HONEYWELL RETIREES CLUB PRESENTS:

OKTOBERFEST 2005

At North Mountain Park
Havasupai Ramada
Peoria Avenue and Seventh Street


North Mountain Park is just south of the Pointe Hilton at 7 th St. and Peoria.
Turn west into the park. The Havasupai Ramada is the second turnoff on your left.
Ample and convenient parking is available.

Wednesday October 26
From 4 pm to 7 pm
(Meal will be served about 5 pm)

Special entertainment will be on hand!

The KrugnKraut Band will be playing some live Oktoberfest music (traditional German music featuring Polkas, Waltzes and of course, the chicken dance) for your listening and dancing pleasure.

The cost is $5.00 for each member and $5.00 for first guest. Additional guests are welcome at $7.00 per person. The food will be cooked for you by the HRC Board of Directors and will feature bratwurst and hamburgers with all the fixins and accompaniments. Water and coffee will be provided. You may bring your own beer or soft drinks if you would like, but no glass containers are allowed in the park.

Door Prizes………………..Yes

Make your check payable to the Treasurer, HRC and note Octoberfest on it.
Send it to our newest address:

Honeywell Retirees Club of Arizona
Honeywell, Mail Drop XO
2500 W. Union Hills Dr.
Phoenix, AZ 85027


PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

Well, we finally survived again until October! Being from upstate NY, October always reminds me of colorful leaves, crisp nights, pumpkins, tic tac's on neighbors' windows the night before Halloween, Ichabod Crane and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, bobbing for apples, and of course the HRC's Octoberfest.

This year Oktoberfest will be held on October 26 at North Mountain Park. Please see details above. Again, we will have the KRUGUN'KRAUT Band playing music of the season and great food for an unbeatable price. Please put this on your calendar and wear your lederhosen.

Also, please note that we have scheduled two cultural events this Fall, a guided tour of the Heard Museum on October 27 and a night at Symphony Hall with the Phoenix Symphony on November 10. These have been in response to survey requests made at the Annual Meeting. I hope that you will take advantage of these special events.

Upcoming on November 21 is the traditional golf outing, this year at a west side favorite locale, the Arrowhead Country Club. Anyone who can put a shot through Don Roeber's family room window gets a special prize. There will also be prize money, of course. We'd really like to overwhelm Dale Wendt with a good turnout, so get your reservations in early. This has been a great, fun event in the past. For those who tend to have trouble finding shots that are off the fairway, we are trying to have some special golf balls made with GPS chips inside.

November 4th is the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan seminar. This will be important to all on Medicare, as you will need to make a decision about these changes to the Medicare plan starting in January. Look for details in this issue of The Bridge and call in your registration for this limited seating event soon.

While we are fortunate to live in AZ, many people and their pets have endured unspeakable hardships due to the several hurricanes this season in the Southeast. It is hoped, therefore, that you have found it in your heart to offer any assistance that you can afford to help people in need.

So…we are looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Ed Frick


Annual Club Dues!!

To keep The Bridge coming and remain eligible for the many activities planned for this year, your dues must be paid for 2006. Remember our dues year is from May 1 st to April 30 th and your mailing label should indicate "Dues paid through 2006" or beyond. So check that mailing label and keep on the active HRC list. Paying for multiple years saves you time and postage and reduces our administrative effort as well.


      Wally Klovstad
    Membership Chairman


BLOOD DONATIONS AT HONEYWELL, UHF ON OCTOBER 27

Honeywell Process Solutions at 2500 W. Union Hills Drive holds four blood drives per year. This is our last drive for 2005 and is held in the HSE training room. If you'd like to donate on-site, please go to www.BloodHero.com to schedule an appointment (sponsor code is hwlaz15). If you can't access this site, you can call Sherry Maxson-Myers (602-313-5438).

If you have any questions about eligibility to donate, you can call UBS at 1-800-288-2199, x5840.

Blood facts:

Donation Reminders:

Contributed by: Sherry Maxson-Myers


 
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

HEARD MUSEUM-PRIVATE TOUR - Thursday, October 27

Where: Heard Museum – 2301 N. Central Ave., Downtown Phoenix
Time: Tour starts at 1:30pm – arrive early
Cost: $7.00 per person
Coordinator: 6:40 PM Virginia Clagett 602-992-4204 or VMClagett@aol.com
Reservations: Required by October 15, 2005

We will be taking a Las Guias tour with a specially trained guide who can focus on areas such as jewelry, pottery, basketry, kachina dolls, textiles and contemporary art depending on the interest of the majority of our participants.

Send your money and special areas of interest to: Virginia Clagett, P. O. Box 31937, Phoenix, AZ 85046

MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN SEMINAR - Friday, November 4

MUST PRE-REGISTER NOW

In January 2005 the Honeywell and Sperry Retirees' Clubs provided an informative Seminar on the pending Government Prescription Drug Plan.  At that time, due to popular demand, we were asked to bring it back in the Fall with new updates. The Retiree's Clubs will once again offer another informative Seminar on this very confusing subject. Everyone on Medicare must make a decision on how you want to be included in this new Medicare program that will start in January 2006.   Ann Marie Grande from the Area Agency on Aging promises a very enlightening seminar with time to answer your questions.  Her Agency is a partner with Medicare. 

The Seminar will be held at Honeywell, DSES, located at 19019 N. 59th Ave. (NE corner of 59th Ave. and Union Hills) from 1:30 to 3:00 pm.  Signs will be posted directing everyone to reserved parking.  Enter at the Lobby to pick up your visitor badge.  The lobby faces 59 th Ave.  Because this is a Top Secret Facility, attendees must be U.S. citizens or registered immigrant aliens and pre-registration is required .  Friends are welcome to attend based on seating capacity.   Call Shirley Krieger, (602) 942-4235, to register. Leave message on machine or with whoever answers. Registration will close on November 1, 2005, so register early for good seats.

PHOENIX SYMPHONY- Thursday, November 10 – Jahja Ling, Conductor

Where: Symphony Hall – Phoenix Civic Plaza, 225 E. Adams St., Downtown Phoenix
Time: 7:30 pm
Program:

Corigliano – The Mannheim Rocket
Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 27, K.595
Brahms – Symphony No. 1

Cost: $39 less a discount of 10-25%, depending on the number in our group. You will be notified of the final cost after the sign-up deadline.
Coordinator: Virginia Clagett 602-992-4204 or VMClagett@aol.com VMClagett@aol.com
Reservations: Required by October 27, 2005. Send your intent to participate to: Virginia Clagett, P. O. Box 31937, Phoenix, AZ 85046 or VMClagett@aol.com

 

Guest conductor Jahja Ling returns to Phoenix to lead the Symphony in Corigliano's exciting work, The Mannheim Rocket, followed by Mozart's final Piano Concerto featuring Swiss pianist Andreas Haefliger. The concert concludes with the rich harmonies of Brahms's First Symphony.

2005 FALL GOLF OUTING - Monday, November 21

When:

Monday, November 21, 2005

 
Where: ARROWHEAD COUNTRY CLUB
19888 N. 73rd Ave., Glendale, AZ
(Just SE of 75th Ave. and 101 Freeway)
623-561-9625
Cost: $45 for green fees, carts , prize money and lunch.

Guests are welcome ! Prizes to be awarded !

Logistics: Shotgun start at 8:00 AM with lunch to follow. Check-in will be at 7:30 AM for cart assignment. Proper golf attire required: soft spike shoes, shirts with collars and no Levis. We will use established handicaps [AGA] and CALLOWAY only for those that do not have handicaps. As in the past, we will play team scores using selected holes to determine the aggregate team score. WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY, PLEASE INCLUDE AGA HANDICAP NUMBER NEXT TO THE PERSON'S NAME. If you do not do this, we will have to use CALLOWAY to determine handicap.

Payment must be in by Nov. 11 . If you do not have a foursome, send in the players' names and handicaps, and foursomes will be randomly filled in. Make checks (non-refundable) payable to the “Honeywell Retiree Club”. Please respond ASAP as we are committed for 100 players.

Mail to: Dale Wendt
7540 E. Becker Lane
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Questions? Call Dale at 480-922-1402

HOLIDAY PARTY - Friday, December 2

Where: The Elks Club (same place as last year)
Time: 6pm cash bar cocktails,
7-10pm dinner and dancing
Cost: $35 each for member and spouse.
$38 each for other guests.
Dress: Coats for men and party dresses for women, please.
Coordinator: Lorri Jordan 480-473-1335
Call for more information
Reservations:

Required by November 15, 2005
Call Lorri Jordan ASAP to reserve a table of 8 or 10 for you and friends

This is your night to shine, best bib & tucker and your fancy party shoes – come join us for the second annual HRC Holiday Dinner Dance. We had a great time last year and are planning more for this year – PLUS lots of great door prizes. The buffet they serve is really a tasty treat – plenty for seconds, too, and a dessert table to die for! Talk to your friends and reserve a full table for a fun evening of dining, dancing and conversation. Mail your check, with notation for Holiday Party , to HRC at our address on the "contact us" page.


Past Events

Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball - September 20


It's always great to beat the Dodgers!
Approximately 25 HRC members and friends attended this Diamondbacks/Dodgers game.  The Diamondbacks won 4-1. Our section was picked as the Poor Boys Potato Chip Cheering section, so we were treated to pom-poms and free chips.  A good time was had by all – just check out these photos.
 

A senior citizen phoned her doctor's office. "Is it true", she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so,"the doctor told her.
There was a moment of silence before the lady replied, "I'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition. This prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'."


How Much Should I Withdraw from My Retirement Plan?

How much money can you safely withdraw annually from your retirement funds and still feel confident the remainder will be sufficient for the rest of your life? Like most financial answers, it depends on the individual.

According to the Journal of Financial Planning (December 2004), about a fifth of the retirees studied by the Putnam Group had an average annual withdrawal rate of 6.7 percent, compared to a more traditional rate closer to 4 percent.

Just under a 3 percent difference may not seem like much, but for a $500,000 nest egg over a 20-year period, your annual payment at 6.7 percent is $46,102 -- versus $36,791 at 4 percent. That $9,300 difference will buy a lot of groceries or pay for several trips to see the grandchildren.

Here are several factors to consider when making your decision:

•  How long you are planning to live in retirement? A conservative assumption for someone retiring at age 65 is 25 to 30 years or so.

•  How are your funds allocated? Generally, equities may give you higher returns. However, consider your comfort level, because equities are a higher investment risk than, for instance, bonds or mutual funds.

•  Inflation. Many plans use an historical 2.5 to 4 percent inflation rate. A more conservative approach uses 5 or 6 percent inflation.

•  Health insurance and medical expenses. Who pays for your health insurance? What coverage do you have? This makes a big difference in how much you need to withdraw. Learn what Medicare covers; if a Medigap policy makes sense for you; how long-term-care insurance may apply to you (including premium costs that can increase with age); and whether you may need to apply for Medicaid (which might mean spending down your assets to qualify).

•  Emergencies that may arise. Even the best planning cannot account for all possibilities. An emergency that requires a significant cash outlay can have a significant impact on future withdrawal rates. For retirees, common sense probably suggests an average amount from $10,000 to $20,000 to help with emer-gencies. Of course, people with significantly greater or lesser assets would adjust this amount accordingly.  

Generally, it pays to begin withdrawals on a more conser-vative basis, and adjust up or down as you see how things are going. And remember to be careful about those around-the-world trips early in retirement. The

five years immediately before and the five years immediately after retirement are the most critical for a successful retirement fund. Excessive spending during this period could lead to a significantly lowered lifestyle later on.

Regular (at least annual) financial check-ups make good sense. Great planning done 20 years ago that has never been revisited is probably not great planning today. Life changes so it's a very good idea to address those changes in your planning and keep your retirement as financially comfortable as possible.

Contributed by: Anthony D'Astice

Resources:

http://www.fpanet.org/journal/BetweenTheIssues/Contributions/121504.cfm  Financial Planning Association (FPA). FPA Journal , Between the Issues, December 2004, Portrait of the Recently Retired: Worried About Money, Half Living on Less—And They're Satisfied . By Putnam Investments.

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc558.htm . Provides IRS information on early distributions from retirement plans.

http://www.fool.com/Retirement/RetirementPlanning/RetirementPlanning15.htm . A retirement planning primer from Motley Fool.


Help Needed From Membership

Occasionally we get The Bridge returned because of having an incorrect mailing address for our members. If you are aware of any member that should be receiving The Bridge and who is not receiving it, please call us at 602 313 5050, or e-mail us at hotline@hrcaz.orgusing the information from page 12 of The Bridge.


SPECIAL CELL PHONE PROGRAM FROM VERIZON

For those on the Verizon Wireless cell phone plan obtained through Honeywell, did you know that you could get a new phone every two years? The phone price is discounted; for example, a popular LG flip phone costs under $30, plus you must sign up to stay in the plan for an additional two years. You can check out phones available at: www.verizonwireless.com or call Verizon at 1-800 -922-0204. You will need your account number from your bill.

Contributed by Russ Henzel

HEALTH CORNER

News from Nurse Nance

 

Secrets of the Happiness Club :

Stay in the Moment Lives spent in the present moment are likely to be consistently happy. Consider the past only to the extent necessary to avoid repeating mistakes, the future only to make necessary plans.

Be Grateful Try your best to reach your goals, get a raise, etc. but if things don't come through as you planned, be grateful right now for the good things in your life. Rather than wait for life's big victories, be grateful for the thousands of things you already have but take for granted.

Remain Open to New Friends Treat each person you meet as though he/she will be your new best friend. Encourage meaningful conversation…be upbeat…take an interest in the person's life…do favors without being asked.

Let Go of Anger You can choose to seethe about an angry moment…or you can choose to respond with a state of happiness. Happiness makes us feel good and helps us make wise decisions. Anger only impedes our happiness.

Find a Happiness Manual Two examples of books are Happy 4 Life by Bob Nozik, and Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen.

Contributed by
Judy Nance, RN

EXERCISE PLAN

As you know, one's strength weakens when you start being on the down side of 55. Here's an exercise suggested for seniors to build muscle strength in the arms, shoulders and upper body. It seems so easy you may want to try it out. It is suggested doing it three days a week. Just don't over-do it.

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-LB. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can.  Try to reach a full minute, then relax. Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-LB. potato sacks.  Then 50-LB. potato sacks, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-LB. potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

HELP WANTED

Our HRC secretary, Nancy Boyle, recently had to resign due to personal family reasons. We need to fill this position on the HRC Board and are looking for a member who could fill this role and help with the planning and leadership of the organization. If you might be interested or know someone who might be interested, please contact Ed Frick at 623-561-6917 for more details.

Honeywell Retiree Club Web Site: WWW.HRCAZ.ORG

Members are encouraged to become familiar with our website: www.hrcaz.org . We are adding more and more interesting information you may find very useful. Have you checked out the following?

Picture Galley has pictures from many past HRC events.

Phoenix Area Attractions section of the website lists local area attractions, museums, performing arts, attractions and other interesting information, including phone numbers and web addresses - a great reference for planning family or visitor activities.

Misplace your copy of The Bridge ? Did you want to mark your calendar for an event you want to attend? You can always get all this information from our website anytime. You can also get a Membership Application, useful web site links and volunteer opportunities. Check it out. Russ Henzel, Web Master

 

FIX IT GUYS

This group will help those who need repairs that they cannot do themselves, including minor electrical, carpentry and plumbing problems. You will have the security of having someone you can trust in your house. The cost of material is not covered. The Fix It Guys are Bob, Matt, Dick, John, Mike, Perry, Sam, Paul , Ed, Clint and Gene. Call 602-870-0813.

THE ELECTRONIC BRIDGE

The Phase II evaluation of The Bridge distribution via e-mail is continuing with additional participants each month. Feedback has been very positive and all known problems experienced by participants thus far have been resolved. Many participants have indicated they no longer need the “paper copy” via post mail. We expect this option to be available soon. If you are interested in joining the group to receive The Electronic Bridge, please send your name and e-mail address, along with a note indicating your interest in The Electronic Bridge Phase II, to hotline@hrcaz.org. Your e-mail address will be kept private if you wish.

 

INTERESTED IN HIKING??

If cooler weather and fall colors have you thinking about getting out for a hike, contact the Glendale Hiking Club. Call our hotline, 602-230-5391, and leave your name and address and we will send you a complimentary copy of our newsletter which lists our activities. We also have a web sit http://www.glendalehikingclub.org/ .

The club was founded in 1982 and is sponsored by the Glendale Parks and Recreation department but you don't have to be a Glendale resident. We have ability rated hikes on Thursdays and weekends in and around the area. Give us a call and get out for a cool weather Fall hike. Check out this web site for information on fall colors.   http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/

Contributed by Wally Klovstad


“THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES”

ON TURNING 70:  "You still chase women, but only downhill".
ON TURNING 80:  "That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing."
ON TURNING 90:  "You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake."
ON TURNING 100:  " I don't feel old. In fact I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."
ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER IN BOXING:  "I ruined my hands in the ring ... the referee kept stepping on them."
ON SAILORS:  "They spend the first six days of each week sowing their wild oats, then they go to church on Sunday and pray for crop failure."
ON NEVER WINNING AN OSCAR:  "Welcome to the Academy Awards or, as it's called at my home, 'Passover'."
ON GOLF:  "Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green fees."
ON PRESIDENTS:  " I have performed for 12 presidents and entertained only six."
ON WHY HE CHOSE SHOWBIZ FOR HIS CAREER:  "When I was born, the doctor said to my mother, 'Congratulations. You have an eight-pound ham'."
ON RECEIVING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL:   "I feel very humble, but I think I have the strength of character to fight it."
ON HIS FAMILY'S EARLY POVERTY:  "Four of us slept in the one bed.  When it got cold, mother threw on another brother."
ON HIS SIX BROTHERS:  "That's how I learned to dance. Waiting for the bathroom."
ON HIS EARLY FAILURES:  "I would not have had anything to eat if it wasn't for the stuff the audience threw at me."
ON GOING TO HEAVEN:  "I've done benefits for ALL religions.  I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.


AS OLD AS DIRT!

Hey Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?"

"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him. "All the food was slow."

"C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?"

"It was a place called 'at home,'" I explained. "Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it."

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it:

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears AND Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 11, but my grandparents had one before that. It was, of course, black and white, but they bought a piece of colored plastic to cover the screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was perfect for programs that had scenes of fire trucks riding across someone's lawn on a sunny day. Some people had a lens taped to the front of the TV to make the picture look larger.

I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza; it was called "pizza pie." When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the Cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.

We didn't have a car until I was 15. Before that, the only car in our family was my grandfather's Ford. He called it a "machine."

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was. All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. I delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents. I had to get up at 4 AM every morning. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut! At least, they did in the movies. Touching someone else's tongue with yours was called French kissing and they didn't do that in movies. I don't know what they did in French movies. French movies were dirty and we weren't allowed to see them.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't be surprised if they bust a gut laughing. Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?


Harold was an old man. He was sick and in the hospital. There was one young nurse that just drove him crazy. Every time she came in, she would talk to him like he was a little child.  She would say in a patronizing tone of voice, "And how are we doing this morning, or are we ready for a bath, or are we hungry?" Old Harold had had enough of this particular nurse.  One day, Old Harold had breakfast, pulled the juice off the tray, and put it on his bed side stand.  He had been given a urine bottle to fill for testing. The juice was apple juice.  So -- you know where the juice went!  The nurse came in a little later, picked up the urine bottle and looked at it.  "My, but it seems we are a little cloudy today." At this, Old Harold snatched the bottle out of her hand, popped off the top, and drank it down, saying, "Well, I'll run it through again.  Maybe I can filter it better this time." The nurse fainted! Old Harold just smiled!

 

Divorce? An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son Bob in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but your mother and I are divorcing. Forty-five years of misery is enough! I'm sick of her, and I'm sick of talking about this, so call your sister in Boston and tell her,” and then hangs up. The son frantically calls his sister, who goes nuts upon hearing the news. She calls her father and yells, "You are not getting a divorce! Bob and I will be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a single thing, do you hear me?" The father hangs up the phone, turns to his wife, and says, "It worked! The kids are coming for a visit, and they're paying their own way!"

A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. "Mommy," she said, "can we leave now?" "No," her mother replied. "Well, I think I'm gonna be sick, Mommy!" "Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and then behind a bush." After about 60 seconds the little girl returned to her seat. "Were you sick?" her mom asked. "Yes." "How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?" "I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick.'"