Ben_Labonte

I have been accepted for a voluntary retirement/buyout offer by my employer. Now that it is public, I can post the results of that process here. The severance package includes a year's pay and a year's medical coverage, plus a 10 percent bonus. That allows me to get within a few months of full Social Security benefits and several months past when I reach full company pension benefits. I have spent 39 years with this employer, under three different owners. I have been in my present position for... (continue reading)

You may be wondering what Charley and I are doing holding two newborns in the picture I posted earlier this week. They certainly aren't ours. They are the twin babies of a couple we know who have accepted our offer to become honorary local grandpas. The couple's own parents and siblings live too far away to visit very often or to help out with child care or errands. So, once the babies get past the newborn stage, we'll be pitching in, giving mom and dad a break now and then. I'm holding Walter... (continue reading)

My husband Charley's dad died this morning at the young age of 97. He was a man who loved to be alive, loved to have family around, loved to be able to do things that people half his age weren't able to do.

He lost his wife of nearly 62 years in 2006. He missed her dearly and was inconsolable for months. He started to decline soon after the funeral, although he still harbored ambitions of living to 100. His end was peaceful with no fuss, no muss, just the way he would have wanted... (continue reading)