Hello, Lefty,
Sounds like we're all in this together (pun).
I can only agree with what the others have said, although I am the eldest of those checking in so far (pushing seventy). I too was afraid of SMD, but I'm managing with a good magnifier (a swivel job with light) and, most important, a good soldering station.
I'm Xwb4kpj and I learn something new every day. Right now I'm having good success with the PICaxe line of uC. Easy to use, and most features of the others, plus the added benefit of already knowing the language from many years of playing with Tandy's ColorComputer II.
Welcome to the playhouse.