EAT AT THE LIBRARY –
Posted: September 1, 2017 Filed under: geezerTips, geezerTrips, Uncategorized | Tags: libraries, restaurants Leave a comment »I am always looking for new and interesting places to eat; and, as you know, I am a fan of libraries wherever I travel. I have frequently eaten, or had coffee, at libraries in Tucson, Albuquerque, Largo, FL and other places, but these were simple snacks.
This week my granddaughter started college in Massachusetts and on her way, she and her parents went to the Tea Room at the Boston Public Library.
I urge you to expand your view of libraries on your trips to include any eating places. This one looks as good, or better than, the restaurants in major museums around the world.
Tea Room at the Boston Public Library.
THINK OLD!
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SIMPLE TAX FILING FOR SENIORS
Posted: July 24, 2017 Filed under: geezerFinance, SIMPLICITY, Uncategorized | Tags: finance, simple, tax, tax returns Leave a comment »I collect all my tax records in a bucket along with any other documents that I might need for the previous year.
Most old people I know keep their tax records in various piles in various places complete with envelopes. (Why individuals save envelopes, I don’t know.) The main filing place is usually the kitchen table where they are moved around at meal time and frequently fall on the floor. As a result, they can’t find anything when it comes time to file. Remember, a good trash can is invaluable to an old person.
Record keeping is simple for most old people who don’t have a business.
- A bucket in which you throw all relevant bills, bank statements, social security statements, credit card statements, tax refund notices, mortgage statements, etc. NO ENVELOPES!!!
- If you need something, sort through the bucket.
- At the end of the year you take last year’s tax return, or a copy, remove the staple and note all the blanks that contain information. ie social security income received.
- You go through the bucket and paper-clip each item to the relevant part of last year’s tax return. All charitable contributions are paper-clipped to the charitable contributions section; all income 1099 forms are paper clipped to the income section.
- You fill in the current years information in red pen on last year’s return.
- You track down the information for the items that you don’t have documents for. ie a missing 1099.
- You add the items in the bucket that don’t appear on last year’s return if they are relevant.
- You take last year’s tax return with all the documents attached to your tax preparer, or you fill out the new return with the information.
- You put a new label on the bucket, add a copy of the 2017 tax return and forget about it until the end of 2018.
- You file the return and attach last year’s return with the paper-clipped documents attached to your copy of this years return and put it in a safe place in case you are ever audited.
The result is all the information is in one place and you, or your children or guardian, can instantly access whatever is needed for the previous year. If you are audited, everything you need to support your return is attached to your copy. If you die, your heirs can simply go the bucket and get needed information.
THINK OLD!
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TRAVELING WHILE OLD – 12 Senior Tips!
Posted: July 22, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »There are a number of things to take into consideration when traveling while old; whether domestically or internationally.
- TRANSPORTATION TO AIRPORT: swap out rides with a neighbor unless it is early or late. I never trust my older neighbors to wake up or hear the alarm early in the morning. Old people go to bed early at night and don’t like to drive distances (to airport) after dark. Get an on-line parking coupon and drive yourself; or use UBER.
- BAGS: You don’t need a lot and you will have to wheel your luggage and/or hoist it into a bin (Unless, of course, you take the wheelchair option). Check your bag and mark it with something bright so you can identify it. An easy, cheap tag is the one used for cruise ships which is 3 x 6 inches and has room for whatever you need to identify your bag.
- AIRLINES: I use Southwest whenever I can because I can cancel up to ten minutes before take-off and can use the money for another trip. Southwest also has Senior Fares which you can get a few days before the trip. (Good for funerals, or emergencies.) Most important, SW is simple. One class, for $15 extra you can move up in the line; AND, if you look the part (ie. old and decrepit)you can get pre-boarding.
- WHEELCHAIRS: If you look old, you can usually get a wheel chair ride from the drop-off point to your seat in the plane. Tip the person who pushes at least $5.00. I am not sure about the ethics of this; but, if you are old……
- GLOBAL ENTRY: This is really great because you don’t have to take off your shoes or unpack your computer. (This may be changing.) You have enough trouble putting on your shoes in the morning without having to do it standing up with a line of angry young people behind you. Coming back to the US, you can breeze through customs and there are shorter lines. Pre-check which is included it always shorter.
- INSURANCE: When leaving the country, always make sure that you have hospital coverage and coverage to medevac you back to the US. It can cost $50,000 to $100,000, or more to treat you abroad and to send you and a doctor or nurse back to a hospital in the US. Your credit card may cover this, but get it.
- DEATH: Old people die. It makes no difference to you, but your spouse, traveling companions, or kids have to deal with your death.
- Contact the embassy,
- Have insurance to repatriate the body, or better Check your credit card to see if it covers repatriation of cremains. Cremation is the best way to move a dead person.get you cremated and just ship the cremains,
- Get a death certificate (translated also),
- Get wallet, jewelry, passport and any other personal items.
- You may need an autopsy(or the body), depending on cause of death and whether you plan any legal action.
- PLAN B: Plan for problems. Missed planes, bad weather, over-booking, illness, accident, etc. Know what you are going to do. Re-booking? Hotel? (You are too old to sleep on the floor in the airport) Late arrival. Local transportation. Contact numbers.
- EATING: Do you want airport food? Special meals on the plane? Do you really need food on a short flight?
- MEDICINES: Carry your medicines with you – don’t check them. Take enough medicine for your trip. Your pharmacist can get your insurance company to approve more than a 30 day supply if you are going to be gone for an extended period. Know your pharmacist’s name and phone number. You can get an out-of-state pharmacist to call your pharmacist and approve the prescription. Works best with national chain pharmacies such as Walgreens or CVS. Get copies of the prescriptions with the generic names of the drugs so that you can take them to a pharmacists in a foreign city. Call the Embassy for the name of a foreign pharmacy that speaks English. The embassy also has a list of doctors (and lawyers) that speak English and that you can call
- ELECTRICAL PLUGS AND PHONE/COMPUTER CORDS AND CHARGERS: Check and see what sort of plug the country you are going to uses. Remember to take your charging cord with you; HOWEVER, if you forget any electrical necessity, remember that every hotel has a box full of them that people have left in their rooms. The desk will be happy to give you one.
- HEARING AIDS: Most old people are deaf. If you have a hearing aid, have it checked before you leave and remember to take extra batteries. You would be surprised how hard it is to find batteries and hearing aid repair in some countries.
THINK OLD!
GEEZER-POLLS FINDS 17 MILLION REPUBLICAN VOTERS DID NOT RECEIVE TREATMENT AFTER SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT!
Posted: July 15, 2017 Filed under: Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized Leave a comment »[subscribe2]
Infected Republican foot with self-inflicted bullet hole wound.
GEEZER-POLLS just announced that 17 million Republican voters who shot themselves in the foot in the last election have been denied medical treatment due to lack of medical insurance coverage. All refused Obama-care, and existing medical insurance has been cancelled due to proposed legislation that has confounded actuaries. The 17 million did not receive emergency room care, follow-up medical care, or psychiatric care due to being trumped six months ago. Many are wearing the bullet they used on a chain around their neck.
The most interesting part of the poll is that 15 million of the 17 million plan to shoot themselves in the other foot in 2018; even though none of the prior wounds have been medically treated and most are infected. Many have developed a red rash around their neck.
Republican members of Congress had, and have, concierge medical coverage and have been treated; however, each has a hard-to-see scar on their foot due to the fact that they keep their wounded foot in their mouth. All refused recommended psychiatric treatment.
Geezer-polls has a margin of error of plus or minus 99 %.
THINK OLD!
GROWERS’ MARKETS – A source for traveling seniors!
Posted: July 8, 2017 Filed under: geezerEats, geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: Abluquerque, burrito, crafts, creativity, farmers, growers, market Leave a comment »If you are traveling to Albuquerque you should visit the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market on Saturday morning.
The growers’ market is a weekly event, though many towns have different markets on different days.
In Albuquerque, there are several, but my favorite is the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market on North Rio Grande. There are farmers (maybe urban) selling peaches, onions, beets, berries, etc. There are also a number of bakers and several vendors of meats. The mix changes weekly and what is offered changes as crops are picked. Always fresh, never shipped in.
There are also dozens of local crafts people selling jewelry, hats, canes, clothing, etc. Almost anything someone could make at home; especially if they are old and retired. A number of our friends have set up sales tents to sell things they have made. You might even want to consider a new career. Want to sell hats?
Take a look at Hat Academy to learn how. You don’t just have to be a buyer; you can also be a seller. The same goes for any other craft. If nothing else, these markets are a source of creative ideas.
Some of the stands at the Los Ranchos Growers’ Market.
The best part for me is the food. I always stop for a breakfast burrito. For $4.00 I get the # 1 which is a large tortilla filled with eggs, potatoes, crisp bacon and Hatch green chile. Another dollar gets me a cup of coffee and there is a table and a few chairs where I can sit and watch the people go by.
I know that it sounds strange to go to a growers’ market when you are travelling, but it is an interesting bit of local lore and even when you are on the road you need to eat and you may want some fruit to tide you over. I have been to such markets in Taos, Tucson, Waynesville, NC, Washington, DC; not to mention Bulgaria, Armenia and Belgrade. Each has been an interesting experience.
How to find a growers’ market near you; wherever you may be:
“growers’ market”+City
THINK OLD!
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13 THINGS OLD PEOPLE FEAR; and, rightly so. A baker’s dozen of senior fears!
Posted: June 26, 2017 Filed under: geezerHealth, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: fears, old age Leave a comment »[subscribe2]
- Falling – If you fall, it may lead to the hospital or to not being discovered for a long time. And you forget the button that you are supposed to wear around your neck to call for help.
- Driving – You might have an accident, you might not pass the driver’s test, your kids may take your keys away, you may get lost and you will not know how to get home. What senior has heard of Uber or the bus line?
- Finances – Will your money last? Who is trying to get it? What if need long-term care? What about Medicaid?
- Memory – Not just a “senior moment” any more; you can’t remember where you left things, names, or what you did yesterday, etc
- Telling doctors your symptoms – The Dr. will make a record. The insurance company, MVD, your kids or the trustee under your Living Trust will take action. When you are old, you don’t want a record. What is the Dr.s duty?
- Medicines – You can’t keep track of them and you don’t know why you are taking them. – If you sell your opioids, you may go to jail, but you need the money.
- Caring for children – What if you screw up. they can talk you out of anything; they hide from you; and, teenagers want money and to use your spare bedroom.
- Eye exams – Will this keep you from driving ? Cataracts operation? Blind!!!
- Hearing tests – You never did like people with hearing aids and now you aren’t wearing yours. You are isolated and you still can’t make out the words, especially in a noisy restaurant. Plus, hearing aids are expensive, get lost, break, don’t work right and you forget to take them off in the shower.
- Hiring a contractor – What if he cheats you? How do you know what you need? Do you really need what he says. It is important to act like you are competent, so he doesn’t think you are dumb
- Travel – What if you get lost? How do you get the too-big suitcase in the overhead bin? Do you really need a wheel-chair? Plus, all the usual fears in this day of terrorism.
- Losing things – You put things under other things, or other things on top of the soon-to-be be lost things. Then you can’t find them and have to ask a kid, spouse, friend or stranger for help. And, you feel stupid. Every time you lose something, you know it is dementia.
- Dementia – You have to be really careful here. If you have Alzheimer’s, it is all in your mind; you forget that it won’t be your problem any longer; it will be someone else’s. The fearful time is just before you develop a full-blown case of some form of dementia, and you know something is wrong, but not what but you know you can’t really do anything about it.
And, of course, there are a lot more fears,
THINK OLD!
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LARGE PRINT BOOKS – LIBRARY SOURCES FOR SENIORS
Posted: June 22, 2017 Filed under: geezerAdapts, geezerTips, Uncategorized | Tags: e-readers, large, libraries, print Leave a comment »Seniors have eye problems. Thus large print books, e-readers and tapes are a great free source. Especially for best sellers, where the waiting list may be, 291st of the first 3 copies returned. You may want to turn to the large print shelf, which may have a much shorter wait. These books are also much easier for old eyes to read.
In addition, take a look at free e-readers, in a variety of brands, such as Kindle. You can usually check them out from a distance for a few weeks with a library card. There are a limited number, so you may have to wait here to, but usually the wait is not so long. E-readers also have the additional advantage that you can make the type larger.
THINK OLD!
HUNTINGTON, NY LIBRARY, a source for traveling seniors!!!
Posted: June 14, 2017 Filed under: geezerTrips, Uncategorized | Tags: Huntington, library, Travel Leave a comment »There is no better place for the geezer when travelling than a public library and the Huntington Public Library in Huntington, Long Island can’t be beat.
It is open seven days a week and is located in the center of town. It has all the usual amenities including bathroom, free WiFi, copying machines, computers, e-mail stations, magazines, used book store and a big reference section.
Hard cover books are $1.00 and paperbacks are 50 cents.
In addition there are interesting public programs. Posted today on the bulletin board are:
“Women Pirates,” a lecture by Stony Brook University Professor, Tara Rider.
A mystery book discussion group
Drop-In Meditation program
Courses in Microsoft Programs
They also have a senior information center with information of interest to seniors; including bus schedules and senior programs.
You can read a half-dozen daily newspapers and probably 100 different magazines.
Across the street you can find coffee, breakfast, lunch and an assortment of shops.
Libraries are especially good if you are visiting family. They work, go to school, and generally have a life without you, so if you can get out of their hair and have an interesting day, it is a win-win situation.
Huntington Public Library – www.myhpl.org
Google search: Name of town + library
THINK OLD!
ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL ACCOMADATIONS – cautions for seniors!!
Posted: June 9, 2017 Filed under: geezerAdapts, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: Accomodations, AirBnB Leave a comment »More and more seniors seem to be looking for alternative travel accommodation options. Today you have bed & breakfasts, Airbnb, Couch-surfing, hostels, refugios, and college campuses. Old people should ask a few questions and consider what they will be comfortable with. Since I turned 60, I have stayed in Airbnb’s, bed & breakfasts, hostels, refugios, houses and condos all arranged for in advance and at a distance, usually on websites. I have a few suggestions.
1. Will there be other guests? Are you comfortable sharing the facilities with strangers? Is the owner on premises?
2. Are there stairs? Does this give you a problem? Railings, carpeting, clutter?
3. Private bath? Do you have your own bathroom in your room? Does a bathroom outside your room have a secure lock? How many people use it?
4. Clean? You don’t need too much of someone else’s dirt at your age.
5. Kitchen? Can you cook? Store food? How many are cooking/cleaning at the same time?
6. How many people are you sharing with? Will you be comfortable?
7. Security? Bedroom? Bath? Entry doors?
8. Parking? Room for all the cars or do you have to walk in the dark?
9. Heating and cooling?
10. Access to owner/manager?
11. TV? Radio?
12. Towels/linens?
13. Bedside lights?
14. WiFi? Password?
15. Surroundings? Restaurants/pharmacy/urgent care/transportation/??
16. Photos – on webpage?
17. Comments on web page – read these and look for the negative ones.
18. Cork screw – Did you ever try to open a bottle of wine without one? Glasses, plates, silver, sharp knife, can-opener?
REMEMBER: You are old. You are interested in Comfort/Convenience/Security. You don’t want to stay in a place where you are uncomfortable.
Do:
1. Check out the web page.
2. Call the owner/manager and go over the specifics that are important to you.
3. Google Map the place – check out what is around there.
4. Say no if you feel uncomfortable; just don’t book.
5. Hope for the best!
Always have a PLAN B!
THINK OLD!
HUNGRY HARVEST – an opportunity for old people??
Posted: June 4, 2017 Filed under: geezerEats, geezerHealth, Uncategorized Leave a comment »On Sunday, my son walked a few blocks in Washington, DC to pick up his box of vegetables and fruit from Hungry Harvest, a non-profit that collects excess food from grocery stores and distributes it to people who pay $15 per box.
Each box contains surplus, not spoiled, food; and, for each box sold, an identical box is donated to a food-bank to be distributed to people who can’t afford fresh vegetables and fruit.
Today’s box contained 4 oranges, 2 large carrots, head of cauliflower, 3 avocados, asparagus, onions, 3 pears, kale, and 2 ears of corn. Enough to feed two people for 5 meals or so
My thought is that it could be a good system for old people. Either for $15 or for free through a food bank. Either way, seniors get needed fruits and vegetables close to where they live.
Maybe other parts of the country should try it.
Sample Food Selections
THINK OLD!
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