Well I am officially retired from my fulltime job (almost 69 years old)and now am resting up after some more back surgery. Kinda looking at getting into ham radio. Don't know much about it. Anybody have any comments?

No...but I think that would be way too cool. Over the years I have known people with HAM radios that had post cards from all over the world from different people on the radio. Not much older but I took up machining at the same age. Have fun...OTG

What in particular do you want to know?

350 to 500 bucks for (new) the rig and antenna will get you on 2 meters with a tech or general license. 2 meter is handy during storrm season.
900 to 1500 bucks or so for the rig and antennas will get you on HF with round the world capabilities. That's for new rig and wire dipole antennas for cheap. I'd advise you get new HF stuff if you're a beginner. Less trouble.
Good used rigs can be had for less but you've to know what you're looking at.

No morse code (CW) on the tests anymore. It's all multiple choice questions. In fact, anymore you download a cheat sheet of the questions and answers, memorize them for a few hours and then go take the test and pass it. That's right! I know a guy that did it all the way through to his Extra class license. Just the way it is now.

I strongly advise you get in touch with a local ham club and they will help you get started. Doing it all on your own would be tough.
You're going to have go to a ham club anyway to take your test(s). In the old days you had to go to the district FCC office. Now days the testing is administered by other hams; usually in a club setting.

I guess I find this thread interesting because maybe 60 or so years ago my folks had a Hi-Fi radio/record player with a Short Wave receiver. I made an antenna by stripping old wire and would listen to places all over the world...South Africa had the strongest station. I am sure someone will fill us in...take care...OTG

I have been looking for someone local who knows a bunch about ham radio and shortwave. Hard to find.... Ham radio just isn't as popular now with the WWW and internet

I was gonna start with gmrs. No test . The radio I might buy can do both ham and gmrs.

I used ddg and got to the national amateur radio website the link shows a bunch for Nebraska.

https://www.arrl.org/find-a-club

^^^This^^^
Don't know where you're at in S.E. Nebraska, but............
Radio club in Grand Island, Lincoln, Hastings, Omaha. In Mo, St. Joe, Kansas City, .....................

Here's another link for Neb. radio clubs.
https://www.qsl.net/evarc/