25. Being 'So-Called' Unemployable

Hello Friends,

This article below (follow the link) does not, from the viewpoint of the average reader, present a very positive outlook. However, those of us who have reached our full maturity have accumulated the ability to look beyond mere appearances. Do not kid yourself. YES you can!

Click here: Workers Over 50 Are The New 'Unemployables' - Careers Articles

What this tells me is that the j-o-b-s are for the young to provide them with experience.

We have that experience.

Does that mean we all must compete for Walmart greeter jobs or grocery baggers? No. Those positions are right for some people. They are stop-gap measures for others.

Being in this bracket that the article addresses is a subtle call to a new kind of action.

What are the skills and talents you have acquired over the years? Inventory all the things you have done and with an eye to adaptability; assess them as to their usefulness in other walks of life.

Do you have skills in nursing? Can you teach phlebotomy to students at a career institute?

Do you have experience in the construction industry? Can you use those skills to work as a furniture or home repair contractor or as a maintenance person at a condo complex?

Becoming a private contractor in a field of your experience and interest or starting up a small business in a related or supportive industry is an option that has great appeal. With Web Sites such as Angies List,  your business can zoom.

I mentioned teaching. There are numerous ways to teach. You need not be hired by a school district. There are many county adult ed programs where you can put VPK all the way through the GED that gives a young person their diploma, children are being taught outside of the usual school system.

Offer your skills to parents in special areas of interest. Put together learning packets to supplement the home school texts. Not every parent is equipped to offer their child knowledge and expertise in every subject area. Do you like history? Well, Susie's mom and dad do not.  Are you good at math? There is a field that really needs help in the private teaching arena.

Take a look at the home school formats and find an area of interest that you can supplement or add something to make the program more well-rounded and more useful for a child's future.

Look at Craigs list in the 'wanted' columns and find a way to meet those needs and desires.

I have a friend who spends Saturdays attending numerous garage sales and Sundays re-selling the goodies he finds at the local flea market and he makes quite a decent profit.

You can always go back to school yourself to learn a new field or update yourself in one of your existing areas of knowledge. Besides teaching Adult Ed, you can attend. Also, Vocational Rehabilitation is available in many areas. I recommend finding a place where you can update your knowledge of new and emerging software programs and other technological devices.

Remember, grants are often available if you go to the trouble of applying.

Your future begins now. Water the ground whereon you stand and it will blossom with possibility.

Many Blessings
Victoria

24. Wow, A Lot Has Happened

Since my last post of January 9, so much has happened that I'm not sure where to begin.
I guess the good news for you all is that there is one less person actively competing in the job market.
What with the neurological problems and all, I've been deemed unfit for employment in the types of work I've been doing for the past 15 years and so have been placed on disability. Yippee. That certainly doesn't amount to much at all and for me caps out at just over 10,000 per annum, which is basically the same as early retirement on the social security thing which it replaces until I'm 62 then converts into that.
What I don't understand is how am I going to pay for a place to live, utilities, food and other necessities? Minimum rents here start at about 700 to 750 if you don't mind ghetto living.
Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for it. I'm grateful for every penny. But what a lot of people do not realize is this is not a hand out. I, like most of you, have been paying into these programs for all of our working lives. It is OUR money. Look at it like this: It's a 'set-aside' for our non-working years, and maybe with things the way they are going in this political arena, we would have been better off if we had just saved and invested that money ourselves instead of giving it to the government. they have mis-handled everything since after the Constitution was signed. If I were of an ethnic group or had children out of wedlock I'd get a darn site more.

I have a rant. I usually like to keep my postings on a more upbeat note, but I want to get this rant off my chest.
I do not like automated telephone answering systems and circuitous menues that take you from one choice to another and back to the starting point and then say, "please hold, someone will be with you in just a moment," then blast loud raucous music in your ear for a time, then repeat, "someone will be with you in a moment." Click. Dial tone.

Ice tea. Tea seems like an absolute to me. Tea is tea. there are varieties of course, such as oolong and Earl Grey, etc. But TEA is a basic, a staple in the same way that coffee is a staple.
So tell me why I have to stipulate UNsweet when I order iced tea if I do not want to gag on the cloying sugary adulteration of my tea on the first sip. If I wanted it sweet I would stir in some sugar, much as I did when I was a child, something I outgrew in my early teens. If someone wants 'sweet tea' let them order it. If those of us who are purists want our tea natural, let us safely order 'tea' and get what we expect. Having to stipulate UNsweet tea, to me is every bit as annoying as having to 'press 1 for English.'

Okay, thanks for your patience. I'm done ranting now. :>)
So anyway, I am hoping and praying that my blogs will expand their audience in order to help me survive. If you have ever liked what you read in any of my various blogs and blogs posts, please share the links with your friends and also, write and tell me if the ads are appropriate and of any interest and anything else you would be interested in seeing advertised in them. Do any of you understand SEO (search engine optimization)? I need to figure it out so that I am more searchable. The whole thing is Greek to me.
Thank you for following.
Blessed Be
Victoria

23. More Developments

Sorry: yes, its been a few weeks again and I have been busy. I accepted a position for four days a week, four hours a day. Yup! Sixteen whole hours at a mere eight bucks an hour. What a joke. The job lasted all of nine days before the old codger had the opportunity to close on a deal, purchase a South American company that repairs old airplanes and took on the staff that went with it, thus shoving aside any need for an office worker with perfect English but no other language skills.
Yes this is Florida, a multi-language state and I should expect that. Still, it was abrupt and rude.
They promote the factory products (marine and cargo rope things as 'Made in America' but I do not think there is a single person born and bred in America who works in the factory. An administrator and a sales person are true Americans but their dissatisfaction is evident and I doubt they will stay much longer either. From our conversations, they are not thrilled with the whole thing.
I continue to edit a wonderful book by a fascinating man. It is a memoir of a particular traumatic sequence of events and I will provide a review when it is complete. I will let you know so you can look for it on Victoria's Book Reviews page and purchase it on Amazon.
My computer has been giving me assorted serious problems. Word repeatedly crashes. so I downloaded and installed KingSoft Office and the word processor on that crashed four times today.
I bought a brand new battery that will not charge more than 42% and will not hold it so I can go wireless for even a moment. My newish Bluetooth mouse has ceased to function even with brand new Duracell battery installed. I cannot open certain web pages and I am quite concerned since it appears that this laptop will possibly be my main source of income through writing and editing work.
I continue to get periodic dog sitting jobs with St. Bernard Rescue and I hope to get a few more house and or pet sitting jobs in the future. this does not yet add up to more than the barest of survival. I cannot save anything toward moving or getting a place to move to, let alone travel money to return to Nashville to get my stuff my dear friends are storing for me. How nice it would be to get all my essentials together under one roof with a kitchen I can actually use. I should say how nice it WILL be when I can do that.
I am working on positive affirmations when I remember to do so. I highly recommend that. If nothing seems to come of it, its still better than dwelling on awful stuff.

22. LIVING WITHIN MEANS

Greetings Friends,
In reduced financial circumstances, it's often necessary to forgo activities we have taken for granted. For instance, retail therapy or therapeutic shopping, playing golf, bowling, going out dancing or partying.
These things may not be financially wise or even possible during these troubled times of un-employment, under employment and lack of income.
The challenge to compensate for lack of money can be fun if you are willing to be resourceful.
Job hunting is seldom thought to be fun, but try to make a game of it.
Set a goal to apply for a certain number of jobs each day. Most companies accept applications on-line rather than on paper these days, with a few exceptions here and there. Some of the apps are quite a challenge. If you have trouble with the app, ask yourself why and then address the challenges by trying these tricks which once put in place can be re-used over and over again:

>1. Make a list of all the jobs you have had.
>2.Within each job, list the tasks you performed in two columns:

• A. Things you did well and enjoyed doing, and
• B. Things you did not like, or did not do well at and hope to never do again.

Now, take the items listed in A. and list other types of jobs that would profit from those skills and experience.

Do web searches for types of companies using those talents.
Do not feel compelled to stick to things like monster . com or career builder . com.
Visit web sites of companies that interest you and scroll to the bottom of the pages until you find the little links for 'contact us' or 'human resources' or 'work for us' and determine what their application process is and follow it.

Do you have a resume?
Do you only have one resume?
Is it dusty?

As many changes as there have been over the years in the way resumes are accepted and the reasons they are discarded without a second, or even a first look, means that more than ever, you need multiple resumes in your file.

First and foremost, turn your list into a worksheet you can use to develop various formats of resumes without repeating the research process of looking up your old job info in files, boxes, memory or make-believe.

You will want to have two basic types of resume and you will want to tailor each type to emphasize different strengths for different companies' needs and desires.

Chronological is necessary, but can be tough if you have blank spaces and no good explanation, or if you have so many jobs in your past that it either emphasizes your age as being o-l-d, or perhaps worse; that you are a job-hopper.
Chronological often works well for younger people or people with only about five or six past jobs.
Otherwise, go back only about ten to twelve years.

Functional is very useful and is more easily adapted to assorted varieties of jobs.
Rather than listing your employment history, you list your skills, talents, and achievements. Here is an example of a functional resume that has recently proved useful for me:
Name and contact information go at the top of course.
..........................................................................................................

OBJECTIVE: 

Administrative Support in areas of Editorial, Copy Editing or Proof reading

EXPERIENCE:

n     Edited manuscripts for doctors’ in preparation for publishing or presentation.

n     Edited material for publication and assisted with layout.

n     Recycling coordinator.

n     Organized and arranged professional documents and research materials.

n     Developed and input reference material into a user-friendly database.

n     Worked with programmers to devise unique database for recording reference material.

n     Data entry of customer and product information and research.

n     Exceeded goals for customer service and membership goals.

n     Created marketing materials for client companies.

n     Noted for merchandising creativity.

n     Conducted research for clients.

n     Conducted investigations into potential insurance fraud cases.

n     Conducted interviews and wrote news articles for daily publication.

n     Transcribed professional client records for client doctors offices.

  

EDUCATION:

Drake University                                                        Des Moines, IA

n     BA, Biological Ecology and Journalism – Scientific Writing

OUTSIDE INTERESTS:

Volunteer work, shamanic studies, freelance writing and editing, developing and maintaining private research library.    

....................................................................................................

That was plenty of information to peak the interest of the interviewer and I had to be prepared to answer questions about specific companies and provide a few references for verification. sadly, in my case, several of the businesses I once worked with are now closed and several of the employers dead or otherwise whereabouts unknown. (not my fault)
Anyway, take a look at yourself honestly. Do not fabricate a pile of unsupportable b.s., but also do not let your current jobless status get you down and damage your confidence.
Remember, the universe is vast and has ample opportunity for every one of us. Be friendly, open and kind, but use careful discernment and keep on praying. Not asking so much as affirming. And visualize yourself enjoying a brand new fun or fulfilling job and ample comfort and ample supply. Life is still good!

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Small Pleasures for Small Budgets
Remember some of the wonderful simple things that brought us pleasure as small children?
Bazooka Joe or Double Bubble gum, penny candy, going to the playground at the park where the swings were really decent swings and you could go really high, climbing a tree, Trixie Belden or Hardy Boys mystery books, catching fireflies in a jar on a moonlit June night, sitting on the porch glider with Grandma, listening to stories whether they were fairy tales or recollections of the old days, putting the ace of spades or queen of hearts in the spokes of your Schwinn to make that whirring sound, coasting down hill with the wind in your face and whipping your hair, playing the juke box at the cafe or pool hall, orange pop or strawberry, root beer floats. I could go on anad on...
but here is one that nearly all of us can afford once in a while: why spend three or four dollars on big packs of contemporary gum filled with fake sweeteners, when you can still get..........
CHICKLETS! Remember them well!
Those little white rectangles of flavor are still as much fun as ever and still the best buy in the ever-expanding world of gum. I found some locally, but get a better deal when I follow this link and just get a few packs at a time. Enjoy a mouthful of Chicklets and sit and reminisce about your favorite memories, or even make that list of happy job experiences for your new resume!

21. DIRT, SEEDS AND HOPE

On Monday, I stopped at Home Depot and visited the Garden Center.

I bought a bag of dirt.

It cost ten dollars and fifty-seven cents.

I don’t have an extra ten bucks just now, but I bought it anyway. I took the money off my debit card even though the money was already allocated and scheduled to electronically  pay storage, insurance and cell phone fees to pretty much within the penny.

Why the heck did I buy a bag of dirt?

I need make-up, a pair or two of pants that fit since I’ve lost weight, liners for my dogs’ belly bands, my prescription and some dish soap.

So why dirt?

I have seeds.

Florida soil (sugar sand) and I have never really come to terms with each other. From deep, rich Iowa’s top soil, where gardening was a given, it’s a whole other type of activity here on the peninsula.

I’ve seen a few articles about how you can grow vegetables in a bag of dirt, by simply cutting holes in the bag and putting in the plants or seeds.

So, that is exactly why I bought a bag of dirt..

Yesterday, I did it. I laid the bag flat, near the back door and the garden hose, cut some slits in it and poked my knife a few times into the ‘bottom’ for drainage. Into the slits on ‘top’ I placed seeds for orange bell pepper, broccoli, radicchio, bib lettuce, and baby watermelon. And a bonus for the cats we live with, some wheat grass.

And then I sprinkled it.

It’s been windy, and drying so I will sprinkle some today again.

My seeds, which are from Whole Foods, are organic, so I bought the Miracle Grow Organic soil in the beige bag.

Why all this trouble?

Since moving back to Florida, I have become uber-conscious of the financial cost of every food I put in my mouth. The seeds, all being vegetables, are allowed on the Access system, and since they are organic, I figured they deserve the best soil I can offer them.

I cannot grow chocolate or steak or chicken or rice or flour, but hey! Maybe I can supplement my meager food allowance by growing some of my own vitamins in the Florida sun.

If this works reasonably well, perhaps I could buy another bag of dirt for some peas, beans and potatoes… then another for strawberries… and another for herbs… well, my Gemini tendency is to get carried away, so I will, for now, focus on this one bag of dirt and see how it goes.

Hopefully, I will have vegetative news to share in future postings.

When I establish a new income, my intention is to be a conservative steward of my resources. Grandma tried to teach me that back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and egotistically, I thought I had it down. Apparently I missed something, or would be in less of a pickle now.

But here’s a cool thing: My dearest friend in all the world found a way to save me about twelve dollars a month on my cell phone bill, and I received a very upsetting email from my car insurance saying my new customer discount had expired and my monthly bill was going from 81 to 94 and change. I steamed and fretted, and then placed a call. With a few simple adjustments to coverage, I got the bill down to 75 bucks a month and those two savings (insurance and cell) more than cover the cost of my seemingly frivolous dirt expenditure. All is in Divine and Perfect Order, though we often do not know how to realize it. Sometimes its big and sometimes its small, but somehow, its always there.

Blessed Be

Victoria Lea

# 20. Oh Bother!

Yes, as Winnie the Pooh often said when things went wrong in unexpected ways, Oh Bother indeed.
On October 19th, a Friday, The general manager quizzed me about my health condition, not liking the way I moved, that I sometimes used a cane, and that I had fallen over one day at the cash register. He told me to finish out the day but do not come back until I have a letter from a doctor proving that I am fully able to perform all the tasks required, not just standing at the register, but climbing fifteen foot ladders, passing 25 pound boxes over my head repeatedly to someone above me and carrying large boxes without harming myself or others.
So, between the telemarketing job that paid under the counter with no deductions, the three months at the library and the 6 weeks at the retail store, I still have not worked enough here in Florida to qualify for Unemployment Compensation.
Well, I already have a doctor's appointment for November 19th, and cannot get anything sooner. And so, at the very least, I must go without income for another month. Doctors are not in the budget. (What budget? The one that is pretty much non-existent.) So it's a county doctor at the DFC clinic and it will still cost $42.
I sincerely doubt that I will come away with the letter that general manager wants to see.
So I continue to beef up my efforts to find another job.
Hopefully, I will stay out of retail. I have done well in that field, but I think it is no longer the right place for me. My county case worker insists I should find something more sedentary, with less physical demands. I agree. I also need to be able to move around a lot and not just sit continually.
I want to do one of those work from home Internet link posting things, but:
A. I don't have the $97 to invest in it and
B. I'm always paranoid about scams.
My writing is devouring much of my time.
My novel is complete, except I keep tweaking it and have added a couple of additional chapters at the end. I'm trying to decide if they are anti-climactic or if they are essential for closure. Perhaps they lead to a sequel. Oh Bother! Let's not count our chicks before they have hatched!
Also another short story has all the makings of another book, this time a genre plot with a more limited demographic. I shan't go into it here.
It seems that the available jobs for writers are for technical writers. There we go again! When will people realize that technology will not last forever. Let's get down to basics again folks!

I'd like to do some tutoring. Pet sitting is not a steady income, but I'm willing to do it locally, as long as it pays for the gas and my time. There are a lot of things I can do and love to do, but how do I get paid for doing them? That's the BIG question!

Anyway, here at 'home' I continue to occupy the guest room with my two dogs, Cooper and Munchie, and when I am out, they generally hang out in the dining room after I oust the cats.
Between my bathroom and bedroom, I do my cooking and washing up, although, if I let the dishes go too long, I take a dishpanful of them down to the laundry room when everyone is away, and do the washing up there in the big stainless sink.
I plan to begin making my own bread again, but keep forgetting to buy yeast. My favorite hypoallergenic bread is no longer available, so I'd better make a go of it myself.
I certainly miss using a gas stove. The one downstairs is off limits to me for the most part, but when everyone is gone, I will occasionally do up a big batch of something and freeze it in meal-size portions.

Here's a money-saving tip: If you need to stretch a can of dog food an extra day, instead of giving it to them straight, use it as a spread and make them sandwiches on toast. They find it very satisfying. Magickly, in their eyes, you have turned mere dog food into people food! Also good for picky eaters, and you can sprinkle in a dash of Parmesan cheese and they think they're at a fancy restaurant.

I will try to return to my regular weekly posting schedule. Again, I apologize for being out of touch so long. Sometimes the situation can get a person down to the point where they don't even feel like talking about it. However, I have taken on this project and admit it is nice to vent, share, and possibly share an inspiration from time to time.

I hope you will keep reading and supporting my blogging efforts by visiting the linkages and making regular visits to this site as well as my other blogs too. I hope to be posting to them again soon too.
Thank you and bless you for you continuing support.
Victoria

18. AH YES, RETAIL

This new retail job is in a pleasant environment with a few cheerful people and others who seem fairly easy to ignore. What cannot be ignored though, is the constant eight hours of standing, with almost no moving about.
When I worked in other retail establishments, I was usually all over the store, working on displays, fixing things, cleaning, helping customers. In this new job, it is constant standing and it is more painful than any prior job.
Feet can scream. Did you know that? It is not audible to others, but to the owner of the screaming feet, there is little else that can be heard once those feet begin to scream their agony.
In a store that sells, among thousands of other very fascinating items, some wonderful rugs and mats that cushion the feet, one would think that such could be provided for the standing clerk, in the two locations where said employee is required to stand.
Location #1 has a thin rubber mat such as one would use to prevent slipping, and location #2 is nothing but hard, hard flooring.
I am told this will go on indefinitely and perhaps permanently. At a maximum of thirty hours a week with no benefits, the good news is, its only thirty hours. The bad news is it takes the rest of the week to heal from the pain and orthopedic distress from the constant standing, it is only thirty hours, and no benefits, so other work is required in order to survive, but the exhaustion from the standing leaves me so drained it is highly difficult to accomplish anything in the off hours.
Nevertheless, I am grateful (very much so) to have found this little job. It will help me to survive, even though it will not allow me to pay off any debts, at least I should be able to pay the storage, cell phone, and car insurance bills and buy some food, dog food and gas. It is time to change the oil and I guess I have to shop around for it rather than going to my favorite dealership for full service.
And so, I add that to my list of things to search for: solutions, auto service, different job, affordable chiropractic and physical care,, new glasses, a dentist, and again, let me stress: SOLUTIONS. They exist. They are not lost, but perhaps I am.
Blessings and solutions to all
Victoria

19. SEEKING MOTIVATION AND PURPOSE

Friends:
I wrote this posting on October 15th and forgot to hit 'post' so I apologize for the delay.

There is nothing in this world more powerful than our Creator. The universe was set to spin and the clockwork of the galaxies put in place to a symphony more majestic than our mortal senses can comprehend.
What does that have to do with being un- or under-employed?
My friends and I often remind ourselves that 'all is in divine and perfect order.'
We look for the silver linings in our difficulties, trials and tribulations. Sometimes we find them, and sometimes they are yet to be discovered. I awoke this morning with a distinct paraphrase of a  familiar Bible passage that has always offered me some encouragement. See Romans 8: 35-39

What shall separate us from the love and care of our blessed Creator? Neither governments, nor bureaucracies, nor corporations, nor banks,  nor politicians, nor collection agencies, nor stupid rules, nor pain, nor loss, nor sorrow,  nor war, nor grumpiness, nor employers, nor police, nor loss, nor gain,  nor marriage, nor divorce, nor economic systems, nor success, nor failure, nor any other thing shall be able to remove us from God's loving care. We are more than conquerors through the love of God.

It's true. And there is a tremendous difference between POWER and FORCE. Power is self-generating. Force requires input of energy or fuel.
Great Spirit is All-Powerful, and is the source of all power.

Am I totally off track here?
What I'm attempting to do is to keep myself going. The temptation to give up is strong. I could apply for disability and receive a subsistence check each month I suppose. The pain I endure in jobs that require me to stand for a full day's shift makes giving up sound more and more appealing.
Motivation is a continuing problem. Based in acedia and fear, lack of motivation holds me back from stepping out and doing anything different.
Age
Lack of modern technological skills and understanding
Disinterest in technology
These are the primary things that force me to remain in retail, and yet health is one of the main factors why I need to find something else. Very poor wages is the other thing.
What I need to be doing is what I was put here for.
What is that?
Not certain, but I know it probably requires another degree or some certification.
I love writing but have no grasp on how to make money writing these days. When I was a newspaper reporter, perhaps I should have stayed in the field. (Maybe Dad was right...shudder...) Maybe Grandma was right and I should have gotten my teaching certification. Being an ordained minister isn't really enough, even with my own ministry (Universal Brotherhood of All Life Ministry) for I should be connected to a church with some structure to it, such as Unity perhaps; one that actually pays the pastor for services rendered.

So my To-Do list for today looks like this:
1. return 3 food items to grocery store so I can buy some dog food
2. go to bank to see personal banker to see if she can remove overdraft fees
3. take laptop to Office Depot to print a couple of resumes and make a couple of copies of important documents
4. go to storage unit to see if I can find a few things I need which I have not been able to find in there so far
5. shake a couple of dollars out of a piggy bank to get a few ounces of gasoline

Until the next posting,
Be Well,
Victoria

17. OFF TOPIC BUT I THINK ITS IMPORTANT (short)

I have always been fascinated by Nickolai Tesla, and often wonder what the world would be like today if he had been a bit more assertive and had not been so screwed over by Ths. Edison and others who were motivated by greed. He was a man of many miracles and  I think, genuinely nice.
If he were alive today, I would like to work for him as archivist/secretary/assistant.

I like that this amazing cartoonist has taken up this cause. TESLA

http://theoatmeal.com/blog/tesla_museum

And then, Alex Knapp of Forbes, wrote an article trashing The Oatmeal's adulation of the under-rated inventor, and this plus The Oatmeal's rebuttal can be found at this next link.

http://theoatmeal.com/blog/tesla_response

May you be blessed
Victoria

16. BAND-AIDS Versus SOLUTIONS

Losing that university job set me back further than I was before I took the job. It did not last long enough for me to qualify for unemployment insurance, and the few dollars I had set aside for auto maintenance and a couple of upcoming quarterly and annual payments got eaten away in the first couple of weeks what with groceries and gas, dog food and the monthly bills that I actually pay to stay alive.
I am willing to sell a bunch of stuff, but so far the only thing that has sold is my chopper and that, for mere pennies on the dollar. And then, last week, I sold my wedding rings. But apparently, no one is buying diamonds at this time. Let me tell you this: selling gold can be a huge disappointment. Maybe you already know that the price shown in the media only applies to 24k or bullion. 18k and 14k command much, much smaller prices.
Converting possessions to cash in this marketplace is a sad thing to do for the seller. In the current economy, something valued at a hundred dollars would do well to sell for ten. Sure would be great for those with the cash and the desire to shop for bargains.
And so, I have had to revert to borrowing a small amount of money to hopefully 'get me by' until this new job gives me a pay check. Kind of like our government borrowing from China until April 15 when taxes flow in from the serfs, er, I mean citizens. And then, as exorbitant as the taxes are, they do little if anything to counteract the borrowing. Because borrowing money is a downhill spiral.
Borrowing and selling and working at part time jobs are all merely band-aids. So beyond and above plastering band-aids on the problems, I seek solutions. Solutions to the financial crisis for the country are beyond my current comprehension, even if certain ideas occur to me once in a while.
Solutions for myself, once I find them, I would hope could be models for others in similar circumstances.

Curtailing spending: I wish I had had sense enough to cut back on spending years ago. I spent based upon the legal promise of a substantial influx. That has not come to fruition, and is a serious problem that I must overlook for the time being. Even if that had happened in a timely manner, I would not have had sense enough to be conservative with it. When it does eventually manifest, I will hopefully have learned enough to hang on to it. And I wish that a solution to this issue would simply fall into my lap. Well, you know what that means: if wishes were horses, I'd have a horse.
Banking on the future and borrowing money is stupid. And I have really learned that the hard way. Investing is the same as gambling. If you 'do it right' you might 'get lucky.'  The Simple Dollar
I'm beginning to think that boiling life down to the basic necessities and becoming self-sufficient is the most secure way to live. The various 'frugal living' books and web sites offer a great deal of information on ways to go about this. Still, even with spending at a bare minimum, there are costs that require cash outlay: transportation, food (even if you garden) shelter and some form of utilities. And everyone needs to have clothing. Even if you are a nudist, you have to wear something if you go somewhere where clothing is mandatory, which is nearly everywhere.
So, the solutions I seek are still behind the veil, just out of reach, but I will explore them in upcoming postings.