The Council Room

[David Bentley]

This post has nothing to do with Camp Wyanoke, specifically, but since we all know each other, and are having birthdays each year, and creeping toward that magic number "65" (some of us have already done that), I thought I'd toss out a few gentle thoughts about being 65 (and older). Because I happened to have experienced a medical incident (prostate cancer surgery), I am being inundated with paperwork from all the various entities that had a hand in my case - surgeon, hospital, lab, diagnostic services - you name it, it's there.

The point of all this is that the paperwork cyclone is virtually overwhelming. If I did not have a local insurance agency, with some very helpful "clerks" (for lack of a better word), I'd be lost in the sea of paperwork. The funny thing about all this is that most of my life I dealt in a paperwork world. Medical paperwork and insurance paperwork are a breed apart from normal paperwork.

Medical isn't the only genre of paperwork to deal with in the post-65 world. Somehow, when you reach (I think) 50, the AARP people swarm all over you with every possible insurance option you can think of. I'm sure that AARP probably has some Plans of value, but find that having a local Agency with friendly "clerks" is, as they say, 'priceless'.

Another aspect of being involved with the government (post -65) is that noting moves at the speed you are probably used to having things move. You quickly go from being someone who can get things done to being someone for whom things are being done, and the speed factor reverses, too. This can be frustrating, very frustrating.

Of course, there are many perks to senior status - people hold the door for you (as if you magically lost that skill by virtue of B-day 65, Tuesdays is double coupon, over 65 day at the grocery store, theme parks and movies have reduced rates, and you get to order from the same menu as your grandchild when you go to the restaurant (the down side of this is that you probably are at the end of the line and get to pay for the whole bill for all the people with you).

On a very serious note, being 65 is a good time (if not before) to get your personal files in order. If you just have to save something, create a "just have to save" box and keep these items separate from what you really need to have at hand. Some day someone will be very happy to be able to find important papers without having to search high and low.

Lastly, and many of you may have already experienced this, when you retire and get active in retired life, you will wonder how you ever had time to actually work.

Look at it this way, "Being 65+ is the new 40 !!
_________________
C-1 49 J-7 52 S-3 55 J-10 58
C-7 50 J-7 53 S-2 56 J-8 59
C-8 51 J-4 54 S-7 57 (JA) J-8 60 - 64
1965 - 1968 Military service
Pine Cone 68 - 75 (with wife,Sherry,
and daughter Tracey)
Wolfeboro - full-time since 1997

[Mike Freeland]

Interesting reflections, Dave.

Since what we all have in common is at least 33 years behind us, we're all in the same boat.

The strange thing about getting older to me is that I don't really feel any more "adult" than I did when I was 20, except maybe a bit more experienced. I don't think I've gotten stodgy or curmudgeonly (well, maybe a little). The big differences are that I'm no longer invincible I don't remember when I found that out), and I'm more aware now of the consequences of doing something stupid than I was at 20. To wit:

A few years ago, a bunch of neighborhood kids were hanging around my house one evening, and they decided to go outside and play Capture the Flag when it got dark. The whole neighborhood was the playing field. They asked if I wanted to participate. The truth of the matter is that I'd have loved to, but explained to them that there's a big political difference between a homeowner investigating a strange noise outside and discovering a 12-year-old hiding in his shrubs, and finding a 55-plus old fart hiding in his shrubs, waiting for a 12-year-old to sneak by. That and the fact that I'd probably have had to take a pee break right in the middle of the game kept me out of the competition.

I find myself occasionally feeling melancholy with the knowledge that I've already lived longer than I will live. I really don't want to live to be 120 either. Though there are probably some great things in the future to look forward to, those things probably aren't nearly as monumental as a summer at Wyanoke or graduating from high school or college, or starting on the first "big boy" job with a real salary and benefits. As you suggest, Dave, the future also inevitably holds more interaction with the medical community too. Thus, the aging process to me is bittersweet.

I bought a box of 5,000 staples at Office Depot a week or so ago, and found myself wondering how many of those will be still in the box after I'm outa here. I do that a lot more these days than I used to.

Don't misunderstand me though. I don't dwell on aging, am not depressed about it or anything like that. It's something that comes up occasionally, is all. And this discussion might seem a bit premature to some of our recent registrants here at the site, whose years at Wyanoke began in the '30s.

How many of us haven't said "I wish I were 40 years younger and know what I know now"?

I've heard it said that as you get older, what used to work doesn't, and what does work hurts. Pretty close to the truth, ain't it?
_________________
'56-C-9 C. Mosher '57-C-9 Bill Feaster
'58-J-14 H. Peavy '59-J-11 G. Wood, C. Duncan
'60-S-8 R. Leavitt, D. Hemphill '61-S-1 E. Slocum
'62-JA-1 H. Dunbar '63-C-2 (JC)
'64-C-5, (JC) Councilor
'65-C-9 '66 - '72-J-8
'73-JA1 '75-J-6

[Bob Kennington]

This topic makes me feel that I should be looking for a local "clerk"? I'm getting all kinds of postcards with "helpful" New Hampshire persons: none are located in Wolfeboro though. Should I be availing myself of those mail-solicitations, do you think? I'm in good health, but you never know what's waiting out there!

My B-I-L introduced me to AARP's various health plans last summer—and they do look good. Maybe even less paperwork, which I hate. And you're right, AARP first contacted me at age 50.

My current health provider is worthless outside of Florida, and not too good within most of Florida. They want to become my "clerk" in the after-65 future—and there's no chance of that!

Sorry to hear of the surgery, but I have a dear [younger] friend going through ovarian cancer which generally has a poor short-term outcome. The diagnosis came just days after a long weekend visit where nothing was out of the ordinary.

My Dad's 91 and doing very well in Wolfeboro. It must be Wyanoke's drinking water with its dissolved granite content! (New Hampshire granite dust is sold for spreading on vegetable gardens—I kid you not!)

Anyway, I'm anxious to hear of solutions that will help get over this "approaching 65" thing.
_________________
Gordon B. (Father) Wyanoke ~1929-1937
Midget C-1 (1952, 53) (Belden, Edwards)
Junior J-7 (1954, 55) (Scheirer)
1967-1971 Military-Naval Security Group
Sister: Winnemont 1955-56

Blue: there's another color?

[Bob Kennington]

[DougSmith]

Hello David & my name is Doug Smith, Mason Smith's brother. Please don't ask what Cabin Town bunker he was in or otherwise but what I do know is that he was very respectful of your decision to move fwd. on the Wyanoke front after some (heated) discussion. I don't know if you guys cooled off after that talk but clearly, Mason was clearly impressed & understood the situation. I know because I was there when he explained it to my father who was a fello camper who's father was another fello camper. GREY!!! If you were blue than you might consider grey.

Wish you the best from here and now.

btw: remember that F-16 that flew over on the 4th of July & flew straight up @ mach 1 ?

d, smith

[Jim Culleton]

Could that have been John McCain?? Certainly not Barack! He's never seen the inside of a military uniform nor a US military aircraft!
_________________
'56 - J-9 J. Moulton
'57 - J-11 J. Moulton
'58 - J-4 E. Web Dann, S. Hood
'59 - S-6 P. Leavitt
'60 - S-2 F. Avantaggio
'61 - JA-1 RK Irons
'62 - C-9 JC with P. Freeland
'63 - C-1 JC with S. Borger
'64 - C-6 Councilor

[Bob Kennington]

For those who are puzzled by the non sequitur, Doug Smith intended to chat with Dave Bentley, and got drawn to this thread.

(Geesh, those Greys)

McCain flew the F-4 (known then as the A4D). The F-16 was later designed to cover the F-4's various shortcomings discovered during the Viet Nam War. (Most of which were traced to the fact that the F-4 was not designed to be used as it was there). F-4s, with much fewer bells and whistles, were used by Israel in the '68 War—again, not suited for that style of warfare.

There's an interesting/terrifying still photo of a missile fired on the deck of the USS Forrestal that struck McCain's F-4 while McCain was just getting into the plane! In all, 134 sailors died fighting the ensuing fire.

Another photo shows clearly a sailor running with an extinguisher towards the aircraft lined up on deck, just as a bomb blew up that killed him. Others pushed burning bombs off the flight deck and got severely burned in the process.

My Dad was very familiar with the F-4, and quizzed John McCain during a visit here in Wolfeboro last September. McCain is very personable, and took time to chat, and even accepted a painting gift from my stepmother. I attended only because I was bribed by a promise of dinner from my Dad—and I'm glad I did.

McCain didn't know all the details of his plane being struck and of his injuries, but my Dad did know! He was the Field Technical Representative for Douglas Aircraft Company (later McDonnell-Douglas, now Boeing). He, at 91, has a steel trap for a memory, while all I got was a steel sieve!

Back to the subject:

I found that Medicare subtracts some of the premiums from your Social Security check!

(So weigh that choice for a two-year-earlier SS check, as it is—and likely will be—a much smaller check after 65).

Dave, does your "clerk" has a name that rhymes with "story"? (So as not to show any favoritism).
_________________
Gordon B. (Father) Wyanoke ~1929-1937
Midget C-1 (1952, 53) (Belden, Edwards)
Junior J-7 (1954, 55) (Scheirer)
1967-1971 Military-Naval Security Group
Sister: Winnemont 1955-56

Blue: there's another color?

[Bob Kennington]

[Bob Kennington]

[Bob Kennington]