I was ranting about how bad the kids are around my neighborhood a while back and we are forever reading about home invasions around the area which is pretty scary for anyone. You expect to hear all this stuff around big cities, but not small towns. It doesn’t seem to matter anymore where you live people are people and sooner or later something will touch your world and make you wonder what in the world is wrong with people in general not just our youth.
I wonder how many people actually check sexualoffenders.com to see if any perverts live near them. You might be surprised to actually see people you know listed there, I know I was. If you have children you owe it to them to make sure you know who is living down the street from them. No one knows when someone might snap, but we don’t have to make it easy for our children by buying them guns. I believe in the right to own a gun or shotgun for protection and hunting, but there needs to be an age limit.
Guns in the home should also be locked away because there have been way too many accidental shootings, we hear about them all the time and it’s really hard to understand how we can still let these things happen. Which brings me to the 11 year old PA boy that took his 20 gauge shotgun and shot his Father’s fiancee in the back of the head while she slept and killed her and her unborn child and then went to school where he was picked up.
This boy will be tried as an adult in PA. I’m sure everyone has heard of this case by now since it happened Feb. 21st, but it’s so hard to understand that a child could actually do something this horrendous and not be a total mental case. This was a small community and everyone knows everyone, how in the world can something like this happen? We are always shocked when things like this happen because we think we are at least safe in our homes.
Of course this child could have easily stabbed her or used a baseball bat, it’s the person not the weapon, but we don’t have to make it so easy. Scary world we live in.
If your an entrepreneur looking to start a business I’d say the biggest concern would be the funding. You can apply for an unsecured business start up loan or apply for grants which wouldn’t have to be paid back, but they can be very difficult to get. I guess it comes down to how badly you want to start a business and how hard your willing to work for it and compete for those grants. There’s lots of agencies and even private companies that can potentially provide you with financial assistance. However you’ll have to compete because for every available grant there’s usually dozens of other hopefuls waiting to be the next recipient.
There are many sources for a start up business grant, but usually the requirements are very strict and you might want to think about getting a professional grant writer to help with the application. Also you will need to show that your business has a strong potential for succeeding. I’ve heard that state start up grants are by far the easiest to apply for and then the federal government gets harder, also local government departments have business start up grants for special needs for women, minority groups and people with physical disabilities.
I know a lot of people dream of having their own business and being able to do whatever they please. Some make it happen and others simply just think and dream. I’m not a mover and shaker but I’ve been thinking about it and I keep my eye on the commercial real estate in my area because I like to see what’s available out there. Sometimes I think about opening up a beauty shop and I’ve even made a list of all the equipment I need. There’s no way I could arrange to have it in my home because of all the code requirements, but it certainly would be convenient to have a set up like my ex brother-in-law’s shop.
I don’t want to work in a salon for someone else again because I have to do all the services and there are some I prefer not doing like perms. If I had my own shop it would be more like a barber shop because I like cutting and even color, I also love giving facials. So I could choose the services I want to provide. Of course there are so many other things to be considered like liability insurance, getting a shop license, getting everything inspected and depending on the type of business any one is thinking about I’m sure there would be lots of other considerations to contend with.
If you’re thinking about starting a business from your home though you absolutely need to keep it legitimate meaning make sure you follow all guidelines for the type of business you are thinking about to avoid any penalties because you didn’t pay attention to all of the legal requirements for your business. You also need to keep meticulous books and record every single transaction because the IRS tends to be more strict with home and online businesses. You need to make sure all licenses are up to date and to avoid penalties you should always file your income tax returns on time and don’t forget all that self employment tax.
There is so much to think about and find out about before you even start that for someone like me it makes my head spin, but if you’re going to do it you need to do it right. Our economy being what it is right now though kind of puts me off of the idea because I see so many companies shutting down around us and the money just doesn’t flow as much especially for start up businesses. If I was a crafty type of person that would be different. I know my exes Mother made good money with her arts and crafts and even did work at home for some big companies, but there have even been some big changes with that so her extra income is way down.
For me I guess I’ll wait and see what is going to happen with Bill’s job and when he is actually going to retire and what our finances will look like at that time before I make up my mind. At any rate I can still add to my list everything that would be required to make it work and don’t forget the advertising end because if people don’t know about you then you wont get the market you’re aiming for. I guess that’s why so many people try to earn a living online because of start up costs and everything involved, but even that has huge drawbacks and whatever you do or are doing I wish you all the best.
At one point in time I wanted to be the best and sexiest 50 year old I could be. What??? You young people must be thinking, no one is sexy at 50 except Madonna. Well, no way I could compete there nor would I try, but for me I did my best and I really did enjoy my 49th transition into 50. I felt fit and tan and I loved my silk suit, which I still have, but can’t wear any more and the longer this menopause hangs in there the worse I look, I peaked at 50 and it’s been downhill ever since. See recent Nana photos.
I have never been a dress up type person as I told you before I’m happiest in my jeans, but that didn’t mean I didn’t like pretty and wicked looking undies. When I was young, well up till 50 I did wear sexy lingerie because it made me feel good, but I really don’t think I would wear anything risque now, like the piece I still hold on to below. Oh, I’m sure Bill would love it, but I would feel very self conscious and feel like an idiot, my sexy lingerie days are over give me my flannel and cotton briefs. I didn’t say sex was over, sorry too much info?
At any rate I wouldn’t be able to get my big toe into that thing now. Some women tell me that going through menopause has made them feel sexier, I certainly wish I could say the same, but that’s not the case for me and that’s a shame because it’s just not fair to Bill, I will be so glad when menopause goes away. When I was young I just couldn’t imagine that old people still had sex, it was just too weird to think about, but now that I’m that older person it’s not hard to imagine any more.
Funny how your views change with age and besides experts tell us that sex is good for your health so I look forward to being healthy for at least 20 more years or longer.
It would be nice to have a new house with no problems, but at this late stage in our life that would be stupid to take on a mortgage and worry about being homeless in our old age. Bill was so anxious to retire after he turns 62 in December of this year, but now he’s wondering if we can afford it. If he retires at 62 then he is limited to how much he can earn on the side, but if he works till 65 then the limit is lifted and he can earn whatever extra he wants.
I guess that’s a decision he will make next year and knowing him he will probably put it off till he turns 65. As I’ve mentioned before besides his interest in motorcycles I have no clue how he would occupy his time and I know he would be bored. Of course there are lots of things that need work done on around the house, but he isn’t always qualified to do some of them and has to call for expert help from people that know what they’re doing and have the right equipment.
Always a problem with something lately every time we use the washer it leaks or has been backing up unless you stop it half way and Bill was putting off calling Shawn. We finally got our pipes cleaned out Sunday and thankfully the pipes are still good and nothing had to be replaced. Shawn did have to apply some industrial clamps to make sure the pipes were secure though. He just started his own business and told Bill he was concerned of course because of the economy.
Bill has known this young man since he worked for him when he was a teen. Shawn has done work for Bill over the years and always treated him good so Bill always recommends Shawn when people have problems, he helped Bill’s Son not long ago with his furnace. He wasn’t even going to charge Bill for the few hours he put in, but Bill wouldn’t hear of it and insisted on giving him some money. He gave Bill a heck of a good deal when we had the central air put in.
Bill is so good with people and he seems to know a lot of young men that have rode motorcycles with him over the years or worked for him that now have their own businesses which is great for us because we get a cheaper rate. It pays to be nice to people and often times Bill recommends them to others so it’s just good advertising and getting a discount doesn’t hurt either. This house is so old that we always have to have something worked on, but I really don’t think that’s how Bill wants to spend his time.
I know we wanted to travel some when Bill retires, but the way things are looking I don’t know if that is going to be an option. Maybe we’ll be able to take a few trips, but it wont be a steady thing and gas prices are going back up, doesn’t make sense to me since oil is at 38 dollars a barrel now. I was reading some of the posts on MSNBC.com because they have a lot of information like “Crude oil is getting cheaper — so why isn’t gas?” trying to figure this out for myself.
I certainly don’t think Obama is going to solve any of our immediate problems regardless of how people feel about him. I just don’t see it happening of course I know nothing about finance or economics, but from all accounts our government is bankrupt so how can they keep passing stimulus packages when there is no frickin money and no frickin jobs to make money to be taxed on. God only knows what the future of this world will become, sad isn’t it?
In 6 years I’ll be eligible to draw my SS unless it’s bankrupt too never thought I’d live this long.
