Good News From the Ebola Front

January 15, 2015 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Health, Opinion

All three of the West African nations, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, report a decline in new Ebola cases.

Guinea and Liberia turned the corner earlier, but Sierra Leone lagged behind, reporting flare ups of new cases all through the Christmas season. This week Sierra Leone reported the lowest weekly total of new cases since last summer.

Safe burials of the corpses were the biggest common problem, and all three countries have worked hard to help people understand that this was the most common way to contract the disease. Their culture and religious traditions required washing of the body by relatives.

Schools and universities in all three countries have been closed since last summer, but Guinea announced that their schools and universities will reopen next Monday.

Research continues to show that fruit bats, a delicacy to some in these areas, are the virus’s host.

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Some of you know that I am no fan of President Obama. I don’t agree with most of his views, but I believe he has handled this crisis as well as can be expected from anyone. Though the CDC was slow in getting ready for any possible occurrences of the disease in the US, their response afterwards was quick.

Also, our President’s assignment of an Ebola Czar seemed to be a misstep, but in the end he may have been right. In retrospect what we needed most was to step back, calm down, and keep a cool head. I think they may have done this by suppressing information to the public. I’m no fan of suppressing information, but people out here were getting a little crazy over the prospect of them or their family contracting the disease, me included.

His other strategy, I believe, was to contain the disease by first sending personnel (health caregivers and the military) to the areas where the disease was spreading out of control. At first I thought this was missing the mark since the situation in the Middle East seemed far more threatening at the time. After reading up on what this disease can do to a population, though, I realized that this virus was the most threatening enemy out there.

It just shows that we in the US have a good, solid governmental structure. Our representative form of government works well because we elect people to be in the middle and make the best decisions they can with the information they have. All of us out here are the democracy, and often we do not have enough information to make the day to day decisions for us and our country.

I just want to say thank you to all the health care givers, health care officials, our military, the officials of the three most affected countries, all the health care associations who worked so hard, the CDC, the TSA, our own hospitals in the US who agreed to take on patients and are working on a cure, those who prayed, those who donated, and our President. I know this is not over, but it appears this very bad outbreak could be over soon for those suffering people in those three West African nations.

We are all very fortunate that they may have stopped Ebola over there before it had a chance to reach our shores in multiples.

Are You an Overly Protective Parent?

January 7, 2015 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Family Life, Opinion

I’ve noticed what I feel is an effort to be an overly protective parent. Maybe even too overly protective. If my parents were still alive, they would probably debate whether children today are allowed to grow and develop into independent adults. Yesterday, though, I saw the opposite of an over protective parent.

Yesterday, we took two of our grandchildren to an outdoor youth event. They got to watch shooting demonstrations, see a pool full of baby alligators and even hold them, sit in a fire truck and see forestry fire equipment, and ride on a hay wagon from event to event; but the highlight of the trip was the fish pond stocked with catfish.

Each was given a Shakespeare fishing rod that they were allowed to keep; and it came complete with a sinker, float, big circle hook and a paper solo cup full of diced hot dogs. The catfish must love the hot dogs because boy were they biting.

Most interesting of all, though, was this very well-dressed, cute five-year-old that was fishing by himself. He had trouble casting, so Chuck started helping him just like he helped our grandchildren. This went on for well over an hour, as we kept waiting for the child’s parents to come back, which they never did.

Finally, we asked the child about his parents, especially his mother; but he said that he didn’t have a mother. Later, they were closing down the event, we went to one of the staff to let them know that this little boy was alone and no adult had come forward the entire time.

When we were leaving on the hay wagon, we noticed a staffer get on with the little boy and another slightly older boy who seemed to be the older sibling. Back at the parking lot, we noticed the two boys and the staffer walking around, but there seemed to be no parent. The older boy looked to be about eight.

This event was almost ten miles from the nearest rural small town. I believe in the end they would have had to give these kids to one of the deputy sheriffs who were there to help with traffic control. I left thinking that someone had lost their mind leaving a five-year-old with no adult supervision especially at an event like this.

What struck me, though, was how well behaved this child was. He was clean, neat, hair well groomed, no crying and whining when he didn’t get his way; and he even helped our two-year-old.

This little five year old acted like an adult. He melded into our family like one of us. We kept trying to get him to let us handle the catfish. They can spine you pretty badly, but he insisted on handling his own. He was truly self-sufficient, except for casting; and Chuck helped him learn how.

I have always been impressed with the self-sufficiency of some young people, especially those who were raised in orphanages. Can you imagine how self-sufficient they have to be? They are one of many children. The older ones have to help take care of the younger children.

I learned this when I was about eight years old. My family brought home a young girl who had just graduated from high school in a Tennessee orphanage. The headmaster was an old army buddy of my dad’s, and he was worried that this young, naïve girl might have problems being turned out into the world so quickly, as orphanages must do to make room for the younger ones.

We brought her to our hometown, where she lived with us and enrolled in the local junior college. Today, she is a wonderful woman with a career behind her and a family including grandchildren. On a character scale of 1 to 10, she is a 10.

Another great example of this was a man named Norman Rales. He was raised in an orphanage, and at the age of 17 he was given a little money, a suit and told to go out and find work. He did just that, and in the end, he became a very wealthy man and a great philanthropist. During his lifetime he developed and owned several companies, as well as the Texas Rangers.

Chuck had an opportunity to do some work for Mr. Rales, and he always had a great deal of respect for the octogenarian, who passed away a few years ago at the age of 88.

So back to our day at the outdoor event.

What is GRIT?

It is obvious to me that this little five-year-old boy was “raising himself” or at least he was that day. In fact, he seemed to be doing a good job of it. This little boy seemed to have something that the psychology community is now studying. They call it “grit”, and they think it helps explain how children of dysfunctional homes find a way to excel. They also believe that this is a better indicator of success in adult life than intelligence.

There is a movie called “Race to NoWhere”, and it talks about the problems facing children of affluent families. It shows how we in America have stolen our children’s childhood through our race for achievement, whether in academia, sports, or the arts.

Children of Affluent Families

Also, affluence is a relative term today. What we consider upper-middle-class today would be considered affluent just forty years ago. For those of us over fifty, ask yourself, “How often did your family eat out when you were young?” Now look at our lives today and ask the same question.

Now look at our lives today and ask the same question. Middle-class families today eat out often, have closets full of clothes, and live in big houses. We also raise our children much differently than we did forty years ago.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that we have it so much easier than our parents did; and we have the ability to make it much easier for our children, too.

“Race to Nowhere” and subsequent studies on resilience and grit have helped to build a growing movement of psychologists and educators. They argue that the methods and systems that we use to raise and educate our children in the United States today are in fact devastating them.

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In the movie is a psychologist named Madeline Levine, who is the author of the best-selling book, “The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids.” She talks about studies and surveys that back up her theory that children of affluent parents now exhibit “unexpectedly high rates of emotional problems beginning in junior high school.”

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She feels all of this is a direct result of the child-rearing practices that is currently used in affluent American homes. How many times have you heard about a parent who pushed their child to excel and also tried to shield the child from failure?

Failure, according to these psychologists is the kind of experience that can lead to grit and character growth. Kids who are shielded from this don’t have a threshold for suffering. One can imagine what will happen when they try to succeed in life–when life throws them a curve as it always does.

And we need to ask ourselves if these are the people that are shooting up movie theaters, schools, and other public places? Something obviously has gone wrong in their life, and they obviously cannot deal with it.

Sometimes I wonder if we overly protect and overly devote ourselves to our children. I wonder if we are overly protective parents.

So back to the outdoor event. There were a lot of kids out there that day who were misbehaving in one way or the other, including our own. As discipline goes, this little lonely little boy seemed to be the best of the lot that day.

What Happened to Finding Fault?

November 26, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Opinion

Well, watch out, because I’m about to get up on my soapbox. I’ve been noticing something about our culture lately.

If there is a feature about ourselves or our children that is unattractive or unsatisfactory, especially a defect or flaw in one’s character, we tend to blame our influences. It can be as big as a vice or as small as a shortcoming. It is as if it were no fault of our own. There is no responsibility or guilt, and we as a culture tend to cleave to this new standard.

In today’s society “finding fault with someone” has a stigma against it. To find fault is to be seen as critical or condemning. There seems to be no way to “constructively criticize” anymore. Even parents find the task daunting, and you certainly cannot remain your child’s friend if you are critical in any way. Why? Well, what would that do to Mary’s self-esteem?

I remember the first time one of my kids came home from school and told me that I might be “hurting” her self-esteem. I cannot remember what the perceived infraction was, but I remember that she brought this verbal message home from her guidance counselor–that I shouldn’t be so critical as it might “hurt her (my daughter’s) self-esteem”. I didn’t handle the situation very well, because I told her to go back to that school and tell that counselor to kiss my ass.

Years later, thankfully, my daughter told me that she never delivered the message. My daughter is now 34 years old with two children of her own. Believe me, there is nothing wrong with her self-esteem.

But back to finding fault, and all its negative connotations. Today, the easy way for a parent to skirt this problem is to blame everything on our influences. And it isn’t just others, I find myself doing it, too.

It is always the fault of our influences. It is a problem of poverty. It is a problem of not having a computer. It is a problem of going to school in a portable. The dog ate the homework. It cannot be anything else; and if it is, one must remain calm at all costs. I’m not sure kids today understand when they’ve really done wrong or not.

The opposite of fault is virtue. A virtue is considered a behavior showing high moral standards. Swirling around it is goodness, integrity, dignity, honor, and respectability. Ethics is part of it and is certainly in vogue today. At least it is for social discourse.

For example patience is virtue, as is the virtues of a simple life. Surely, if one acts virtuously, one can expect respectability. Take it further and it is an asset, a forte, an attribute, a strength, and an advantage. So if you don’t have virtue, then we blame your influences—certainly never the person.

Let’s take it back another step. We admire our virtues and the virtues of our children, though sometimes I wonder if we get mixed up about the difference between a virtue and simply working hard. Or is working hard a virtue in and of itself?

If our children do well, we take full responsibility. We commend ourselves and express admiration for the job they have done. Some of us expect applause, as we eulogize, compliment and congratulate ourselves. We may even wax lyrical about it. And we certainly expect a pat on the back. All the while, our kids are watching. Just imagine how our kids will be later when that “pat on the back” isn’t delivered, as they’ve been raised to expect.

As for our kids, we cannot praise them enough, even for the slightest little gain. We glorify, honor and adore them. We pay tribute with trophies, heap accolades upon them and hold them in great esteem. I often wonder what this young adult feels like during their first job when no trophies or accolades come their way, as is often the case even when we’ve done well.

If our kid falls short “in any way”, we must be careful not to condemn the bad behavior. We must not criticize for fear they will find someone else in which to take their troubles.

If the behavior is beyond our control and goes outside of the home, we can release ourselves and simply blame his or her influences. Suzie fell in with a bad group at school. The teachers and administrators had it out for poor Johnny. The law was always against him. There are too many guns in the nation, or television violence is certainly to blame. The latter is something I’m quick to use.

In short we always praise our virtues, but blame the influences when we fall short.

If your head is spinning, trying to gather your thoughts around all of this, then join the club. All I can say is it used to be more clear. No one ever worried about the Boomers self-esteem. Criticism came in heaps, and it was all of us against all the adults. Period.

No wonder we became so “anti-establishment”. The pendulum swung way too far, I’m afraid.

Influence means the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone or something. What seems to be conveniently left out of all of this is the influence of parents on their children, which I believe brings it all back to home (pun intended).

As parents we have that capacity. I’ll start with my pet peeve. We can turn off the TV. If it is really a problem, stop paying for cable and use Netflix to make sure they only see what you approve. Parenting means sacrifice sometimes.

We can teach them right from wrong. Every moment of a child’s life can be a teachable moment. Does it make you tired just thinking about it? Well, raising kids is hard work. No doubt about it!

We need to critize if it is needed; but constructive criticism is better, though I’m not sure they’ll understand the difference until they mature.

Pay attention! Apply pressure when needed. As someone from the Boomer generation, I think this maybe one of our shortcomings. I believe we thought incorrectly that if we played it cool, the kids would come around sooner or later. Well, some of us are still waiting.

Quit blaming the teachers or the school. There was never any doubt in my mind that my parents were on the teacher’s side. I only remember one time when they weren’t and that was when a teacher spanked one of my sisters and left marks on her, which is something my parents never did. Oh they spanked all right, but they never left a bruise.

They didn’t sue. They didn’t call the school board. They didn’t call the newspaper, nor did they call for the teacher’s removal. They simply went to the principal privately and asked him to say something to her. They also moved my sister to another class.

Above all, be honest with yourselves, your children and all others. Looking back, that is what I remember most about my wonderful parents. If they didn’t like it, there was no subterfuge. They made sure I knew it. Parents need to lead by example. If we face our circumstances honestly, that may be the best example of all.

The pendulum seems to have swung too far in the other direction from which I was raised. It is time for our children to bring it back some. There has to be middle ground here.

If I Wanted America to Fail…

July 20, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Opinion

Oh My! I went back to see this video again to see how it played after the elections.

The last phrase touched me the most. “If I wanted America to fail, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Obviously, the general elections showed us that Americans are trying to make changes. The next two years will be interesting to watch.

Caterwauling Not Allowed!!

July 9, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Family Life, Opinion

We Floridians love our fresh waters, as much or more than our beaches. In the hot, sweltering summertime, nothing is more refreshing than a dip in one of our beautiful springs. This is where we go to really cool off.

Some of us grew up with little beach houses, but more of us grew up with lake and river houses. My parents owned a place on a nearby river, and it represented my childhood weekends and holidays of fishing, skiing, catching lightning bugs, and hours hanging out on a raft. It had springs. I still own the property, but the little house is no longer there. A flood destroyed it, and we did not rebuild.

Our children got to enjoy a coasthouse, until they were adults when a hurricane destroyed it. It was a great loss to our entire extended family, and we all grieved. Earlier, though, we had a beachhouse, which we sold when the kids were teenagers. It was too far from home, and all three were the type to throw a “hey, the parents are gone this weekend, let’s have a party.” We stopped going because the kids didn’t want to go, and we were too afraid to leave our home to kids run wild.

Now our children are in their late 30s, and we just came back from a weekend at the beach. It included Chuck and me, plus all three kids and their families. Eight adults and six grandchildren all stuffed into two rented beach houses, sitting next door to each other. What a wonderful long weekend. Best of all, though, one of the two beach houses was the one we owned until they became teenagers.

Each family was in charge of three meals, and there were baby gates everywhere for the safety of the grandchildren. Constantly stepping over those gates was like negotiating an obstacle course.

Having six toddlers in the family is fun and exhilarating. The oldest wears a 4T, and except for the oldest girl they are all boys. Their exuberance for life is catching.

However, six toddlers also mean six times the whining and crying. All except the oldest had one or more meltdowns, which brings me to the point of this blog.

When toddlers today are unhappy, they cry—no, actually, it is more than that. They cry and whine for what seems like forever. Here’s my question: is it ok for them to cry and whine until they are driving everyone, including their parents, insane?

On Sunday, just before we left, the four-year-old wanted a toy that his three-year-old brother had. The toy belonged to the three-year-old. The four-year-old complained to his parents, and they said that he had to wait until the other child was done with it. That is when the crying and whining began. When no one paid attention, so loud squalling begun.

They sent him upstairs to a bedroom, but you could hear it, anyway. It got even louder. Finally, he stopped and returned to where his brother was still playing with the toy. A fight erupted, and he was told to back down again. The squalling returned, and they sent him to his room, yet again. We listened to him caterwauling for what seemed like forever. Everyone in the house was on edge.

Meanwhile, Chuck was loading the dishwasher and was having trouble getting it to close. He lost his temper and slammed it, breaking a dish. This is from a man who hardly ever loses his temper, but the constant crying had been going on for over fifteen minutes, which is forever in toddler time.

The four-year-old caterwauler wasn’t the only one. It had happened to almost every one of these kids over the long weekend.

I finally couldn’t contain myself and said something. I turned to my daughter and said, “were you ever allowed to cry like that?” She stared back, somewhat hostile, and said, “no, you would say, dry it up.” My daughter-in-law looked at me, surprised and confused. I told her they brought me up to believe that crying, when it became annoying to adults, was not allowed.

In fact, I remember my grandmother mentioning to my parents that it seemed a shame that they spanked us and then wouldn’t even let us cry. That wasn’t entirely the truth. We cried; and then when it went on too long, we were told that it was enough. I remember them telling us to hush up or they would give us something to cry about. Chuck said that it was the same in his family.

Oh, and that same grandma pulled so many switches off a bush outside her house that she stunted it for life. She would grab me by a pigtail and switch, all the time, yelling for me to keep still. Like I was going to stay still so she could get a better aim?

We brought our kids up the same way. Crying wasn’t an option when it became annoying. There was no time out. There was simply me and their dad, the kids, discussions about what they did wrong (sometimes an angry in your face discussion), and finally a smack on the hand or butt. We only used the belt for major infractions, and it was the best tool I had for keeping the kids in line.

My dad made it clear to my siblings and me that if mama needed him to, he would take a belt to us when he got home after work. I remember frequently when it was a truly difficult day, hearing, “If you don’t straighten up, when your dad gets home, you’re gonna get his belt.” For about an hour, we would be angels. I can only remember about a half dozen of those belt moments over the years.

Now, we have to sit in restaurants and other public places and listen to these whining meltdowns from other people’s kids. Chuck and I have talked about how there seem to be so many more of these than there used to be.

We can only remember one or two kids in our respective towns that behaved like this. They were usually the kids of a family that was wealthy, and most of the rest of us in town thought that these kids’ parents neglected them. Now I’m thinking that it might have been the opposite. Maybe they gave them too much of everything—too many toys and too much attention. Or maybe their parents were reading too many “how-to” books.

My daughter and daughters-in-law all took the time to study these books written by professionals on how to raise their children. I’m wondering how many of these people employ nannies and maids.

I read Dr. Spock’s book myself, the book that all the mothers in my generation read. The difference is that I took and used only some suggestions. I actually liked the way my parents and I turned out, so I used mostly what I learned from them for discipline. I never thought about not spanking my kids.

For some of us, not disciplining our kids would be lazy and dangerous. I wonder what will really happen when you tell a kid today to stop when he or she is in danger. Will they listen?

Here’s how I would have handled the earlier two siblings squabbling over the toy. First, I don’t care whose toy it is. The first little girl would have had the right to play with the toy while the second one would get to “count her out”. I would have told the second one to count to 30, and when she got to 30, it would be her turn to play. Then vice versa until they are tired of the game. Of course, you might have to help them count to 30; but they would learn in due time.

If the second one (or the first) just wanted to continue crying. I would have told her just once to quit her bellyaching. The second time I had to tell her, I would have said that if she didn’t stop crying, I would give her something to cry about. After another 15 or 20 seconds of this, she would get a spanking and again told to dry it up. No smiling, no giggling, no hesitation—I always meant business, and the kids knew it. That usually took care of the problem.

Then consistency is the most important thing. You cannot let them get away with it again. No “annoying” crying is allowed from then on.

Of course, when they get to be teenagers, all bets are off.

So I’m interested in how other seniors think? How were you raised and how did you raise your kids? Would you do it any differently? Should kids’ annoying whining and crying be allowed? How do you stop it?

Did You Know That Florida is an Agricultural State?

April 1, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Opinion

Most people don’t know that about Florida. Yet, we’re seventh in the nation in agricultural production.

I grew up in a small town in central Florida, where agriculture was our prime economy. My family was involved in agriculture. It was a wonderful place to be raised, and I wouldn’t trade my childhood with anyone else’s.

Last week was the Agriculture Council of America’s National Ag Day, which is a day geared to recognize the abundance provided by our nation’s farmers and ranchers. National Ag Day is all about celebrating and recognizing the contributions they make to our everyday lives. I’m just sorry that I forgot to post something, so here is my contribution.

Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis; but most of us in America do not truly understand this. Our students usually are not exposed to agriculture, except unless they are enrolled in a related vocational class. Also, most Americans are raised in cities, and they never venture out into the countryside where agriculture takes place.

So I decided to give you a fact or two about agriculture in America. Did you know that?

1. Today, every American farmer feeds 144 people — In 1960 one farmer fed 25 people.

Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more – and doing it better with less. Farm and ranch families make up only 2% of our nation’s population. Farmers today produce 262% more food with 2% fewer inputs (such as seeds, labor, fertilizers) than they did in 1950.

2. One in Three Areas is Planted for Export.

As our world population soars, there will be an even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States.

For every $1 spent on food, farmers get less than 12 cents for the raw product.

In 1830, it took about 250 to 300 labor hours to produce 100 bushels (5 acres) of wheat. In 1975, it took just 3¾ hours.

3. Farming employs more than 24 million Americans (17% of the total workforce). The number of farms operated by women have doubled in the U.S. since 1978.

Across the country, nearly 300,000 women serve as principal operators on 62.7 million acres of farm and ranch land, accounting for $12.9 billion in farm products in 2012. In my state alone (Florida), when you look at the principal farm and ranch operators by gender–according to the last ag census, 46,009 were men and 25,705 were women.

Agricultural efficiency has increased over the past century from 27.5 acres per worker in 1890 to 740 acres per worker in 1990.

4. Americans spend about 10% of their income on food, which is the lowest of any country. This means all of us have the other 90% of our income to spend on homes, clothing, and vacations. This also means that the economic backbone of America rests on our cheap, abundant food.

Most developed countries spend around 15% or more of their income on food. India spends about half of their income.

5. Agriculture employs more the 22 million people in lots of different jobs.

Agribusiness Management, Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications, Building Construction Management, Agriscience, Resource Development and Management; Parks, Recreations, and Tourism Resources; Packaging, Horticulture, Forestry, Food Science, and Fisheries/Wildlife are all categories of agricultural careers.

One out of every five semi truck drivers is hauling raw agricultural products. This does not include the grocery store trucks you see.

6. Need a job? Several agriculture careers are in demand.

Shortfalls of qualified graduates are needed to work as plant geneticists and plant breeders, climate change analysts, and food safety and security specialists. Anticipated during 2010–15, according to a Purdue University study.

7. 10 percent of all Americans are involved in farming.

One in 10 Americans play a role in the nation’s food and fiber supply, showing the extreme importance of agricultural awareness and understanding.

Agriculture is too important to only be taught to a small percentage of students considering careers in agriculture and pursuing vocational agricultural studies.

Why I’m a Capitalist

January 28, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Family Life, Opinion

This morning I made a statement. I said, “The whole damn country has lost its mind.” Chuck in reply said, “No, it’s more like it has lost its soul.” Here’s what caused us to feel this way, and how I know that I’m a capitalist.

It all began when I told him about some research I was doing and about a project that was done during the Great Depression in a South Florida city. It was a FERA project, where they hired people to interview the elderly in that community. They were asked if they remembered anything their parents told them about their family moving to the area. They picked their brains for any information they could glean. What I found were extremely good stories about how people migrated to south Florida during the mid to late 1800s.

Chuck said, “What is FERA”. I said, “You know, one of those projects where people are given jobs to put more money into the economy. Only back then they used their money to put people to work, while we just passed a stimulus bill and gave most of it away.” Then I added, “The whole damn country…” Well, you get the picture.

FERA was the Federal Emergency Relief Administration which President Herbert Hoover created in 1932. They gave loans to states to operate relief programs. Along with the Civilian Conservation Corps, it was the first relief operation under the New Deal. Florida is full of FERA projects, like the community center in Davenport, the seawall around Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs, and one of the Education buildings still standing at Florida State University in Tallahassee. These were considered socialist handout programs back then even though people still had to work for the money. The people of the 1930s didn’t think these were capitalist programs.

Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs, Florida

FERA’s main goal was to alleviate household unemployment by creating new unskilled jobs in local and state governments. This was more expensive than direct cash payments (called “the dole”), but it was psychologically beneficial to the unemployed at that time. The unemployed wanted and needed any sort of job for self-esteem issues. Men especially wanted to maintain the role as their families’ breadwinners, but women took jobs too.

Through FERA women learning to basket weave, providing a product they can sell to take care of their families.

By the time FERA closed in 1935, it provided work for over 20 million people and developed facilities on public lands all across the country. Over $3.1 B was given to states and local governments to run the program. In 1935 it was replaced with the WPA, the Works Progress Administration.

I’ve always felt that working was a good thing. It makes me feel good to be productive. I get satisfaction in what I do. I’ve been this way since my first job sweeping hair in a beauty salon at the age of 14. I made fifty cents an hour. Back then minimum wage wasn’t required for teenagers.

I wanted a beautiful red and black plaid wool skirt with matching vest made by Bobby Brooks. The skirt was a tad short, but with the vest one could wear it on the hips and pass the dress code. It was tough being a teenager in those days.

I asked my parents, and they told me that the outfit cost too much. I told them I wanted a job, and Mama got me one working at the place where she got her hair done. That was 1968. I worked three afternoons a week and a half day on Saturday.

By the end of my first week, I made enough to go have the skirt placed on lay-away. The outfit was sold in separates. I was just hoping no one came in and bought the vest before I could get it, too.

Feeling lucky and smart, almost two months later I paid for and took home the entire outfit. What a wonderful feeling! I had been bitten by the capitalist bug. Years later, while attending college, I worked in a dress shop and spent everything I made in that one store. Can you tell I love clothes?

Eventually, I learned to live within my means and spread around the good cheer. Thankfully, I also learned how to save.

It is too bad that people who love to work and who save for the future seem to be fewer in number today. It has been a good work life for my husband and me, and we’re retired now.

I wrote this almost five years ago, and I’m happy that our country seems to be turning this around. Under the new presidential administration, it seems that more people than ever are back at work. It seems that fewer people are waiting for a handout. This is indeed good news for America.

What was your first job and what was your first big buy? How do you feel about our current welfare system? Do you believe we are getting closer or farther away from our capitalist roots?

The Ultimate Memorial Day Movie to Watch

January 21, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Movies, Opinion

The Memorial Day movie “Lone Survivor” is about four American military men in Afghanistan who were given an order to capture and kill a Taliban leader. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Marcus Luttrell one of the four men. Their mission goes horribly wrong.

Chuck and I went to see the movie in 2013 when it was first in theaters. Ironically, I was the one that insisted we go. This surprised Chuck because he knows that I don’t like extremely tense movies, and he knew that this one was exactly that.

But We Went Anyway

Of course, the movie was extremely intense. Most of the people in the theatre were young men. A row of them to my right were all with very short haircuts. They all set like they were sitting at attention if that is possible. They were stoic and very quiet.

The movie was excellent, as was the acting.

Well, why did I go?

I truly believe that freedom in America is not free. We all owe a debt of gratitude to all the men and women who have fought or are fighting for our freedom. These four young men did just that.

The War in Afghanistan was and still is a direct result of the attacks on the Trade Center buildings in New York, our Pentagon in DC, and the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. This battle in Afghanistan took place within five years after those attacks. At the time, there was no doubt in our collective minds that we needed to be over there. To do nothing was not an option for our nation.

“Lone Survivor” is about Operation Red Wings. The operation was one of the worst military disasters in US history. Nineteen men lost their lives. Four men were sent in for reconnaissance, and surveillance centered on a leader in the Taliban.

The operation failed because of several reasons, the biggest of which was their accidental discovery by some Afghan goatherders. They captured the three goatherders but regretfully had to let them go even though they knew that there was a good chance that the Taliban army of men down in the village would be alerted. Later, it was their virtues that led to the disaster, not their vices. The Seal team of four followed the rules of engagement and did the honorable thing.

I heard enough of this story to feel the tug of my own calling. If these men could put themselves into this situation for the people in this country, then the least I could do was to see their story. I felt the ‘lone survivor’ wanted to make sure these men were not forgotten.

There is really so much more about this movie. You’ll find yourself proud of these young men and their call to duty, and you’ll be amazed by some Afghan villagers in the story. You’ll leave the movie as quietly as the young men I sat beside. Much thought will crowd your mind.

Is War Senseless?

Some time ago I heard that a reporter called the deaths in this operation, senseless. I just wonder if he felt the same in 2005 when this happened. Time makes us forget, and it is easy to look back ten years and make generalizations.

Senseless? I think not. If anything, it was a very conscious decision that was valuable, smart and sensible at the time. It was not perfect, but it had to be done. Thank goodness, these professionals knew their purpose; and they did the best they could under the circumstances. They understood that a dedicated life is a life worth living. They gave with their whole heart. Let’s not forget these young men on Memorial Day.

A Yellow Ribbon to Remember Those Still in Harm’s Way

Ever since the first men and women were sent overseas after 9-11, we tied a yellow ribbon around a tree near our street. Several times over the past dozen or more years, we replaced it because it lost all its color and was almost unnoticeable. This Memorial Day we will re-wrap the tree for the rest of the men and women who are still over there doing their best to keep America free.

We plan to read the book by the same title because there are still questions unanswered. Most important of all? Let the politicians, reporters, and pundits argue; but let us not forget our military.

And let’s not forget our children. I am not sure that our children are learning American history like we did. Our schools seem so intent on teaching them about the bad in our American history that I’m afraid they leave out the consequences and importance of what we did that was good. I believe it may be up to all of us outside of the schools to teach our children about this great nation and what it really stands for.

That is why Chuck and I have been taking the kids to battlefields, museums, and monuments. We cannot depend on our schools to teach our children and grandchildren what we feel is important. We need to pick up that job ourselves. This summer get to know your offspring better and learn about America’s history first hand.

Two of our grandsons on the Resaca Battlefield.

And don’t forget that all of us need to update our lessons. “Lone Survivor” whether you decide to see the movie or read the book is a good primer.