The saying has been credited to everyone from Willie Nelson to the late Paul Neuman to the late Betty Davis. While I would like to believe that a person can let their guard down as they move into retirement it is not always the case.

What happens? For some it was coming off the corporate tread mill and finally having more than 10 minutes for breakfast and coffee…maybe even time enough for a quick skim of the newspaper. For others it is a time when the decision has been made that I am gonna take it easy, no matter what. But like the best laid plans of mice and men, the dream sometimes misses. Boredom, blood pressure and patience begin to weight you down and the next thing, “Old Age” begins slowing you down.

My old age began about 9 years ago when I had triple by-pass surgery followed in three years by three stents. I had already been diagnosed with COPD, so felt I had survived the worst of it and was still a man in my 50’s. Retirement came years later following a few trips to the hospital for Mycoplasma Pneumonia. If you are not familiar, these are are germs that reside in the lungs and are neither bacterial or viruses. They serve as a reminder that even when we are feeling well, something in the system can be working against you.

Feeling that we had the world by the tail, we retired and moved south. Bought a beautiful home (still getting some fix up attention) and thought this is going to be GREAT! Beautiful home, lovely wife, great weather…what more could one ask for? New Years Eve morning with a little ice on the patio and when letting the dog in, a slip, a fall, a broken hip! Now I am old enough to know pain, but this really, really hurt and so for the next three days I stayed inside…the hospital that is. There have been some other ailments, but the point of this isn’t me, it is about getting older, feeling like you have life under control and then crumbling.

We all have friends that have been healthy their entire life…until they retire and decide to have some fun and bang. Several of us in the over 60 crowd have talked about what we should have done to sneak up on old age, however those conversations don’t last as long as they should because none of us want to admit that we have reached “OLD AGE.”

When I first heard the saying “Old Age Ain’t For Sissies” I laughed. Now when I say it, I feel it is a statement of truth. Don’t take old age for granted because it can get you!

OK, so who is it? If you are one of the many listeners to Rush Limbaugh you realize that he is truly the spokesman for the Conservative Republican. That is he appears to be running the show while the RNC Chief Michael Steele appears to be doing his imitation of a new puppy…roll over and show your tummy.

What is happening with the Republicans? A loss of power in the White House and to add insult to injury, loss of seats in the House and Senate. Combine that with the fact that the winner in the General Election was not a Washington insider! It’s enough to cause a Republican Conservative to cry “foul.” They have and continue to do so.

In an attempt to off set the major victory by President Obama, the RNC immediately appointed Michael Steele their leader. The polling bump was not there, so why not turn your back on an Economic Stimulas Plan, it might get some attention. OOOPS, they did it! Still, no bump in the opinion polls. Maybe talking about tax cuts would work. Tax cuts worked for former President Bush (W), but when people are losing jobs at a record rate, a tax cut? Usually a tax cut affects those with jobs…any questions?

Enter the Rotund Savior. Limbaugh, who has been quoted several times as saying “He hopes the President fails” has given the conservatives a voice. His radio program has become the pulpit for those that have had none and while it is a pulpit the ego may not let others participate. Michael Steele has even apologized to Rush. Rush has gone on record to wanting to debate President Obama and he has been spewing forth his brand of tripe in an attempt to get conservatives fired up. In some cases he has done so, while in others there are Republicans that are beginning to run from the fray.

Should the President debate Limbaugh? HELL NO! Limbaugh is a performer whose act includes dramatics, shock and an ego that probably wouldn’t fit in the average hall used for debating. As for the President, he is spending more time on the economy and trying to restore America than anyone in the past 8 years and for him to take his eye off the ball with a half baked debate would be a travesty!

Limbaugh’s ego is growing and there is a distinct possibility that with the amount of publicity he is currently receiving, his little bubble might burst spewing empty words and challenges into the atmosphere. Sorry, but Rush doesn’t have a clue!

You may have noticed that I used the Roman Numeral for the number 3, only because I didn’t know what the numeral was for somewhat finished. That’s right SOMEWHAT! The floor is done and there were lessons to be learned.

I think we might have chosen one of the most competent handymen in the area so confident are we in his work and attitude that we will be using him again on various projects as we turn this 30+ year old house into something more modern. Don’t get me wrong, we are not looking for something young and hip (do they say that anymore) but into something my wife and I can look upon with pride.

Back to the floor. Handyman arrived right on schedule…First good sign. After surveying the job, he indicated that the side we were working from was the wrong side. OK, I feel kinda dumb, but there is one correct way to lay laminate flooring and it was not the direction that I had torn out in an attempt to make repairs. OOOPS! What he had estimated in time was based on having the extra laminate we needed, under layment in place, and going the right direction. OK…two out of three isn’t bad, but it can cost you money. His patience was impressive, he neither threw anything, nor did he become abusive with language.

He took a few minutes and explained the problem and began working. I brought in more laminate and it appeared that they would come in at the half day mark as estimated. Noon came and went and the job was not completed due to a problem brought on by both of us. We knew we had several boxes of laminate (left by the previous owner) the problem was that some of the wood grain would not match, so here we are sorting and trying to get things looking like a million bucks…and all the time, I’m thinking “What’s this gonna cost” and “Why did I ever tear out that durn divider”?

My lovely wife made a couple of trips out for things that were needed and I continued to supervise a job I apparently knew nothing about. Three o’clock came and we suddenly realized that we needed a threshold for a sliding door. Didn’t have one, so trip was in order. With threshold in hand, our handyman began making the final cuts and adjustments and by five we were settling the bill. His apology for the additional time was accepted as he reduced his bill from what it would have been to a lower figure, one that I felt really good about.

I guess there are several lessons to be learned from the project. First, it might be better to be informed as to what type of task you have ahead of you before you began taking things down and then question your own carpentry skills. Second, just because the internet is full of good advice on most DIY projects, check with a pro, someone at one of the home improvement centers and attempt to fill in the blanks where you have a short fall. Third, make sure you have a loving and understanding wife. Of the three the latter might just be the most important.

While this sounds like the end of this DIY story, it is continuing. We have walls to texture, some repair to do and a lot of time to spend with the Professionals at a home improvement center.

To everyone that has installed, replaced sections of or have worked with laminated flooring, I doff my hat to you! Unless you have a better grasp of carpentry than I, this can be a nightmare.

With a gap in the floor where the old room divider had been located, it was time to repair the floor. I watched videos on “You Tube” and read the “How To” in one of our Do-It-Yourself books. The concept is really quite simple…kinda like that of a child building something with Legos! Well, when I was a kid we had building blocks that did not have tongue-in-groove.

The intent was to take up the boards that had been cut and replace them, however after reading we found that you should not try this (I’m sure that there are experts that can…I couldn’t.) What was required was removing the quarter round and removing boards to where the last row would be that would give you a straight edge for the entire length of the repair. OK! Boards out, now my 4-6 inch wide gap was 31 feet long by 9 feet wide. OK, I must admit that I have always been better tearing things up than fixing them, but this was a bit much. In addition, I had damaged the finish on a couple of boards that caused the last row to come out.

After checking the book and re-watching some video, I thought I had it cold. Simply attach the tongue, snap it in place, use a flat piece of 2×4 against the edge and tap the piece into the groove . On the first board, I ended up with some splintering followed by a rather sharp snap and the tongue on the board I was attempting to install turned into dust! I was using a standard hammer and not a sledge and I was amazed, but removed the board, cleaned up my mess and tried again with the same results. I then tried attaching two boards (not attaching them to those that were still installed) in an attempt to see how difficult it would be to do if there were no restrictions. WOW, this is simple! Several attempts and no successes later, I called my wife into the living room and showed her the mess. She is not one to let a little challenge ruin a project and she got down on her knees and attempted the same steps I had tried with the same results, short of breaking a board.

Decision time! Time for a meeting of the minds. Did I attempt too large a project for someone that can handle many tasks, but this one seemed overpowering. Our decisions on how to proceed in Part 3!

I don’t know what your experience is with remodeling an older house, but I must admit it is easier reading about than doing!

As background, we bought an older home about 18 months ago and truly love the house. It is near 2000 square foot and was built in the late 70’s. For two people, we feel it is nearly the ideal size, whereby being retired, one of us can be in the kitchen and the other in the bed room and not disturb each other. Another huge advantage is when we have company, there is plenty of room to entertain. (Our nearest child is about five hours away.)

When we purchased the home, the 20X20 living room was divided from the dining room by a 4 inch by 3 and a half foot high divider, with spindles to the ceiling. While I am sure that the person that installed this divider was quite proud of their workmanship, it was not what we intended. Opening the dining room to the living room would give the term Great Room a whole new meaning. In fact, it would give us an “L” that would be some 31 feet long and would create an open and airy area.

That divider has been a constant source of conversation between the two of us for 18 months. My wife has been texturing some walls (entry way, hallway, etc) and finally I decided to get rid of the divider. Off to the Home Improvement Store to buy a reciprocating saw and within an hour of returning home, WALL DOWN! That’s right, by cutting the spindles, I was able to bring them down from the ceiling and from there, removing the divider was a piece of cake. The wall behind the divider was to be textured, so leaving a rather ugly verticle stripe where one of the spindles had been was not a problem.

The problem came on the floor. The floors are covered with Pergo and having a strip between the two rooms on the floor became very noticeable. Redoing a section of Pergo Flooring is not difficult, according to the internet, just lift, lay and away you go.

PART 2, THE FLOOR IN DAYS!

There is a joke that is currently circulating regarding the Governors of Illinois. It goes something like this…”Illinois is a unique state. In fact, it is so unique the Governors have their own prison wing!” Dan Walker, Otto Kerner, George Ryan and Possibly the current governor will all share or have shared the same color suits! That’s not mentioning Paul Powell, who as Secretary of State was found to have shoe boxes full of money in his home. Money that investigators proved were from payoffs and yes, he became eligible for the striped tan as well!

Governor Rod Blagojevich, arrested by Federal Agents earlier this month has continued to march to the same tune several of the afore mentioned marched to just before they were arrested, tried and jailed. Blagojevich continues to speak of his innocents and today stepped forward and appointed Former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the seat vacated by President-Elect Obama.

In his comments about the appointment, Burris seemed oblivious to the fact that both the Illinois Lawmakers and Democrats in Washington, D.C. have said they would not accept the nomination. When asked about the Governors problems he was quick to assert that they were the governors and not his and he was unaware of any problem with his nomination. (Really?)

Burris is a seasoned politician, having run for Mayor of Chicago, Governor of Illinois and having served as Illinois Attorney General. At no time has his integrity been challenged and to clear the air…it is not being challenged now. The challenge will come from whether Blagojevich can get an appointment cleared all the way to the U.S. Senate.

If Burris does make it to Washington, D.C., a cloud will always hang over his head. The cloud of “What it cost him to get the nod.” As for Blagojevich, it appears he is surviving to fight another day!

I’ve been around for a lot of elections and following each, the losing party usually has some negative comments about the winner and it ends. 2008’s Presidential Election is different. The losing party is not only continuing to complain but they are acting like road blocks.

Living on a retirement income. I was very interested in how Washington was going to handle the cash crash on Wall Street. President Bush (yes he is still the President) stood firmly behind the $700 Billion bail out and while his party ignored him, the deals were finally cut and Wall Street survived to fight another day! Oh yes, the bail out did little to help a retirees invested savings.

The $700 Billion was suppose to help those losing their homes, loosen up credit and give the economy a nudge to prevent the Recession for getting any worse. What appears to have happened was that large banks bought other large banks and many small banks were gobbled up by the creative use of your tax dollars…a bail out of sorts but for whom?

We now come to the Auto Industry. There are many who have been beaten up by auto sales personnel that would like to say…”Let ‘em sink.” I think I would feel the same way were it not for the thousands of persons that would be directly impacted by the demise of this industry, not to mention the related businesses that support said businesses. Everyone knows how they reached this point…poor management, poor product and now a lack of credit to entice buyers. The question is “Do you let this industry fail?” As someone with a conscience and no ties to the auto industry, I think it would be tragic to allow any of the “Big Three” to go under. The thought of Chapter 11 only leads to one thing…UNION BUSTING! Ronald Regan managed to break the Union when he fired the Air Traffic Controllers. At that time, many Republicans lauded his deed. Now, Republicans are advocating Chapter 11 and no assistance for the Auto Industry. This would be a great way of breaking the Union and not getting their hands dirty.

If the Auto Industry goes under it will be a lot more about Union Busting than an industry rebuild itself!