Tag: Mare Carter

Balancing Act

~ GrayMareWrites ~ Leave a comment

Anyone else having issues balancing their financial life in relation to their advancing age?

Making decisions lately has taken on a very different type of calculation, one that includes the question, should we save or should we spend.  If we spend money now, are we taking away from money we’ll need in 5, 10, 15 years or, Lord willing, beyond?  And if we don’t spend it now, will we regret not spending it later?

For instance, after making the decision that, barring a stunning lottery win, we’d be aging in place in our current home, we’ve been having a little work done.  But do we fix only the immediate needs and let the small stuff slide?  Balancing today against tomorrow, what if we need the money spent on a luxury today for necessities tomorrow?

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Things I Like Thursday – The Mom’s National Park Passport Book

~ GrayMareWrites ~ 2 Comments

As I was cleaning out The Mom’s apartment after she passed, I found lots of things that warmed my heart, made me laugh and made me cry.  But one of the most special things I came across was her National Parks passport book.  She loved the National Parks and visited as many as she could, usually with organized tours. 

Flipping through the pages, seeing all the stamps that represented trips and locations that she got to see, it just made me so damn happy.  I brought it back across country in my purse and now it lives in a box of precious items to be grabbed in case of evacuation (living in Cali, you need a designated box or two in case of earthquake, fire, flood).

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Lessons in Grief, Part 1

~ GrayMareWrites ~ 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve written. 

My mother passed away March 6. 

Grief keeps its own schedule:

Not showing up when expected, like when I ordered the date to be carved into the headstone she shares with my grandparents.

Visiting at odd times, like when I tried to deal with a check written in her name.

But always at one o’clock on Saturdays, the time I used to call her every week.

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Things I Like Thursday – 2 Word Game Apps

~ GrayMareWrites ~ 2 Comments

I’m not a competitive person.  When I play a game, it’s usually for my own enjoyment and personal best.  I don’t pay much attention to metrics like scores or the time it takes to finish or solve.  I have Spider Solitaire and Mahjong  on my phone and they’re my go to’s when I’m watching tv – they don’t take much attention and I can keep track of the plot as I listen.

I have two word games I play, though, that need undivided attention.  One is new and one I’ve been playing for a while.

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Chick Flicks for Valentine’s Day

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For years, The Husband and I had a movie for every holiday (The Quiet Man for St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day for the Fourth of July, etc.), which we seem to have let fall by the wayside in the last few years.  But our Valentine’s movie was always Roxanne, Steve Martin’s take on Cyrano de Bergerac. It will always have my heart because it’s funny and smart and, ya know, Steve Martin.

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Slowing Down – But Not in a Bad Way

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The Husband and I are trying to get consistent in our nightly walking.  We tend to go in spurts, being Good Doobies for months, then getting waylaid by rain or Santa Ana’s (wind conditions) or cold (yes, it goes into the 40’s in So Cal) (and yes, we’re weather wimps).  We also do various floor and strength exercises because we want to keep active and healthy for as long as we can.  It’s probably more important now than ever.

I also go through my meditation phases.  When the least little thing sets me off like a rocket and I’m constantly tense, I know it’s time to light a candle, sit cross legged on the floor and get myself quiet.  I think meditation is highly individualized and we should find our own method to give ourselves the peace we need.

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Betty White’s Big Secret

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I believe in the afterlife, Heaven, whatever you want to call it.  I believe that there is more than just this life and time we live on earth.  But fear of the unknown, the bane of all introverts times a million, has always tinged the notion of The Great Beyond with anxiety and dread for me, like a party where you haven’t seen the guest list and there isn’t a clear dress code.

So, when I read an article about Betty White recently, this excerpt gave me an excellent framework for upgrading the way I feel about continuing the journey.

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My iPhone 13 Saga

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5G

A simple number and letter.  That cost me a ridiculous amount of money, buying a new iPhone 13.  It had to be a 12 or 13 to be able to access the new 5G when 3G goes the way of dinosaurs, tv tubes and Howard Johnson restaurants.  Maybe I could have gotten away with something a little cheaper but I figured if I get top of the line now, I won’t have to buy another for a very long time.  Yeah, yeah, I know—in technology time, that’s probably 3-5 years, if I’m lucky…

Even when you’re dealing with technology…
The graphic on my home screen.
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