Forget about medical

 I've blathered on about health issues that I have or have dealt with on this blog. Well the days of affordable care are over for this gal. I was forced out of Medicaid, was switched to a decent HMO, and now dumped into a PPO that costs me too much out of pocket. So no more specialists or diagnostic procedures, not when I can't afford my side of the payments. A $200 fee to cover a doctor appointment and labs is 200 I can't pay. So I won't be moving forward for any health care in the future. Otherwise I'll end up with medical debt. There will be a national problem with medical debt forth coming as the Medicaid cuts go into affect and I feel for those people who won't have a choice 

In other news I'm sure most people are aware of the assignation of Charlie Kirk. In my opinion any gun violence is too much.  But I heard Kirk's remarks about school shootings. He said that "sacrifices" must be made to protect the 2nd amendment. Meaning kids had to die so the right to bear arms could be upheld. Therefore, according to Kirk, his death is just another sacrifice. The anger spilling out of MAGA to blame liberals for his death is unjustified. If they believed what Kirk said then they should calm down. Where ..was their anger over the mass killings of innocent children?? Most liberals are against violence. I think that it was personal, that the shooter heard Kirk's take on school shootings, likely lost someone they loved, and believed in revenge. The shooter's t shirt was in support of disabled veterans. Instead of targeting the crowd, it was a single shot by someone who was trained as a sniper .

That's it for today.  

It's coming!!

 I can feel it coming, feel it peeking around the corner; I can sense that it's wearing a mischievous grin and has gleaming eyes. The wind gusts start the leaves chattering, "it's coming" they whisper loudly. Every insect screams a late summer song, while nights become colder, and geese direct their gaggle arrowing towards the South. That season of change is almost upon us as we think about grabbing a jacket.

If you cannot surmise by the above messy description, fall is coming. I much prefer that announcement over the oft quoted " Winter is coming." Traditionally Autumn is a season of plenty, the harvest gathering of summer's labors.  In the past winter meant shortages of food, deep cold and dark skies.

For All the lovers of October's burst of colors, singularly beautiful skies and frosty nights,Well Come. In my heart I wish that autumn lasted longer, it seems like such a long time before it returns. So my friends enjoy this bright festival filled month of good food, good spirits and spooky fun. I'm itching to pull out the fall decor but technically it's still late summer, and I'm old enough to not want time to speed up.

            

On standby

 Sometimes life gets bitchy and sticks it to ya. (Not the greatest first line but I'm in a slump, so bite me.)

I've been fortunate since I became unemployed, broke, and in the hospital in 2022. Even though at the time I felt like I was being buried by paperwork, it eventually paid off and I received Medicaid. For those who think people on Medicaid are moochers just shut up and try to develop some empathy. My body was messed up because for the 3 years I had been working I did not receive health insurance. I lived in constant pain and still worked. I didn't make enough money to afford to pay for it, and even though I worked plenty of over time I had been hired as part time.

I didn't know that the fall I had at home, when I was first employed, had fractured 3 discs in my back.  Believe me, over the counter pain meds did very little to help. It wasn't until I was unemployed and had Medicaid that I found out my back has broken. My employer worked us 30 days straight with no time off and dumped us on the 31st day.  No severance pay, just Get Out. This was August 2020, the height of COVID-19. I tried to get unemployment but was turned down. Millions of people were also applying at that time. I gave up.

If it wasn't for Medicaid I wouldn't have had the medical care that I really needed. I retired early after trying to work on a couple of jobs and didn't feel well doing so, turns out I had multiple health issues that needed to be addressed. Passing out or falling while at work wasn't something I was willing to do.

You don't just coast along with Medicaid, you are told several times a year to show your income sources and bills, it's a big hassle but one I had to do to keep my coverage. Then... I turned 65. Suddenly my status changed because I was applicable for Medicare. 

My financial situation had not changed but now I was expected to pay out of pocket. I'd certainly like to know why. Those 3 years on Medicaid proved my financial situation, and couldn't afford extra costs. I managed to get HMO coverage through Humana, which frankly was great, no out of pocket costs for 6 months anyway.

After 6 months Humana wanted to know if I was still covered under Medicaid. Medicaid advised Nope, you turned 65. So long story short I lost the perfect coverage. I was forced to change to a PPO. I'm expected to pay 20% of everything. So, unless I want to incur medical debt I can't use my insurance. Just stop everything that was being done to help me because I cannot afford to pay it. I might as well be right back where I was 5 years ago. Medical coverage means jack shit if you can't use it 

Sorry, but this topic has been stewing and boiling over since the end of June and it had to come out. 

Truly, I'd be more upbeat if I wasn't always fighting the system. There are plenty of things we seniors have to worry about in Trump world, the biggest being Social Security. If he plays games with Our money it's possible we'll be unable to pay rent and buy food, not that he'd ever care. It could create a terrible future with the elderly, millions of us, forced to the street.

His biggest fault, and we know he has many, is that he has never ever lived a life without luxury and money. He's never been hungry without food. He's never worried about not having rent money or a car payment. He's completely without empathy because he has nothing to relate to, and cannot perceive living as we do. So he doesn't care, at all. In fact the poor seem to be despised.

His Big Bullshit Bill proves that without a doubt.

My empathy and sympathy goes out to all the elderly, the very young and the disabled who will be losing their Medicaid during late December 25 and January 2026. Somehow we are all expected to go back to work and find money to pay for everything. It's not going to be good. Not everyone has family to help. Not everyone is fit enough to work. So Grandma and Grandpa are not going to be able to do it.

I have nothing nice to say about trump and those that thought he was the Messiah coming to make everything great. Say good bye to the America you thought would be restored, because Emperor trump wants total submission and control. Doesn't matter if you lose your rights, your insurance, your retirement, am I right? 

Good night and good luck.

And release the Epstein files. Trump has a history of sexual abuse. Let's bring it out into the daylight and expose him for what he really is.

Good Lord, where to start

 I'm an arm chair protester. I'm pretty much stuck in NW Ohio, not able to travel to the state capital, and not able to walk distances and stand for hours. I've called and left messages for Ohio's two Republican senators, much good that will do. I've bombarded my news feed on Facebook with all sundry of protests, issues and encouragement for people to stand up to the destruction of our democracy.

I'm sure that folks are starting to avoid my constant posts, but what else can I do? I've signed petitions and still I feel that it's not enough. My mood is basically stressed out and upset.

For any readers who might have voted for trump and consider yourself "Maga", if it hasn't hit you yet, what trump and musk are doing to the country you profess to love, is the destruction of our democracy. No healthcare or food assistance for seniors, the poor and the children. If you are not the age to collect social security forget about being able to collect when the time comes. If you are already on SS you should be worrying if the next check will arrive. Education, the VA, Medicaid, Medicare and SS are on their chopping block.

When we were young, and throughout are working years money was automatically taken from our earnings to be set aside until we reached retirement age. SS isn't an entitlement, we worked for our SS benefits. The money is Ours. Trump and musk are playing the biggest grift on record in the theft of our money., to pay for more billionaire tax breaks and line their own pockets. Why do people who have more money then they could spend need more? What they are doing is a crime and self enrichment.

Musk is the biggest thief of the two. He's closed departments that were investigating his businesses. He's dumped Verizon from the FAA contract to replace it with Starlink, his company. He has over 300 billion in government contracts and has cleared the road of anyone who might challenge him. So even though trump fancies himself a king the real emperor is musk. 

Whether you imagined your world as a republican or a Maga you're going to lose too. They have a plan and you aren't included. When everyday groceries are twice what you normally pay. When the electric bill becomes outrageous. When gas goes back up, you'll feel it. When lumber and alcohol become too pricey to afford. You can't blame Biden for your expensive eggs anymore because he's not the current president. Trump's tariffs are an act of aggression against countries who did nothing to deserve it, but the real losers are the people of the U S. A recession is coming. And you can thank the 7 times failed businessman and felon in charge. He has no real understanding of how tariffs work. He's a flipping bully and is destroying relationships globally. 

We are no longer the "shining city on a hill." Trump can't be trusted so neither can our country. When he openly supported Putin, the dictator, we lost our place as a beacon of democracy. When he threatens Greenland, Panama and Canada he's asking for war. Whatever motivates trump to believe that he's playing a game of Risk or Monopoly with the planet, he's dragging all of us along with him.

So yeah I'm stressed. We haven't been so close to WW3 since I was a kid.  We are going to feel the oppression of his presidency.  I hope that Maga people consider themselves responsible for what our nation will become. And I have a sad prayer I say each night asking God isn't it time for trump to go home?

Not going to talk about it yet

 Don't think for a second that I have nothing to say about the current status of the United States. I'm too pissed off and afraid to say anything yet. Let me just say that my own security and living expenses are being held for hostage and yes I'm afraid.

***shivers***❄️❄️❄️

 I've busted my tail and prayed over my car battery for the last 48 hours preparing for the potential ice storm predicted for tonight. I've lived through them before. The storms from my childhood were almost magical with the woods shimmering with ice, they looked like a fairy tale. As an adult, who once was a homeowner and still drives a car, they've been replaced with nightmare visions of nature's unsympathetic destruction.

Picture a quiet night in the mid 1990's. Sitting around the table when the electric cut off and everything became too quiet. Then the destruction began. A cracking sound followed by a solid Boom. A tree just snapped off from the top. My husband went outside to investigate, not wise at all, and ran back in as more trees rained down amid the ice assault. 

The next day the temperature remained zero and single digits. It looked as though a tornado had struck our community. Trees crushed cars, laid over the roads, had crashed through windows and roofs. Unlike a tornado, none were spared. Cars off the roads in medians and ditches. 

So no matter that I no longer am a homeowner or married, the memory of ice storms is still tapping on my brain, reminding me of that particular time. My racing around the past two days was in preparation for tonight. No driving until it melts. Enough supplies to cover my needs. No one, who is intelligent, should be out there driving right now, and yet I keep hearing the constant blaring of sirens meaning that they didn't think. 

Just sitting and wishing that this little box I live in had a fireplace. Or at least something to cuddle up with, preferably something with fur, whiskers and a tail.

Stay safe.

Kel 

Holidays? Humph

 First let me say that this is not a self pity party. I'm not weeping, not depressed. What I am is sort of blah. 

I do my best to beat back feelings of loneliness, I decorate, light those holiday smelling candles, try to get myself at least something new that I need. I talk with old friends who are dear to me. But inevitably I spend the holidays alone. And this year for some reason the blahs are continuing past the holidays.

I haven't left my apartment for two weeks. I don't really want to either. I feel insulated here in my chair, never changing out of my pajamas. Doing nothing but playing on my phone, reading and sometimes watching videos.

Anyway I  just want to say that staying in and shutting out the world is not something I normally do. I feel like a switch has been flipped and it's not returning to normal. It's a little late in life for me to become agoraphobic. 

So my refusal to take down the Christmas decorations and staying at home is maybe my mind telling me that we didn't really have Christmas and we're going to wait here for it. Let's just admit that in my past Christmas was a big deal, and having it shrink to nothing is very hard for me to deal with.