Lame duck soup for everyone!

Good Tuesday morning, November 16, 2010,  and I bid you welcome to the lame duck session of congress where all kinds of stuff is not getting done except for all those who have to clean out their desks busily trying to get as much as they can before they have to leave town. Sounds a little cynical but when you think about it in the US House they have to run every two years, therefore, they are always running for reelection and when you take out the time for all the recesses, well there's not that much time to do the people's business. However, as some have pointed out, that's not always a bad thing because when they are not in session they typically can do less damage. The term lame duck is kind of interesting. The term was actually coined in England back in the middle 1700's to tag those who refused to pay their debts. The first reference to a political figure here in the United States was a comment made about President Calvin Coolidge in 1926. Today it is applied primarily to politicians who have lost their reelection bid, or they have decided not to run again, or they are term limited and unable to run again, but for whatever reason their current time in office finds itself defined in this way. It's a wonder there's not some kind of uprising by some group opposed to using this terminology. The word lame of course originally had to do with disability of some sort usually physical. It has come to be used as slang for someone who is stupid or clueless. I suppose ducks don't have an advocate committee to look after their reputation, therefore, we call this current fiasco you can watch on CSPAN each day, our lame duck congress. For me, I always thought it meant an injured or crippled duck but that just shows my country roots.

Some of you are thinking that maybe I should pay more attention to lame duck bloggers since I might well qualify given a number of those definitions mentioned above. I would take that seriously but as I have always reminded my readers, you are never more than one click away from escaping whatever nonsense happens to be occupying territory on this electronic page. As we move on down the road of life we really do have to learn to adapt. One of the common exchanges between my wife and I these days is to ask each other this question, "Have you taken your medicine?" Hello? Living for over 60 years with that not even being on our radar screens and now it's a regular part of our daily routines shows just how far we have come. For a person who would have to be coerced to take an aspirin, I now gobble down 10 pills a day. Fortunately, I take only 5 prescriptions and the rest are over the counter, but think about it, that's 3,650 pills a year. What happened to the other fellow who was so stubbornly against swallowing pills? I suppose he just faded into the landscape of the fourth quarter of the senior bowl of life. I thought that sounded better than getting into lame excuses that involves ducks or some other animal. Health care dominates the conversation of the folks in our circle. I can't recall that subject ever coming up just a few short years ago. We've just finished re-enrolling in our current insurance coverage. Guess what? Significant increase in cost for the coverage. Higher deductibles, and other changes that will mean more out of pocket cost to us. Welcome to the era of government managed healthcare!

I'm not complaining because we are blessed to be able to make the adjustments necessary to deal with these changes. I just never counted on having to take moderation in moderation. No. I have not started watching reruns of Lawrence Welk but I will tell you that I have developed a fondness for accordion music. They tell me that is a sign. So far I can be thankful I've not called the cafeteria worker over to complain about how tough the jello is. They tell me that growing older means you spend more time feeling your corns than your oats. One fellow said that we don't stop laughing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop laughing. The hearing thing is a new adventure for us all. It should help our memory because we have to repeat stuff so often to each other. I'll leave you with this manifesto for those of us who will soon be walking the talk:

I'm a Senior Citizen and I am proud of it!

I'm the life of the party... even when it lasts until 8 p.m. I'm very good at opening childproof caps with a hammer. I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going. I'm good on a trip for at least an hour without my aspirin, beano, and antacid. I'm the first one to find the bathroom wherever I go. I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a word you're saying. I'm very good at telling stories. Over and over and over and over. I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not as bright as mine. I'm so cared for - long term care, eye care, private care, dental care. I'm not grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, children, politicians. I'm sure everything I can't find is in a secure place. I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg. I'm having trouble remembering simple words like...uh???...uh. I'm realizing that aging is not for sissies. I'm anti-everything now: anti-fat, anti-smoke, anti-noise, anti-inflammatory. I'm walking more (to the bathroom) and enjoying it less. If you are what you eat, I'm Shredded Wheat and All Bran. I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days. I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150? I'm supporting all movements now...by eating bran, prunes, and raisins. I'm a walking storeroom of facts, I've just lost the key to the storeroom. I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN, and I think I am having the time of my life!!!! ALWAYS REMEMBER: The world was made round so that we would never be able to see too far down the road. (copied)

See you next time on this same station and may God bless us all as we make our way forward! Amen.              .....More later.