@CanisVeritum That’s where we are from and we’re currently living next door in idiotic MO, where we’ve owned our home for nearly 20 years now (thankfully it’s paid off - seriously worried about our long-term finances under a 2nd Trump admin). I’m wondering if we may eventually need to move back to IL or flee this country altogether (not sure where they’ll readily take Americans, though).

@Cosmichomicide I won’t be working past 60, at least not full time, regardless of what happens. I don’t have it in me and I’ve been planning for that. We will see how it pans out. Hopefully my husband and I don’t have anything terrible happen, like catastrophic illness and insane medical bills.That part is the most concerning.

@Tee_Lynn @Cosmichomicide Yep. My husband is a teacher and in 4.5 years, he’s eligible to retire. While we’re doing fine at this point, that can very quickly change. We are worried about my husband being targeted as a teacher who embraces teaching a diverse set of students with regard to both racial background/country of origin and who they are when it comes to LGBTQ+. His students feel that his band room is a safe space. We’re also worried about his pension.

@Cosmichomicide I’m just worried about the “economic hardship” Elon says we will all have to “deal with”, like it’s just so easy for regular folks to bounce back, particularly those of us in our 40s and eyeing a potential retirement in our late 50s.

@AverageCitizen @Cosmichomicide Yep - we hung tight with most of what we’d invested in pre-pandemic, with some slight adjustments in the last year or two, and our accounts have rebounded and then some, but I’m worried about what’s to come, so I think we have to go low risk, at least for a while.

@Cosmichomicide I had the same thought. We are due for new phones, so we will be making that purchase before the end of the year. There may be other items we rush to get, too. There’s no way to know how bad it will get under the new administration and how quickly. I’m also going to start moving our retirement investment funds into more low-risk, stable funds. I don’t want us to lose a ton if the market crashes.

@Idrake I’m so very sorry for your loss.

Phoebe hopes you have a phenomenal #CoSoCaturday filled with plenty of rest and relaxation, fun times with buddies, and sunshine! 😺 #CatsOfCoSo #CoSoCats #Caturday

@cjcrew Yeah, since Covid, we’ve only had a few people over a few times. We normally meet up at other places. We did have cat sitters every day 2x/day when we were on a week of vacation this June. We had a couple cats who never knew a stranger (they have both passed on) & our little orange guy Mikey even liked shoulder rides so much that he once hopped on a repairman’s shoulders when we were chatting about what needed to be done to fix our furnace. Good thing he was a good sport & loved cats! 😹

We waited for an hour in cold wind (the wind about blew us away as we were taking this pic!) to early vote today, but we got it done! ✅ 💙🇺🇸 #Vote #VoteBlue #HarrisWalz2024

@cjcrew Yeah, I’d say that more of our past and present cats were/are shy than outgoing, but we’ve loved them all and people who like and love us definitely get it and aren’t offended by our cats when they’re not out and about while company is here. It’s definitely a crapshoot. We’ve also found that sometimes as they age, the shy ones become more mellow and outgoing with guests. It’s like they take on a “kitty ambassador” role. 😺

@Zevon Thanks! 😺

I’m feeling accomplished today! After passing my MS-900 exam on the first try last October, today, I took and passed my AZ-900 exam (Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals) on the first try. 😀#AZ900 #Microsoft #Training #RelievedandProud

@cjcrew Fiona is super laid back with us most of the time, but she’s really shy when anyone but us is in the house, like several of our other kitties. I guess that’s either the “mix” part of her background or it’s due to the fact that we adopted she and her foster brothers Roscoe and Theo as older kittens only 3 months before the pandemic started, so they did not get a chance to get used to friends and family visiting in their early years.

@cjcrew Fiona sure is awesome, mixed-breed ragdoll or not. 😻

@cjcrew Yeah, I’m curious about their backgrounds as well. For example, I think Fiona has to be at least majority ragdoll, based upon her coloring, long fur, and her incredibly long body. She is nearly 17 lbs, but in good shape. Even our vet is impressed with her length. The only other cat we have (past or present) who comes close is our 18yo, Bryan, who I think may be part Maine Coon due to his height and long hair.

@cjcrew I’m not sure. We also have his adorable littermate brother, Theo, a short-haired black & white cat, & while Roscoe is larger than Theo (by a couple lbs) & long-haired, he’s not quite as tall/long as Maine Coons tend to be. I’m wondering what their dad was like. Their mom is a short-haired black cat. They have sisters (adopted before we met them): one is long-haired tabby and the other is a short-haired black & white cat. Roscoe’s fur is like velvet. 😺

Apparently today is #NationalCatDay, so of course I had to share a pic of each of our little cuties, who we love so much!! Bryan, Fiona, Roscoe, Theo, Mildred, Phoebe and Joey, you’re such awesome furry family members! 😻💜💛 Here are Mildred, Phoebe and Joey. #CatsOfCoSo #CoSoCats #Cats 2/2

Apparently today is #NationalCatDay, so of course I had to share a pic of each of our little cuties, who we love so much!! Bryan, Fiona, Roscoe, Theo, Mildred, Phoebe and Joey, you’re such awesome furry family members! 😻💜💛 Here are Bryan, Fiona, Roscoe and Theo. #CatsOfCoSo #CoSoCats #Cats 1/2