Bucket lists

Anne and I are both Old Age Pensioners. Lately, Anne has been talking about her "bucket list", things she would like to do before she kicks the bucket. These are things to do while we are still in the best of health.

Her bucket list has a time frame of completion before she is 70, but she has set a goal of both of us living well into our 80s and 90s. But her short-term list before 70 is as follows:
Learn how to stand on her head comfortably during her weekly Yoga classes.
Sew a beautiful dress for our Grandaughter, Gabrielle.
Complete the needle point (or is it cross-stitch) she has been working on for several years now.

For me, my short-term bucket list is as follows:
Get back into running again and complete a 5km, 10km and 1/2 Marathon before I am 70.
Lose lots of weight.

Those two items are complimentary of course. Wii Fit puts me in the "overweight" category, but not the "obese" category. And its suggested ideal weight for me is 145lbs, two pounds lighter than the weight I was when I married Anne in 1966. Anne's Wii Fit ideal weight and her actual weight are very close.

I have begun to lose that weight I accumulated over the decades, but it will be a long process that will take a year or more if I am able to keep at it.

Another bucket list goal we share is to put money aside into Adrian's Registered Disability Savings Account (RDSP) for the next eight years so as to take advantage of the government's contributions to the maximum.

Adrian at home for the day: RDSP

As is our usual practice, we picked Adrian up at 10 00 am at his group home yesterday. He was in a happy mood. Every time we pick him up, as soon as he is in the car, Anne askes what he has done all week. Yesterday he beat her to it by telling us voluntarily what he had done.

"Monday: math. Tuesday Math. Wednesday: Math. Thursday: movie:Friday: No car wash."

In these words, there were two differences from his usual responses. Thursday is usually "Group" and we have to ask what the group activity was. Yesterday he told us that without asking. Friday is usually "Car wash," so we asked what he did instead with his "No car wash" information. He played games was the answer.

Later in the day I went to an Arts Group meeting. Anne took him to the Tim Horton's Coffee shop for a doughnut while I was out. There he had a behavioural outburst, but managed to control it to some extent, Anne says. It began with him stomping his feet. And he made an obvious effort not to escalate that into attempting to bite her. He then went to the floor to continue his display, but controlled himself to a degree by not banging his head on the floor.

Anne gave him a PRN (a pilll to calm him down) as soon as he was under control of himself.

The rest of the day passed comfortably and he returned to his home happily.

Registered Disability Support Plan: (RDSP)

Late in 2008, the Canadian Federal Government introduced a Registered Disability Savings Plan to benefit people with disabilities. If you invest $1500 in a plan as a person with a disability, or if somebody does that on your behalf, the government will add a further $4500 to the Plan. For 2008, the investment could be made before March of 2009, and for 2009 before the end of December 2009. We made two $1500 investments last year in the appropriate time frames.

Early last week we received Adrian's RDSP report. He has $12000 invested in his account, and that is already gaining interest from the investment choices we made on his behalf. The funds from the government are there now.

We can continue to invest on his behalf as can others if they so wish. We can also invest more than the $1500. Anything over than annual contribution will not trigger more governement money, but will develop nice returns in and of itself. We plan to add $500 or more each year on top of the $1500 as long as we can.

Investments can be made annually until Adrian is 60. Then funds can be withdrawn to supplement his income. We hope to be able to invest on his behalf for that period, God willing.