The Besttechie Cafe'

[bar5]

Welcome back Pat. We sure did miss you too.

Sorry to hear about your beloved siamese cat. They are just like a member of the family. It is a great loss. Hopefully some day you will find another that will adopt you and hubby. I know that you realize cats pick you out, not you picking them out.

I never use to care about cats, as I was a dog lover, until a friend of mine got a siamese kitty, and I volunteered to take care of it while she went on vacation for a week. Well, that did it. I loved that darn cat.

She allowed me to be her friend.

Take care, Pat

Barb

[handplane]

Hello Pat,

Good to see you back.

Sorry to hear about your kitty.

Know to well about losing a pet, it's heart breaking for sure.

[blim]

Ahhh, with all the catching up I've been doing, I finally made it to the Cafe! We need a little chaos here, so I let Kitty out of the basement to chase around Honeybun

Macmarauder, wonderful news about the girlfriend, job (what are you doing?) and especially school plans!! Glad you're finally thinking about going back to school--you're too smart and talented NOT to!

Pat, I'm so very sorry to hear about Sidekickcat It's so hard to lose a furbaby. Thank you for giving her such wonderful care and such a good spoiled rotten life. A rescued animal needs extra spoiling and I know you succeeded. What a wonderful life she had, thanks to you.

Glad you got a sturdy stepladder and hope Hubby feels better soon, along with your back! Your bodies may be falling apart, but your sense of humor is still healthy!!

Ever since the kids went off to school (whoo boy, that's a story in itself, but I haven't had any "panic calls" for over a week now, *knocks wood*) I've been busy! "Combat cleaned" all 3 bedrooms, the computer/toyroom, porches and all the windows, screens and storm windows inside and out. Waiting for the rain to clear so I can cut the grass and fetch more peppers to freeze.

It's so nice that the house stays clean, at least Monday through Friday (Friday night starts a laundry marathon, you know the drill, they dump their laundry and empty the cupboards!) That hasn't happened since we were Newlyweds!

Liz

Edited September 19, 2006 by blim

[thesidekickcat]

Thanks everyone for the welcome back and the condolences over our beloved cat...and oh yeah that other thing too... poor hubby's fall. No misplaced priorities here right?

By the way how come a hubby who landed on soft ground compared to my hard landing on hard floor and against kitchen stove hard enough to move it says he hurts worse than I did even though he had Vicodin and muscle relaxants and recuperated in recliner and bed compared to my aspirin and cooking/packing motorhome and going on a trip where he kept pestering me to go for walks etc everyday? Just curious about all that!!! He's a terrible patient too!!! Ha! I reminded him yesterday of how much I hurt after I fell, and he replied he was more sensitive to muscle spasms...??? Huh??? Dear, everyone is!!! but Nope, as hard as it was not to I didn't reply, just bit my tongue...hard, and rolled my eyes!!! Men!!! He did take me out to our favorite hamburger joint to make up for saying it though.

Had a strange thing happen last night before dark just to show you never can tell what will happen next, our elderly neighbor came over to get help with a mole fighting with another neighbor's very small sized very gentle souled kittycat in our yard. Would we please help before her even more elderly visually challenged hubby got his BB gun out (which might hit the cat or our house!). Soooo armed with a porch broom (it was handy as I went out the door) I ended up the bad guy beating a mole to death so the cat (it doesn't appear to be smart enough to run away or up a tree when in danger) wouldn't be hurt in battle as so many have been around here this year. Was crying my eyes out over hurting the poor thing, yet knew it could/would hurt the little cat who doesn't have a mean bone in it's body to really be able to fight to survive. The elderly neighbor's cat defends the little one when big cats try to fight it, and the two cats are best friends. So before that big cat showed up to help his friend, I had to deal with the mole. Hubby wasn't well enough yet to do it, and elderly neighbor couldn't keep her balance very well as she has had several falls and just getting healed from breaking her foot on one fall, so I was the designated hit man. Cried my eyes out over it all while hubby buried it. And then we were all wondering what it was doing out and about in daylight hours away from my tomato patch where the moles have lived all summer, I'm always nervous over a wild animal with possible rabies or whatever when they are out of normal routine. So a sad ending for the day, but thankfully the little cat was only scared and not hurt as far as we could tell.

I see Liz mentioned Mac with a new job? I must have missed that...!!! Congratulations Mac. Glad to know you are getting life back on track.

Gotta run, stove dinger went off so supper should be ready and hubby just got home. Good timing!

No time to proof read, sorry!

Edit: just did a little proofing to clarify and correct spelling etc.

Pat

God bless everyone

Edited September 21, 2006 by thesidekickcat

[bozodog]

Well, I'm sure glad you two gals are back. So pull up and have a cuppa and some fresh zuchinni bread with me.

Pat, we all know men are whimps. It's in their genes to whine for a womans attention. Sure glad to hear both of you are doing better. So sorry about kitty. Don't worry, you'll see him again on the other side. And now you have a place for another needy creature.

Liz, I need some of that "whirlwind" energy to combat clean this house. I'm still trying to get to the windows before the snow flies. Ooohhh wash my mouth out, I did say the "S" word.

[robroy]

yes you did say the s word, 5 demerits and extra zucchini bread to recover from that

Pat sorry to hear about the cat

btw not all men are wimps when they have a little pain

[macmarauder]

*macmarauder gives thesidekitcat a great big squishy hug

sorry about the kitty and everything else

*macmarauder gives everyone else a great big hug

*macmarauder hugs thesidekitcat another good hug

yeah next time Robroy and i will help you. we're not afraid of anything.

EEEEKKK! a spider! GET IT OFF!!!

[robroy]

robroy catches his pet tarantula to save Mac

not afraid of anything, not true, I am afraid of one thing

(mac's basement when he isn't around because them critters he created down there are extremely scary with all those sharp blades and stingers etc.)

[macmarauder]

i've got WOW (world of warcraft) on the brain

*macmarauder picks up arcanine reaper axe and charges the spider and yells

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

*Spider performs critical attack

*macmarauder becomes filled with fear effect from spider and lunges into the couch for safety and drinks a healing postion for comfort

ok so i'm not so Elite in the real world but that's ok, i'm hack into it's computer and blow up it's files later. ummm do spiders even have computers?

[thesidekickcat]

Hello everyone,

Pass the coffee pot over here please, I am to stressed and tired to even go get my own coffee.

More bad stuff just keeps on happening to us...but will keep on trusting God to bring us through the tough times. He always does and always will get us through it all, my trouble is I'd rather avoid trials and tribulations and troubles if at all possible...I hate going through stuff...even when I know God will work it out for the best for us...!!!

Anyhow the latest is Intel has put hubby in the layoff that is going on right now. Found out yesterday morning. They are giving everyone a good severance package to help people out. I haven't even felt like reading all the stuff he brought home yet. Just don't want to face it yet. Sigh!!!

So as it stands now he will be out of work by end of Oct. He just turned 63 on Sept 10th, so with his age, and health problems, including continuing problems still affecting him on from the fall he had off ladder on Sept 4th, it may be hard to get another good job. Kind of scary at our age... not quite enough money to early retire mainly because of the cost of health insurance....no surprise there with the high cost of health insurance!!! A neighbor said yesterday he could get sign up for VA health care since he served in the Navy in 60's. Checked out the VA website, since 2003 they only take new members if they have low income/low assets unless they were disabled during service. So that's out.

Sure glad we have savings but hope we don't have to dig to deep before he gets a new job. Unemployment will help too...but health insurance will take alot of it if past the 4 additional months that Intel is covering in the layoff pkg. sigh! I know the Lord will take care of us...I just hate having to go through hard times. At our age we expected hubby to be at Intel until retirement...or at least hoped he would be in spite of some stressful problems over the years we thought it was going to be ok in this new dept with on the job training outside his original field. But that turned out (he found out today) to be against him as he and so far 2 others, are being bumped out so others with more experience can transfer in...!!! Ouch!!! Life sure throws in the monkey wrench into people's plans at times.

So sitting here having coffee...chomping celery to try to get my blood pressure down...with lack of sleep due to both of us hurting to much to sleep more than half the night, plus this stress on top of it all.

We are still blessed though with everything paid for, no loans or mortgages, everything paid when bill comes in, plus regular (sure glad we dip into our savings to buy a new car with much higher car insurance costs along with it) and retirement savings, and now a good severance package to help plus unemployment...so I need to keep my eyes on that instead of worrying about what ifs...... I know that...!!! But worrying is one of the things I have been real good at for many years...a bad habit that I am trying to break and just learn to trust God to take care of us as He always has. He must have a better job or something in future for us, since this Intel one was one of His miraculous provisions in a similar situation in 1997/1998!!! So I will trust in the Lord, and watch Him work it all out for us...but don't be surprised if I show up here a bit stressed out at times!!!

So that's the continuing saga of this stange hard summer for us!!!

Take care folks, Love y'all.

Pat

God bless everyone

[blim]

Every time I read about Intel, I was hoping Hubby wouldn't be affected! Darn it! But you're right, you have no big debt (except the insurance monkey on the back, of course) and I'm betting between unemployment and the severence, you'll do fine until the big "65" if he doesn't get another job.

I remember being scared to death when I quit working-- one income family nowadays is almost unheard of. But I discovered it cost money to work--clothing, gas, extra car, lunches, take out pizza when I worked nights; and it ended up being a much easier transition than I expected, and that was with two pre-teens, a mortgage and car payment!

*Big Hugs* to the both of you. It will turn out fine (except for maybe driving eachother nutty with Hubby being home more My Mom sends Dad out on lots and lots of errands, one item at a time, to keep him out of her hair!)

Liz

[thesidekickcat]

Thanks Liz,

I may just be in panic mode right now, will calm down later...I hope!!!

Am trying to get to a positive frame of mind, just not quite there yet...oooops!!!

You gave me a chuckle over your Mom sending your Dad on errands to get stuff one item at a time!!!

I think after awhile hubby would kill me if I did that to much. But then there are times when it happens by accident (like the other day when he was to go to bank, store for bread, and P.O. to get stamps...absent mindedness set in and well I'm not quite out of stamps....yet....!!! Maybe he will remember to get them this coming weekend.

As for hubby driving me crazy being home....this has been a very very trying month with him not up to doing anything because he is still so sore from fall, so the three day weekends (he works 4 ten hour days) have been ...I am at a loss for the right word here... will settle for 'Interesting'. He always is doing handyman type stuff around house, and lots of yard work, and is definitely hard to handle when he isn't able to do those things. I hope he will be spending some of his spare time over at elderly neighbors place playing cribbage with the WW2 vet, while his wife and I get some peace and quiet time. She and I want to start up daily walks once her broken foot is on totally mended.

Also hoping to get hubby to start a diet and exercise program here at home with me using these 'coat rack' exercise machines around here once he is cleared by Dr to exercise. Otherwise we will really have a problem as he seems to eat many times during the day, and I eat an early lunch, no breakfast, and supper. So that is just one of the many areas we are so opposite in, but without his work activities all that extra eating is only going to make him put on more pounds when we both need to lose weight instead...Plus drives me nuts with dirty dishes everytime I walk into kitchen!!! Maybe I could convince him it is his duty to help lower our food bills by eating less? Now that angle just might work...Ha!!!

Oh boy such a interesting time we have coming. Sigh!!!

Lots of prayers needed please for both of us, and for all the people in the layoffs!!!

Pat

God bless everyone

[blim]

LOL at the "interesting" comment, Pat. I know EXACTLY what you mean! A couple weeks ago, my Hubby was on vacation and I was rather happy to get him back to work (OK, come Thursday, I was counting down the days till Sunday night....). I think you know what I mean! We love them to pieces, but don't goof up our daily routine by getting in our way! Gosh, I'm gonna either get a job or go crazy when he retires.

And as for my Dad, yes, we're sure he has ADD. If he isn't busy with a project, he's driving everyone nuts! Thankfully they have two homes and a rental to keep him occupied. When my Mom is off somewhere, he calls each Daughter one after another, "to see what she's up to". Good thing they have 5 kids!! The 5 phone calls burn at least an hour of his time. And yes, if we have a project going down, we always let him know what we are doing so he can show up and help, and my sisters do the same. And yes, we do that for Mom's sake!

Sad thing is that Son is a carbon copy of my Dad. So far, between school, work, me, the three girls he lives with, and his Girlfriend's Mom, all come up with projects to keep him busy, but boy, I feel sorry for the woman he marries! When he was 2 years old, he had the nickname, "Mr. Busy" and 19 years later, it still sticks.

[TheTerrorist_75]

If your husband was born in 1943 and he were to retire at 63 he would receive 80% of his S.S. benefits. That percentage increases every month that he holds off.

http://www.ssa.gov/retirement/1943.html

----------------------------------------

http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/breakeven.htm

Trying to decide when to start your Social Security benefits can be tricky. Should you take reduced benefits or wait until full retirement age? What about delaying your benefits even beyond full retirement age? Everyone wants to be sure they get the most they can, but the decision is different for each individual.

A frequently asked question is "Will I lose money if I take my benefits early?" The short answer is, it depends on how long you live.

--------------------------------

Near retirement?

---------------------------------

http://www.medicare.gov/

As for health insurance see what Medicare covers and the rates plus of your income in low enough you may also qualify for Medicaid.

[thesidekickcat]

Thanks so much for those links TT, very very useful chart on first one, and the break even one to, and the various links on those pages onward. Thank You TT for taking time to look those up for me. I really appreciate it.

I had planned to check SS site out later on if hubby started getting antsy if he doesn't get a job for a long time and savings going downhill. Though might be better to start tapping his IRA before doing early SS. Would have to do the math on it down the road if we need to look into it. Am hoping this is all a short term worry and that he will get a good job soon with good benefits.

Will have unemployment for I think six months. Plus the payouts for vacation/sick leave etc. Will transfer the Intel stock from them to a brokerage, except he said something about one account might have to be cashed out... at a loss unfortunately. And then we also have the rental house to sell, or last resort finish the repairs from last renters while he is off work (once he heals up from fall), and rent it out again for monthly income and hope no problem renters ever again....as I said that is the absolute last resort...only if it doesn't sell at a good price in a reasonable time.

We'd be fine if it weren't for the high cost of medical insurance to drain our accounts. (and property taxes wont help either).

Kind of makes me upset that even though we have scrimped (sp?), and saved and gone without luxuries in order to save for the future all our lives, that there is no affordable health coverage in this country unless you have very little net worth. What about the middle class or lower rungs of it like us, that did the responsible things all our lives but health insurance, or worse yet a serious illness, might take our savings just to get to retirement with just loss of job. This is a major problem for anyone who loses a job and their health benefits at any age. Sure Cobra kicks in, but continuing the company good group plan with Cobra is mighty expensive each month, compared to a bare bones type group coverage that it should have option to drop down to so before could afford it on a group basis. We've been there before where we couldn't afford to do the Cobra group plan, and ended up buying a cheaper individual plan that would have been cheaper yet if it had been under a group drop down policy.

So now am wandering all over this sore subject and probably not making sense, so will quit my bellyaching as Dad used to say, and count my many blessings and be glad that even though I am stressed out over it all, that our Lord will supply all our needs all I have to do is trust Him and go with His plan. Sigh!!!

Thanks again TT.

And Liz thanks for you always cheering me up.

LOL about living with these crazy guys that we love so much!!!

Pat

God bless everyone

[bar5]

Pat:

Have you checked out RX drugs in Canada? You're close enough you could probably drive up there. They do not honor your insurance from USA, but drugs are much cheaper. You are allowed a 90 day supply legally, if you bring them across the border for personal use only. What is, technically, illegal is ordering on internet. I'm very careful who I deal with.

I have been ordering from Canada for years as millions of other people do, that can not afford the ridiculios high prices in USA. We pay the highest prices in the world. That is another subject. won't go into that.

Here is a site to check out the places you can trust to order RX from.

Canadian Drug Stores

I have been dealing with "Crossborder Pharmacy" for years, but you check them all out to see what is best for you and hubby.

Make sure a site has "North American Pharmacy Accreditation" seal. Like a BBB seal in USA. Same idea only for Canada. Read their instructions on how to order. You must have a prescription. Any questions, give a holler.

You will see a list on your right of different links. One in particular you might find interesting is: Bernie Sanders Congressman from Vermont. A lot of info on prescription drugs from Canada. He may have some links for you also on pharmacies. Worth the read.

Barb

[TheTerrorist_75]

I just researched my meds at that pharmacy and would only save less than $100 per month compared to retail cost here. With a pharmacy discount card from where I buy my meds I could save just over $200 of retail. As it stands no matter what I do my meds will run me over $1000 per month. Retail is $1386.

[bar5]

I just researched my meds at that pharmacy and would only save less than $100 per month compared to retail cost here. With a pharmacy discount card from where I buy my meds I could save just over $200 of retail. As it stands no matter what I do my meds will run me over $1000 per month. Retail is $1386.

It does depend on what medication you take on the savings you may get. Check out more than one pharmacy, as they sometimes have a different price. Also it depends on what country you get them from. The UK and Israel are usually the most inexpensive. My RX will cost me in US about $286. 90 day supply, and from UK last time was $134. + $5. shipping. You get $5. discount when you fax refill instead of internet or mail. You can fax it from your computer.

This is just an alternative for some if they do not have Health Insurance.

Barb

[thesidekickcat]

Thanks so much for the information Barb. Will keep it on hand if needed someday. Many NW people charter buses to go up to Canada for their medicine, though maybe not so many seniors now that Medicare covers drugs!

Our state has a measure on this fall's ballot to let everyone who doesn't have drug coverage to get into the State of Oregon drug purchasing pool, so everyone without drug coverage can have a chance at more reasonably priced drugs. Last poll I saw about it was it looked very favorable for passage, also no opposition against the measure which helps.

But we will have Cobra coverage for 18 months it looks like now, so will take the Medical Cobra probably. Can't afford to not do it especially with Intel covering 4 months of it. $690 Cobra monthly cost for both of us, and that covers drugs too, of course there's our usual co-pay... for drugs it's $5 for generic and $15 for brand name, and medical visits/urgent care etc is $10, lab and xrays 0.. oh my we have been so spoiled with good group insurance over the years!!! The long term drugs hubby is currently on cost us $20 a month, versus $120 (Kaiser full price). So the $690 for 2 of us at our age sounds pretty good for continuance of very thorough coverage, including chiropractic, drugs, lab work, X-rays and all the other scans (MRI, CAT etc) we seem to need occasionally in last few years, ..but will check out their individual rates too before we decide which way to go. Still have plenty of time to make up our minds...! Dental Cobra is way to expensive at $136 a month for the two of us and we don't really need much done in a year except cleaning so will skip it unless we can drop dental and keep only medical, after Intel stops paying for Cobra!!!

Of course the Cobra costs, plus the Federal and State taxes on his unemployment, will pretty much take all of the unemployment check. Sigh!

Just started digesting the first of the layoff folders (more to come later in month) of info today...to stressed to look at it before so just went by what hubby told me earlier. Anyhow it is a good package. Much better than I expected. Still some not so clear stuff, but sometime next week Intel will hold the first Q&A meeting so maybe hubby will get clear answers to things such as will he be paid for all his PA (sick leave) hours, Vacation hours will be but don't know about PA hours and he has lots of both!!! Only has 2 Holiday floaters left but don't know what will happen to them.

Once I calmed down enough to think about it today (I don't think all that well in normal times (Ha!) let alone in panic mode!!!), I remembered some Savings Bonds stashed in safe deposit box that will be our last resort backup to our backup savings, before we tap IRA's. So when I called hubby to remind him we both blew a huge sigh of relief, and Praised God for the bonds!!! That will be one more thing to keep us going if he doesn't get a job right away, or we need to buy a car if this 1990 Justy finally quits (we sure are glad we didn't buy a car recently using up part of our savings as this one is still slugging along for awhile yet). Lesson to everyone, stash money in savings bonds and hide them away in the safe deposit box for real torrential downpour rainy days.

Oh my TT, such a huge monthly prescription bill. Any help from the manufacturers for people who have a hard time paying such huge drug bills? I've seen tv ads recently to just call the drug companies to see if you qualify for their no/low cost drugs.

Oh before I forget it, there was a bit of irony in the paper this morning, considering the large amount of layoffs at Intel and elsewhere...the state closed downtown Portland and nine other employment centers around the state. Sounds like they were closed today without any notice to people using them too. That is the way this state often treats it's citizens... as if we don't matter!!! But luckily there are other Portland area offices that we didn't know about. Just felt kind of ironic to have it close the only one we knew about the week we found out we'll be needing to go sign up soon.

Signing off with love and thanks folks for everything!!! You have helped me alot with links, ideas, cheer and hopefully prayers; and in a big way that has helped me regain my equilibrium on this whole issue, even just being able to talk it out via my posts has helped me sort it out and kept me from bugging hubby with my worry...he is doing enough of his own... and my prayer time has me grounded solidly back to trusting the Lord for His provision. All that isn't to say I wont have stress times again, just that you folks have helped me through the worst initial part of it all. Yeah I knew it was a very real possibility for him to get laid off with the scare tactics they have had everyone under for months, just was hoping against reality he could stay on there until retirement...sigh! So the actual fact hit hard due to my being in denial with my hoping so hard for it not to happen. So thanks everyone for all your help!!!

Pat

God bless everyone

[TheTerrorist_75]

Right now Medicaid still pays for most of the cost for my meds. They stick with you for a year after going back to work. They will continue to provide some support after that period if my wages are not enough to cover my living expenses and the meds. My monthly meds cost has gone down from $3800 per month retail in the beginning. The major cost is for my anti-rejection medicine. As time goes by they reduce the dosage.

The biggest concern is my health insurance through the state. Once I make too much income it will end. For me to get health insurance after may be very difficult because of my pre-existing condition. My out patient clinic costs and monthly blood work will not be cheap. I also need to have my teeth completely taken out and have dentures made plus I still have two hernias (umbilical and epigastric) that need repair. Hopefully I can get that work done this winter before the insurance programs end.

[macmarauder]

/me gives thesidekitcat a great big hug

/me gives everyone else a hug too

hey there my friends, things are still going well for me, well sort off. between time with my girlfriend, which is really going great, and the job i can't seem to get enough time to be online like i used to. in fact i was saving up and paying off some more of my credit card preparing to move in with her in a couple of months.

but Monday i got fired but at least i'll have more time to be onlie again. for the most part i am apparently too honest to work at Pepboys. when a customer asked what i thought about a product i told them, even is i thought it was crappy or over priced or what ever. the manager overherd me telling people to buy less expensive but just as good products or where to buy it for half the money. and they acidentally had way too many people working there anyways. they were only supposed to hire 1 more person after me and hired 3 more instead, plus a guy that's been on medical leave for back problems suddenly came back too. so they cut everyones hours a little bit and cut me from full time to 2 days a week. so i think that they we just looking for an excuse to fire people anyways, but at least now i get to spend more time with everybody online. i should probably post this on the forum so that people will be warned that i'm coming. :-D hehehehe a Mac Attack without warning is a pretty scarry thing. lol

thanks for worrying about me guys but i'm doing ok right now. for some reason when you've gotten really low like i have, and things are bad but not nearly as bad as your lowest point, things don't seem so impossible. sorry i don't kow how to put it better than that. so i'm actually taking pretty well, i'm even relaxing a little, something that i havn't done in a really long time.

Love you Guys, i'll be back on later to do some posting!

[blim]

*bighugs* to Macmarauder!

Sorry about the jobthing, but being in retail sales for a million years, I'm with you--if a product is crap, tell the customer, "its crap". THEY are your concern and THEY will follow you to your next place of employment if you're honest with them, and you can sleep at night! Trust me, I had many customers follow me from the carpet store to JCP furniture because they appreciated me telling them what products were "crap". My boss from the carpet store didn't like my method (it almost got me fired quite a few times! Getting fired for telling the truth....), but my boss from JCP loved my "honesty is the best policy method"!

At least you have another notch on the resume!

Really glad things are going well between you and Fatma! And really, really glad you're paying off those bills. Believe me, you're at the age where you need to keep your "creditnose clean"--it will reward you in the end.

I've just been busy tackling the "end of summer things", putting gardens to bed, giving the dog one last bath till May, yada, yada...Good thing, it's supposed to sn*w tomorrow. Ugh, ugh, ugh. And the leaves haven't barely started falling for raking up. I WON'T rake in the snow, uh, uh! Fair weather gardener here. I'm wondering how much of a mess I'll have in the Spring.

[hitest]

Good to see you back on the boards, my friend! I'm sorry to hear that you lost your job by telling the truth to a customer, that sucks. I'm happy that you are doing well and that you are happy with your girl friend.

[macmarauder]

FAH LAH LAH, LAH LAH LAH LAH, SNOWED IN , FAH LAH LAH, LAH LAH LAH LAH!!

[TheTerrorist_75]

Snow! hahahaha