Putting My House in Order

When Joan went into the hospital I knew she would never be able to live by herself again. With the help of four very dear friends we sold Joan's mobile home and her furnishings. I was able to deal with Joan's bills, etc. It was made easier because Joan could communicate with me but still was a task that was not simple. After Joan died I continued to 
take care of her affairs, many times stumbling through because she wasn't here to help me.


Sister Susi and I decided to make it as easy as possible for our executors. There was the possibility that I would die suddenly and my executrix would have no one to talk to about
my affairs.
I met with Jo Ann, my exec, last week and we went through a lot of stuff - things I remembered were difficult for me to do for Joan. Now I am happy to say that my house is in order. What a
load off my mind. 
Did you know that no one can cancel your telephone, electricity, gas, cable, etc. without having Power of Attorney papers faxed to the utility companies? Why is that? I suppose it's to prevent a person getting back at someone by disconnecting all their utilities.
Got anyone you want to mess with? Here's a way!

Judi and Tom Walton

Thomas Walton is the retired editor and vice president of the Toledo Blade. He writes a column in the Blade every other  Monday. I do not subscribe to the Blade but get to read Tom's column because a friend gladly shares them with me.
His latest subject concerned old clothes vs new. He said he would rather wear his jeans that are 15 years old than the new chinos his wife buys for him. One time he found a pair of trousers in the back of the closet that had S&H green stamps in the pocket.
At the end of Tom's column there are the words, "Contact him at...." and gives his e-mail address.
I have written to him in the past (about the demise of White Castle's and "Six in a bag for a buck") so wrote him again about "old clothes".
This is my e-mail.


hi, tom. i read your article about old clothes. i want to tell you what my mother said about NEW clothes. mom bought a pants suit (this was in the late 70's). i would pick her up to go to dinner and notice she was not wearing the suit. i asked her why. mom answered, "it doesn't fit my bends".
(Notice the absence of capital letters? That's because I don't use caps in my e-mails. I do use them in my blog when I feel like it).
Lo and behold, Tom wrote back! He said, "Thanks for a good laugh. I know exactly what your mother meant. My mom used to say , 'It doesn't give where I take' ".
His column, my e-mail and his reply will be pasted on a page in my new 2012 diary.
Have a glorious day, my four faithful readers, especially my dear friend, Marilyn in chilly
Sarasota, FL. Temperature there yesterday was 51!!! BRRRRRRRRRR!!

Marlene and Jim

I have a dear friend, Marlene, who's husband, Jim, has dementia. I have watched him go down hill, memory-wise, this past year and a half. Marlene calls me to "dump". She needs someone to talk to and to say whatever she is feeling, knowing that I will never criticize her, no matter what.
Some of Jim's life is very sad. Because he doesn't remember, he asks the same question every 15 minutes until, whatever he is asking takes place. Marlene patiently answers the same question over and over, then calls me and screams!
Monday always meant that Jim golfed and Marlene went to her quilt group. On Monday Jim asks Marlene what day it is so he can take the right pills in his pillbox. When he hears it's Monday, he tells Marlene he's going to go golfing. He said that this morning! It was 20 degrees out! And, Marlene has told him he cannot drive anymore, doctors orders.


Surprisingly, there is humor. Jim suffered a heart attack this past summer. Marlene, with the encouragement of her children, opted not to have the surgery the doctor suggested for Jim. Because of the dementia, Marlene was afraid that Jim would be way too confused and would not remember to do the things you need to do after this kind of surgery. The doctor gave Jim 
nitroglycerin patches that are to be attached to his body and removed 12 hours later.
Marlene, the one with her mind still intact, puts the patches on Jim every morning and takes them off every night. BUT..............more than once Jim or Marlene finds two of the patches on
Jim. When she tells me this and we both laugh I ask her, "Who's got dementia?!?"
Jim forgets what the patches are for ( because he has insisted since June that he DID NOT have a heart attack) and when Marlene says they are nitroglycerin, he says, "You are trying to blow me up", then grins.

OOPS, I FORGOT

last weekend rebekah came to help me clean and to pick up a used car my car
man, ron, got for her.
i did not help reb, i just watched her. such energy and stamina! i was very envious of that energy! she is also one excellent cleaning woman! she went way beyond the list i made for her. she read it and started to laugh because i had written "shake rugs good". she asked, "how else would i shake them"? 
ron found her a 2002 saturn, 4 door. i got the loan for her and she will make the payments. was so happy i could help her out. the van she had was a piece of shit!

hello, one and all! (i think 3 people are reading this. WOW!)
my little tree, 30" tall with 200 little white LED lites, is on - also the colored string on my banister. christmas decos have been placed here and there around the apartment, some in every room, even the bathroom.
the decorating is coming to an end. my dear rick, who has helped we turn my ugly duckling into a swan, comes tomorrow to hang up the last of the pictures and small mirrors. mirrors are 3"x3" and frames are 4"x4", a wonderful IKEA find. had 6 watercolors (from the Massachusetts area where susi lives) matted and framed. rick will place those here and there. oh, by the way, there is a small wall to the left and right of the window seat. that is where the mirrors will go. there are are 7 of them, 4 will go on one end and 3 on the other. some are framed in black and the others in a deep red.
i HOPE, HOPE, that fran and i can get together the very 1st of january and take pics and she will show me how to put them on this blog. everyone of you, go outside, face toward sylvania and chant,
"pictures, pictures" and that will help it happen.
i wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! ciao!

a gathering at the new digs

bill was here to help me buy rugs and to hang pictures. we found the rugs at lowe's.  two are
5'x8' and two are 2'x4' . they fit perfectly. pattern is the same in all four.
not all the pictures have been hung - only put up joan's florida house pics. i bought 6 lovely watercolors in massachusetts - country scenes of actual places around susi's home. i am having them matted and framed. when they are ready, bill will hang them and the rest of joan's houses. 
i hosted a 50's dinner party on thursday night. fran and robin, my apartment friends, came to
enjoy a swiss steak meal with bill and me. 
bill put a string of 200 tiny, white LED  bulbs on my little christmas tree. the tree is only 30" high!
 then the four of us hung tiny green and red balls on the tree and placed an origami
swan on the top. she is lovely!

The Ark's Progress

I have ordered the wood. I had to check my bible to see what kind of wood is the best for a large boat that may float on the top of the water for 2-3 days. I checked with Carter Lumber for cypress wood. They have it and wanted to know how much I needed. When I told Sam, the man who answered the phone,  I was building an ark, he hung up on me! That's not very nice!
Today I baked 30 chicken breasts for my TOPS Christmas potluck to be held tonight. The apartment smells yummy. I was afraid I wouldn't have a pan big enough, but my roaster held them all. Heavy to lift, though.
We are getting rain again. We had a few sunny days, one day a dusting of snow but
the rain has returned. To keep myself cheerful during the gloomy days, I light the lamps in the living-room. There are seven in all. When they are all turned on the room becomes bright and cheery!