I got my first Social Security deposit of 2022 last week. The good news: the gross amount has increased by . . . 5.9% is what they tell us.
The bad news: The deduction for Medicare has risen by twice as much or even more. Net result: My take-home has gone up by all of $34 per month. As they say, don't spend it all in one place. Right?
The good news: Last week we embarked on our annual trip south to see grandchildren and to get a taste of warmer weather. The bad news: It involves a 700-mile, two-day drive down I95, fighting traffic, negotiating the Washington, DC, beltway, dueling with 40-ton semi-tractor trailer trucks the whole time.
The good news: For whatever reason, traffic on I95 was noticeably lighter than normal -- maybe because of Covid, or the weather, or because we drove on Saturday and Sunday when there's no rush hour, and fewer trucks menace the road.
Despite our expectations for warmer weather, we saw snow on the ground all through North Carolina and into South Carolina. But the good news: Today, here outside of Charleston, SC, it's 30 degrees warmer than it is at home in Pennsylvania. The bad news. It's still only 52 degrees outside.
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| View from our rental -- nice but chilly |
The bad news: The disease is still raging in South Carolina. The air is thick with Omicron.
South Carolina is one of the worst states in the nation right now, behind only Alaska, Oklahoma and one or two others. The incidence of Covid in Charleston County is 294 cases per 100,000, compared to only 85 at home in Bucks County, PA.
The good news. We got to see the grandchildren yesterday. We played with them outside. They are healthy and Covid-free, and so are we.
16 comments:
Glad your trip was uneventful and you are at least a little warmer plus there is that playing with the grandchildren thing that is pretty special.
Stay safe and well.
Arizona is one of those "other" states doing badly with Covid. We are being as careful as we can stand.
You take the good you take the bad, you take them both and there you have--the Facts of Life... oh no, mow I have that tv theme song stuck in my head! Well, glad to hear you got to see your grandkids and all are well Tom... and very interesting about Charleston, my sister and her hubby lives there.
I ventured out into the world yesterday and attended a talk with 20 masked people in the room. It was worth it, but I also worry about getting the variant with an immunocompromised partner at home. Glad you are all okay!
Careful as we can ... that about says it all.
Good News/Bad News. But the good news is that you get to enjoy your grandchildren! We used to drive 75 S to Florida when our first grandchild was born. We would stop overnight on Saturday just north of Atlanta and drive through early on Sunday morning. No traffic. Safe travels!
That's life...some good some bad!
There is always good and bad so a balance of the two or a tip towards good is a desirable outcome I think. Safe travels. And really hope it warms up, but I won't complain since I do get the weather reports from the north.
We just returned from another Covid hot spot - Florida, and are thankfully not sick. We saw our kids, ate outdoors at restaurants, and spent the rest of the time avoiding crowds. enjoy the almost-warm weather.
Grandchildren.The ultimate reward for all the other good news/bad news.
Glad you...and they... are staying safe!
We’re sitting at -19C (-10F) right now, so 52F sounds like midsummer!
Good thing you headed south and are dodging the sane truckers in your neck of the woods. A huge block of them up here in Canada have lost their collective minds.
Isn't that the way of life Tom, good and bad intertwined. Glad you made it, quite a drive, I've done it myself all the way from Toronto. I do love SC.
Enjoy the grands.
XO
WWW
Good news and bad news -- they are part of life. Enjoy Your brief stay there.
Glad you made it and are staying healthy. Sounds a little cold still for me.
When we lived in CT my husband and I refused to drive 95 thru Virginia after a couple of awful rides. We started going down the Delmar peninsula and taking the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. Longer ride for sure. But so much calmer which was a great start to our vacations
My Dad would comment on any raise in SS was always accompanied by a raise in Medicare premiums.
It sounds like the trip was worth the travel. Why won't people belly up to the vaccine and masks and slow down the growth of covid and deaths in their area.
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