Aging Well in the Gorge July 17th 2019

Does anyone have a crystal ball I could borrow? Because wouldn’t it be nice to know what our future looks like so we could be better prepared – but on the other hand maybe not? Well, I’ll leave that discussion for another day.

But we don’t know what unexpected events may come our way; what’s going to slap us across the face. We’d like to consider what we would do if we won the Power Ball jackpot (And when you do, the Center, Meals-on-Wheels and other non-profits are always looking for donations!) rather than what we would do if there was a train derailment or a threatening forest fire. So, we don’t prepare believing it won’t happen to us until the unexpected happens and it does.

Let’s take a minute then to think about this situation. If there was an emergency and you had to leave your home immediately with all your important documents, what documents would you take?

Here is a list of documents from an article Donnamae Grannemann emailed me titled “Key Documents You Need to Take with You in an Emergency” that the author suggests putting together in an easily accessible Go-To-File.

1.) Important contacts such as family members, doctors, dentist, lawyer, insurance broker and other key resources.

2.) Cash because if the power goes down and the ATM’s and other machines no longer work you won’t have time to find all your extra cash you have hidden around the house.

3.) Identification records such as original documents of your birth certificate, passport and Social Security card. (I am assuming you are always caring your driver’s license, bank and credit cards, and health insurance identification cards.)

4.) A video of your residence and possessions which you can easily record using your cell phone camera.

5.) Copies of your insurance policies, especially for home and auto insurance, to contact your insurer if you need to start a claim.

6.) Recent financial statements such as your most recent statements from your credit card companies, banks, brokerage firm, retirement accounts, car loan and company in case you also need to contact them.

7.) Tax returns - at least the last three years.

8.) Legal documents such as your car registration and car title; your property deed and mortgage papers; as well as your will, power of attorney, and other legal documents.

And let me add one more item that wasn’t mentioned in the article, but I would be up a deep creek if I lost them – my passwords! How many times have I forgotten my Apple or Google password and had to go to my little black book to find it? As we do more of our business online, knowing our passwords is essential.

Having these important documents in a Go-To-File is not only helpful in emergencies, it is just a good idea for any unexpected situation. If you and your spouse or loved ones know where to find the information, it can save you and your family from additional stress that you don’t need during difficult times. If you want to learn more, you can find the complete article on the Center’s website at www.midcolumbiaseniorcenter.com.

The baseball coach who led the New York Yankees to nine World Series during the 1950’s and returned to coach the expansion team New York Mets in 1962 (who won only forty games and lost 120 games that first season) was Casey Stengel. I received correct answers from Rhonda Spies, Jim Ayres, Mike Carrico, Jess Birge, Tiiu Vahtel, Jack Lorts, Doug Bloomdahl and Rhonda Austin who wins a free quilt raffle ticket for her persistence.

Let’s dial the time machine back to the 1950‘s again, but this time looking at the fast growing medium: television. From 1957 through 1964, the Danny Thomas Show was usually one of the top ten shows on television. For this week’s “Remember When” question what was the original title for the show when it first aired in 1954? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or return your answer on the back of a picture of Angela Cartwright who played Danny’s adopted daughter.

Well, it’s been another week, dodging arrows that keep coming.  Until we meet again, you discover at a certain age modesty is no longer something you can afford so you might as well wrap it up and mail it to your 18-year-old granddaughter who could probably use it.

“Life literally abounds in comedy if you just look around you.” Mel Brooks