“I’ve finished my 3 book Spider Series. If you’re into hot sex and heart pounding adventure please check it out. Available on Amazon. Thank you for your interest and support. D. S. Mitchell aka “Calamity” at Calamity News and Politics.
“There is nothing more inspiring than taking action against injustice.” D.S. Mitchell 2025
“If stupidity got us into this mess, why can’t it get us out of it.” Will Rogers
“If you can’t be a poet, be a poem.” David Carradine
“No god would want a child killed in his name.” D.S. Mitchell 2023
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche
“Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair.” ― George Burns
“A politician thinks of the next election – a statesman of the next generation.” – James Freeman Clarke
“I want to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.” Arthur Ashe
“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it’s beauty.” ― Albert Einstein
“So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.” ― Kurt Vonnegut
“Let’s just remember that social security is not the government’s money, it belongs to the people who had it taken out of the checks involuntarily their entire working lives.” Mike Huckabee
“I have insecurities of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who points them out to me.” ADELE
“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” Christian Grey
“My favorite old car had no reverse gear. It taught me I could only go forward.” Flavia
“Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela
“Those who think they can control the mob are fools and are often the victims of their own incitement.” D.S. Mitchell 2021
“A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“If now isn’t a good time for the truth I don’t see when we’ll get to it.” Nikki Giovanni
“Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that you are stupid and make bad decisions.” Your mother
“Studying American politics has taught me several disgusting lessons, the first being, money buys friends in Congress. That alone should terrify the American public.” D. S. Mitchell 2021
“My art is my heart.” D. S. Mitchell 2015
“Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.” Arthur Rubenstein
“Every lie is like stepping in a quicksand pit. Every lie as dangerous, as telling the truth.” D. S. Mitchell 2020
“Sometimes when challenged we find out we are capable of the unthinkable.” D. S. Mitchell 2022
“Surround yourself with those on the same mission as you.” Anonymous
“Dimming the lights will not hide the social injustice in America.” D. S. Mitchell 2017
“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true. So I elect for neither label.” – James Branch Cabell
Smile
"If puppies and kittens don't make you smile, you might consider therapy." D. S. Mitchell 2015.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” T. S. Eliot
“Voting is like a prayer.” Raphael Warnock 2021
“We are all valuable. The problem is not everyone is smart enough to realize it.” D. S. Mitchell 2021
“I wonder, if you were blind, lost and confused, would you care what color the offered hand?” D. S. Mitchell 2015
“Silence in front of savagery is savagery itself.” Abhijit Naskar
“To be happy and contented, count your blessings, not your cash.” Chinese Proverb
“We can never be too busy to be kind.” D. S. Mitchell 2017
RIP RBG
“The rain falls because the cloud can no longer handle the weight. The tears fall because the heart can no longer handle the pain.” The Wise You
“Let my old days be my best days,” Cousin Lucille
“In no instance have… the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people.” James Madison
“Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.” Charles Dickens
“Thoughtful people are slow to anger, not necessarily less efficient in their killing.” D. S. Mitchell 2019
“Endings are not always bad. Most times they’re just beginnings in disguise.” Kim Harrison
“The United States like so many countries around the world has chosen to give to the few and deny the many.” D.S. Mitchell 2020
“It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. This is true, its called life.” Terry Pratchett
“Trickle down economics is like having three dogs and giving one of them a hot dog, and thinking he’ll share.” Bill Maher
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” John Kenneth Galbraith
“When people start acting as though the past is the same as the present and context doesn’t matter, things start to get dangerous.” Trevor K. McNeil 2020
“Pardoning the Bad, is injuring the Good.” – Benjamin Franklin
“I don’t need to attend every argument I’m invited to.” Unknown
“I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret between the shadow and soul.” Pablo Neruda
“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” ― Bruce Lee
“I have been far oftener discriminated against because I am a woman than because I am black.” Shirley Chisholm 5/21/1969
“The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they pass unobserved.” ― George Washington
“We only fail when we fail to try.” Rosa Parks
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” Thomas Jefferson
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” Albert Einstein
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The 7 Social Sins are: Wealth without Work; Pleasure without Conscience; Knowledge without Character; Commerce without Morality; Science without Humanity; Worship without Sacrifice; Politics without Principle.” Frederick Lewis Donaldson
“All evils are equal when they are extreme.”-Pierre Corneille
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” John F. Kennedy
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov
“People without vaginas shouldn’t be able to regulate them.” Unknown
“What this country needs is more unemployed politicians.” Edward Langley, artist
“Be sure to put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” Abraham Lincoln
“When sleeping women wake, mountains move.” Chinese proverb
“If people stopped searching for things that offended them and started looking for things that inspired them; what a wonderful world this would be.” Night Owl
A Poem For Don and Vlad
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” Booker T. Washington
“To argue with a person who has given up reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” Thomas Paine
“Imagination is the bridge between the things we know for sure, and the things we need to believe, when our world becomes unbearable.” Staceyann Chin
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs
“Inspiration descends only in flashes to clothe circumstances; it is not stored up in a barrel, like salt herrings to be doled out.”Patrick White
“I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness that surrounds me.” Sojourner Truth
“Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.” Doug Larson
“Law without humanity is injustice.” D. S. Mitchell 2020
“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear, is the beginning of wisdom.” Bertrand Russell
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Plato
valuable article
Author: Darlene Mitchell
The Big Beat
The Big Beat
The Big Beat
By John Curran
Well you can close your eyes now Angel and fly away, you’ve done your best; you tried to help them right to the end, trying to alleviate the distress of them coming at that poor helpless person, a woman was it not? Yes, and them coming at her in that big bunch with guns ‘n all the rest of that. All charging at her the way they do, to frighten, intimidate, and control, and oft times physically hurt. But you were there filming and you stepped in-your last great gesture-one more time to try again to ease some ‘a the suffering of this world. It’s ramping up now. The senseless, needless killings, state killings…and you tried to help out the woman when they were coming all over her…and now you are gonna see what good that’s gonna get ya, today yeah ’cause today you’re gonna see it all.
And I’m sorry you have to see it. You were a good man and they beat ya down, they pounded you in the head with the metal canister an’ then they laid you out like Christ on that cross and they pumped you full of lead. I’m sorry you had to see that. Nobody should have to see that, but you can close your eyes now and fly away angel and remember always ‘radio loves you’. Your name is heard, all over the land, love’s ya’, and they be trembling now, before that mighty voice.
The Rigged Game
The Rigged Game
The Rigged Game
Editor: The Jan-Feb 2026 edition of Mother Jones published a scathing indictment of the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, and the actions that have directly led to the “corrupt and abusive Trump reign”. What follows are direct quotes (with large parts of the article left out because of copyright issues) from that brilliant article by Pema Levy and Ari Berman. All items within parentheses are added by this writer for clarification. Please subscribe to Mother Jones and support its 50 years of fearless journalism; it’s definitely worth the money. Call 1-800-438-6656 for subscription information. Sign up for newsletters at motherjones.com/daily-news-D.S. Mitchell, aka “Calamity”.
Excerpts from “Blame John Roberts for Everything”
By Pema Levy and Ari Berman
“Today, as the Robert’s court rewrites the Constitution in the image of Trumpian autocracy, it’s become clear that Robert’s promise (when he was testifying to the Senate at his confirmation hearing) to be a neutral umpire was a lie. We are watching a rigged game, and Roberts set it up.”
“Twenty years ago, John Roberts promised (the Senate, the country and the media) that as chief justice of the Supreme Court, he would be like an umpire, calling balls and strikes. The delusion was so powerful that for two decades the media defaulted to portraying him as a moderate institutionalist.”
“The Robert’s court has spent Trump’s second term not applying the law so much as clearing it out of his (Trump’s) way. In a matter of months, the court’s 6-3 GOP aligned majority has permitted a long list of lawless actions, including firing independent agency commissioners, using racial profiling in immigration sweeps, disappearing immigrants to authoritarian and war-torn nations, and defying Congress’ power of the purse.”
(This didn’t start yesterday,) “Robert’s has been embedding white-dominant authoritarianism into the country’s source code for two decades. It is impossible to imagine today’s crisis without the Robert’s court having first undermined the foundations of our democracy.”
“(Representative) Democracies are built on the right to vote and choose representatives. The United States finally recognized this right for all people with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (and 1982).”
“As chief justice (Robert’s) has helped craft a string of rulings knee-capping (the Voting Rights Act of 1965 & 1982) laws, starting with his 2013 Shelby County v Holder. The decision overruled Congress and freed states with histories of discrimination to change their voting rules, spurring the creation of 115 voter suppression laws in more than 30 states. Many were inspired by Trump’s election lies.”
“After oral arguments in a Louisiana redistricting case, observers expect Roberts and the GOP justices to declare that the districts drawn to preserve representation for voters of color are either unconstitutional or subject to insurmountable barriers. It’s a decision that would turn the 14th and 15th Amendments-passed during Reconstruction to give formerly enslaved people citizenship and equal rights-on their heads, and turbocharge Trump’s gerrymandering push.”
“Such redrawn (gerrymandered) maps could shift up to 19 eats to the GOP in 2026 and runs the threat of creating a permanent GOP control of Congress.”
26 Methods to Disempower the MAGA Cult
26 Methods to Disempower the MAGA Cult
(20)26 Methods to Disempower the MAGA Cult
By Cate Rees-Hessel
- I will not lose hope. I will be always faithful, no matter what is happening in our nation. * “The sun will come out tomorrow, come what may. Tomorrow is only a day away.”
- I will stand up for what is right, I will not flinch. I will not engage in arguments with the MAGA crowd; understanding the MAGA mentality is hard as a rock.
- I will not be a victim of MAGA shock and awe tactics. My work is more important than being deterred by the “emergency” of the moment.
- I will not take God’s word out of context despite what the red caps say or do.
- I will stand up for human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, animal rights and LBGTQ rights, not allowing prejudice or bigotry to color my opinions.
- I will run away from racism while standing firmly against it.
- I will prioritize self care. I must be strong and healthy for those who need my care and support.
- I will remember it’s okay to not be ok.
- I will not waste time on stupidity.
- I will love my neighbor as myself.
- I will not cave to bullying.
- I will stand firm in my beliefs system.
- I will not compromise what I know is right.
- I will remain empowered in the face of adversity.
- I will embrace my relationships and gain strength from them.
- I will step back from social media when I need to.
- I will laugh because it is the best medicine for mental well being; and its free.
- I will take mental health days to rejuvenate and soothe my weary soul.
- I will intentionally avoid stress whenever I can.
- I will eat healthy and exercise.
- I will spend quality time with family, pets and friends.
- I will give myself permission to chill out and relax.
- I will drink hot chocolate, mocha latte, Kahlua, wine spritzers, mimosas, milkshakes, tea slushies, or even a soft drink on ice when needed to lift my spirits.
- I will practice my faith and trust in God in my own way and take my time without apologies.
- I will allow myself an occasional guilty pleasure. Brandy truffles anyone?
- I will take a walk on the beach and breathe deeply.
*Quote from the play, “Annie.”
A Funeral Poem
A Funeral Poem By Henry Van Dyke
Editor: A person I loved and admired died recently. I’ve been having a hard time dealing with that loss. A friend of mine, my soul sister for the last 60 plus years sent me a loving note and included the Funeral Poem by Henry Van Dyke. The poem reminded me that my loved one will never really leave those of us who loved her so deeply, she is now just waiting for us to finish our work here and she will welcome us on the other side.
**********
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”
“Gone where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!”
And that is dying.
OPINION: The ICE Has Yet to Melt…
OPINION:
More Freeze is Coming
OPINION:
The ICE Hasn’t Melted & More Freeze is Coming
By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel
ICE Arrests Continue
Brutal ICE arrests are on going. Violent incidents are increasing as we end a grim and troubled holiday season. The horrific murder of the beautiful and kind hearted Renee Nicole Good has brought widespread public outrage, but an arrest for gunning down this American citizen in cold blood has yet to be made. She leaves behind 3 precious children and a loving spouse. Her wife Becca Good is broken hearted, saying in her statement about the tragedy, “And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.”
Fucking Bitch
Renee was not a threat to anyone – her final words were “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.” The words of the ICE agent that shot and killed her were full of hatred, “Fucking bitch.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke eloquently with strong words against this tragic act of pure evil.
Alex Pretti, RN
The morning of 1/24/2026, two weeks after the murder of Renee Good, Registered Nurse, Alex Pretti, a white guy, an American citizen, was shot an estimated 8 times, or perhaps as many as 10 times, by a Border Patrol agent while Pretti was being held down by at least half a dozen other officers. Before the last bullet had left the chamber of the agent’s gun, the Trump administration came out full force labeling Alex Pretti a gun wielding psycho, a “domestic terrorist,” a madman running toward federal law enforcement agents attempting to kill them. The attack on the character of Good and Pretti is shameful. The character assassination of Pretti and Good by Noem, Bondi, Bovino, Vance and Trump makes it clear there’s no truth coming from our federal government. In fact, state authorities in MN are so distrustful of the federal government the DHS was ordered by a Minnesota court to preserve all forensic evidence from the cases.
Filming the Interaction
From videos and affidavits from witnesses on the scene; Pretti was filming the interaction of agents with protesters. In one video he was clearly shown trying to help a woman get up from the pavement after being knocked down by the feds. At no time did Pretti draw or attempt to draw his legally licensed and permitted weapon. Alex was a caring man, he was an ICU nurse at the VA Medical Center. He wanted to help people not harm them; that’s why the citizens of Minneapolis, MN are protesting the presence of ICE on their streets.
Worthy of 1984 Double Speak
The character assassination of Pretti and Good by Noem, Bondi, Bovino, Vance and Trump makes it clear there’s no truth coming from this crowd and we need to be clear on that. In fact, so distrustful of the federal government the DHS was ordered by a Minnesota court to preserve all forensic evidence from the cases.
Reign of Terror
America, we are better than this. The “ICE reign of terror”, as U.S. Representative and senatorial candidate from the Chicago area Raja Krishnamoorthi succinctly put it, this “must end.” Her former sister-in-law Morgan Fletcher said, “she never expected a loved one’s death to be ‘so high profile’ or a ‘massively divisive, political topic.’” This lovely human being sure does not sound like a “domestic terrorist” to the millions mourning her death, myself and my spouse included. Slander is speaking ill of the dead and Ms. Good’s children don’t deserve to hear awful lies about the mommy they mourn.
No ‘Absolute Immunity”
Our eyeliner wearing “Vice President JD Vance claimed agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, had “absolute immunity” because he was engaged in a federal law enforcement action. Although federal officials have some constitutional shields against state prosecution, the immunity isn’t absolute.” Legal experts, including the University of Wisconsin Law School, conclude that Vance is wrong. There is no “absolute immunity.”
Stars Wear ‘Be Good’ Pins
At the 2026 Golden Globe awards in support of Renee and her family, prominent attenders such as Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Natasha Lyonne, Jean Smart, Tessa Thompson, Bella Ramsey, and Ariana Grande, wore “BE GOOD” pins. Such buttons are available from multiple sources online. Rest in peace Renee. Rest in peace Alex. We will fight for your memory – your lives stood for Good and no gaslighting from the Nazi’s in the White House can change that.
More atrocities of ICE:
- In North Aurora, IL, a woman was pepper sprayed in the face by an ICE agent while standing still with her arms at her sides.
- ICE agents, per tribal leaders, detained four Native Americans, with only one being released a short time after.
- Chicago area U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez is calling for ICE to be defunded – her comment that funding ICE only fuels our own destruction is spot on…
- A U.S. appeals court has lifted the restrictions on ICE using force on protesters in Minnesota – this sickens and scares me.
- A recent CNN poll shows 3/4 of the respondents agree ICE used excessive force and killing Renee Good was unjustified.
- Mark Ruffalo, while wearing a “Be Good” button, spoke against Trump in a heartfelt red carpet interview.
- Lehigh County is cooperating with ICE to the fullest extent of the law, sad to report this.
- Anti-ICE activist Mark Pinsley is seeking to run for office in Lehigh County.
- There is an unpaid rent allegation against ICE for a facility(s) being used by them in Pennsylvania
- Homeland Security via email has confirmed there is a “Catch of the Day” in Maine after over 50 arrests were made.
- Tom Homan claims the ICE agent that killed Renee Good is fearing for his life and that of his family. Renee Good feared for her life before she was killed by him.
- A photo on social media shows an elderly man in boxers and a robe being taken by an ICE agent. His door was broken down and a gun put to the head of his daughter-in-law. His name is Saly, a naturalized US citizen.He was driven around and frightened by ICE, then dropped back at his residence as if this was normal.
- Democrats now control Virginia and have moved to stop cooperating with Trump’s ICE.
- Renee Good’s mother spoke of her daughter’s kindness and fear in her final moments of life.
- A doctor who wanted to try to save Renee Goods life was stopped by an ICE agent that said he didn’t care. Help was kept at bay with the use of weapons while a shocked and angry crowd watched in fear and horror.
Know what’s right – know your rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-share-your-rights-immigrants-rights
The Spider Series By D.S. Mitchell
Stop the Shit, Release the Epstein Files
Stop the Shit, Donald.
RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.
Women of a Certain Age-Old School Edition
Women of a Certain Age – “Old School” Edition
Women of a Certain Age – “Old School” Edition
By Cate Rees-Hessel
- If you ever pinched your cheeks or bit your lips in an effort to add a rosy glow to your face, you might be a woman of a certain age.
- If you have ordered from Ronco…
- If you ever owned or used a bedazzler…
- If you ever blotted your lipstick on a tissue…
- If Jean Nate is your go to fragrance…
- If you ever used Youth Dew and call it simply Estee Lauder…
- If you know that Youth Dew started as a bath oil…
- If you think a Zoom do is not an online meeting. And who remembers the PBS show?
- If you wear Odyssey by Avon…
- If you wear Imari by Avon…
- If you think 74 year old Pierce Brosnan is young and sexy…
- If you are as old as the Pillsbury Doughboy…
- If you used anything made by Bonne Bell cosmetics…
- If you had a puka shell necklace…
- If you ever wore double belts and stirrup pants…
- If you ever wore a body suit with snaps…
- If you wore Charlie perfume and know the color variations the fragrance came in…
- If you ever pressed your long locks with a clothing Iron…
- If you ever wore shoulder pads but were not a powder puff football player…
- If you still wear Sweet Honesty fragrance by Avon…
- If you ever made and used an egg white mask…
- If you wash your face with Dove beauty bar for “soft dewy skin”…
- If if you use honey as a face mask…
- If you ever used Queen Helene Mint Julep mask…
- If you were ever long and silky or short and sassy – my husband claims that I am still short and sassy…
Happy New Year, everyone – ladies, we definitely still have style…
Today’s Reality
Today’s Reality
Today’s Reality
Note: This is my first article to appear on the Calamity News and Politics website. In fact, its my first article to appear anywhere. Thanks, Calamity.
By Poleeta Wallace
Assistive Devices
I’m going to be 74 years old next month. My biggest problem is mobility. After an injury last year I need a walker, actually the device my doc provided me is called a Rollator. You’ve probably seen them. They have a seat for the user. Under the seat there is always a storage compartment, great for a book, paperwork, or a purse. The rollator is definitely a better appliance than the original aluminum walker. The aluminum walkers are commonly given out post lower extremity injury or surgery. They are nothing more than basic support, the introductory model you might say. The two back legs frequently have been outfitted with tennis balls so they slide easier across uncarpeted surfaces.
My Younger Guy
My husband, Dan, a younger guy of 66 years of age, requires a wheelchair if there is any chance he may be required to traverse more than about 10 feet. Thank God, Dan is still able to use a rollator inside our house. If you haven’t seen one of those electric wheelchairs, let me tell you they are ‘effing HUGE. At least his is, but he’s also a big guy. We would need to have a carpenter enlarge at least one outside doorway if he has to bring that damn thing inside the house. Then what; widen the hallways even more and the doorways. Honestly, I’m feeling the pressure, because the chance of Dan becoming permanently wheelchair bound is a fast approaching reality and the lurking prognosis of dementia has raised its ugly head.
Oh, NO, Me Too
I rarely need a wheelchair, except for functions or appointments that are long both in length of time and distance required to participate in the activity. Because of my irregular wheelchair use I have a manual wheelchair, “the Big Mo” my friend calls it. Definitely, its a pain-in-the-ass loading Big Mo into the back of the car and then unloading the bitch. Last year, right after my back injury I had to use “Big Mo” 24/7 for nearly six weeks. There are still scrapes on the walls of the hallway where the wheelchair wheels scratched off the paint. The manual chairs are a real challenge and are difficult to maneuver-thus the deep scars on the plaster walls.
Many Years Ago
Dan and I built our 1,930 square foot, 3 bedroom, two and a 1/2 bath, single level, ranch style, “forever” house on 12 incredible acres with its own beautifully flowing creek and a lovely pond, just north of Vancouver, WA in 1993. That was nearly thirty five years ago. We’ve done numerous updates over the years. A beautiful new guest bath in 2008. A mammoth new deck with fishing pier in 2010, a new kitchen in 2012 the year before I retired, then last year with our disabilities we went all out on a glammed up newly enlarged walk in shower for the master bath. New paint and flooring about every 10 years. Our plan, before reality intervened, was to live in this house until we died. Since my recent disability I am questioning that forever thinking.
Wonder Woman
In 1990 Dan was in management at UPS and I was an RN working at Kaiser Hospital in North Portland. I was in my mid-forties and felt as strong and fit as Wonder Woman. Dan, in his mid-thirties was strong and vigorous. At the time, we owned a fabulous 1920’s craftsman in Portland’s tree lined Ladd’s Addition neighborhood. After a lot of discussion we decided to look for a 5-10 acre piece of property and build a more modern house with a serious eye on retirement and our golden years. A friend of Dan’s who was an architect spent many hours talking with us over Chardonnay about what we wanted, and thought we’d need as we aged. As a nurse I saw the realities of aging up close and realized I needed to spend a bit of time in the Physical Therapy Department and talk to staff about what adaptations we should be making during construction instead of trying to Gerry rig changes later.
Eating Right and Exercising
With only one child it was easy to ski in the winter, hike, bike, and swim the rest of the year. We watched our weight and ate for good health. We wanted to ‘live long and prosper’ and we were willing to put a lot of effort into staying healthy. Dan’s from strong German stock, straight from the old country with family members living well into their nineties. I was more of a mutt, having English, Irish and Dutch forefathers but at that time my Aunt Lizzie was an amazing 106 years old and I had numerous older relatives several in their late 80’s and early 90’s. These people weren’t in nursing homes or assisted living; they were on their own and enjoying it. The point being, with a little work and preparation we hoped for the same.
2026 Reality
Planning is a good thing, I highly recommend it. However it is not always a predictor of what will really happen in your life. My point in concluding this piece is that no matter how hard you try to plan for your golden years it’s a crap shoot. You can plan for wider hallways, eliminate stairs, create extra storage for durable medical devices, you can save every extra nickle and dime for that extended retirement, but sometimes the reality of growing disabilities and how those disabilities shrink our world complicate everything. Loss of mobility and mental capacities is more than planning for wide open rooms and walk-in showers. In my case at least, all that planning has turned out to have been more a hope and a prayer than reality.
