@cindiwass, I, too, am 77 and your early interest in reading the local obituaries brought a smile. I stopped taking the paper years ago because I realized I just wasn't reading it.

However, while it has become much thinner over the years, I have three older friends who continue to subscribe solely to check the obituaries. Guess if they don't find their names listed, it makes for a happier day? My take is that if I can get out of bed each day, that is enough to start a good day. Smiles

@cindiwass I never thought I would live to be 73, my current age. My father passed away when he was 64, my mother when she was 67. They were 50 and 40 when I was born so I was still in HS when my father died and in my 20s when my mother did. Since this was typical for her whole family I just figured I too would die when I was in my 60s. Surprise, surprise, I'm still here, as is my sister who is 3 years older than I am. My brothers are both gone but they made it into their 70s too.

@becsbuddy Thanks, Becky. These sound delicious. I have a recipe for coconut snowballs that is good too, using white chocolate. We had a caterer once for a large event here and that one of the desserts he brought. I loved them so he gave me the recipe, but these sound even easier!

@fiesty76 Thank you for your condolences.
I also believe that we have to remember to treat each person well, we don't know what they are going through or have been through that day.
I was walking up the aisle in a drugstore once and a man who passed me said "you could at least smile" - this was out of the blue. I didn't know him, he was a well-dressed man, but who was he to say that to me? He had no idea why I might not have looked happy.

@Erinmfs California is a beautiful state but it sure does have its drawbacks. My son lived there from 2004 until 2018 and now lives in Denver. For him, it was the high cost of owning property but I think he is happy being in Denver, fewer natural disasters there, plus he is an avid skier, and his wife is an avid snowboarder.

@merpreb @nannette1941 I think these days many of us are in a funk, on some days. I sure know I am. I think we can take anything for a certain amount of time but this has gone on for way too long. I actually predicted at the very beginning that it would last for a very long time, and wondered if I would ever see my son in Denver again since seeing him requires a flight and I do not want him taking the risk of flying here. We will see how the vaccine helps but so many are not planning to take it that we will never reach "community immunity" and for us who are on immunosuppressants that's a problem since even if/when our transplant teams say yes to us taking it, it will be less effective on us. I have read it will be about 60% effective so I suspect I will be wearing a mask for the remainder of my life.

When I find myself in a funk though about staying home and going literally nowhere except for isolated walks, I try to remind myself of what people over the years have endured. I have read a number of books about the Jewish experience during WW2 and how horrible that must have been. That helps me to realize that I live in a nice home, we have plenty of food to eat, and so far my husband and I are both doing OK, healthwise.
JK