Hi again, James!  This is a continuation of my previous reply to you:

AH>  I figure I'm worth $90,000 a year... i.e. what a
AH>  friend of ours was paying a few years ago

JB>  Doesn't it seem that they charge *just* less than
JB>  the combined potential income?


         In a word, yes.  Read on....

         If a person is in intermediate care or extended care, the basic
charge may be scaled according to income.  Often there isn't much left over
after this charge has been paid.  As I pointed out to my father, though,
the government is subsidizing the difference between the actual cost &
the cost to the residents. A "retirement community" for people
who need little or no nursing may have more frills... but otherwise these
people are paying $50,000+ a year for a lot less.

         My first estimate was based on what our friend was paying an
agency to supply a personal care attendant/cook/housekeeper for 24 hours a
day every day. Luckily his mother could afford it.  He wasn't earning that
much & neither were we... even when Dallas & I were both employed. 
But my point is, the hired help did the same work *I* do.  They also got
wages, benefits, and time off....  :-)



AH>  With the family responsibilities we have now, it makes
AH>  sense to hire people who specialize in fixing cars while
AH>  we concentrate on doing what we do best.  Balancing time
AH>  & money can be difficult, however, either way....  :-)

JB>  Another one of those struggles for *survival* that we all
JB>  have to dance. /-:


         Yes, you're on topic!  Our messages may seem a bit convoluted at times
... but IMHO they're relevant to the purpose of this echo.  :-))



JB>  "Gainful employment" seemed to disappear from my encyclopedia.


         Uh-huh.  When people ask "Do you work?" or "Are you
still teaching?" I tell them I work at home & get paid in warm
fuzzies....  ;-)



JB>  I'm sure when some people see the work I did in '07,
JB>  can't imagine how I am on disability, but they fail
JB>  to measure the toll it took on me physically.


         I hear you.  There are various things Nora can do once in
awhile... if all the conditions are right... but she may need to recuperate
for days, weeks, or months before she can do these things again because
they take so much mental & physical energy.  When you're tiling your
own floor, you can work at your own pace.  That's a far cry from doing the
job for an employer who would expect you to finish quickly & to
maintain a similar speed for 40 hours a week every week. A lot of people
seem to have difficulty with the concept, though... (sigh).



JB>  I've only started to do some of my own mechanical work.
JB>  I wish I had a better understanding, but there I am. I
JB>  have a friend not far from me who has plenty of experience,
JB>  so usually I try not to get in his way, and anticipate
JB>  what tool he might need next.


         I've learned a bit about things like that, over the years, by
doing as you are now... watching others at work & fetching tools.  When
it's your car or truck which needs repairs you're highly motivated to
learn.  And you don't have to understand every other make & model, or
at least not yet....  :-)



JB>  Thankfully, I don't have to rely only on CPP for
JB>  my existence, or I doubt I could afford to have
JB>  *a* vehicle on the road!


         Same here.  You need money to earn money, whether you buy things
at an auction & fix them up or take advantage of specials at a nearby
emporium to add to the supply of non-perishables you'll need later on.  In
the meantime you are exercising your body & your brain as much as
possible, and that's good....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+