Gas and food prices up in California.

I just keep on plugging. But I hope we do not wind up as a literal Communist Dictatorship.

@TheHorse Yes, I took it slow and easy and just hung around the house easing back into life. It definitely sets your body back. For instance I was always a prolific typist. I won State Championship in high school for typing. I know the keyboard and don't have to look to know what I'm typing. After the stroke and I got home, I wanted on the computer. But...it was all foreign to me. I had to stop and think...where is that letter at? It was bad! And shocking to me, but I was determined to get my typing back and I did. That's just one example. Speaking. I had to stop and think about what I wanted to say before talking. I could have gone back to work, but I used up my build up sick time to apply to my retirement. We do have a decent retirement and I don't regret it. I do wish my husband had retired when he had his in 2015. We went back to work and didn't retire until 2021.

I had not remembered about the stroke. Did you regain most of your functioning? Does the Government have a decent retirement package?

@kareng I am glad you got those skills back. I am not an expert in strokes, but I think we don't lose memories, whether they be of events or skills. We lose retrieval cues for those memories. Our task is to find new retrieval cues.

I think I have enough saving to weather another Trump presidency. But I don't want to be "smug." I just hope my retirement accounts are not raided.

@TheHorse I do think we have to be ready for any possibility. The uneasiness that any of us feel stems from the unpredictability of what is to come . . . this presidency is trying to bulldoze everything. My hope is we will all be able to sustain, but it's best to remain cautious and keep Plan B in mind.

@TheHorse You are renting so at least you don't have expenses like I do- 5 thou this year for house taxes and house insurance. And house jewels like exterior paint and house must haves like a better roof.

Heh. I prefer Coke.

All I can do right now is keep on keeping on.

@TheHorse That's it, but I will say avoid me if you plan is to get a rise. That's what Pisses me off the most. Fine Trump won, but was it solely to stick it the left or actually fix things. To me it looks like they not interested in fixing things just put in the eye of so called liberals. The world is about to make the US pay because of that decision. so hope they enjoy their little eye thing. Your credibility with the world might be shot.

@crossbones27 Um, I just hope we can survive until Trump is gone.

I live in the suburbs. I am glad I have some savings to back me up. .

@lilacskies We have to ask ourselves how we let this happen.

@TheHorse I live minutes away from the city and can literally walk there if I have ten minutes to spare. It is really tough in cities.

@TheHorse ......Living alone you probably do okay grocery bill-wise even with a 20% rise.

I actually just enjoyed some lox. It's only up about 20 per cent. I bought a small package.

@celticeagle Alone? Don't insult me. I deserve everything he gives me. --Kitty

@TheHorse — Navy and Postal Service.

@FourWalls Sounds good. Did you and John Prine ever work together?

What was your "main gig"?

Yeah. I feel for those people.

We, as individuals, can only do so much.

@sallypup Goodness gracious! I have had an old Gil-Scott Heron tune playing in my head! The Horse listening to early "rap"? Impossible!

Glad to hear it. Here is an interesting song by Greg Brown. I have made "wrong moves." Including in the financial world (I wanted out of the Stock Market just before Bush II tanked it, but I let my stock broker overrule me), but overall I am OK.

@JudyEv What does a bursar do?

Glad to hear. Elaborate if you want. I was lucky grad school tuition had not yet skyrocketed even at State schools when I was in my 20s.

@TheHorse We thought it was the end of the earth for us (exaggeration) when Vince was picked 3 times for a position but the very top boss (a Governent Minister) refused to endorse it and eventually the Minister's crony (who had been best man at his wedding) was appointed. About seven years later, Vince was appointed bursar at a top boys' college which completely turned our life around for the better.

Interesting.

It took Biden awhile to fix what Trump had done in his first term.

Yep. I can look at the current state of affairs in the US, and feel uneasy, but I will survive. It will be harder for some others.