Gratitude

Hubby and I went to a Parkinson's lecture on "The brain and resiliency." It was part of an occasional series sponsored by Parkinson's Resources of Oregon, a terrific support and advocacy group we are thankful to have benefited from during these 15 years since his diagnosis.

I had one significant take-away, and I am committed to trying one thing: keep a gratitude journal. Now don't get all excited, dear readers, because I plan to keep the record on my separate non-public blogspot. Perhaps I will be inspired to share as I become confident in this new journey.

Here's the background. Research at UC Davis looked at gratitude and well-being.  Participants were placed in three groups and assigned to journal life events. One group was to asked to list positive events, another group was random events, and another was to list problems or hassles. 

The gratituders, if I may coin a term, had huge benefits! Among them:

• More regular exercise,
• fewer physical symptoms
• felt better about their lives as a whole
• more optimistic about the upcoming week
• personal growth attainment (academic, interpersonal and health-based

There is a reference to "daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises)" for which I am dying to get more information. With this exercise, they reported young adults had higher positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they were better off than others). And for adults with neuromuscular disease (yes, that includes Parkinson's), they had great amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality. 

So off I go to blog, and then research the "intervention" exercises.  Then I look forward to sharing with all of you. (I think there might be three...?!?)

Taquitos using rice paper wrappers

Short version: not so successful!

I thought I would be clever and make this taquito recipe using rice wrappers instead of egg roll wrappers.

First problem: rice wrappers are stiff, so they have to pre-soak which isn't a big deal. The soak is just 30 seconds in lukewarm water. But when you don't realize that and try to bend the first folds, watch out! Splinters of rice wrapper shoot everywhere! My version of chinese fireworks in the kitchen, I guess.

Second problem: they don't absorb some of my filling like the other wrappers would have, so the juices leak out in the baking pan. And that would have been fine, also, except I was using a cookie sheet.  M-e-s-s-y.

The results? Well, once the 'things' were cooked, granddaughter "C" and I decided to pull the filling out of the wrappers to eat. The filling was really good. The wrappers themselves were difficult, or impossible, to cut with a fork. And the sections with more than a layer of rice wrapper can only be described as gooey. Like an overcooked clam that you chew and chew and it just won't break down.

Just add water...

You know you are not using the soaking tub (jacuzzi) enough when: instead of cleaning it, you need to dust!

[true story]

Mortality

Facing retirement, facing mortality.

I'm here to tell you, if you will be drawing a PERS retirement, you will face your own mortality. And whether you are analytical (that's me) or emotional, deciding how to draw your money is almost enough to be paralyzing.

How long do I think I will live? How important is it to me to leave something to the kids if I die early? Should I take part of the money as a annuity for stability, and the other part to have in my own bank -- so it is available for my estate -- and then, how well can I invest and draw on it?)

There are 13 options! I kid you not. Behind the scenes there were many more options that PERS had to calculate before they could show me only the highest value choices. And there's an additional choice which kind of doubles the choice: do I  want to "purchase" my waiting time? What?  Here's the deal:

The simple part, waiting time, refers to the fact the I was not eligible to join the retirement system until I had worked six months for the state. But at retirement I can buy back that waiting time based on what the contributions would have been, about $1,400 in my case (6% of my salary at that early time for my contribution, and whatever the state match was at the time).

The real deal, the real options, are Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, or total lump sum.

But wait, here are the extra variations within each:

Option 1, refund annuity, and option 15C.
Option 2, option 2A
Option 3, option 3A
Lump sum option 1, lump sum option 2, lump sum option 2A, lump sum option 3, lump sum option 3A, or total lump sum.

So did I want the highest amount, but it would completely stop when I die?
Did I want slightly (about 1%) less, so if there was any money left in the "annuity" part of my account it would be paid to my estate?
Should I take less (about 2% from the highest) for "15 Certain," meaning at least 15 years of payments to me or my estate?

Should I take a bunch less with one of the kids as a beneficiary to receive the same payment over their lifetime after I pass?
OR, I could do that with a little less which allows a contingency to recalculate if that kid passes before me?

Should I take an amount that is about 2% less than the highest amount, where a beneficiary receives (for his/her life) half the monthly amount I was getting? [well, that 2% reduction was based on Mike being the beneficiary; I'll bet it would be a bunch less if I named one of the kids]
Or a little less than this half-survivor thing, with an option to recalculate...

This might make more sense if I shared my estimates; sorry, I'm really not comfortable with doing so, but trust me, it was staggering.

Argh. I won't say which one I chose, but I finally said "Heck with it" and submitted my paperwork.

What's up?

You are so correct, I have not posted here in two months! I've been a little busy in other places, including a private blog I use to vent. This spot is supposed to be for positive, upbeat posts!

So I'm promising to give you, soon, an update on my visit to mortality!

What's that, you ask, a brush with death?  No, no, just the options to consider when completing the paperwork to draw my retirement. 

More later, I promise.

Gopher update

The score is Julie-3, gophers-3.  I have caught three gophers (well, technically 2.1), and I have set traps three times without catching any.  Last night was a new setting, but I think it will sit for a week before I can check it again.  Big, big storms coming through.

Guests at the 'new' house

Yesterday was a busy day with super guests.

BandN8plusKy!  Fun!  N8 had not been here yet, so we gave him the grand tour, including a walk around the back edges of the property.  He played Scout, seeing the holes for the field mice and pointing out signs of activity. Then he and B shoveled some gravel into the back of his truck. The gravel is destined for some perimeter of their chicken coop project. We also had some 5' metal stakes to donate to their anti-deer-in-the-garden project.  A bit of a challenge for N8 and I to get some OUT of the ground!  One broke when I was rocking it loose. Down went Julie on her bum.  With a squeak.

N8 also helped set our first mole/gopher trap. Update: I check the trap this afternoon and we got, ummm, at least part of one.  That's all I will describe because some of you dear readers are very sensitive sorts.

Our day also was designed around the OSU/Stanford football game starting at noon. Good friends Ed and Carol came from Salem - also their first time here, so more tours.  But a lot of food, TV, talk, more food, more TV, ending the afternoon on wine and chocolate chip cookies. Beavers lost. 

Carol had to get home to change out of her OSU shirt and into a Ducks shirt for their 7:30 game. A house divided.

A very good day. We are looking forward to future visits from them and more family and friends!