Navigating senior years.

Donstar · December 12, 2024

1 hour ago, customboss said:

All this planning based on how we work today or our images of that. Wait till the brain and memory go, the hands don't work, the smoking 40 years ago comes to roost, prostate gets to be size of a basketball, eyes, gone, hearing and tinnutis raging. The knees hips ankles lock. You'll be someone elses ward then. I am embracing it as the crazy cup half full idiot I have always been. Bring it on!

Well said! When my parents were dealing with issues like these, I supported them in a manner based on my my understanding and experience of the day. Now that I'm living with some of the challenges they were facing at the time, I would do some things differently.

Donstar · December 13, 2024

I ordered a battery power station to operate my cpap and other items during future power outages. These are tough to shop for as there are so many sizes and configurations available. Now I'm looking at solar panels to charge my new power station! In the case of both the battery packs and solar panels, the prices creep up in increments that tempt you to buy the next size up! I started looking to power my cpap and soon started looking to add enough power to run my coffee pot. For a little more, I can run my modem and charge my phone! Last night a news item about the homeless getting very cold appeared on my 65" TV which I'm wondering if it should have backup power... It is so sad that I'm looking to protect myself from an interruption in my daily comforts while so many are looking for relief from everyday life of going without basic needs. I need to upgrade my charitable donations more than backup power for my non-essentials!

KARNUT · December 13, 2024

38 minutes ago, Donstar said:

I ordered a battery power station to operate my cpap and other items during future power outages. These are tough to shop for as there are so many sizes and configurations available. Now I'm looking at solar panels to charge my new power station! In the case of both the battery packs and solar panels, the prices creep up in increments that tempt you to buy the next size up! I started looking to power my cpap and soon started looking to add enough power to run my coffee pot. For a little more, I can run my modem and charge my phone! Last night a news item about the homeless getting very cold appeared on my 65" TV which I'm wondering if it should have backup power... It is so sad that I'm looking to protect myself from an interruption in my daily comforts while so many are looking for relief from everyday life of going without basic needs. I need to upgrade my charitable donations more than backup power for my non-essentials!

I do that through my church and food bank. Be careful with any kind of donations. They sell your info. Pretty soon your email will be blowing up for requests.

Grumpy Bear · December 13, 2024

On 10/12/2024 at 4:11 PM, customboss said:

We all, geezers, have that relationship. We are entertaining and some reader might learn something.

I'm the short good looking one. :crackup:

Donstar · December 15, 2024

On 12/13/2024 at 6:39 AM, Grumpy Bear said:

I'm the short good looking one.

Yes, almost all of us are short and good looking! I grew a beard this fall and now I find myself even less distinguishable! I use to tease my wife that she was impossible to find when we become separated in Costco because she blends in with all of the other senior ladies. Now my balding head and full white beard is a perfect disguise for me. Hohoho I muse with her if one of us accidently took the wrong person home, how long would it take to notice?

KARNUT · December 15, 2024

I record most shows. I record On patrol live as a filler if I’m waiting between shows. Last night I was watching a show where police came upon a stolen car parked in a driveway. The owner had tracked it. They knocked on the door and old gentleman came walking out. They asked about the car in the driveway. He explained it was a loaner as his car was in the shop. Producing the keys he had keys to a different car. He had just returned from a CVS and got into the wrong car and drove it home. The owner who by then showed up at the house had admitted she left her keys in the car. Both the loner and her car had push button start. She was running into the store didn’t think anything of leaving the keys in the car. Both being close in color he didn’t notice anything being both cars were new to him. The lady took him to get his loaner at the CVS, no charges were filed.

customboss · December 15, 2024

2 hours ago, Donstar said:

Yes, almost all of us are short and good looking! I grew a beard this fall and now I find myself even less distinguishable! I use to tease my wife that she was impossible to find when we become separated in Costco because she blends in with all of the other senior ladies. Now my balding head and full white beard is a perfect disguise for me. Hohoho I muse with her if one of us accidently took the wrong person home, how long would it take to notice?

I relate. No one pays attention to my overalls or campaign cover because I’m grey and have a cane! I think I’ll transition to onesies like Winston Churchill wore.

customboss · December 15, 2024

40 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I record most shows. I record On patrol live as a filler if I’m waiting between shows. Last night I was watching a show where police came upon a stolen car parked in a driveway. The owner had tracked it. They knocked on the door and old gentleman came walking out. They asked about the car in the driveway. He explained it was a loaner as his car was in the shop. Producing the keys he had keys to a different car. He had just returned from a CVS and got into the wrong car and drove it home. The owner who by then showed up at the house had admitted she left her keys in the car. Both the loner and her car had push button start. She was running into the store didn’t think anything of leaving the keys in the car. Both being close in color he didn’t notice anything being both cars were new to him. The lady took him to get his loaner at the CVS, no charges were filed.

You just gave me a cool idea when I go to a local airport. Just need to find a Bell JetRanger with key it.

Donstar · December 15, 2024

My father's new '61 Chevrolet had the removable key feature and he typically left it the unlock position. He quit using this convenience after he was parked near an identical car that was owned by a person who also left his ignition unlocked. My Dad discovered he had picked the wrong car when on his way home and was able to switch back unnoticed.

Donstar · December 19, 2024

I used my new battery powered backup for a trial run with my CPAP equipment last night. It surpassed my expectations. Battery technology has come a long way in our lifetime! Most reading this will remember using their tongue to test the strength of the 9v battery in their transistor radios! I wonder what our grandchildren will say to their grandchildren to make them giggle about the olden days!

Edited December 19, 2024 by Donstar

Donstar · December 20, 2024

A friend of my young neighbour took his first formal driving lesson after several hours behind the wheel of his father's Tesla. Apparently this lad's first driving experiences were with a vehicle set to one pedal operation and the complexity of stopping the gas powered instructor's car created some anxiety. I'm still grieving over the loss of my third pedal!

Silverado4x4 · December 20, 2024

On 12/19/2024 at 8:14 AM, Donstar said:

I used my new battery powered backup for a trial run with my CPAP equipment last night. It surpassed my expectations. Battery technology has come a long way in our lifetime! Most reading this will remember using their tongue to test the strength of the 9v battery in their transistor radios! I wonder what our grandchildren will say to their grandchildren to make them giggle about the olden days!

Wow that brought back memories as I did that and you could really tell the difference between a new 9v and almost dead 9v.

KARNUT · December 20, 2024

4 minutes ago, Silverado4x4 said:

Wow that brought back memories as I did that and you could really tell the difference between a new 9v and almost dead 9v.

My memory was my uncle telling me to hold on to the spark plug on the lawnmower while he pulled the rope. I never trusted him again.

KARNUT · December 20, 2024

I’m just a few months away from being retired 11 years, just had my 69th birthday. My brother had scolded me from not visiting the shop in awhile the guys were asking about me, aww. So as I was pulling up on Wednesday all the latest hot trucks were lined up. The last five years before I left I had the beast. You had to modify your own. Ten years before that my brother had a Banks Ram diesel. That was a bad rig. I thought I had him when I bought the trailblazer ss. Not a chance. He just click to level 6. So they all were represented. Shelby Super Snake, TRX, Raptor R and a couple of dealer installed Roush kits on Fords. I asked my brother how’s does it feel to be king of the hill again. He laughed. The cheapest rig of the bunch holds the crown. After regular cab F-150 4x4 work truck with the dealer installed Roush kit is king. It was 52K drive out. He was sitting in the lunch room with a big smile. My wife gets nervous when I visit the shop. Worried I’ll get back in that game. Not to worry I say, to rich for me. Of course it makes me wonder. How much laughing gas could that old Z-66 handle?

Silverado4x4 · December 20, 2024

2 hours ago, KARNUT said:

My memory was my uncle telling me to hold on to the spark plug on the lawnmower while he pulled the rope. I never trusted him again.

Well I can relate to that, I don't remember what age I was but my mom and dad bought there first gas grill in the early 70s I think, I was helping my dad put it together while my dad was connecting the spark igniter I had the other end with the push button I didn't know what it was so I started pushing it several times man did the bad words come out his mouth my mom came outside to see what was going on, I do remember her turning around and laughing but not out loud.

Edited December 20, 2024 by Silverado4x4