This n that

There was a knock at the door today.  Mary Alyce our 10 year old neighbor wanted to know if Skye, our border collie could come out and play.  It has been a long time since anyone knocked on our door asking someone to come out and play.  Skye did of course, and had a grand time.

The esteemed Social Security Adminstration took two years to decide if Jim’s Parkinson’s Disease was a disability--while others we knew of got on immediately for depression.  In November they again felt it was no longer a disability and took him off.  He was put on Social Security.  This was a much reduced amount because he was getting it at age 63 instead of 66.  That also meant that I could not get Jim’s social security (half of his is twice what I could get on my own work history.)  After all this is money we have paid into social security for 40 years. The government takes you at every chance they get. It is NOT and “entitlement” WE paid for it.  We checked with our attorney and what they have done is wrong and illegal.  An appeal will be filed tomorrow morning.  I wish WE could have taken the money we paid into SS and invested it for retirement ourselves.

Advice to the young....always always always carry disability insurance through your employer.  You will hopefully never need it......but if you do.....it is a lifeline. Ours cost us only  $18 a month while we were healthy, after Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s it went up to  $80 a month, the best money we ever spent!!

Our friends in Spring Branch, north of San Antonio had an addition to their family today.  Their longhorn heifer, Linda gave birth to a bouncing baby bull calf.   When they got home from church his mother, Linda was standing by the fence....and was no longer expecting.  Rhonda and Mark had to get in their jeep and drive all over the ranch until they found where Mama had stashed her baby.  They found in deep in some brush cleaned up and healthy.  I suggested they name him Luther.

I started volunteering at the American Wind Power Center last Friday.   I worked there as Director of education and marketing for three years, before I decided to get my master’s degree.  The museum has changed so much but surprisingly I still remember the detailed of the windmill and  giving a tour has changed very little.  I love all the people. My favorite jobs were at museums.  I would find myself walking through the museum marveling that I get paid to do something that is so much fun.  It is nice to be back.