Originally published Thursday, November 10, 1983
Social Security and Retirement
I guess you call this retirement. I have been home now the month of October. My biggest problem is shall I work in or out? After working away from home for 40 years, it is a change. I, myself, have been amazed at how much I have enjoyed it.
I cleaned every drawer in the house looking for my birth certificate. I had placed it in a real safe place. I found it in the little tin box where we keep things like that. My pot plants are saturated with water. I have sunned the blankets, they are as straight as you can fold old blankets. I have straightened the linens (as my late friend Eva would say) I have made the Salvation Army a box or two, finally fave up on losing enough weight to get back in those things.
I have made two batches of the give-away stew. I give stew instead of flowers sometimes. I have made six cakes and two "tater" pies. I have made two batches of the good pepper jelly and one of relish. We have been to Auburn twice, going again for Homecoming. I have cooked at least 80 meals. Raked the leaves twice, wrote stacks of letters and spent hours on the Philpot story. I caught the ironing up to date. Now it has come undone. The yard is full of leaves. The basement must be cleaned. I have not dusted yet. I don't like to dust.
I have been Christmas shopping already and simply can't wait to decorate if my back holds out. Its the same back that picked the cotton and shocked the oats, that wagged the babies and drew the water and ironed the clothes. What is the warranty on a good back?
I think our neighbors will agree we did not have to leave home this year to see the beauty in the change of the season. Fourth Street has been a burst of color. I can't get enough of it. I peep out between every job.
I have experienced the warmth of the unemployment office and the Social Security office. The American people have been conned many times, but Social Security is the biggest joke yet. They either need to quit taking it from the young or else lead them to believe this is not going to be anything so don't count on it. Just pay it. Some of the letters I wrote were to the Congress who so generously voted themselves a good retirement and gave the notch babies less because they weren't born soon enough. Come now, we are not all dummies.
I have had a rewarding career. Started out selling leather shoes for Joe Sapp. Sold Furniture, made Popsicles, managed a soda fountain with all of the romance and glamor of the early drug store. Managed a dress shop for 20 years. Worked for the board of Registrars and if I can learn to use this typewriter I may have a career yet. The instructions could be in Spanish and German as far as I am concerned. I don't understand English. "Because I must write tomorrow the thoughts I have today - For in a fleeting moment they too may get away."
I cleaned every drawer in the house looking for my birth certificate. I had placed it in a real safe place. I found it in the little tin box where we keep things like that. My pot plants are saturated with water. I have sunned the blankets, they are as straight as you can fold old blankets. I have straightened the linens (as my late friend Eva would say) I have made the Salvation Army a box or two, finally fave up on losing enough weight to get back in those things.
I have made two batches of the give-away stew. I give stew instead of flowers sometimes. I have made six cakes and two "tater" pies. I have made two batches of the good pepper jelly and one of relish. We have been to Auburn twice, going again for Homecoming. I have cooked at least 80 meals. Raked the leaves twice, wrote stacks of letters and spent hours on the Philpot story. I caught the ironing up to date. Now it has come undone. The yard is full of leaves. The basement must be cleaned. I have not dusted yet. I don't like to dust.
I have been Christmas shopping already and simply can't wait to decorate if my back holds out. Its the same back that picked the cotton and shocked the oats, that wagged the babies and drew the water and ironed the clothes. What is the warranty on a good back?
I think our neighbors will agree we did not have to leave home this year to see the beauty in the change of the season. Fourth Street has been a burst of color. I can't get enough of it. I peep out between every job.
I have experienced the warmth of the unemployment office and the Social Security office. The American people have been conned many times, but Social Security is the biggest joke yet. They either need to quit taking it from the young or else lead them to believe this is not going to be anything so don't count on it. Just pay it. Some of the letters I wrote were to the Congress who so generously voted themselves a good retirement and gave the notch babies less because they weren't born soon enough. Come now, we are not all dummies.
I have had a rewarding career. Started out selling leather shoes for Joe Sapp. Sold Furniture, made Popsicles, managed a soda fountain with all of the romance and glamor of the early drug store. Managed a dress shop for 20 years. Worked for the board of Registrars and if I can learn to use this typewriter I may have a career yet. The instructions could be in Spanish and German as far as I am concerned. I don't understand English. "Because I must write tomorrow the thoughts I have today - For in a fleeting moment they too may get away."
No comments:
Post a Comment