Life in America

In the last two years, January 2020 through December 2021, my wife and I have received $3,200 each in stimulus money or a total of $6,400 and since we did not need the money, we simply put it in our savings account in the Credit Union...  but, it was really nice for our Federal Government to give us that free money and if they want to do it again, then we will gladly accept it and eagerly put it in our savings account again...

My wife and I have been retired since 2015 and live off of our Savings and our Social Security income which is around $3,000 each month and our current lifestyle has us spending about $4,500 each month so we are depleting our savings by $1,500 each month or $18,000 each year...  however, because I am being treated for two different cancers simultaneously, my cancer insurance which we took out 20 years ago on a whim pays me $10,000 each year, so I actually only need to reduce our savings by $8,000 each year.

Over the next 20 years, our savings will be reduced $180,000 and the current value of our completely paid for home is somewhere between $200,000 to $250,000.  At 74 years old, living for the next 20 years is questionable but entirely possible, even with cancer.

Did I plan for this?

Not really...  it just sorta happened...

In 1990, I left NC for TN because I was going to add somewhere between $12-15,000 to my salary but I did not think about TN not having a state income tax which adds 7% to your take-home pay.  Nor, did I realize that the cost of living was about 13/14% less (on average) than anywhere else in the USA...

Where we live in East TN:

• the Knoxville airport is 50 minutes away
• The Knoxville hospital is 40 minutes away
• Walmart supercenter is 2 miles away
• Weigles Convenience store (gasoline) is 1.5 miles away
• Interstate 40 is 7 miles from the house
• Gatlinburg, TN (Smoky Mtns) is 1.5 hours away
• Bristol Motor Speedway is 2 hours away
• Nashville, TN is 3 hours away
• Atlanta, GA is 4 hours away
• Myrtle Beach, SC is 6 hours away

Because of the Cumberland Plateau on the west side of us and because of the Smoky Mountains on the east side of us, all the major storms either in the winter or in the summer have a tendency to shield the TN Valley from adverse weather conditions.

Life in America for my wife and I is pleasantly satisfactory...  I would say that we look for deals and never spend our money unwisely.  We purchase year old leased cars with low mileage when we need to replace our vehicles.  Our lifestyle is simple and we have controlled our greedy desires that plague so many Americans.  We have no desire to try and live like the wealthy nor do not do what we want to...

• We have been on 12 cruises
• We have been to Europe twice
• We have been to Hawaii three times
• We have been to Alaska
• We have been to the Caribbean often
• We have been to Mexico several times
• We have been to Canada
• We have been to Vegas three times
• We have been to the Gulf Coast/Florida often
• We spend most of our summers at Myrtle Beach, SC

What has helped more than anything else was the fact that we became debt free 15 years ago and have never gotten into debt since.  We use credit cards, but always pay them off at the end of the month so we never pay interest.

We don't fly around in private jets nor are we members of a country club or spend a lot of money on clothes and accessories.  We typically go out to dinner once a week but never pay more than $30-$50 for those meals including tips.

Instead of an inground pool, we have an above ground pool but with a deck that completely surrounds the circular pool.  The deck is large enough for a 15X15 gazebo along with a 6 person hot tub.  Both the hot tub and the pool are over 10 years old because we make sure we properly take care of them with proper preventive maintenance.

It feels nice to live like this...  and, it feels nice to live in a conservative state...  and, it feels nice to live in an area where there is hardly any crime and violence...  I am glad for the convenient location of our home...  and I am glad that I live between two relatively large man-made lakes...  and, most importantly, I am glad to be a SOUTHERNER...

Nowhere But Here

 

I was born in Raleigh, NC but shortly afterwards moved to just outside of Alexandria, VA, then high school in Cairo, Egypt and back to Elon College, NC for college and to live until 1989.  However, there was a brief stint of 2 years in Norfolk, VA when I served in the US Navy.  In 1990, I moved to East TN where I lived in Greeneville, Morristown, Chattanooga, Dandridge, and Jefferson City...  I have been in Jefferson City, TN since 2001 and will more than likely remain here for the rest of my life...

Every morning, I watch FOX NEWS and every morning I am not just thankful but grateful for having the motivation and the good sense to move to East TN and have no desire to live anywhere else.

FOX NEWS shares with me about all the violence and crime that is taking place in California, Oregon, and Washington including Chicago, New York City, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Atlanta just to name a few states and cities.

FOX NEWS shares with me about all the LOCKDOWNS that are going on around the country and the fact that many states and cities are mandating not just facemasks but requiring people to show PROOF of VACCINATION...  now, while I have had both my Moderna vaccinations including a Moderna booster, I resent and reject the idea that I should have to show PROOF of what I have done.

 FOX NEWS shares with me about all the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS that are coming across our southern borders, none of these immigrants are being tested for COVID nor are they being required to show proof of vaccination...  WHY NOT?  But...  I am still very much thankful that very few of these illegal immigrants  are being shipped to East TN.

As a Vietnam Veteran, I am embarrassed by the way we left Afghanistan, not just the lack of leadership that was on display but because all of our allies now question our ability and desire to protect them and stand with them against their enemies...

East TN State University

Not only is the weather in East TN very mild during the winter months, but there is no state income tax...  and, on average, East TN is 10-12% cheaper to live than anywhere else in the US...  for example, a couple can live very comfortable on $3,000 to $3,500 per month without debt, but this includes an apartment rent or mortgage of $1,200/month.

Why in the hell would I want to live somewhere else?

HOWEVER...  I do not have...

• the broadway plays of NYC
• the expensive restaurants of NYC
• the subways of NYC
• the expansive public transportation
• the volume of people of large cities
• the smog of large cities
• the crime and violence of large cities
• the cold winters of the north
• the high constant humidity of the south
• the problem that illegal immigrants bring with them

Of course...  I am retired...  so, there may not be the needs that I would have were I still working...  but, I worked here in East TN for 25 years, and while my salary was less that what I might have earned in other places, I still live a comfortable middle class existence and had very little in terms of wants and desires...

One of the key things that I encountered when I moved from NC to TN in 1990 was the fact that in NC my skills and abilities were a dime a dozen but in TN, I was in very high demand because of my skills and abilities...  that is a good feeling to have professionally.

I am glad that I want to live NOWHERE BUT HERE...

Another Weekend in East TN

My neighbor was taken to the hospital in Knoxville last week by ambulence because she had a heart attack but was aware enough to call 911 herself.  Her heart issues were on the right side and even though she had 19 stents, she still suffered a powerful enough attack, to cause her to undergo a quardruple bypass operation.  She was released this morning and I talked with her son after helping her inside her home.

One of the issues that we talked about was the fact that east tn, at least where we were living was, for the most part, isolated away from all the garbage that was happening in the big cities.

While we were experiencing higher prices, our increase in prices were not as high as those increases up north.  We were not seeing an increase in illegal immigrants being flown to our location, nor did we have the crime and violence that we had been reading about or watching on the news.  No one in our area was ambushing police in an effort to try and wound or kill them.

• No one in our area wanted to defund the police.
• No one in our area wanted to teach critical race theory.
• No one in our area was concerned about black lives matter.
• No one in our area want to remove monuments or rename buildings.
• No one in our area wanted to wear or mandate facemasks except hospitals and healthcare facilities.
• No one in our area wanted to ban conservative thoughts, comments, or actions.
• No one in our area supported abortion
• No one in our area wanted to do away with the 2nd Amendment.

BTW...  did I mention that my neighbor is BLACK???

AND...  did I mention that on the other side of my neighbor's house lives a mexican immigrant that neither of us knew whether he and his family were legal or not and neither of us really gave a shit either way.

Oh yes...  I am white...  and, interestingly enough, I have been white all my life...  and, the only living beings that were ever opposed by me because of my white supremacy attitude ghaniswere my CATS...  because I refused to let them go outsde...  inside cats actually live longer on average than outside cats.

Neither of us voted for TRUMP but both of us feel that our current President...  What's His Name...  is doing a horrible job and we are both tired of him lying to the public about what he supposedly believes...  we are also tired of the mainstream media covering his ass all the time pretending like he is doing a great job.

Neither my black neighbor nor I care about which political party controls the politics of the county because we have the same problems today that we had back in the 1960's which means both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for maintaining the status quo.

My black neighbor like to fish in one of our two man made Public Works lakes...  but, I do not...  So...  I suppose that we are different in that regard...  but, we don't fight about it nor do we get upset because we like to do different things...

I also have no idea if he sees me as white or just as his neighbor....  it never much mattered to me...

East TN Living

Today, it is raining throughout the Valley as the local stations warn us to brace for flash flooding...  and, that makes sense because the ground as a result of many days of high heat is hard and will not absorb the water easily creating runoff.

But for me, it is just another day being retired after retiring in 2015...  6 years I have enjoyed the lifestyle of not having to be anywhere and not being forced to kiss ass just to remain employed...  still, after 45 years of working for "the man," I am glad that I no longer have to do that...

I have been told by many people that their careers were not like what I experienced and I am glad that all of them had something different...  work will always be work...  and quite honestly, I really don't miss or need the money.

I am comfortable with the lower middle class income that I have as it pays the bills while allowing me to do whatever I want to.

Many people throughout the US look down their noses on TN as a backwards State, fiercely devoted to their Baptists beliefs, and who marry their cousins and quite possibly their brothers and sisters from time-to-time, who spend all of their time farming, making shine, and who have black, decaying teeth.

Unfortunately, that is NOT A TRUE PICTURE...

Ivy League Colleges and University PhD graduates teach in our colleges and universities...  they offer their medical expertise in our hospitals, clinics, and private practices...  they work at Oak Ridge National Laboratories which rivals the Research Triangle Park in NC.

Nashville is the home to COUNTRY MUSIC which is a BILLION DOLLAR business...

And, some of the best marijuana in the country is grown in and around the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Jack Daniels is made here in TN along with moonshine and if you recall, TN is the home to Peyton Manning who was just recently inducted into the Football Hall of Fame...

Giving the current state of affairs and the increase in violence and crime, I would not be caught dead in:

• New York City
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Baltimore
• Los Angeles
• San Fancisco
• Portland

Sunday Morning Juxtaposed

Sunday mornings have traditionally been a day of peace and surrender from the anxieties and animosities of the world...  

I say this because East TN like all other areas of Tennessee as well as every other State in the USA is not immune from the politics of our global world and its environment...

Every month, I calculate my finances to make sure that there will be sufficient monies available to my wife and I until we both live until 95/96 years of age...  and, so far, we have sufficient funds but like everything else that could change in a heartbeat as inflation grows...

The wealthy need to protect the rest of us because without us there will be nobody around to do their dirty work...

Maybe that is why they do not have any problems with illegal immigration...

In my little world here in East TN, I am blind (as long as I want to be) to the rest of the world and can continue to live my life as I am currently living it, without the slightest concerns for what happens in the rest of the world...

• 
  Afghanistan does not really bother me
  
• The Olympics does not really bother me
• Socialism does not really bother me
• Defunding police does not really bother me
• CRT theory does not really bother me
• Racism does not really bother me
• A divided America does not really bother me
• A growing CHINA does not really bother me
• Islam wanting to control the world does not really bother me
• My dysfunctiuonal family does not really bother me
• An increase in violence does not really bother me

I am bothered or rather annoyed by hackers who break into my Facebook and LinkedIn Accounts and take them over...  but, in the grand scheme of things neither one of these social media forums is a necessary thing for me...  right now they are simply a diversion.

I am annoyed by my Cable Company who continues to provide piss poor service while raising their rates, but I have found alternatives and will be done with CABLE by the end of this month.

I don't give a SHIT about the rising prices of beef because I stopped eating beef 30 years ago...  I have switched to chicken, fish, beans, and vegetables...  all of which are healthier for you anyway...

Time is illusive and on-going and always moves forward...  getting old is inevitable...  and once at an older age, one can always change their minds and their viewpoints but by then it is almost too late to influence the rest of the world...  which is why one has no choice but to accept it.

Life in East TN will always be juxtaposed with the rest of the world...  one will never be alone...

East TN Living

 Each day that I wake up in East TN and watch the morning news on FOX News, I am thankful that this is where I live and decided to live over 30 years ago...  but more importantly, with all these crime increases take place in larger cities and police retiring and the availability of drugs...

My health is stable but there is always the stress of it hanging over my head the fact that my cancers could go aggressive any day...  so, each day is not just a blessing for which I am thankful, but a day that I try to appreciate each and every minute which seems rather dramatic but it is true.

After 73 years of life, I have enjoyed 639,480 hours on this earth or 38,368,800 minutes...  

And, while it may seem a little silly to figure out these numbers, it instills inside me the value of my life in terms of something other than money or financial wealth as a measure of life.

Each day that I am above ground, I try to look at that day as not just something special but as a day where I try to enjoy and appreciate every single minute...  not just the hours but the minutes...  which means I try never to be bored but that does not mean I have to do something each minute...  but to appreciate each minute...

I watch the news

I prepare my meals

I cook my meals

I watch the news

I watch a couple of episodes of a series

I play with the cats

I post articles to my blogs

I find material for my blogs

I write emails

I read articles

I reflect and contemplate

I discuss the news

I write in a journal

I work outside in the yard

I go to doctor's appointments

I go shopping

I do inside the house chores

I go on vacation

I visit with family and friends

I go to procedures and treatments

I go eat dinner at a restaurant

I sleep each night

There is a lot to like about East TN just as there is a lot to dislike about East TN as well...  but, the point of my day is to live that day without any regrets and to keep myself busy...  it is not difficult even though living like this may take a little practice...

A Different Perspective

 

Yesterday...  I went to my wife's hair stylist for my quarterly hair cut (cost:  $20) and it takes about 20 minutes not including the conversation that sometimes is involved...  My appointment was his first, and I had to wait in his chair for him to arrive as he was running late.

During the experience, he just "out of the blue," made the statement that the US was turning into a 3RD WORLD COUNTRY and that politicians on both sides have allowed this to happen over the last 50 years and did nothing about it...  I asked him why he felt that way...  his response was, "this kind of stuff does not happen over night..."

My wife's hair stylist is a high school dropout...

He also informed me that for the last year he has been asking high school girls who have made appointments with him what they have learned in school or what they might have learned today, and the overwhelming response by them was...  NOTHING...  I LEARNED NOTHING TODAY...

Now, this may not be indicative of the entire USA or even the entire State of Tennessee, but it is still scary...  What supports this for me is the fact that I have been teaching college students night courses in business since 2015 and have come into contact with the following:

• My college students read at a Junior High School level
• My college students write at a Junior High School level
• My college students present at a Junior High School level
• My college student don't do homework
• My college student don't prepare for class
• My college students want to be told exactly what to do
• My college students don't have critical thinking skills
• My college students don't have problem solving skills
• My college students don't work well together in teams
• My college students don't have self starting skills

East TN Living

Today, if you were to watch your local news or weather channel or check out the weather channel on cable or dish, you would discover that the temperatures are going to be in the HIGH 90's in the south from Texas curving around through Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina...   but because of the GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS the hot temperatures WILL NOT PENETRATE into the Voluteer State of Tennessee...  specifically east TN where I am living...

NOW...  that is not to say that we don't get hot temperatures in the 90's because we do...  and we had those temperatures here for the last two weeks, and the only good thing about those temps for me was the fact that I did not have to mow the lawn or weedeat and I could remain inside where it was cool cooking on my electric portable stovetop and watch programs on ROKU, HULU, and NETFLIX...

I am CABLE and DISH FREE...

I have a fiber optic WIFI connection to the internet and my telephone communications are done via cell phones not a landline any longer...  it is almost as satisfying as the day I became completely DEBT FREE...

Tantalizing Tuesday in the Valley

Currently (1942), the temperature outside the house is 87 degrees Fahrenheit with 60% humidity and a 10% chance of rain...  inside the house, we have our central air operating at a temperature of 78 degrees and it is very comfortable inside...  not too hot and not too cold...  however, I am dressed in shorts and a t-shirt.  Our home is well insulated so the heat or cold loss is minimal.

I mention this only because the weather forecast for the rest of the week is going to be even higher as it approaches the mid 90's.

On the big screen is the Food Channel's show CHOPPED which is interesting to watch every now and then, but it becomes rather redundant if watched for several hours in one sitting.  While the baskets are different, cooking is cooking...  at least to me.

What is different today for me is the fact that I have created an account on PARLOR which is a conservative social media forum that is competing with Facebook...  but, unlike Facebook, Parlor is basically a site for people who want to read a lot of conservative opinions.  It does not allow for much interaction..  It is like FOX News but instead of listening to people you are reading what people have written...  and those people are people with reputations rather than the common everyday individual which is what I was expecting.

I pretty much already know what conservative talking heads are going to say or write...  so, I'm not gaining that much since it is basically a reiteration of what FOX News has already conveyed to me...  but with some new twists and turns.

Morning Yawl

First morning back in East TN feels good...  our three cats were waiting at our closed bedroom door for their morning treat...  my medicine container had returned to its counter location...  my coffee came from pods rather than from a full pot reheated in the microwave....  my laptop was found charging in the office...  and my thyroid pill was taken right after feeding the cats...  BACK TO A PREVIOUS NORMAL.

FOX News on the big screen

Coffee in the YETI

Familiar surrounding of our living area

Very little had changed except for me trying to elevate my swollen left leg due to driving and sitting in a car seat for 9 hours...  however, a night spent in my own bed caused it to reduce somewhat so by tomorrow or the day after.

Returning to our home and returning to a country managed by Democrats and Progressive who HATE

• the police
• the conservatives
• white people
• white privilege

For 6 days I was not inundated with this political shit...   all I needed to concern myself with was whether I had put on sun screen or not and for most of the day, I could watch and be mesmerized by something more powerful than me...

Fellow beach goers were united in our desire to be there, but I have returned to a DIVIDED AMERICA  and to a country being told that it is better to HATE than to compromise.

2015

My wife and I have been retired since 2015, so we have 5 years of retirement behind us...  and...  it is my opinion (whatever that is worth) that I will live at least another 2 decades which would take me to age 93...  My mother lived to almost 96 and my father lived until 89...  but, does that heritage support my longevity?  Maybe...  maybe not...  but, it is what drives my motivation.

At the beginning, my wife and I traveled a lot that included flights to Europe, Cruises to the Caribbean, and auto trips to various places of our interest all around the United States.  About the time that COVID hit us, my wife and I had pretty much decided that traveling no longer suited us.

Airports and Customs more than anything else caused our traveling dreams to end....  not to mention the fact that very few people in Europe these days seem to have made the decision that they no longer wanted to speak english....  and, more importantly, the food in Europe was not necessarily cooked to our Southern Tastes, at least those foods we could recognized.

A few years ago, we donated all our luggage to a local Church to sell at their Yard Sale and in order to travel now, we would have to purchase new luggage that to us seems like a needless expense.

The Great Smokey Mountains is only about 90 minutes away from our home in East TN and the Cherokee Gambling Casino is only 30 minutes beyond that...  although, neither my wife nor I have that much interest in gambling these days...  and if we do decide to gamble our limits are about $20/night.

While using our combined Social Security income, most of our monthly expenses are covered because of where we live in East TN...  this is not the case in other parts of TN or the case in other nearby States.  Our savings covers the other part of our expenses and allows us to travel in an average way...  so, we elect to focus on Myrtle Beach even though we have tried other places from time-to-time...  and, each time we do, we quickly realize we should have gone to Myrtle Beach.

An East TN Saturday

On the weekends, I awake and begin my day about the same time that I awake and begin my day during the week...  there is no differentiation between the work week and the weekend for me as there used to be when I was working.  I suppose that is the real benefit of being retired although and this is just supposition but I believe the wealthy people pretty much have the same schedule during those 7 days as well...  even it they are still working and earning millions.

As always my day(s) begin with feeding our three cats, taking my thyroid pill, filling up my YETI cup with coffee and Cappuccino Mix, and watching FOX NEWS....  and as I have explained before, I do no get ALL THE NEWS or the TRUTH OF THE NEWS if I were to watch:  CNN, CBS, ABC, or NBC and that bothers me because I used to watch CBS and CNN all the time...  but those days are over.

As with all news shows, the same news is broadcasted over and over again throughout the day and the only additions to that news is when something unexpected happens...  so, after a while this redundancy causes me to change channels.  I then turn to shows about animals, cooking, history, scifi, or living in Alaska and/or living off the grid.  Somewhat entertaining these shows are but I oftentimes wonder about the drama that they try to create especially when the CAMERA CREW IS ALSO PRESENT TO FILM THIS SO CALLED DRAMA...

After a couple of hours of watching, I get bored and begin posting articles to my blog which I will do for the rest of the day unless I decide to cook something like I plan to do today and I am not sure what you would call this other than Turkey Burgers, Peas, and Noodles.  I will make a fairly large pot of this concoction and divide it up into 3-4-5 bowls depending upon how far it will go...  ranging from 300 calories/bowl to over 500 calories/bowl.

My meals will go in the frig and I will eat them for the next several days until I have to cook again.  I would rather cook like that than cook daily.

Changing Forecast

In just a day or two since last I looked, the weather forecast has changed from sunny all week to rain today and tomorrow and sunny for the rest of the week...  and, on the surface of it all...  that really does not bother me because all I want to do (especially before it gets too humid to do so) is sit on my screened-in back porch and write articles for my blogs and perhaps write down a poem or two as the mood strikes me...

Rain...  and depending upon how it falls will cause me to return to the insides of our home...  and, I know the commercials on television recently make a big deal about home...  being inside one's home is not the same as being outside in the fresh air...  I guess because we have been inside the home all winter and need to get outside.

The weather station is reporting a temperature of 65 degrees for our area and while that is good for T-shirts and sandals, I am sitting on my deck with a T-shirt covered with a sweatshirt hoody...  as it feels a lot damn colder than 65.

I was planning to mow the lawn later tonight but with the rain and the cool temps for the next 2 days, I doubt if I'll be able to mow it by late Thursday night...  which is not good because then I have a bunch of grass clippings that need to be disposed and that is extra work...  I don't mind work...  but extra work is BS.

I am on my second YETI mug of coffee...  each mug holds 3 cups, so when this one is gone, I will have consumed 6 cups of coffee and ordinarily, I would be wired...  but, my coffee intake these days is DECAF...  which takes like piss or what I might imagine piss to take like since I have not really tasted piss myself...  but, after several years of drinking DECAF, one gets used to it and now regular coffee does not taste right.

Rainy Day Blues

A light rain fell from the sky in the Tennessee Valley for most of the day, keeping most of us inside instead of doing necessary chores outside.  The forecast for the Valley for the rest of the week including the weekend calls for rain the next three days and given previous forecasts this amount of rain may or may not happen.  But, as the day winds down and people begin the rush hour drive from work back to home, the sun is out and if it continues to remain out, then around 7:00 pm or so, I should be able to mow the back side of our lawn which grows the fastest and is the largest section.  With a riding mower, it only takes about an hour.

However...  in our neighborhood no one has been outside at all today, even when the sun appeared...  which is normal for our neighbors as the 20 years we have lived here, very few people venture outside when the weather is nice, unless it is a holiday and they are entertaining family and/or friends.  My wife and I like it that way because we spend as much time as we can outside when the weather is nice with the understanding that she will spend more time than me, especially when it is humid.

AND...  as I have mentioned before...  I much prefer living out in the rural areas of East TN rather than in any kind of city proper location.  It is just too crowded for me in cities, even when the cities are small...  it seems like everyone like to roam around cities just looking at shit...  maybe hoping to run into friends or maybe not...  but, they got to BE AROUND OTHER PEOPLE in order to live a fulfilling life.  I don't need that kind of companionship...  outside of having a spouse and/or children who visit.

Today... in the Valley

Today...  is a "tad" chilly in East TN with a high temperature of in the low 50's which means very little if any work will be done outside...  but, starting Saturday, the temps will be in the 60's/70's and that trend will remain several days out into the future...  so, whatever outside  work was not accomplished today will have an opportunity to be completed in the near future.

For me, it does not matter if there is adverse weather conditions outside because I have plenty of things I need to do inside...  like prepare for next week's class on Personal Financial Planning that I am teaching for a local university, work on my blogs, and do a little cooking...

But, what is getting under my skin is the fact that I am counting my calories each day...  typically less than 2,000 each day and more often than not, averaging 1,500 +/- each day and instead of my weight going down, it is going up.  And that does not make any sense to me...  eating less...  weight going up...

However...

living in East TN is much different than living in a larger city, like Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles.  We don't have the traffic nor the crime in this area and the rural community where our home is located is quiet and serene and I feel secure enough to be able to walk around the community at any time of day or night.

For most of the morning at least until 10:00 am or so, I will watch FOX News and during the time that I am watching FOX, I will change the channels to CNN, CBS and sometimes ABC and NBC and what I have discovered is the fact that these other stations do not spend much time promoting the news that negatively reflects on the Biden administration.

I watch these other stations because I want to make sure that I get both sides of the story so I can make up my mind what to think and/or believe rather than be told what to think.  If I don't have access to both sides of the story, then I am receiving CENSORED NEWS.  I am against CENSORED NEWS being aired in a DEMOCRACY...

Today...  in East TN...  as long as I can watch FOX News, I am happy and content...   and, with that said...  I like the money that the Dems are spending and hope that they personally send me MORE...

Retired in East TN

I am 73 years of age and except for battling two different kinds of cancer at the same time and having heart disease and hypothyroidism and I in excellent health...  In fact, I was in perfect health and had never gotten sick, not even a cold or the flu until I was 60 years of age.  I am a little over weight but am gradually losing weight by eating less...  not by exercising...  I am also counting my daily intake of calories, making sure that my smaller portions are actually healthy.  I don't drink alcohol, don't smoke cigarettes, don't smoke marijuana, don't eat red meat, fried foods, sugars, or dine at any fast food restaurants.

However, I enjoy eating and do frequent restaurants about once or twice a week, making sure that I bring home half my food to eat the next day.  

I eat a lot of vegetables, beans, rice, onions, mushrooms, , garlic, bell peppers (especially green ones), fish (Salmon, Cod, Tuna), and light meat like chicken and turkey.  I also eat non-fat yogurt, oatmeal and eggs.

Because of my two cancers, I stay out of the sunlight whenever possible but when I do find myself out in the sunlight I wear UV clothing that blocks out the harmful rays of the sun, and put on the highest strength sun lotion I can find.  My wife and I spend all of our 6 vacations either at Myrtle Beach, SC or in Florida along the Gulf Coast.

At 73, I still work out in the yard several times a week, especially when the weather is nice...  for instance, today I spent about 2 hours digging up bushes that we wanted to throw away, so we could turn a flower bed into a grassy area so that we would not have to spend so much time weeding.  Yesterday, after moving the lawn (takes about an hour), I spent another hour weed eating our acre lot.

UNCROWDED...  This is why I prefer to live down south and in the East TN area...  yes, we live in a community and yes we have neighbors but our neighbors are not so close that we can reach out our  windows and touch the house next to us.

East TN is not an URBAN area...  it is country...  lots of land and trees everywhere you look.  And, TVA back in the 1930's built all sorts of lakes in this area to keep people working during the Depression.

I hear birds singing instead of police sirens...

I sleep until 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning.  Get dressed whenever I want or simply wear sweats all day long.  I surf on the computer and write articles for my blogs...  and go for a walk around the community, anytime I want.  I eat when I want and leave the house when I want.  And, when I have a doctor's appointment, I leave 15 minutes early so I don't have to break the speed limit in order to get there on time.

I worked for 45 years and now I don't work at all other than teach a college night class now and again.  My income is sufficient to keep the same lifestyle I had when I was working...   am I lucky?  No, not really...  I just planned for my retirement, and executed than plan.

I can live like this for a long time.

A Rainy Monday Morning

 

Woke up this morning and the rain was pouring down in East TN...  sometimes, one might get tired of rain, but the alternative of snow or freezing rain, makes just rain a lot easier to accept, especially when the temperatures are in the 50's.

Another morning begins with FOX NEWS...  the only news media outlet that presents ALL THE NEWS not just the news that they want to public to hear...

• Cuomo is in trouble
• Immigrants at the Border
• Covid Relief that's not Covid Relief
• An end of jobs
• Higher Gasoline Prices
• Iran wants sanctions removed before negotiations
• Russians blamed for our problems
• China gets a free pass
• Children not in schools
• Teachers Unions wants COVID shots first
• Some States still locked down
• Restaurants still not open in some cities
• Criminal Felony charges removed on heroin and cocaine 

Elections has consequences...  and, it is true that the Democrats won the election...  but, will this Democratic Party with its progressive agendas be good or bad for the general public.  Only time will tell...  and, once we discover that these progressive agendas are not working will we do anything?

WAKE UP AMERICA...

East TN Snow

NOWADAYS...  I don't particularly mind if it snows in this area or not, especially since I am retired and especially since I hardly go anywhere during the winter months other than doctor's appointments.  But sometimes, especially this year for some reason, it has snowed more in this area than what has been recently normal...  however, 30 years ago when I had first relocated to East TN, one could count on 2-3 winter snows each year, all of which would remain on the ground for 2-3 days before melting away.  For the last 15-20 years, these winter snows have reduced down to 1-2, all of which would remain on the ground 1-2 days...  our climate in this area has changed...  it has become MILDER.

Starting early in 2021, we have had several snows so far and it is only half way through February, but these snows melted away the very next day...  and in 1 or 2 cases, it was warm enough not to stick at all while it was falling, not on the road, ground, or trees which is rather unusual to say the least.

I cannot imagine any longer living in an area where the snow falls 1-2 feet deep or 3-5 feet deep and remains on the ground several days or even all winter.  As a child, I faintly recall LOVING the snow and can still imagine going outside (all bundled up) to play all day with my friends in the neighborhood.

Rockin' in East TN

This third round of stimulus checks will give my wife and I either $600/person or up $1,400 per couple depending upon variables that are not totally clear to me at the time...   but, the money is coming....   and, to be quite BLUNT, neither my wife nor I NEED THE MONEY...  even though we are retired and living on Social Security...  we fortunately managed to SAVE MONEY while we were working and that saved money combined with Social Security will see up through until we are both 95 years of age...

And...  while Medicare and Humana Supplement does not pay for everything, we are still in a pretty solid financial situation because of family and friends but especially because of where we live...  here in East TN.

• There is no BLM movement in East TN
• There is no ANTIFA here in East TN
• There is no white supremacists here in East TN
• Schools are open here in East TN
• Businesses are open here in East TN
• Restaurants are open here in East TN
• Climate is moderate here in East TN
• Cost of living is lower here in East TN

My wife and I have been debt free for over 10 years now and it has had a dramatic influence on our finances and budget.  We saved money for future cars with the understanding that we would soon go to having only one vehicle...  Our last two vehicles were paid for in cash and were not bought new but were leased vehicles with low mileage.

My 2015 VENSA for example was a year old when purchased and had just a few miles over 5,000 miles when I purchased it.

I can have a perfectly cooked 8 ounce salmon with broccoli and a baked potato for $13 before taxes, right around $20 with taxes, unsweetened tea, and a tip...  which is about what it costs for me to fill up my gas tank with gasoline.     

When the third round of the stimulus checks are received via direct deposit, we will simply transfer the monies over to savings and continue with our lives as if nothing was received at all.

My wife and I feel fortunate that by the time our national debt grows to the point that our government will finally pay attention to it, that it will be future generates that will be forced to BITE THE BULLET, not US...  And, while this may sound a little selfish...  it is nonetheless true as neither political party wants to deal with the growing debt.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

FRIDAY MORNING HERE IN EAST TENNESSEE

One would say that I am a North Carolinian by birth but I have only spent about 35 years in that State and the other 38 years outside of that State.  Tennessee is the next longest place in which I have lived with 30 years, going on 31 and it would appear that my life will end in this State as well.

Unlike the rest of the State, East TN, is a different place to live...  not really similar to Chattanooga, Nashville, or Memphis.  One might say or make the claim that we are closer to Western NC than the rest of Tennessee.  We are mainly a rural area with people who love to hunt, drive muscle cars, make moonshine, and smoke a little weed when the mood to do is upon us.

We don't much care for Government interference in our lives or telling us what to do and we have had very little respect for law enforcement, especially the highway patrol ever since I moved here in 1990.  But, what we do care about around here is our faith...  of which I am very supportive other than the concept of "BEING BORN AGAIN."

I have been Baptized twice in my life...  once by my parents when I was less than a year old and once by ME when I was in my 60's...  and, neither time, did I actually feel "born again," even though I BELIEVE...  and, have living examples of that belief by the shear fact that I have lived with CANCER for over 12 years...   actually, two cancers:  Lymphoma and Melanoma.

I am not a Democrat nor am I am Republican.

I am not a Conservative nor am I a Liberal.

However, I am a conservative liberal...  who supports both 1st and 2nd Amendments to the US Constitution...  and who does not believe that he was raised on WHITE PRIVILEGE...   I do not support the white supremacist movement nor do I support the black lives matter movements...  as both are an insult to our DEMOCRACY.

I BELIEVE ALL LIVES MATTER...

I am AGAINST illegal immigration

I am in favor of LOW TAXES

I am in favor of a STRONG MILITARY

I am in favor of STATES RIGHTS

I am in favor of a small federal government

AND...  while the northern states are up to their butts in snow and cold weather, East TN is in the high 40's low 50's today...  and, this area has everything open for business...  restaurants, schools, malls, stores...  etc.

We have no burning of our cities... and, probably never will...  we are different than the rest of the country which is one reason why I am here.