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Taught h. s. English for 34 years, and retired so burned out that I can't stand being around anyone under 18 years of age. Went on to become free lance writer and my greatest claim to fame is getting published in three volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul, never realizing that that series garnered readers from all over the world so writing contracts came my way until the recent death of print media. Recently, a man I met in Chicago recognized my by-line and had saved one of my articles. I was so moved that I hugged and then kissed him. As Mark Twain once wrote, "I can live for a full two months on a compliment." The most recent works I've managed to get published was an op-ed piece for the Washington Post on the rats that inhabit Washington's parks, sewers, alleys, and basements. Now that we have a new mayor, I hope he makes an all-out effort to eradicate this city of vermin. Many people who read the piece thought I was alluding to the politicans who love here. My other published articles this year featured Grandparents' Day, the state of elder care in Hungary, and "Mars vs. Venus," an examination of statistics that show that men and women purchase life insurance for different reasons. My writing makes me little or no money but keeps my mind active. Moving to downtown Washington, DC 16 blocks north of the White House from the suburbs has dramatically changed my life. I attend book talks at the National Press Club, go to Smithsonian lectures (all free), and have become politically active so I attend many fund raisers for candidates I care about. My 93-year-old-father resides at Cedarview Care Center so I return to Owatonna every other month to see him, and we both enjoy attending the fair to catch up on news and see fellow Owatonnans. Other than Mike Keefe, Todd Hale is the best source of local news. The true joys of retirement are reading books of my own choosing, never having to grade papers, setting my own schedule each day, lunching with the ladies, and using the restroom when I want instead of running down the hall between classes. This last summer, I was fortunate to accompany Ambassador Nancy Brinker, CEO of Komen for the Cure, to Hungary to watch her buy art for her three homes, and it was an experience I'll never forget as, in one case, she spent $325,000 for a painting of an indecipherable subject. I had never before been exposed to the truly rich and famous, and indeed, they are different from you and me. At the beginning of each day, her secretary laid out her clothes, she had a manicure and a pedicure, had her hair done and held a press conference. In 2009, President Obama awarded her the Congressional Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest award, which had previously been won by Harper Lee, author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. When I asked Ambassador Brinker what she had done with her award, she admitted the medal was in a drawer in her Palm Beach home. She said, "I want the focus of my life to be on Komen for the Cure, not on me!" She recently released her book, PROMISE ME, a read I encourage all classmates to buy and share with a loved one. In spite of her wealth and stature, she has a delightful sense of humor, typical Midwest charm, and an intense interest inpeople. After all, she was born and raised in Peoria, IL. As I write this, the Tea Party is gaining ground in the US. The American People have definitely taken to the streets as we witnessed firsthand Glenn Beck's March in August and could barely get through Washington last weekend as "Take Back America" marchers had closed Pennsylvania Ave. Americans are indeed angry, and the mid-term elections will soon tell the extent of their discontent. Let's hope that your chosen candidate wins, but even more importantly, that you support your party with money or votes to reflect your wishes. It's always astonishing to me how few people care, give or even vote. I remember the conversation I had at the Kernel Restaurant in Owatonna (next to my Dad's old motel now called the Budget Host and run by an Indian family) when I last visited. I asked the waitress who the local Congressman was from Owatonna, and her reply was, "Oh, I don't follow politics; you'd have to ask my husband, but ask me anything about Viking Quarterback Brett Favre--I can tell you all about his completed passes, his family life, and his contract terms!" Amazing to me when this woman's everyday life is inextricably tied more to Washington's decision-makers than to a football player, but then, what do I know? This weekend, MN's old Governor Jesse Ventura is at a book signing in Baltimore, and my husband's most prized possession is his signed football from former New York Jet's Quarterback and fellow Hungarian, Joe Namath. This month, we are reeling from the inept record keeping and sloppy work on the part of the Arlington Cemetery administrators. My father-in-law fled Communist rule and emigrated to the US following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Ironically, he was gunned down in Washington, DC following a robbery attempt in 1969. That incident was the cover story of a Washington Post magazine article that same year. At the time, I was putting my husband through law school on my $4,500 a year teacher's salary so the funeral at a local Catholic cemetery was simple and without frills. But now that we return to Hungary on a regular basis, we thought it only fitting that Dad be returned to his original home and re-interred in the family plot in Budapest. However, our honorable intention cost us dearly. The entire fees have exceeded $13,171 for exhumation and cremation charges including basic services of the funeral director, courier fees, automotive equipment and mileage, a simple cremation urn (small wooden box), heavy pouch, cremation authorization, disposal of casket and liner since they cannot be reused, disposal of cemetery marker, and "miscellaneous expeses." And we had no identification of remains issues that would involve DNA testing or forensic science services. Certainly, Jessica Mitford's book,THE AMERICAN WAY OF DEATH, which exposed the predatory practices of the funeral industry back in 1963 hasn't reduced the funeral costs for American families over the last half century; if anything, they've exploded. And now that Arlington Cemetery is facing the issue of the exhumation and re-internment of almost 211 cases of mislabeled or unmarked graves, cremated remains mistakenly interred, and the possible problems of 6,000 graves out of the 300,000 buried in Arlington, I'm wondering about the massive costs to the American taxpayers of this travesty and ask if funeral homes such as the one we dealt with will cash in on this exhumation, dis-internment, identification, cremation, and re-internment tragedy. My husband will eventually be buried in Arlington, and this latest government scandal ony tarnishes this sacred and hallowed ground. On a happier note, I, with a girlfriend, attend Elderhostel classes each summer since it is a combination of vacation and learning experience. In July, we attended Berea College in Kentucky and learned about Appalachian Arts, Crafts, and Literature. I highly recommend Elderhostel, now called the Road Scholar, experiences to others who like to learn something along with taking reasonably priced vacations. Even though offerings include world-wide venues, we have remained state-side and explore the US with like-minded senior travelers. It's great to be waited on, bused to sites, listen to lectures from experts in the field, and eat and stay at some wonderful hotels. Last summer, we explored the bunker at the Greenbrier Hotel in WVA where Congress set up a miniature US Capitol inside a mountain during the Eisenhower administration should the US experience nurclear attack. It had its own water supply, waste treatment center, restaurant, hospital, dental office, command center for communication and phone lines to reach constituents. They do live well.