well, I guess we are going to have to share the chores around here. If the housekeeping fairy is not coming, someone is going to need to scrub toilets and clean up dishes."  It turns out, he does the yard/garage and I have been give a very special job.  I will be doing the fairy jobs from now on....darn! Giggle! b

Here is the thing...we are doing three jobs at once.  That sort of thing was hard 30 years ago but now we are in our 70's and it turns out nothing has changed!  It is still hard work. We are like butterflies flitting from bush to bush.  Maybe that explains why I am happy!  We are: Painting son's condo ceiling...big leak stained open floor plan lower level.  There is at least 700 square feet of surface.  Ceiling white did not cover with one coat.  It is a pain in the neck...a real pain in the neck.  Working on a flag stone patio.  It is half finished and stones are stacked waiting for us to finish the job.  Our new cork floor has arrived and the boxes are stored under our bed so they can warm up. My husband is measuring and planning.   Cinderella's Ballerina Slipper? GIFT ITEM FROM GIFT BOOMER NEW BLOG... GIFT BOOMER On top of all that, I have added two components to my blogging routine. A new blog was opened last week featuring not...

What does the logo symbolize? When I published the guest post from the 48-year-old guy that had received his first invitation to AARP, I wondered if AARP had lost its appeal.  While the organization has a huge political clout, the fact that they still look the same after all these years has me wondering...is AARP  moving too slow while the boomer generation drives by thumbing their collective noses at them?  Is the generation that rules the world declining their invitation to grow old? It is not so much what AARP does as how it looks and what it symbolizes.  Like the 48-year-old guy, anyone that gets the dreaded envelop holding the invitation to join, the appearance of the AARP logo has them thinking "I can't be old yet! I am only_____ years old."  Nature will not tolerate a vacuum and the one left by people turning away from a the "symbol" of AARP is going to be filled by a group that appeals to those people beginning the second part of their adulthood...they ...

Did I tell you that I needed to practice driving when I returned to Portland? It seems that my husband had driven all winter in Arizona and even when I do drive down there. it is very easy. Driving in the Portland Metro area is not. I told my children about this because I wanted them to know. It is a worry for me. I guess that is why this article on BlogHer hit a nerve. It was called Taking Away Mom's Keys.   The story went like this: Sandra Tyler is a writer and owns a blog called A Writer Weaves a Tale . Tyler wrote this morning about her mother. Her mother, age 93, was summoned to the Motor Vehicle Department because they felt the need to see if her driving skills were up to par. After being tested for her skills while driving, the elderly woman lost her license because her driving scared the tester so badly it made her ill. The old woman pleaded for her freedom to drive. "I don't go far. But I need to go up this block, turn right, then a left here to get my ma...

Me (in the blue t-shirt standing)  in Spain 2001...another innocent abroad! Well, just in case you were wondering, I did add @1book140 to my Twitter likes and downloaded the latest selection, Mark Twains  The Innocents Abroad  (published 1869), onto my Kindle...it cost me $0.  Now I am reading this hilarious story about a person going on a trans-Atlantic voyage to the Holy Land in what I visualize as a tin bucket ocean liner. Only an innocent sucker would have bought the speel given by the travel agent promoting the tour in the first place and it only gets better.  Mark Twain where ever you are, was that you? While we're talking about books... I have two other books on the Kindle that I am reading too.  Ann Tyler is one of my favorite authors so it is no surprise that I am reading  The Beginner's Goodbye . The book was chosen as one of Amazon's best for 2012. Ann Tyler's books are always a bit like reading a very grown up version of the children'...

We have a granddaughter graduating next month.  Thankfully we are near to her so we can celebrate this big occasion with our family.  We are very proud of her.  She has scored a big scholarship at Oregon State University so her financial load has been reduced significantly.  Now comes the big decisions about what gift to give.  That part is always hard. Free Postage Here is a little money saving tip for you...free postage!  If your graduation/Father's Day gift needs to travel across the miles, you know that the postage can be almost as much as the gift itself AND the post office can make getting it there very difficult.  (See earlier post.. The Post Office and Me )  Thankfully, all those bad post office days are behind me.  I am now a converted online shopper.  I even signed up to be an Amazon associate.  It seems that they provide free shipping on a lot of their items and even have a way to pay for a year's worth of shipping with ...

I saw something in my Retire In Style Daily News   that made me hyper ventilate.  It was story that was on twitter tday and had been put up by one the people I follow.   It seems a book club run by Jeff Howe , an assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University using twitter has over 64,000 members, never adjourns and has members all over the world.  He decided to begin the club by setting up a twitter account and inviting the world to choose a book to read and then share their thoughts chapter by chapter by tweeting to the world.  He formed a partnership with Atlantic magazine , chose a genre and let tweeters to nominate books.  The partnership then narrows the list down to 6 and the membership votes for their favorite.   The whole thing just fascinated me.  The idea that people from around the world would all read the same book and discuss their thoughts all using 140 characters is wonderful.  By talking about the book we a...

I don't know when you were out on a date with your spouse last but I bet you gave some thought to how you looked.  Just the word "date" conjures up images of a new dress or shoes.  It might even be the occasion that has you looking for a new hairdo or a day at the spa. This is what Turbotax had to say: Dating can be expensive. Whether you plan to go out on a simple date to see the latest movie like Battleship staring Rihanna or to a Lady Gaga concert, the price you pay to impress your date can set you back quite a bit.  Hopefully you held on to some of your  tax refund  if you plan to wine and dine that special someone, since a simple night out can cost you over $200.00 in some cities.  Check out our infographic to see how much a “(not so) cheap date” cost in cities around the world.   I loved this infographic.  Maybe we should rethink what we spend on clothes. Make that date pay for the good stuff instead. Smile! b

Huffington Post Article:   Help!  My Partner is Giving Our Life Savings Away. .. So at what age do your children outgrow the need for financial help? It may be older than you think. Recent research  indicates  that a whopping 93 percent of Americans who are a part of the baby boomer generation have provided some sort of financial help to their grown Gen X or Gen Y children. This is just to make you think.  When does the Parent's Check Book Voucher expire?  Are parents forever the go to people when things get tough?  Would things even get tough if there was no parental open checkbook...do children get in a financial bind because they know the parents will help them out?  You tell me. Barbara

Junk Cars Thank you for stopping by.  If you like what you read, beam me up on twitter, google+ etc.  It helps a lot! I write a blog online and I make a little money when people place ads in my sidebar for financial services or pay for a link to a business in a guest post.  In order to do what I do I belong to social websites like Linkedin , twitter and Facebook .  They are necessary.  As a result I get contacted by a wide variety of people that earn a living online. It is as though I own a store and they want to place their product on my shelves.  That is not what I expected to happen with this blog but that is how it has evolved. This morning I was contacted by two websites that were related in a small way.  They were both related to money...not big money, or insurance.  These websites are focused on people that love to have a little extra cash in their pockets.  One person owns a website called Dollar Stretcher .  This business...

No matter how steep the climb, it is not impossible! Sometimes an aging person needs to be reassured that taking a risk is worth the cost.  I have always worried about the cost to my children if I were to make a bad choice.  Would the risk be worth the resulting problem?  That is what a post written by Patrick Roden over at Aging in Place did for me.    The story was called The Up-side Risk of Aging in Place.   Dr. Roden   reminded me that life is a risk.  Young or old, we know that being alive and leaving our bed is risky. It always will be. Why is this on my mind today?  Well, my daughter's mother-in-law, Darlene, was moved into her home on Friday to live out the remaining days of her life.  She is suffering from cancer and in hospice care. She is 84 years old . But that is not the story. The story is about this beautiful woman that is blind, widowed for 35 years and independent.  Her son, now 50, is sharing his home with her beca...

Tech Soup Partners AARP recommends that we volunteer whenever possible.  I know that many retirees give time to their churches, schools and communities across the country.  If you are one of those people, here is something you may not have heard about.  There is an organization called Tech Soup that finds partners willing to donate technology nonprofits and libraries. At TechSoup , nonprofits and libraries can request and receive technology products donated by TechSoup partners, and they can find tech-focused content and community tuned to their needs. We're a nonprofit with a clear focus: to make it as easy as possible for other nonprofits and libraries to obtain and use the technologies they need to achieve their goals. As part of that mission, we provide access to over 400 products donated by more than 40 companies — including donor partners like Microsoft, Adobe , Cisco, Intuit , and Symantec.   Twitter:   https://twitter.com/#!/TechSoup I have been a follo...

Knowing what to get for Mother's Day can always be a problem. You cannot get the perfect gift until you ask yourself what your mother or grandmother is really like.  You are going to want a different gift for the active woman than you are for the aging grandmother.  One size does not fit all. My husband shared a picture a friend had sent him.  It was a family photo taken 60 years ago.  Front and center stood the grandmother in her dark suit, corsage at the shoulder, and sensible shoes.  The bun we could not see but knew was there was covered by a black hat and a veil. The stern look on her face told us that she was not to be trifled with and her face was sunken telling a tale of false teeth and yearning for corn on the cob. She was the quintessential grandmother of her era.  There are very few like her left in this day and age. My Mother and Father 51 years ago.  Times have changed! But what does a mother/grandmother look like today...is she working, r...

If you have a medical condition that requires frequent care, moving into a skilled nursing facility might be the best option for you. This type of setting can provide you with the medical supervision you need on a regular basis. You won’t have to worry about forgetting to take medications or falling if you have trouble getting around by yourself. You’ll always have someone there to make sure that you get the best care possible. When you visit facilities that you’re interested in, it’s important to look for certain things before making your final decision. Look at how the skilled nursing facility is set up. Many have a central nursing station and dining area, as well as shared bedrooms and bathrooms. If you prefer a more personal setting with a cozier environment, look for facilities that offer private rooms and bathrooms. Some facilities are also designed for smaller groups instead of one large group. These typically have smaller communal areas and private kitchens or dining areas. Mak...

Z : I've got to believe there's something out there better than this. Otherwise I'll just curl up into a larval position and weep.  Quote from Antz My husband shares his house with me, a cat named RV and a million tiny black sugar ants.  He will let the cat and I stay but the ants...I think not. I just want them to go away and not cost us a lot of money.  Am I asking too much? As ants go, these are not the worst I have every lived with.  We had big black wood ants in our last house...the kind that eat walls and trees.  At least these are small, black and can hide fast.  We hardly even notice they are there unless they are crawling on our skin.  Which brings me to the important question of the day...how do you get rid of these little creepy crawly little critters?  We have cleaned counters, under the counter and places that have never been cleaned.  We have spread anti-ant crystals around the outside of the house and I vacuum more than is real...

I laughed when Blue Orchid wrote the guest blog about receiving his AARP invitation when he was 48 years old.  His decision to pass on the kind offer seemed right considering his age, how long we will live, and the cheesy gift AARP was offering.  But I laughed even harder when my husband got his invitation in the newspaper this last Sunday....he is 74!  Did the invitation get lost in the mail?  You know, a person could get their feelings hurt. The dreaded symbol of getting old! The benefits are the same as those offered Blue Orchid...an insulated travel bag in red (AARP color) that is suppose to tip the scales toward the option to send $14 for membership.  Even though that included the $4.03 subscription to AARP The Magazine and a free insulated bag we have made our decision that we are not ready to join yet...maybe when we get old but just not yet. Blue Orchid of Texas , I think we will just hang out with you and your Studio30  friends for a while longer...

As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along. Eleanor Roosevelt Read more   There are two sides to every coin. There is not a right side nor is there any wrong side.  Just two sides...opposite and equal.  The coin I tossed in the air this week was the one with work (for financial gain) on one side and play on the other.  Here is how it went... I have always know that I do things because I can see a reward of some kind.  I clean because I like the satisfaction of a task completed.  I plant flowers because I love flowers in bloom.  I take care of my grandchildren and children because I love them.  And I write this blog because it is a way that I can express myself creatively.  All of these things are much like eating my dinner...I need them to feed myself in some way.  But I ask myself occasionally about how much is fun and when does it become like a job I don't want to do. The yard can become a chore, too much ...