Contrary1'$ Money Musings

After an agonizing couple of days, I made the decision to put my little Chihauhau pal down yesterday morning. He was the best dog I've had the pleasure of sharing life with. I am grateful for the almost 10 years we had him.

I'm exhausted, but feel better now, after having made the decision and being without him.........than having him home and failing so quickly. What a week.

Being an animal lover, I can't imagine my life without a dog, so I'm waiting for the day I will get a new pal. Have to wait to see if we're moving first...wouldn't be fair to a dog to move here.....then move again.

So, I'm in that horrid state of thinking I hear my dog, or sense that he is around; all the while knowing he is no more. Only an animal lover who has lost a pet will understand this. I haven't been without a pet for hmmmm....25 years maybe?? I am pretty sure I haven't sat down here at home with out my dog on my lap for the last 10 years! I either need to not sit down or quickly get another dog!

Week end young man is here; fortunately he hasn't mentioned there being no dog here. I'm not sure I could hold that conversation if he did bring it up. Still a mess emotionally ......just pretty good at holding it together.

Sent moms tenants notices we were putting the property up for sale. Promised to honor leases and provide excellent referances. Commercial property will be listed as of Monday. Moving along on our plan to off load the real estate.

Tonight had to be my most frustrating class I've ever had to teach. Beginning knitting is no piece of cake sometimes.....and tonight was a class of 7 beginners, one being a pre teen, and one being a left handed knitter.....so the cards were stacked against me.

Then, just about 15 minutes into the class, the entire room went black. A quick check in the hall and all the lights were on out there (this is held in an OLD grade school, 3 floors, halls, stairs, etc) Everything seemed ON except my room. Headed to the hall to start down to the office to find out what the problem was.......and there was Light! So, back to teaching. And, again they went off, about 10 minutes later.

Second time, I did head to the office (3 floors down) only to find that the little office lady knew all about it, said she couldn't do a thing.....guess what? The lights are set up with sensors, she told me we had to "keep moving" in order to tell the lights to stay on. Gads, knitting as an aerobic exercise!

Two hours of this! The lights must have gone out at least a dozen times. There was nothing I could repeat to get them to come back on. Very random pattern it was. I've sent the Knitting for the Blind email to the recreation director already......as I'm not repeating this next week.

Old Chihauhau Update: He is still alive..but barely. Not the same dog at all. No tail wag, no kisses. Very sad. He is pushing 10 years old....and has wiggled his way into my heart about 9.5 years ago....so this is awful. I'm not sure I'm up to letting him die here at home. I thought I was, as he isn't in any pain that I can tell. But, watching him slowly fade away is killing me. Which is worse? And, at this point......money isn't even factored in here. I can't think of many instances where money/cost/spending isn't at the forefront of my decisions. Not on this one. Will spend another night thinking of nothing but this decision I'm sure!

It's becoming my day to day ritual. Deal with the details.......and then deal with more details.

I'm getting nothing accomplished, other than crossing off another day on the calendar.

Took mom to a 3 hour Dr appointment today, stayed there, as it was a stress test & she was more than stressed about this. Had to sign a statement saying she understood the ramifications included possible death..... and then, she shared later........the song on the headphones when she went into the machine thingy for the last round of pictures was.....Amazing Grace! It was nice to see her have a chuckle about that.

My aunt stayed today, so someone was here with the dog. She left for home as soon as I got back. The dog is truly not himself. Today was worse than yesterday. Now, not eating. I just think his timing is poopy. Not that there would be a good time for him to take his last breath, but I guess I'm feeling like I can't pay him as much attention as I'd like. And, I've realized with all the pets I've had, none of them stretched out their swan song. All of them were sudden. Which isn't great either......but, I can sure feel the drain this time.

A few more inquiries re; properties for sale, but no offers I've accepted yet. Listing one of moms on Friday. It's commercial property, so I'm thinking it might be our best shot to sell something sooner rather than later.

Packed all my things for my knitting class tomorrow night. Supplies arrived by UPS yesterday, just in time. Handouts ready, samples as ready as they are going to be......and mom will stay home with the dog. Not the best set up, but the only one I can think of.

Little dog........big heart; was what the vet said. No idea when this happened, last visit was normal, although I don't remember an X ray of his heart either. Ever I guess.

Surprisingly, he gobbled up his first dose of meds this AM, in his breakfast of leftover chicken and broth. I wouldn't have bet on it for a minute.

With the initial 24 hours under our belt, I'm relaxing a bit..... The vets call was the meds were necessary if he was going to be able to breathe.....but might be enough of a shock to stop him from breathing. So far, so good. Watching him closely to say the least.

Crossing my fingers he takes his night time meds well. Thanks for all the tips re; dogs & pills. I will try them if he gets wise to the plan here! He's never been a dog for treats, so it could get to be a challenge.

Gathered another car load of boxes today and actually got some packed. Set the twins up with moms cook book collection.....sorting what goes with us and what gets set on the porch for freecycle. We now have 5 BIG boxes of cook books that are going to the beach with us! Not sure where they will fit.....but mom is determined. She did weed out quite a few, as the porch is also full.

Who would have guessed? The chihauhau now has exactly the same symptoms as my mom had.......so I dashed him off to the nearest vet this afternoon. (to the tune of $190.07....not even ER rates!)

He has the doggie version of Congestive Heart Failure. It was tough to watch with mom, and this was no easier!

Started on meds at the vets office, and came home with 2 prescriptions I have to figure out how to get down his teensy little mouth/throat starting tomorrow.

Pondering the old adage "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" this evening........and wondering just what the limit is here???

My aunt, who is still here........paid for the vet after she found out how much it cost. She said she was thinking of paying me anyway, for all the care she has been getting here since she fell a couple weeks ago. She has also fell in love with the dog, so felt like it was something she could do.

If this little guy wasn't spoiled enough before this episode.........now he will get to do anything he wants, whenever he wants!

The days are running together and it seems I'm getting as forgetful as my mom & her twin.

Both of the twins are doing great. Moms meds were doubled, as she is just soooo tired still, we're trying to pump her up with all the extra energy we can. The other one is practicing driving a little bit each day now, so she feels confidant in driving back to her place (2.5 hours away)

I've started begging for boxes again on Freecycle, as we can't continue working here without boxes. Picking up some today as well as Mon & Tues. Since I've loaned my van out, I'll have to work at getting them in a car.....I've had a van for decades & this will be different.

The twins are working on organizing my moms recipe collection which has made the house look like we've had a tornado inside. She has collected these for, oh....about 60 years or so. And, not many of them are in anything but a drawer. Lots and lots of drawers! They are almost done, using 3 ring binders........now I just need a load of those new boxes & I can pack these away.

Nephew person was here yesterday & took a pick up load of junk to the dump. Told him to do that frequently until I tell him to stop! That will help a ton if the junky stuff continues to be hauled out.

Freecyclers coming here at a rate of a couple a day; picking up things mom is ready to part with. She is getting a kick out of finding younger gals who want and will use some of her things. We're parceling out her cake decorating supplies and books this week. Since she used to teach; this is an extensive collection of stuff. She's even agreed to let her specialty baking pans find new homes, since neither of us can remember when she baked a cake in the shape of a lamb for instance!

The beach house is now listed as "pending" which looks good. The septic inspector was the last guy on site this week. Cleared up a ton of questions.......and we have a normal septic system, not a mound system that was mentioned on all the original paperwork. I'm in familiar territory now. No date for a move.......but it does look like we'll be in prior to the holidays if we just keep plugging away here.

One of my rentals is vacant....with the other being given a 3 day pay or vacate notice. Using the property mgmt firm on that one has been good, as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done this on my own. Property near mine has still been selling, so I'm comfortable just listing them........also advertised them for rent, just in case someone came along that was too good to pass up. The horse property might be a good rental to keep, now that my son is helping with the day to day stuff that comes up. That piece is sure to be sub dividable within 5 years, maybe 3.

Time's up. Lunch to prepare for my "ladies". Meds to oversee.

The twins are both recovering .......getting to be more their old selves every day. Starting to joke around again!

Even tho I have dinner in the oven, they have decided it's out to dinner time here. They have called ahead and made sure their favorite is on special today, so we're doing the frugal route even if it is a restaurant. With all our senior cards, it should be a decent meal, a break for the "cook" here and a mini celebration they have turned the corner health wise!

The twins have taken on my moms giant lifetime recipe collection today......aiming to get it honed down to a couple 3 ring binders. We'll see how close they get to that goal. Mom has never really moved.....she re located to an apartment she owned but got to leave this house as is, since she rented it to her grandson. So, this move will be the first time things like this major stash of recipes has to be packed.

I finished listing the books of my dads today........at least the books that have been hauled upstairs. Can't see any others in the basement yet, I'm sure we'll uncover more when we dig a bit further. I've got over 800 listed at this point, and have been selling a few each week. I'm also keeping up with my reading......I set aside anything of dads that looks interesting to me to read before I list them. He had a wide selection of topics saved up & some are more than a little surprising! It's been a fun little 'visit' with my dad.

Our beach house is now listed as "pending" so it is looking more like a done deal. Still can't quite believe we're doing this.......it's going to be great, but it still doesn't feel real.

Off to baste the chickens that aren't going to be for dinner!

I'm struggling with the rule.....the very first and foremost rule my parents instilled in me. Don't talk about money or finances or investments to anyone!

I did OK when I wasn't living here, and I was doing OK all summer........but now, this week, not so good.

Mom is determined to keep all financial dealings to herself. It's OK if I know about them, it's just not OK to let her twin in on anything. Or 4 of the 5 grandsons. Or, any other relatives.

This means all the beach house dealings have to be done on the sly.....which paints a pretty funny picture. We can't do any of the listing of properties....zip. I can see this stopping the new house deal in it's tracks.

I'm also not enjoying the feeling I have to think before I even start to speak about anything. (definately not what I'm used to.....) If I can figure out a time I'll be with mom alone, I do need to talk to her about this, as it is going to make me more nuts than usual. Perhaps on the way to her Dr appt on Wed?

This same rule spills over to health issues........mom hasn't told a soul about her recent ER visit. Only told her twin because I complained about how hard it was going to be with both of them here.....didn't think I could keep up the sneaky little act bit.

An off shoot of this whole Rule bit is affecting another piece..... I had been writing to my dads brother monthly....for decades. Since I got here and all this new stuff started happening, I haven't written. A few short emails, that's it. There isn't anything "legal" to write about. Tons going on, and my uncle would enjoy hearing about it all........but mom is NOT going to tell him she is selling property, buying something new or about her recent health issues. Drat. Didn't really realize how much I had missed talking & writing to this gentleman until I have it down here in black & white.

Can't wait til Wed to see if I can make any headway with mom. Sometimes rules are made to be broken, right??

A couple months ago, I mentioned I had heard about a nasty financial situation involving my foster dtr & her husband. All of the poor decisions were his, he hid them from my gal.......which really sounded wrong, but unfortunately, all I had heard & more was the case.

Bad decisions, followed by more bad decisions and downright lying caused my gals van to get reposessed. She had told me this last week and it took me a couple days to realize I had an unused van sitting in my yard here.

They came today & made the switch. Returning the new vehicle they were using from the in laws and taking the old, but paid for, van of mine. I will add my gal to the insurance policy tomorrow, and she has this listed on hers too, so I believe we will be covered.

I did hold my tongue while they were here, couldn't converse freely, too many other people around here today. I know the visit was difficult for the young man, as well as my gal, it was hard to admit to the errors all round.

With luck, prayers and hard work, perhaps having a vehicle they didn't have to pay for right now will help. They have made many changes, I know this same situation won't come up again.......but, I fear something similar will be rearing it's head sooner or later. One doesn't make the types of decisions he did and just magically turn over a new leaf. At least....I haven't seen it often! Willing to admit I was wrong in this case.

Also shared/loaned much of my larger cooking type equipment with dtr person....she is cooking for many more than I right now, with much less of a budget. Large restaurant type kettles, juicer, canning goodies, and a dehydrator. All of those will help the food monies stretch and I don't need to store them.....can get them back from her if I have a windfall of fruit or something and happen to need a cherry pitter for example!

Will see how the van loan deal goes.......and then will "borrow" my van back for the move, if it truly happens. Then, I'm thinking of offering it to dtr person. It is old enough to not be worth much, but if they don't have one at all, it might be OK. Will see how the next 30 days play out.......

The day has gone by in a whoosh!

My aunt was picked up this AM, supposedly to go to her home for the week at least. Well, plans changed, she got there (2.5 hours drive) and watered plants, grabbed clean clothes & more meds and her son brought her right back here. Glad she feels comfy here at least, but I know my mom was hoping for a break.

The sun came out for the afternoon, so I dashed about the yard & made a little more headway on the fall tasks. Can't do much more, as the yard waste container is FULL already. Hate this thing.

Seemed like I cooked all day too.......and have a kettle of beans soaking tonight for chili tomorrow.

My week end young man tripped in his room this morning, and I thought it was my mom falling.......she had just gone in her room to take a nap! As I came sailing down the hallway, she poked her head out of her room and said "I bet you thought that was me?" Young man not hurt, he just tripped over all his stuff he insists on covering the floor with. Thought sure I had another fall to deal with!

No errands, no shopping, no going anywhere today. Nice. Did get a call from a tenant, he said he woke up during the night hearing noises in the attic or crawl space above his apartment. Tricky, since the building is a flat roofed affair with no attic. Hmmmm. Called the exterminator guy & gave him the job of contacting the tenant. Too much to do here to arrange that one. He thought he'd enjoy seeing an attic with the flat roof too!

Here I am doing the grocery shopping now for the household. I haven't done this for decades and I still don't like it.

I have no idea when this started, but I sure know it isn't my thing. Any kind of shopping. No danger of me over spending, that is for sure.

With both mom and my aunt needing to stay home and recuperate, I was elected to "run out" and pick up a few things. They had both seen a recipe & wanted that for dinner. Gads, I've never done that. I'm used to working with what is in the pantry/fridge & freezer.....

After all the errands and then the prep and cooking, their recipe isn't all that great. Satay Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce. I'd like to give it a go, now that I've got the ingredients, but use a recipe (or a combo of a couple) to get a dish that had a little more flavor. Not quite sure what happened to this, but it just didn't taste Thai to me, just more like chicken with peanut butter on it. Seemed like alot of work for the end result. Mom and my aunt were pleased however, so that is what counts.

Have my week end young man again tonight, so cooking a bit more than typical. My aunt gets picked up tomorrow AM & will be taken to her home, which is a few hours & a ferry ride away. My mom is going to breathe a sigh of relief........as I know it has been difficult for her to feel like resting up when we've had constant company in the house as well as staying overnight type company.

Already looking forward to Monday and having things quiet down here.

Finally came to a couple conclusions re; insurance.......both auto and home/rental.

The dates all came due at the same time, of course! and it's also the same week I've got a pretty full plate here at home. (the twins recuperating, the followup medical appointments for both, as well as the house & ongoing stuff for that)

I did pull my van insurance out and have it all by itself, as it was cheaper that way then adding the van to moms policy. I put myself on her policy as an added driver at no cost. I'll be adding one of my foster dtrs to my van as an added driver as she needs a loaner vehicle for an unknown period of time. I couldn't help her financially, but I was sitting here today thinking about her situation and there was my van, parked......with no need for it here. Duh. Sometimes I'm so slow to figure these things out.

I have to insure my belongings here at moms, with a renters policy, in order to buy the policies on my other 2 rental houses. Never ran across that before. But, it seems to be just too complicated for me to unravel any other option at this point. And, hopefully, all this will be changing within the year anyway, as we begin to sell of rentals and pare down to just one house between us.

Feels good to have made the decisions. Should have done it last week. But, nothing lapsed, no extra charges so all's well.

Some service from the cable company came today and picked up all my equipment I had at the old house. This clears me for my refund, which will be nice.

Have a cash offer on one of my building lots, thinking until Saturday on that......but leaning towards accepting it, although it was not quite what I was asking for it. But, cash talks, and we're not paying a realtor for this one, so it will be part of the down payment on the beach house this way.

Beach House news: We put together our list of things we'd like attended to, that stemmed from the inspection. Amounts to $10,000 of repairs & such.....biggest piece is the general contractor, just fixing little things, a plumber for a small leak, an electrician for a bit of an update on the electrical panel and a roofer to do a creative repair to a roof with discontinued roofing tiles. Hoping the seller does the work, but I'm thinking she might just discount the price and be done with it.

Dr appointment for mom was cancelled today, so we've got that on the list for tomorrow. Looking forward to getting some info on this congestive heart failure bit. I've read on line, and have things coming in the mail....but I'm still not quite sure if this is a new thing for my mom, or if it's been sort of creeping up....

Both the twins, my mom and my aunt are home tonight. Moms got congestive heart failure, and the other has a fractured tail bone and a concussion from her fall this week.

And, as if that weren't enough, we had a houseful of company here to visit with both of them........company for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Good for me cooking for a bunch is not a big deal.

Received the inspection report and bid to fix a few issues on the beach house. Will meet tomorrow & do what needs to be done to send this to the seller. Still looking at the first of Nov. to close. Unbelievable!

Did have to make a grocery store run, in between follow up Dr. appointments for the twins. Needed some different types of food here, as I'm just not used to the little dabs of things mom thinks will suffice. She has LOTS of food, just not much that goes together to make a regular meal, let alone 3 a day! I've got the plan figured out through tomorrows dinner; need to remember to dig through the freezer tomorrow before leaving for another round of Dr appointments. (I am getting a ton of knitting done while I'm waiting for all these appointments!)

I think this is the week I'll have to give notice re; my week end young man. I can see my life getting more than complicated and can't figure out how to fit him in 2X's a month. It's been fun to have the extra spending money, but after this week, it doesn't seem worth it.

I've got a long list of things to do........which I'm giving to my nephew tomorrow. Farming out some of this responsibility as quickly as I can. He will be here with the beach house paperwork, and I'm adding to his TO DO list considerably. He offered!

I'm more tired each day. Can't exactly figure out a way to stop doing anything I've currently got on my plate.

My aunt is still in our local hospital, but her son & dtr in law came too this morning, so have been here at the house......staying for dinner, in between visits to the hospital. Gads, was that a run on excuse for a sentence!

Kept mom home this evening, and have her in bed. The cousin & wife are going to a local hotel, which will be great. Didn't try to change his mind there.

Tomorrow, moms follow up for the breathing difficulty and last weeks ER visit for her.......and then to the hospital to see her twin.

Wed, moms cardiologist appt which stems from her ER visit too.....

Beyond that, I'm not too sure. But, I don't see anything on the current list that can be dropped off.....it all has to happen.

Did find out that LifeAlert has intercoms in addition to the other equipment. Might make some calls tomorrow to see if we can get that set up here at home. It would help me to get something here.......as I'm just barely sleeping, trying to always be listening to hear mom.

This is definately harder than having a houseful of special needs kids. But, I had help then, of all kinds. Not even sure what kind of help I could ask for right now......I will get the nephew to get the intercom system in here and set up; that I can pass along. The rest, I'll just cross one thing off at a time.

Managed to convince mom not to order pizza for tonight.....made soft tacos with leftover roasted chickens from the week end. Had all the trimmings from the garden; a very yummy meal. Kept it low sodium (which we're supposed to be doing for mom) and spent nothing. Worked for me.

I'm just now home, it is after midnight. My aunt passed out at our place this evening, just as we were cleaning up from dinner.

Quickly decided it was a 911 situation, as she fell straight backwards, and obviously hit her head. The EMT's just as quickly decided to transport her to the ER. (everyone said things like "didn't we just visit your house, didn't we just see your mom??) Even at a hospital, twins just love the attention.

A concussion and a half dozen very complicated looking tests/X-rays and exams later..........my aunt was admitted to a wing of our local hospital specializing in elder care.

My mom is doing OK through all this.....she is now in bed, figuring we are headed back to the hosp. early in the AM.

What we did accomplish through tonights.....I guess it was yesterday at this point........events: Mom is now convinced she needs to get her final wishes/will type things up to date. Seeing how quickly things have gone downhill this week, she has promised me we can take care of the will & trust bit this week. I'm going to do my best to hold her to this.

With this being a holiday, I'm pretty darned sure I can't make any headway getting my moms follow up DR appointments made for her emergency room visit this week. She needs 2 of them, and I haven't heard back from the referral desk yet.

I did get in touch with my aunts Dtr in law this evening, and to my surprise, she and my cousin (my aunts only child) won't be coming up her tonight. DIL will call me in the AM to see how things are she said. Gads. Can't imagine. I am not going to let my aunt take off from here in her own car........and drive the almost 3 hours to her house when she is released. She lives alone, with no family any closer than we are to her. She didn't even give the hospital her sons number as an emergency contact, but gave our number.

Needless to say, our weekend of R & R for my aunt has gone amuck. Hoping I can keep my mom on an even keel through all this.........and again, I thought of how impossible it would be if I was working! Not a chance. I've almost got 2 full time positions here now.

And, through all this..........I've misplaced my cell phone for the first time. Grabbed my moms as we took off for the hospital, but so far, mine hasn't surfaced. That may solve my question re; if we still needed 2 phones!

My 'other mom' (moms' twin) is here for a long week end, seems like it will be Tuesday before she is planning to return home. She is exhausted, as she has been caring for a close friend who is in the last stages of lung cancer. Not sure who the disease is harder on??

Cooking one big roaster full of chickens we had picked up on sale........so I don't have to cook much the remainder of the week..... Wine's chilling, and the rest of the meal is on auto pilot.

The twins are thumbing through some pictures of them when they were much younger.........taking their minds off current stuff and causing much laughter!

An easy day. Listed 2 dozen more of dads vintage books. All were out of print, most in New condition and many listed for a nice sum. I'm enjoying the deposits to the account from this avenue.

Taking the rest of the day off to just sit & visit .......listening to the stories of mom & my aunt. Funny stuff most of the time!

I can't imagine how I thought I was going to get a job after moving to moms. I remember inquiring about a couple....one even full time! HA. Where would I find the time is the question of the day....

I've been lashed to the phone and/or the PC all day. And, I had an EARLY start. Mom was up by 5AM, so, therefore was I.

Handled the car insurance question for me.......and also made arrangements for all the old cable/modem equipment to be picked up so I can get my credit they owe me. Paid bills, helped mom finish the paperwork for the last (hopefully) visit to the tax guy for 2006.

Tenants are moved out of my other house, not the one with the room mate situation. Taking pictures of the house & property to list them.....hoping to do the listing myself.

Have my name on all of moms insurance information/policies now, so I can deal with anything that comes up.

I've got a mile long list of errands to do today too........waiting for mom to take a nap, then I'm taking her with me. I can do all the in and out stuff, she can just go for the ride.

Now that this is in writing, it seems like I should have got more accomplished! Poo. Feels like I've been busy all day...... I'm so grateful I'm at a place in my life I can just step into moms and take over. If I was working.........my mind would be a mess, thinking of what was going on at home!

I'm pooped .... again... Seems to be my regular energy level these days.

Woke up to something during the early morning hours, finally came to, only to realize it was my mom calling for me! Gads, I don't think there is a feeling worse. Kids you expect it, parents, trust me, it comes as a shock.

I have no idea how long mom had been calling my name & I don't want to ask her. I just need to figure out another method of communication, and how to sleep with one ear & one eye open from now on.

Moms OK, I'm more than a little ticked at her. Seems the entire episode of shortness of breath, racing pulse, higher than the usual high blood pressure was brought about due to her just 'not taking some of her pills'. Some lame excuse about needing to wait til the ones I mail ordered came & she could be certain they were the right ones, and that she had enough. Pish Tosh. I'm now in charge of the meds. No need to go through this event again.

Her new supply was here over a week ago, we opened everything and went through them all (6 prescriptions). I have been stepping into her business as needed......rather than bulldoze my way in where she was still doing OK. Mistake on my part. I'll be more pro active from now on.

She is resting, meds are current and the treatment she got in the ER has made her feel downright perky. Almost disgusting, since I'm sooooo tired! And, I've got my first crochet class to teach this evening.... Since I'm supposed to keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours, I've called in #1 Grandson to sit with her for 3 hours this evening, just so we all feel better. I'm hoping for a shower and a bit of a nap prior to my class, or I'll not be able to make my brain tell my fingers what to do........let alone teach others!

I have worked for years in the health care field, in a nursing home situation.......but never truly understood the families side of things until lately. I do need to re evaluate everything here, in light of the medication situation. So much to do.....not alot of time to do it in.....and no real back up.

Grateful mom didn't have something really serious happen, and thankful for the wake up call for me........I will have to get busy figuring out what else I can/should be doing here.

We'd saved up enough errands for a half day; which is just about moms limit these days. With two of us, I can help with 'curb side' service whenever she has to go in somewhere as well as do the errands she doesn't need to do personally.

We needed gas and surprising enough, it didn't cost as much as last time we filled up. Pleasant.

Unloaded the car at the local thrift store which was on the way...with things just too small to give away on freecycle and a couple items no one responded to.

Stopped at the local Fred Meyers so mom could do some banking and then we were going to get the weeks groceries. Not so on the groceries! There was something rotten in the store; I mean really rotten. I couldn't find a mgmt person anywhere, so we just got our soy milk and headed for the car. (I just finished filling out an online complaint form; we'll see if they get back to me on this one......)

Then, Costco again. Mom has a love affair with this place. We did hold the line on everything; she is more inclined not to purchase now that we are thinking of packing up the household. Has nothing to do with budget or finances!

I did find a box of mid size envelopes for the online book sales we have been listing. Took another to the post office on the way this AM... That makes 7 this week! I had some help here this week.......carrying 5 more cases of books up from the basement, so I've plenty to do in this regard. The books I'm working on currently are all out of print which makes them fairly spendy. Dad would be pleased; nothing was more fun for him than getting a bargain and having it appreciate.

Got word from moms tax man, her 2005 taxes are completed; both her personal ones and the trusts. Now.....on to 2006. Just have 2 pieces of info lacking for this to be wrapped up; made some phone calls to get copies of 1099's sent to mom again so we can truly get this done. Can't wait to be on schedule with the taxes; I've had one extension filed in all the years I've paid taxes and I've never filed late.... Can't figure mom out; in fact this bit with the taxes was my first real wake up call re; her. I'm getting myself involved in more of her paperwork/business because of that.

Another meeting with nephew/realtor person this evening. Not sure what the agenda is.......perhaps the inspections have all come back? Listing agreement written up for moms commercial properties ready to sign.... And, some day soon, a final signing or approval or whatever comes next re; the beach house deal. Can't wait for the day when I know for certain what is happening!

I know it really isn't gardening weather, at least where I am in WA state.......but, I always try to get outside so I don't end up hating myself come spring.

I'd much rather do some sort of nasty chores now, than have them staring at me when I'm all jazzed up to get out in the good weather come April or May. So....donning my gloves and waterproof shoes, out I go!

I've still got some annuals trying to add color, even this late. Too bad. Gone to the compost heap. Left in the gardens, they will become more slime than plant.....truly yucky to try to pull out.

The tomato & zuchinni plants are still producing, although not at a very fast clip......They get to stay, as there just isn't anything better to add to dinner than something straight from the garden. Oh, there are onions left in the ground too.......many covered up most of the summer by annuals gone amuck. They get to stay too, until I need an onion in the kitchen.
NOTE; Be quick about bringing all these inside if there is a threat of a freeze!!!

I'm planning to get back out in the gardens one more time before calling the job 'done'. We have some sword ferns growing throughout the gardens but they haven't been trimmed up for years. So, they are a mess of old brown fronds, as well as this years growth. I'm going to give them all a crew cut haircut with the hedge trimmers (what a time saver this tool purchase was!!) so I don't can catch up with these guys. Next spring, there will just be the new growth & they should all look better.

Besides some leaf raking the next couple weeks....(less if the wind really blows), I will be able to call the gardens 'ready for winter'. I'm going to attempt to mulch most of the leaves and rake them into the garden beds.....we'll see how that process goes!

Just in case I needed a reminder of why I quit/retired from full time foster parenting........I had my last full time kiddo here for an overnight tonight. I'm pooped and I'm only half done with the visit.

I need to hold up until after lunch tomorrow and then I'm taking him home..... He did help with a long list of chores that had just backed up on me here. Things like finishing the van unloading job; so easy for him! He only has one speed and it is ten times faster than I can ever dream of going, so we do make short work of TO DO lists together.

I was storing an item for a friend of this young mans.......so tomorrow on the way back to his house, we're packing up the item and I will have one more thing off my list of 'stuff to do before moving'.

Beach house update: Electrician only found one wall heater that needs replacing, the rest of the electrical system is fine. Concrete/foundation guy said he would get a report faxed in to us by this evening.....so far, nothing.
Haven't heard from the plumber either. My skills at waiting aren't getting much better, even with all this practice!

Sold another book on Amazon tonight. Just took 3 to the post office this morning that had sold over the week end. I'm getting used to this regular little addition to the savings account.

Off to bed, need to rest up for a full morning of watching cartoons together!

Got paid today for the respite work with my last kiddo. Nice for a change; as I'm not doing anything to earn a regular paycheck any more.

Odd being without funds most of the time. (have money in the bank, but choose not to fritter it away). I'll get paid this quarter for teaching at the rec center, but that won't amount to a whole ton of money either.

Any monies from the rentals goes right to the bank and is pretty much all accounted for what with the mortgage, insurance and real estate taxes. If there is anything over those expenses, it stays in the bank for any necessary repairs that come up.

So, this check today was nice.....and it could be my last hurrah if we truly do move. I'll be way too far away to keep this guy, plus there really isn't an extra bedroom.......and mom has asked that I don't dream up any new schemes to fill up the house! She knows me so well!

Planning to finish a project with mom tonight. She had a huge closet full of packets of pictures when I moved in. We have almost made our way through all the assorted containers of them......should wrap up that part tonight. The living room is full of small labeled boxes, where we are sorting the pics according to which family they go to. Her plan is to give them to each family or family member before we move. Paring down we are!!!

As I put away some of my things, we're taking moms slightly older items and either sharing with family or freecycling them. A few items she has had me list on CL today & we've got one interested party so far. I can feel her gathering speed on all of this work we have in front of us; sorting, sorting and more sorting........prior to packing.

Back to work; mounds of old photos calling me!

I've slogged my way through all 47 pages of this document........beginning in 1943 no less. I'm no clearer as to the property we're looking at now; in fact it is worse.

There are no recent documents, the last being in 1973, stating 3 parcels share a septic system & 6 share a well. Still no idea where any of this is located......

The easement is mentioned all through the document, however it is in legal property description language, & I can't make it make sense. (doesn't help that I've got my disabled kiddo here this week end; he turns my brain to mush by Sat mornings).

I just want a map. A simple map. One that shows the parcels on this road in question, and any easements and shared items located on the same little map. Shouldn't be too much to ask. Heck, I'd even go with a hand drawn deal at this point.

I can sure tell the difference in county governments and agencies. I've only owned property in a pretty large county, one with a planning department that is usually overly interested in what is going on. The county our potential property is in is pretty rural, doesn't seem like they know or care what is going on with this deal.......and I don't know where to go from here.

I've never really had a real estate deal that got this complicated. ICK, ICK, ICK. If we end up purchasing this house on the beach, I believe it will be it's last time sold. If mom (or I) sell it, someone will come in with tons of money and just do a tear down and put up something fantastic. One of the houses on the street has already been re done into a knock your socks off sort of home, so it's in the cards. Because of this, I'm not too interested in long term anything......I just want mom to get to be on the beach for a few years.

I'm hoping daylight will help my brain cells fire with more accuracy. Mushy brain and tired body tonight. Finally finished unloading this weeks van load of things from the old house. Also finished cleaning up the trimmings from this weeks shrub trimming event. Pooped!

It seems like the details with moms little house rental never end. I'd have a HUGE for sale sign on this place if it was mine.

Today we returned a set of burner pan thingys that were the wrong size for the stove.......cleaned up the old ones and are making them do. Bought another light fixture for the bathroom, as what we got makes light enough to be considered romantic; which wouldn't work for make up or shaving. No choice in lights, as it had to be with the pull chain deal. (old, old, house)

Dropped light fixture off for electrician who was supposed to be finishing up tonight. (called & re scheduled for tomorrow) Also had to set him up to update the outlets in the apartment, the tenant is being very nice about not being able to plug in his electronics. I'd be throwing a fit!

Had a freecycle success and several vintage light fixtures found new homes.....and we cleared out a bit more space in the basement here. Still making progress on this....just so slow it is hard to tell sometimes.

Sold another book, have it packaged up and ready to go to town tomorrow when we have to return for the electrician.

Oh, we fit in a review of the inspection report, and signed documents to send to the seller. Plus, my week end young man arrived.......with an ear infection and extra meds. 30 minutes with ear drops 4X's a day. That should keep us occupied this week end!

Mom & I are getting tired of the details here lately. I can see her becoming not overwhelmed exactly, but definately worn down with the constant something that needs attention. Forgot one today: We needed to get a plumber into the rental house too.......our usual guy is booked until the end of Oct, so we're trying a new one on Thurs. There is a leak in a pipe that we have a high tech solution for right now (a bucket) and have to remember to run down every day or so to empty said bucket.

Stopped at the rec center when in town, my class for next week has 7 registered already, will buy supplies tomorrow. I would never have agreed to all these classes if I knew we were going to be buying a house and possibly moving! Too much for my brain to process........

I headed to the old house this AM to supervise the loading of my things......which began to look like stuff right away quick.

By the time the crew was unloading it here, I was thinking of it in terms of junk! What in the world was I thinking about when I saved and carefully packed all this stuff??

Most everything is stored in moms garage at this point, since things feel so temporary right now. I've got a van full of "junk" that the movers didn't want in their truck, will save that to unload in the morning.

The whole day did cost me some money, but it was a job I couldn't do on my own and I've only got one son!!! Nephews are all out of state, or recently injured in a car accident...so they are no help in the lifting and hauling department. So, the money was well spent and yes, I did shop around a bit first.

Now that there is no time crunch and I've got the load of things here.....I plan to go through things with a finer tooth comb this time; getting rid of almost everything! There are some things I just can't part with and what an odd bunch of stuff that is! My great grandmas rocker (really ugly, I keep saying I'm going to paint it and recover the cushion), a rattan doll buggy I had as a little girl (can't possibly get rid of that now can I?), a formal I wore in the late 60's!!! (way too many memories there!) and the list goes on.

The things I want to save and make space for, in addition to paying someone again to haul them to the next house (still crossing fingers it's the beach house), are not very valuable. Just to me. It's been an interesting exercise to notice the items I paid for, or people bought me over the years......aren't really on my list of things to keep. I've freecycled some, gave some to my foster dtr and left some at the old house for the tenants to use... I've truly come to a point where it isn't "things" I want. Nice.

If it wasn't for my piano and my bedroom furniture, I think I could get my really special "stuff" into my van!

Spent the day getting to and from the beach house.....not much time at the beach actually.

Met the inspector there and watched him pick the house and property apart. Hoping the final report isn't too scary, but it is an old......really old house with a recent remodel, so it's not all normal construction.

Mom's not scared......she is still ready to go. There are just a couple items we will see if the seller will cover the costs to bring up to speed. Some of the other things are just going to have to be stuff we live with, in exchange for the location of the house.

Apparently, there were too many red flags re; the foundation, or rather several foundations and how they meet up on the corners of the new meets old house. And, there was an odd sound when the cover to the circuit box was removed........so an electrician needs to be brought in to give the word on that issue.

The rest were in the catagory of "areas to keep our eye on" sort of things. The house has a metal roof, made in the shape of tiles....and there is no way we could figure out to get up on the roof without collapsing the metal, look like roofing tile things. So, no info on the chimney nor the status of the roof. Not sure what we decided on this part....

And there was a bit about the lack of ventilation under the house......it was built before lots of the regulations we have now; and there isn't room for anyone to get under the house, so the vapor barrier, insulation is a difficult thing to do, or to check on. Again, not sure what the verdict is on this one, but it's not likely there is any fix for this.......

Waiting for tomorrow, when the actual report gets emailed to us, then we decide what we can live with and what we're heading back to the bargaining table with. Mom just wants to GET there, I would like to see her be able to do that.........and deal with any difficulties one at a time, if we need to. Selling the house shouldn't be a problem, most likely, the next owner would remove the house and put up something much more grand anyway.

So, again.......the waiting.

An interesting welcoming committee was at the beach house this AM when we arrived...........3 deer on the front lawn. This should make gardening a challenge...it has been 2 years since I had a yard with deer! This will be an odd yard indeed, as last time we visited the house, there was a seal sunning himself (herself?) on the float just out from the lawn....

By tomorrow morning, the utility accounts for the old house will be out of my name. I did drag my feet on this one.......my aversion to conflict cost me stress and actual dollars.

The power and cable/net bills were the only ones left, but they are some biggies. Former room mate, now tenant did pay towards the bills; however did not cover them totally......so this will be a money saving step for me.

I also found a property mgmt firm I can work with to just accept the check from said room mate turned tenant & then forward to me. I just needed a buffer here, so she is responsible to someone else, not me. Long story, but I think this might work. If she doesn't pay on time, I won't have to listen to her 101 reasons why and steps to have her vacate will already be happening. Again, my aversion to strife here.

The inspection of the beach house is tomorrow; mom & I will join nephew/realtor for the event. Another ferry ride........and all day spent at the possible new place. I hope to measure rooms to come home with a better idea of what will fit where. Still have fingers crossed re; the 3 items we have on our list of questionable things there.

Managed to fit in a bit more gardening today, using the hedge trimmer I finished the way overgrown shrubs in the front yard. As soon as I get the trimmings cleaned up, I will have worked my way around this yard. It's taken me since last spring and it's not a complete job.......but it does look like someone lives here now!

I've got many, many empty shelves in the basement as of this evening. I had tried my dads collection of Readers Digest Condensed books again and had a taker scheduled for today.

Since I've had a couple duds lately, I did not pack up all the books and lug them upstairs. But, surprise, surprise, the doorbell rang, right on schedule and a very nice gentleman packed and hauled all the books to his truck. Woo hoo!

I'm guessing there were a couple hundred books, easy. Back to the 60's, maybe even the 50's. Not sure when these started coming out, but dad had to have every one. I remember reading them all when I was a kid....loved them!

I love them even more at someone elses house! The thought of hauling them all out to my van and then to the thrift store was just beyond my energy level. This worked for me! Besides that, I just couldn't see donating them to a store who was going to turn around and sell them! Much better to find someone to give them to outright. I just needed to be patient and keep offering them!

With a little more work and organization, I'll have three 6' tall bookcases cleared out for the move. I'm guessing dad has them attached to the walls, which could be interesting to detach them....and they will need a coat of paint as he was fond of some pretty strange colors. Mom & I have never had the luxury of bookcases this large, so they will be a treat indeed at the new place.

No word yet on the house deal....staying busy to keep from thinking about it ALL the time. Trying to come up with an inspector as the one I knew has flown the coop it seems.

Flooring completed in the little rental, now just a few minor details to finish up by Sunday night. Amazing but true, it's going to be the bridal suite that night. The tenants are getting married Sunday, and the groom came to me in secret and asked if he could take his bride there for their wedding night as a surprise. She thinks they can't get into the house until they return from their honeymoon.... Hope she is as wowed with it as he is....it is a very old house and any charm it has is truly on the surface!

I actually love this time of year; for lots of reasons. As someone who loves gardening and the results of gardening, this is sort of final curtain time with the yard.

I cleaned out the lettuce beds last week, nothing worth harvesting, they had all got too damp......so into the yard waste bin.

Today I brought in an armful of cucumbers.....twice......and pulled out all the old vines. Lots of cleared ground after this one, it was amazing how far a few plants went. We've had fresh cucumbers now for a couple months which has been very yummy.

Harvested a zuchinni that had got away from me, so it's going to become spice cake as of tomorrow. There are a handful of tiny ones that I'll be watching and try to get them in before they freeze if we have some nasty weather roll in. Hoping we have nice enough days these will continue to mature as we didn't get our fill of zuchinni pancakes! No matter how many of these plants I manage to put in each spring, I've never had too many. The zuchinni jokes are lost on me!

I've got many other projects to take care of before I'm going to be happy with the gardens. I am a stickler about getting the work done right away, because I hate working with slimy wet remains of plants in the garden. Today was sunny at times, no rain here and not cold yet........perfect gardening weather.

I won't be planting anything this season, as we've still got our fingers crossed about our beach house deal. (tomorrow should bring us some news about the title search/easement & well issues) So, the work is only cosmetic here; everything will be trimmed and picked up before I feel like settling in by the wood stove with my knitting!

The expenses are beginning to add up already and the deal hasn't even closed.

I picked up 2 van loads of boxes this AM, (freecycled), so the only expense there was the gas. Planned the pick ups to be close to the old house, so I wasn't too far afield. Met my son at the old house, so used cheap help!! Good help however. And, as an aside....fun too. Which is saying alot. He hasn't been the most likable fellow in years past.

I have hired a real moving crew and truck for Thurs however.... so there will be money out for that day. Well spent, since I only have one son and my nephew is recovering from a car accident... A paid crew seems to fit my needs this time around. It works better too, when I tell them what to do. Not so much with relatives!

Was too tired tonight to unload my van. We packed it with things I'm going to try to get rid of, as well as all my computer stuff, hate to put that on a moving truck for some reason. Sent an email to foster dtr & she is interested in much of my stuff I just couldn't see getting rid of entirely. She will keep and use things like the dehydrator & juicer, etc........and if I ever feel the need for them, I can borrow them back. She was thrilled and I don't have to pack them. Works for me.

Found a property mgmt firm who will take on my old house & help come up with a solution re; old room mate person. Pretty sure this won't take long, if she has to pay someone besides me. Calling her tomorrow with the details of the new regime.

Can't wait to have all my things in one place. When I sort of moved to moms last spring, I brought just the necessities. Then, I started bringing a van load of things at a time, but have had no where to really put them. I'm doing lots of daydreaming about my own furniture in my room, my piano at the same place I'm living and being able to look around my space and see NO boxes! I know the new place is very small & I'm planning accordingly......tossing or farming out all the things I have not used in the past 6 months.

Will deal with the crummy load of things in the van in the morning.....everything looks better in the morning, right???