Water Under The Bridge

Despite the title, yesterday was not a day of dread; it was time for a review of this year’s estimated taxes. The results left us ecstatic and money to spend. Actually, the money is ours and invested in various IRA funds that require annual minimum withdrawals; so that we are able to withdraw a bunch without having tax owing at the end of the year.

Credit should be given to my former employer, with whom I worked over nine years on a regular part-time basis, for providing this tax service. In addition, pro-rated vacation, sick and holiday were provided; even though it is not a large company. To top that off, there was a Simple IRA plan to which a contribution of three percent of gross was added.

It was like old times when I was there today. There is not a large staff; so when the phone rang and everyone was busy, it just seemed natural for me to answer the phone; one of my previous duties. Also, my voice is still on the answering machine. Think a Scottish accent. LOL

The day was made even better when Joyce and I were once again invited to join the staff for the Christmas lunch. It is nice to be appreciated.

People who know me are aware that puns are a perverse pleasure of mine. With that in mind and the recent celebration of Halloween; here goes:-

What did the papa ghost say to the baby ghost? Fasten your sheet belt.

How can you tell when windows are scared? They get shudders.

Why did the vampire’s lunch give him heartburn? It was a stake sandwich.

How do you mend a broken Jack-o-lantern? With a pumpkin patch.

Why didn’t the skeleton dance at the Halloween party? It had no BODY to dance with.

Why couldn’t Dracula’s wife get to sleep? Because of his coffin.

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.

What do you call two witches living together? Broommates.

Why don’t mummies take vacations? They’re afraid they’ll relax and unwind.

What happened to the guy who couldn’t keep up with payments to his exorcist. He was repossessed.

Dat’s all folks !!! Ooops, I can here the moans and groans right now.  LOL

It has been my good fortune to have acquired three pensions; hence the expression, “Triple dipper”. The basic one is Social Security; followed by a UK pension for the few years that were worked there; but it amazes me how much it is and, of course, the current exchange rate makes it even better.

Added to these is a Canadian pension which, again, for the short time I worked there, is relatively good; and the current exchange rate does improve the amount being collected.

The twist in all of this is that Joyce is a double dipper; with, of course, Social Security being her primary. It should be noted that she collects a UK pension; not because she worked there or even resided there; but by being my wife. Her pension is approximately half of mine; and, if I predecease her, she collects a widow’s pension. WOW !!!

As a good Scot, I would never turn that down; and, of course, one does not have to be a Scot to refuse money. LOL

Two weeks after we had returned from our trip to Scotland, we received an e-mail from Gordon Arnot that his mum, our dear cousin, Margaret Forbes Arnot, had passed away on July 25.

Despite the sad news, we looked back and were grateful to have shared some precious time with Margaret; and the evening with Gordon and Linda.

Apart from us staying up all night because of a very, very early morning departure; our return trip was much more relaxed from beginning to end. This time there was assistance for both of us at every turn.

Initially there were security concerns after the car fire-bombing of Glasgow airport; but everything went smoothly.

After touching down in Amsterdam, we were whisked away to a lounge where various beverages and snacks were for our taking; including beer. Too early in the day for beer. When our continuing flight to San Francisco was close to boarding time, once again we were wheeled to the plane; after having gone through security.

The same service awaited us in landing at San Francisco. Two attendants met us with wheelchairs and guided us through immigration, luggage pick up and customs. From there, they wheeled us all the way outside to our shuttle bus stop.

We were back in California after an unforgettable visit to Scotland.

It was all set. Reservations had been made to stay over night in San Luis Obispo; with another overnight stay in Long Beach before we sailed on the Carnival Pride for a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. We had been fortunate to reserve a stateroom with a balcony.

Unfortunately, like this post, our trip was all too short. The morning we set out from home in the “Silver Bullet”, our 2007 Toyota Rav4, I became aware that I was experiencing double vision. At first, I thought it was a temporary situation but when it came time to drive the freeway; I knew that it was too dangerous for me to continue. Driving with one eye closed at various stages, I managed to get us home. By the way, Joyce is not a freeway driver; so that option was out of the question.

Now, the weird thing about this is that we saved money; or did not spend money. Our cruise was paid by credits from WorldMark (no cash there), there were no parking fees (vehicle was not parked) and there were no on board charges; such as tips, drinks, etc (we never boarded). We did have to pay for the first night’s lodging which we had to cancel.

All that may have been a saving (no pun intended) grace; but could not overcome our disappointment.

While rummaging through some old papers I found an extract from the Stirling Observer which was headed by the post title; as noted above.

This was followed by the subtitle. “Members Of The Same Royal Burgh of Stirling Family”.

“Four members of the same family have been admitted to the ‘liberty and freedom of a burgess qua tailor’ of Stirling.”

Accompanied by my father who was also already a burgess, my three brothers and I were initiated by the Provost at the Municipal Building in 1963.

Obviously and as usual, this evoked the usual moments of nostalgia; which prompted me to make this post.

Despite what readers may think, that does not refer to me. Well, maybe my status has been elevated to a royal pain in the neck. LOL

Off and on, since the beginning of April of this year, and more so in recent weeks; there has been a severe ache (not a pain) on the right side of my neck that reaches up into my head and over to my shoulders. It starts within a few minutes of getting out of bed in the morning and, generally, stays with me all day; but not when I lie back down.

It has been tolerated but has reached the point of impacting my quality of live; and there is no basis of why this is happening; such as an injury, etc. A few weeks ago, a physical therapy evaluation was done and some minor but important exercises were recommended. There has been no indication of any improvement; and some days are still much worse than others.

Yesterday, after a review with my primary care physician, a neck x-ray has been ordered and an appointment has been made with an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in scoliosis.

For those you may not have read my post of November 23 of last year, severe scoliosis has been a part of my life for at least 60 years and, since 1962, I have five spinal fusions with the insertion of Harrington rods which were removed many years ago. These, combined with the onset of osteo-arthritis, may be the cause of the neck pain.

Regardless, I will continue to go through life with a smile on my face and a pleasant greeting to all.

The last family member we visited was Gordon Arnot, cousin Margaret’s younger son. It had been over 35 years since Joyce and I had last seen him when we stayed at a hotel (the name escapes me) in Forres during our second honeymoon.

It should be noted that Joyce had never met my family; nor had I met hers, before we married. All Joyce’s family were back in Virginia and mine were in Scotland; so we had very small wedding with close friends on either side; mine being the Herberts and their two sons.

While we were in Forres, cousin Margaret and Gordon joined us in the residents lounge and we had one of the greatest nights full of laughter and reminiscing about the good family times.

This most recent visit with Gordon was a similar occasion; as briefly referenced in an e-mail he sent us - ” Linda and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening with you, Joyce and Drew - I can’t think of a better way to do justice to a bottle of scotch! Keep in touch - hope you are enjoying home comforts and the Californian sun!”

Fond memories

For our third excursion tour (yes, David Urquhart again), The Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar was our focal point. It is pictured in the second photograph on the right of the insert.

On Saturday we visited Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s private residence in the Highlands and nearby Crathie Church which, despite its simple country style, has a quiet calming grandeur.

Sunday found us in Aberdeen where we were free to sightsee and/or shop. Again, we took the time to visit family that we had not seen in years. We were invited to have with lunch at the home of Margot and Jim Brabury; Margot is the daughter of cousin Margaret we met in Inverness.

Apart from enjoying a nice meal, we had a great time strolling down memory lane. The visit went by too quickly and then it waas back to the center of Aberdeen, the Granite City to catch the coach back to the hotel.

That was the last of our three wonderful weekends in the Highlands.