Just need to talk to my friends (194)

Hi to all,

Caro-Lynn, I was a 24/7 caretaker also. Our journey lasted 8 years, I was able to keep him home for the entire time. I did have help from hospice for the last 6 weeks. I did have to put deadbolts on the doors to keep him from wandering after he went outside a couple times. I would do it again if possible. We lived in a suburb of Chicago, I now live with my son and DIL in Virginia. This is a wonderful site and everyone is very helpful. Ask anything, it’s a safe space.

It’s been a strange week here, it was 80 degrees Monday and Tuesday, today 40 with snow flurries.

I read everyday and keep you all in my prayers. I’m adding a picture of one of the rescues, it’s Ducky checking out the daffodils.

l

Take care and have a good night.

Sandy

Sandy, when you said you use to lived on a suburb of Chicago, I was reminded of when Lou and I first married. Her brother lived in a suburb of Chicago and after buying our 67 Mustang we took a trip to see him. He had given me directions, but having a new wife and mother in law in the car with me, they began to tell me where to turn. Needless to say I ended up in downtown Chicago and thought I'd never get out of there. Never listened to them again when driving!

Ron

Good morning

Good morning! Got up at 2:30, but layed back down and didn't get up till 4. Feel so much better!

Ron

Leave it in a living will for Mike if that is who you want to have it. Bill put our house in my name in a living will and I did not have to pay taxes on the inheritance. That way it will be yours until you die. If you don't the state may end up with the property and could even decide and sell off sections! Just thinking of ways for you to be in charge of the land. I'm going through probate and can't do anything until it is finished!

Thanks Lorita, Sandy and Ron for sharing your caregiving journeys. Even though my LO is my former partner, I just can't imagine him being anywhere but home.

That's a great picture Sandy! Captures your beautiful homestead and the adorable Ducky.

Happy Birthday in heaven to your Charles, Lorita xo

Ducky is adorable.

hope everything went well today Joan.

How did trip to town go Lorita?

I went to the country and got eggs. Looked like things were growing in the green houses. Came home and filled my car up with gas. Now hope i can hunker down and stay in place til the astro nerds leave town. The gas out on the main road has went up a bit this week. I get mine off from the main road a ways. It was a quarter cheaper. Guessing everyone is trying to make an extra buck off the travelers. Ive heard that all kinds of different places are setting up to charge for parking spaces.

Hope i’m not repeating myself, but I don’t think I told you this yesterday. If I wasn’t lazy, I guess I could look back and see what I wrote yesterday. When I was going to moms yesterday on that same road where I saw the crepuscular rays not long ago I could see the sun shining back behind the clouds. Then, like for just an instant one of the clouds moved a little and I could see the moon and it was right by the sun. And I thought I just seen why we’re having an eclipse. It seemed odd them being so close to each other, and I could see them both at one time . Well I really couldn’t see the sun. It was back behind the cloud, but you knew where the sun was. This morning when I went over to get my sister to go out to the Amish, I take the same route, but it was very cloudy. You could see where the sun was behind the clouds, but I didn’t see the moon. The clouds were too heavy to see the moon.

Do have mom Sunday and Monday, hopefully the back way will be ok. Suspecting that new neighbors may move in this weekend. A garbage canister showed up a few days ago. My nephew is in the process of moving this weekend to about an hour north east of here. I hope people that need to do things this weekend are able. I did tell my nephew that I could help him this Saturday, but he said that a friend and his fiancé are helping him. The friend is bringing his girlfriend and so he didn’t think he needed any more help. I probably wouldn’t be a lot of help anyways at moving anything very heavy but I thought I could clean.

Lorita is there something you have against a will where you would leave things to Mike at your death. With a will, it would be yours until you died. The will would not go into effect until after your death. I had never heard of a lifetime estate until you mentioned it on here. When I looked it up, it looks like if you go with a lifetime estate it becomes difficult to do certain things such as sell your home or refinance your home and some things you would even have to get the permission of the other person to do certain things. There’s none of those strings attached with the will, it would be yours until you die. You can do anything you want to with it. I know you would like for it to stay in the family but as far as I can tell that’s impossible. So I guess my thought process is that the next best thing is for you to know that it’s been left in a way that your family would like for it to be left. To do that, takes getting it into writing and as I well know something can happen to us anytime. What do you see as advantages of the lifetime estate over a will? I’m just wondering because like I said, I don’t know a lot about them, just what i briefly read. I know it’s hard that all of this has been left in your lap. Know you probably wish your parents or Charles were there to help you with the decision. Guess I just feel like if you would do something then you could become more settled about it and not have to worry about it. Think your family would be satisfied with whatever your decision is as they know you’ve thought about it and done your very best.

Hope everyone has a good night

Looked up the Lady Bird Deed. Only available in 5 states and Oklahoma is not one of them as far as I could tell.

They say we have the possibility of having a good view of eclipse. It is weather dependent though. 3:12-3:15 pm is time for total eclipse and approximately 1:30-4:30 time of partial eclipse beginning and ending. I have bought no glasses so I guess I won’t be looking at it. The population of my rural county is 125,300 - the largest city’s population is 48,000. They’re saying, hopefully they’re just getting excited, but we could have up to 200,000 extra people in our county this weekend. if that truly happens, I’m not looking forward to it. Each year there’s a tattoo concert that draws about 75,000 and I just stay away from that part and it doesn’t really ever affect me. I don’t even know the people are here. I’ll be glad when it’s over with and things return to normal. A lot of things are closing down on Monday so they made themselves a three day weekend. Can’t blame them can you? Always nice to find a reason to get a three day weekend.

After I posted about staying awake this morning at 6 am, I fell asleep until 11:20 am, so I did get some hours. I did my morning routine in the afternoon, then called my east coast cousins to ask them if they felt the 4.8 NJ earthquake, which they did. Then I went out to do a few errands, including stocking up on pee pads at the 99 Cents Only store for my blind cat Simon, so I can place them around the litter box for him. Then I came home and spoke with my brother, who had had a procedure yesterday. He's okay. He thought the earthquake was a strong wind shaking his high rise building. That would be some wind!

Lorita, I am listening to the zen music right now. I'll see what happens tonight. I feel wide awake now.

Iris

Good Morning! Yesterday was a busy day so I've had to spend some time here catching up! We sure are a busy bunch of folks! 🙃 Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if we were able to actually sit together on the porch and it makes me smile. I love it when the kids come and we sit on the patio just to visit. Seems like those are the best days. Food, family and fellowship. That's exactly what we have here and I'm grateful for that. DH went off on his own yesterday which meant I had the house to myself! Got the laundry done, all the floors swept, vacuumed and mopped, dusted, hung some pictures in the office, moved all the knick knacs off the kitchen counters and cloroxed everything and rearranged the dining room area.

Then my Granddaughter came over and we planned our sight-seeing visit to NYC (we leave Thurday). Ran to the Tax Accountant to sign returns for myself and my father in law, Then manicures. Then got takeout for dinner for everyone. I went to bed at 7:30, slept till 2, went back to sleep in the recliner and now up at 5 for coffee. I have a facial in town at 10 and then taking another Granddaughter shopping for the day. I might be tired already, lol.

It's been sunny but very cold with a biting north wind. Frost was predicted so we covered the flowers and raised garden beds the last two nights. Hopefully this is the last of that.

Lorita, I understand your concern regarding the farm. I feel the same way about my place. I've done the Living Trust with a transfer to my children after I'm gone. I know they will sell the property and house. My oldest is a single Mom with one child grown and out and one in college, so this is too much for her to keep up/manage. The other is a sort of neighbor to Mint, she and her family will not move back here, though it would be perfect for her horses. But not for her DH. So I just tell myself to be at peace. I've honored my parents and grandparents by living here, improving the land and caring for it. That's all I can do. In another generation, no one will really remember my grandfather was the top Grade A dairyman in the State. That's sad to me but it's reality. But I know. Well, that got a little sad, didn't it? Didn't mean to. It's life. Like others have said here, I think if you just bring yourself to make a decision, you'll feel better. Feel settled in your heart.

I've yakked on too much. Time to get up and go start this day before it gets away from me. Thanks, dear Friends, for listening. Have a wonderful day.☺️

Iris…I was wide awake for 36 hours until last night. Really wierd.