by Pa Rock
Economic Engine
While the rest of the country may feel that it is experiencing an economic downturn, several merchants and tradespeople in my area have had a very good November. I have seen to that personally.
The month began with my hot water heater going out just as I was preparing to hit the showers one chilly morning. It took the plumber a couple of days of piddling around before he finally admitted that he could not fix the old one and switched to his Plan B of selling me a new one. Then, that same week, I managed to damage one of my car tires, and since they were all original with the vehicle, the other three were also in need of replacement. The local tire dealer had two suggestions, one was expensive and the other was more expensive. I went with the better one - and he proceded to load me up with a tire protection plan and the added expense filling the tires with something better than air - nitrogen, I think, or perhaps helium or upsidaisium - I really can't remember other than it was a gas meant to keep the tires from losing pressure with changes in the weather.
Earlier this week the microwave quit. It was seven-or-eight-years-old, so I wasn't surprised at its passing, but I was aggravated that it stopped as my supper was cooking - a delicious Marie Calendar chicken pot pie - which the cat ended up eating. I bought a new microwave yesterday, just after visiting the courthouse to pay my 2022 county taxes, and then the Department of Motor Vehicles to have the truck tags renewed.
All of that happened in November, the month before Christmas. December will bring three family birthdays and then Christmas itself, and in January I will begin the process of trying to figure out how much additional money I owe the government in income taxes. (Musk and Bezos and Trump won't pay taxes, so people like me have to take up the slack.) And, if I am truly lucky, the Republicans in Congress won't be able to gut Social Security and Medicare for at least a couple of more years.
Life is a struggle, and it doesn't get any easier with retirement!
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