Kwaibill

I do, however, plan to take advantage of any programs available to elderly such as myself. If a food bank is available to me why not? I am not in Elon’s bracket, for sure!

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning in that direction anyway as we are not 100% sure of our plans; our first grandchild is due imminently and yay wants to be available here some of the time commensurate with her residency requirements to keep her green card active “ over there”. A whole ‘nother kettle as who knows what the next administration is going to do? I do worry some about my wife’s status as a non-white immigrant and some of the alarms raised about possible financial repercussions re: tariffs, deportations, etc.

My wife has her US visa approved and the time frame for entry is Mid March, so we will be heading out soon. My problem is that my Thai visa based on marriage expires in mid January. Our plans include staying for at least three months stateside then various scenarios of one or both returning to Thai. We will by then have our first grandson here, so there is a natural draw on that front. We are negotiating on a new homestead there which will require some attention, plus I will exercise my Medicare options for among other things a cataract procedure, one already done. I seek advice on my visa options; can I get an extension to cover the gap, or just go ahead and renew (get new marriage visa)? Of course some uncertainty arises with the latest US election. Will my dear wife encounter difficulty as a non-white immigrant? Will announced Trump economic goals, such as steep tariffs and cuts to social programs ( about half our income is from Social Security) sink our tentative plans? I do currently ( and barely) qualify for some low income programs such as our anticipated local food bank. All opinions/ thought welcomed. Majors in theology and philosophy perhaps were not the best academic choices in this regard.😀

Cute kids dealt a bad hand. Does “ go-fund-me” operate here?

My wife for some reason wants to go to the US anyway, and is willing to go back to work to make it happen. I’m not sure frankly if we can afford it anymore, and a bit concerned about tomorrow’s results should a non-white-person discriminatory administration take root. I tried to interest her in thinking about Costa Rica, but no sale. I wonder if a month vacation every six months in someplace like Laos would get the revenue junkies off of ones financial back? Maybe even just a couple of weeks. Anybody know if/ how the “ residency clock” can be reset? I haven’t seen a lot of discussion along those lines.

I did have a card once upon a time when living down Satahip way. Lost along the way but the local here didn’t require it when shopping on line or when I (rarely) went in. Been to a couple of others in other towns as well. It seems to obviously not be a hard and fast rule. I seem to recall similar at a Sams club and one Costco (?) and a few other outlets that have discount card setups, though some of those were an individual cashier using their private card to help out customers.

I pretty summarily quit after a helicopter ride to a cardiac hospital. Took to chewing sugarless gum quite a lot but haven’t heard of anyone “ coding” from that.

Sounds faintly Tibetan, though I believe they mostly put yak butter in their tea.🙂

This at least calls his investigative skills into question.

I use a provincial hospital primarily. My wife has also maintained an accident policy which was a godsend when I fractured my pelvis and later the proximal humerus in my shoulder. The local non-government hospital handled the billing for us. The provincial hospital involves long queues, but the cost savings is considerable. They also have a number of teaching physicians on staff. I had a good experience with my gall bladder removal surgery there. First provincial hospital referred me to another that was better equipped for the job.👍

What has become my standard; a bowl of porridge, one slice of toast, and plenty of Thai hill grown coffee. I vary the porridge up with different combos of whole grains and add ins such as fruit. Lately the toast has been home made toasting bread with a tea spoon of diy peach jam. As a diabetic I am fairly careful about what I eat.

For what it is worth ( probably not much) I have noticed flickers and slight brown outs here in Samut Prakan. I was guessing higher than previous demand on the grid as my Thai wife has been flipping the AC on fairly often, complaining “warm”. Notable as she is normally “ thrifty “ re: the electric bill.

I totally missed the parts with dwarves, etc. Not key elements? I do find myself less drawn to the fantasy genre these days, though in younger days I was a fan.

A lying bunch of crap.

I have been “converted” to regular SS due to my age. I would have to earn quite a lot to have my benefit reduced, now.