Editors note: Senior Living is a weekly column for seniors by Scott McKay, director of the Mid-Columbia Senior Center in The Dalles, and has long been a regular feature of The Dalles Chronicle for many years. It is a mix of information of interest to all seniors, and specific opportunities and activities of the Center. It includes “Remember When,” a weekly question focused on the past.
Many of us have complained about being on fixed income, but during times like these where thousands are losing their jobs (including older adults who are working part-time) an adequate fixed income feels pretty good.
But to help those who are feeling the financial pain of the COVID-19 pandemic, part of the trillion dollar package passed by congress and signed by the president includes what is officially called an “Economic Impact Payment” of $1,200 for individuals whose adjusted gross income is less than $75,000 or up to $150,000 for married couples. (If you make more than those amounts, the payment amount is reduced by $5 for each $100 above the $75,000/$150,000 threshold.)
But some of you may ask, “That’s great but what if I receive social security and I don’t make enough to file taxes. What do I need to do?” The answer is nothing!
Initially the U.S. Treasury was going to require anyone who usually doesn’t file to complete a simple tax return. But because of pressure from members of Congress, the Treasury reversed its position and you will not be required to file a tax return.
Okay then, how do I get my payment? Well it depends.
In most cases, the IRS will deposit economic impact payments into the direct deposit account taxpayers previously provided on their tax returns. If you filed and did not provide direct deposit information to the IRS, you will be able to provide your banking information online to a newly designed secure portal on IRS.gov in mid-April. Do not give your direct deposit or other banking information to someone else to input into the secure portal on your behalf! But if you don’t want to give the IRS your direct deposit information (you do not have to), a check will be mailed to your address on file.
When my wife and I receive our checks, I think it would be fun to reward ourselves for surviving the pandemic and do something we haven’t ever done before — take a cruise! Well, maybe not.
I’m beginning to use my handmade face mask, and when I first saw myself wearing it, the first thing that came to mind was, “I think I’ll rob a bank!” But if you would like to help folks protect others — and to disguise themselves — the Mid-Columbia Senior Center’s Quilters are still accepting donated handmade face masks to distribute. You can find more information on the Center’s website midcolumbiaseniorcenter.com. So far, the quilters have distributed over 400 masks to care facilities and local businesses and there is still a waiting list. And thank-you to all the church groups and individuals that are doing the same to make our communities safer.
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Camlu was what is now Cherry Heights Living, and The Portage Inn is now the Shilo Inn. I received correct answers from Virginia Johnson, Jim and Betsy Ayers (who has an old telephone book), Rhonda Spies, Lana Tepfer, Carol Earl and Nancy Reed, this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Jerry Phillips.
Before Amazon transformed the retail landscape, there was a mail order company headquartered in Chicago offering customers a wider selection of products than the local general store. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this company that is commonly known today as Sears? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it in with their 532-page catalog from 1895.
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If you made it this far you deserve a joke for your perseverance. Here is a one forwarded to me by Donnamae Grannemann that shows the consequences of older adults following the rules: At 7:45 a.m. today at a grocery store that opens at 8 a.m. for seniors, a young man came from the parking lot and tried to cut in at the front of the line. A senior lady beat him back into the parking lot with her cane. He returned and tried to cut in again, but an old man punched him in the gut, kicked him to the ground and rolled him away. As the young man approached the line for the third time he said, “If you don’t let me unlock the door, you’ll never get in there.”
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Well, it’s been another week, walking back and forth from work enjoying the sounds of barking dogs and the smell of newly-mowed grass. Until we meet again, my brother was wondering, “Is God punishing us by telling us to stay in our rooms?”
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“I don’t have pet peeves; I have whole kennels of irritation.”
— Whoopi Goldberg
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Here are the daily menus for Meals-on-Wheels, but they may change.
Thursday (9): Spanish Rice with Zucchini Casserole
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