Prepare for Emergencies

Be prepared! Remember the Boy Scout motto. Everyone should be prepared for emergency situations and especially those who live in remote areas. This message was driven home to me during our recent December, 2008 snowstorm. We live in the Coastal Range Mountains of Oregon. Since we are at a low altitude of 400 or 500 feet and are only 12 miles from the beach, we don’t expect much in the way of snow. The December storm dropped nearly three feet of heavy snow on us in a matter of a couple of days. Then, the trees started falling and limbs started falling and we had one of the biggest messes I had ever seen.We have an all-electric home so when the power went out, we lost power, phones, water and heat. We have a long driveway, about an eighth of a mile, and it is very steep. We couldn’t even get down the driveway and if we could have our road was closed with fallen trees and limbs. We did have food but we also have an electric range. We have an RV with a propane stove, but no propane. In other words, we were almost completely unprepared.We do have a small generator and we had about 15 gallons of fuel. About two and a half days later, we ran out of fuel. I began to feel a bit desperate. My wife is frail and can barely walk and I am recuperating from a knee replacement. I got on my old Kubota tractor and started down the driveway with my empty gas cans. I drove over, under and around fallen trees to get down my driveway and headed to town. The state road department had one lane passable by that time. Four hours later, I got back to our driveway with 10 gallons of gas for the generator. I started up the driveway but soon spun out so I left the tractor and began to climb the hill, carrying the two gas cans. I soon gave that up and continued with one can. Because of the deep snow and my bad knee, it was move the can and take a step, move the can and take a step. I finally got up to the house, gassed up the generator and we had limited power. By that time, the house was down to 49 degrees, so my wife welcomed the heat. One-half hour later, the power came on. I was both frustrated and relieved.I spent three days clearing the trees and limbs from the driveway, all the time afraid I would fall, knowing I could not get up. I was near the end of the drive when UPS showed up. I asked the driver to get help for us. A couple hours later, our Good Samaritan neighbor showed up with a big 4-wheel drive tractor. He cleared our driveway sufficiently for us to get in and out.I, for one, will be prepared for the next storm. I will have a supply of water, plenty of fuel for the generator, propane for the RV, first aid kit and anything else I can think of. I would advise one and all to be prepared, regardless of your circumstances. Research for advice on how to be prepared. Snow is not our only danger.

Start Early Preparation for Retirement

It's never too early to start saving for retirement. The moment you begin earning an income, it's time to put money away for retirement.

If you're in your 20s, you're probably still saddled with school loans and carrying your share of debt. While it's tempting to put off worrying about retirement for a decade or two, now is really the time when the foundation for a successful retirement needs to be set. Begin by learning the facts. Study the intricacies of 401(k) plans and read up on tax laws. Information is power.

Once you've learned the lay of the land, create a written retirement plan. Establish goals and figure out what it will take to achieve them. Your goals will likely change over time, but having a blueprint in place will help you along your way.

The next step is to start saving. Set aside 10% from your gross pay each month. To make things easier, it's wise to schedule automatic payments to your 401(k) plan. It will save a lot of hassle and remove the temptation of spending the money.

Now that you're saving money, don't undermine your financial situation by running up huge credit card debts. Spend within your means. Being responsible now will strengthen your retirement down the road.

Finally, don't rely on the government to bail you out. People are living longer these days, meaning they're retired longer too. Social Security won't always be there to save the day. Your retirement is in your own hands.

Retirement: How Did I Get Here?

Mine was a long career of stumbling from job to job. Upon graduation from high school, I had no idea what I would do. In my senior year, I decided to join the Oregon National Guard, partially because it gave me some direction in life and partially to avoid the draft into the Korean Conflict. While this may not sound very patriotic, I assure you that I am a gung-ho, dyed in the wool patriot. I guess an over-protective mother who did not want her sons in the war influenced me. I had an older brother in Korea and things did not seem to go well with him. He later died in Viet Nam. As we now know, joining the National Guard is not necessarily an effective way of avoiding the draft.

The National Guard offered me the opportunity to attend “Fire Control School” in Fort Bliss, Texas. I did not want to learn about fighting fires, but I was soon informed that fire control school was about a weapon control system. I agreed to go to Texas and get educated. This led a 28-year career in electronics.

The second stumble was a 9-year stint as a corporate comptroller and the third, 7-year as a security administrator in Washington, DC.

In 2000, I retired to a 5-acre plot of woodland in Oregon, upon which we placed a triple-wide manufactured home. For four years I was content to putter around our 5-acre resort in the woods, but then began to get a wanderlust. We purchased a 26-year-old motorhome and began to refurbish it. I soon discovered I had bit off more than I could chew. After a short stint working as a supermarket courtesy clerk, I took a most enjoyable job as a school-bus driver. After three years with the school kids, my wife and I began developing minor health problems so I re-retired.

I now putter with a computer writing articles like this one for a little extra income and “sumpthin to do” as my young son used to say. My point is—you need sumpthin to do in retirement, whether it be puttering around, traveling or working part time. Retirement to the "old rockin' chair” will getcha. Most of us have a tendency to put on weight and just get lazy. This is not good for your health and a long retirement.

So, find sumpthin to do and enjoy retirement. It just might get you out of your spouse’s hair and make her retirement better, too.

Senior Traveling

Traveling seems to be a favorite pastime for senior citizens. However, as we grow older and more frail, it gets more and more difficult. We find that driving is so tiresome; but if we limit ourselves to driving only for a comfortable time, we can manage. I would suggest driving a shorter distance each day; perhaps a limit of 300 miles per day. We can't handle those 24-hour marathons like we did when we were 25. It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves and others.

It is also a good idea to stop and rest frequently; perhaps 5 to 10 minutes every hour. If you get sleepy, pull over. It's not worth the risk of driving while fighting to stay awake. All those tips about running the wipers, turning the radio up, etc. just don't work for more than a few seconds. When you are tired, you may not even realize you are getting sleepy until you wake up, if you are lucky. It's better to be careful and arrive safely than to push it and risk an accident.

If driving is out of the question, there is always the bus, train, or plane. Each has its good and bad points. Flying gets you there quickly, if you can tolerate getting through security. The train allows more freedom of movement while traveling. The bus is less expensive, but is very confining.