I drove to work today…but didn’t stay. Due to a light snow and icy conditions, my wife did not feel safe behind the wheel of her sports car. As a result, I’ve added chauffeur to my list of retirement responsibilities. There are some steep hills getting out of our neighborhood and even my heavier, front-wheel drive car has trouble navigating them in winter. Environmentally conscious Portland has not yet gotten the hang of using salt like we were used to in the Midwest. Also, there were no hills in Indiana and Illinois where we once faced slippery roads. City trucks throw down useless gravel that does little for traction and results in dangerous projectiles hopefully only bouncing off the windshield.

I dropped my reluctantly employed wife at the office (especially on a snow day) and went straight to the DEQ (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality) to get my plates renewed. This was something that I planned to get done at Jiffy Lube last week as part of an oil change, but for some reason they could not complete the test. I was worried that my 11-year old convertible with 130,000 miles had finally gotten to the point where repairs might outweigh payoff, but I successfully got my new tags good until 2021. Maybe I’ll get 2 more years out of her, although we had another discussion about needing an SUV after it barely made it up an icy incline. I’ve been stubborn about buying a new car, especially since I rarely drive any more…except when I’m the chauffeur.

I was relieved yesterday when the statement arrived from my recent Emergency Room visit (See Post #808). As seems to be the case now every year, there’s a new insurance company to deal with. My wife agreed to an upgraded policy to start the year and it is already appearing to pay off. The total expense was $10,176.89, including just over $5,000 for the Cat Scan and $2,000 for Magnetic Imaging. There was also a charge of $177 for the follow-up visit with my doctor. Between both bills, we paid $220 in co-pay. She’s also had a couple of recent tests that will probably also be covered, and it’s saving us money on prescriptions. I’m impressed, plus it keeps me from paying for Medicare!

I’m also thankfully making progress on my taxes, reducing the total due from nearly $5,000 to less than a more tolerable $2,000. I’ll continue to work on them up until the deadline, searching for other deductions, but there’s still unfortunately going to be the need for an electronic transfer rather than a refund. With regard to my other retirement projects, I’m also expecting to hear back from the local attorney preparing our will. This is another no-charge benefit from my wife’s employment package. As always, what we save means more funds for travel, and a warm escape from these chilly Portland conditions.