Sherry, Author at Living Life Retired (LLR)

Key items to help make a widow’s life a little easier

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 by Sherry

The Ultimate Survival Guide for New Widows

These 10 items will make your transition easier

by Laurie Burrows Grad

August 24, 2016

“Sorry widowers, this one’s for the ladies.

When Peter died, I had to face the practical aspects of living alone. I had to change light bulbs, hang pictures and open jars by myself. So I devised a list of key items for widows to keep on hand to make their lives easier. Here are 10 of them:

1. A secure step ladder: A woman who lives alone surely needs a secure step ladder. Invest wisely and use your coupons at Bed Bath & Beyond to get the top-of-the-line ladder. Be honest. How many times have you stepped on a chair instead of a step ladder and almost taken a nose dive? More than one I bet! Be safe please!

2. Tap lights: I live in Los Angeles where earthquakes are common so I always keep a tap light in every room of the house in case of a power outage. They also double as great toddler toys.

3. A screw driver: This item is a must for every household but particularly helpful for single women. Color me so proud. I just put my new license plates on my car by myself with this nifty little sucker.

4. EZ Moves Furniture Moving System: When you have to move heavy furniture, simply lift, place, and slide the item. It’s a dolly that doesn’t take up space and can be used for a variety of household chores. OK, it doesn’t help with my bad back, but just think how you can keep your chiropractor in business? (In the interest of truth, I have never used it, but it does look great in my garage).”

“Who is going to get what you leave behind?”

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 by Sherry

“The Best Bequest”

#84-09
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on October 30, 2016
By Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Copyright 2016 Lutheran Hour Ministries

“Although it is not strictly mandatory from a legal point of view, novels and films have taught us that a person’s last Will and Testament really ought to begin with the words, “I (and then you insert your whole name) being of sound mind and body, do hereby bequeath to (and then you list who gets what). Now that phrase has always caused me a problem. Since many wills are written when a person’s physical condition has deteriorated to the point where they expect the grim reaper to come calling any minute, how can they say they are in ‘sound body.’ So, rather than wondering, I went to one of my lawyer friends and asked him. He laughed and told me that the expression is not a medical one; it is merely a statement that the individual is capable of making the decisions which follow in the rest of the document.

Rockers prove you’re never “Too Old to Rock ‘N’ Roll”

November 7, 2016November 3, 2016 by Sherry

Rolling Stones perform Desert Trip — rollingstone.com

On October 7th, legendary rockers Mick Jagger (73) with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan (75) kicked off a three-day music festival, The Desert Trip, in California. Saturday featured Paul McCartney (74) and Neil Young (70). Roger Waters (73) from Pink Floyd and The Who (Roger Daltrey, 72 and Pete Townsend, 71) played on Sunday. Rolling Stone magazine writer Steve Appleford reported the “festival’s unprecedented musical summit…is a gathering of historic headliners with rich catalogs of hits and groundbreaking work that has influenced several generations of music-makers. All the players at Desert Trip remain among the top live acts, despite time and age that have left many of their contemporaries behind.” Read more

“‘Tonight we’re not going to do any age jokes or anything, OK? Welcome to the Palm Springs retirement home for gentle English musicians,’ Jagger joked early on of the fest that has been called ‘Oldchella’ and worse. He was prepared to prove otherwise.”

A box marked “personal” and accomplishing life goals

November 7, 2016October 31, 2016 by Sherry

Have you accomplished your life goals?

Recently, I rummaged through a dusty old cardboard box marked “personal” looking for a couple of family obituaries I cut out of the newspaper years ago. I wanted to add the obituary information to my online family tree. In that old beat up box I found a faded, thin, pink booklet titled My Wonderful Mama written by my daughter as a young girl. Inside the laminated, construction paper cover was near perfect printing in pencil on lined notebook paper.

The story told in this booklet began with a biography of me, followed by my “most outstanding memories (from) school” which included winning a number one rating in girls glee and in full choir at a state-wide competition. It included my worst school subject (geometry) and my favorite (social studies).

The handwritten page in that little brad-bound booklet which struck me the most was the page she wrote about my “many goals as an adult.” My daughter wrote, “They are:

To make the world a better place for kids.
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To advocate for kids.
To hold public office.
To improve public education.
To get a college degree.
Have a family and be a great mama.
To be a great gardener.
To have a kid.
To be on a board of a non-profit organization.”

There they were, my life goals from my 20’s, staring up at me from the page.

Funeral planning for one last party

November 7, 2016October 31, 2016 by Sherry

Occasionally, some of my lady friends (most over the age of 65) and I meet at the corner of the street in our quiet little neighborhood. One day this summer, I was telling Flora and Lee about working on my will and funeral arrangements. I shared with them that I thought funeral planning should be done with friends, kind of like the old Tupperware parties, with door prizes and snacks to make it more enjoyable. We discussed cremation vs. burial and how I wanted my family to have a party to celebrate my life when I died. Then Lee told me she had an interesting article she wanted me to read which discussed that very idea. Here it is:

Image result for funeral images — huffingtonpost.co.uk

Planning for one last party

by Valerie McCullough for the Loveland Reporter-Herald

August 4, 2016

“How does one go about planning their own funeral?

That’s my question.

I’m perfectly healthy now, but when I read the obits of people decades younger than me, I realize it’s time to sketch some plans.

The actuarial table tells me I will live nine more years. I don’t know how they come up with these figures. I can’t imagine I have so many years left.

Besides in nine more years my mind may be too addled to plan anything.

On the other hand, another two years would be nice, so I can tear up the terrible cellphone contract I just signed

But if I live too long, the warranties on my two knee replacements will expire before I do.

So there’s no perfect time to die. But, trust me, it’ll happen. To all of us.

Our four daughters find my funeral planning ghoulish, but I know it will be easier on everyone to have plans in place ahead of time.” Read more

According to the Funeral and Memorial Information Council, “In 2015, 69 percent of adults over the age of 40 indicated they would prefer to pre-arrange their own service; however, only 17 percent had made arrangements.”

Advocate for your health care

November 7, 2016October 31, 2016 by Sherry

Hands of an older woman in the hospital — khn.org

How to fight for yourself at the hospital – and avoid readmission

by Judith Graham for Kaiser Health News

September 1, 2016

“Everything initially went well with Barbara Charnes’ surgery to fix a troublesome ankle. But after leaving the hospital, the 83-year-old soon found herself in a bad way.

Dazed by a bad response to anesthesia, the Denver resident stopped eating and drinking. Within days, she was dangerously weak, almost entirely immobile and alarmingly apathetic.

‘I didn’t see a way forward; I thought I was going to die, and I was OK with that,’ Charnes remembered, thinking back to that awful time in the spring of 2015.

Her distraught husband didn’t know what to do until a longtime friend — a neurologist — insisted that Charnes return to the hospital.

That’s the kind of situation medical centers are trying hard to prevent. When hospitals readmit aging patients more often than average, they can face stiff government penalties.

But too often institutions don’t take the reality of seniors’ lives adequately into account, making it imperative that patients figure out how to advocate for themselves.”

Online dating scam – catfishing

November 7, 2016October 27, 2016 by Sherry

Ever been a victim of an online dating scam? I have, twice. A neighbor told me to watch the MTV show called Catfish and I would learn all about it. I did and was shocked people could be so cruel. The Urban Dictionary defines it as, “Having a fake Facebook profile, images and avatar in order to lure people to have romantic feelings.” Read the following article from the NextAvenue.org website for more information.

Flood of Romance Scams Defrauds Older Victims

One recent case is a textbook example of a crook posing as a loving boyfriend

by Steve Baker

September 26, 2016

“Behind the headlines about online romance scams victimizing older women and men lie true stories with real victims and perpetrators.

A recent case in point: Olayinka Sunmola, a Nigerian citizen operating out of South Africa who posted fake profiles on a variety of dating sites, including Plenty of Fish, eHarmony and Match, to lure women. When representing himself, he used the real pictures of other people, often masquerading as an officer in the U.S. armed forces. Sunmola claimed he was widowed with a child, and a practicing Christian with a strong faith.

Anatomy of a Scam

After finding victims online, Sunmola, 33, quickly moved them off the dating sites to communicate through Yahoo chat, and attempted to explain his slight accent by claiming he was originally born in Italy or Greece. He spent weeks or months developing relationships with his victims, many of whom lived in Missouri or Illinois. Sunmola often sent them gifts such as flowers or chocolates, and then asked for small sums of money for supposed minor emergencies in order to test the waters with them.

The women were convinced they had found their true love and soul mate. In most cases, Sunmola assured them that they would be married in the near future.”

C. Steven Baker recently retired as director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Midwest Region in Chicago, a position he has held since 1988.

Key items to help make a widow’s life a little easier

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