Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Winding Things Up

It's that time of year when I begin winding things up for the year. Bob has only one more medical appointment this year. For a year that had a lot of ups and downs for him I believe he's going to close the year in a pretty good shape. For that we are grateful.

Daughter sent a text on Sunday that she made 8 double recipes of toffee and a recipe of divinity. She must be gifting candy to half the city. When she gets here she's committed to candy making with Bob.

Looks like I will finish the year in vertical position. I managed to escape having to take blood pressure medication which made me very happy. The world still spins a little from time to time, but mostly at night when I'm in bed so I can't hurt myself. I expect it will go away in time.

My sister-in-law received our check yesterday and immediately called. She's always thanked us when we've given them money but she was very emotional this time. I do think life is pretty tough for her these days. Our daughter is sending generous CVS and Kroger gift cards that should enable her to pay for her prescriptions for several months. Our son is sending a Walmart gift card. Life has been good for our family this year and it's only right we pay some of it forward.

I love my sister-in-law but she gave every cent of their money to children and grandchildren that did not deserve the help. Granted they had a child that got into drugs but no way could Bob's brother or any of us convince her there was a time when she had to stop. Until recently she managed to squeak out money for these kids and grandkids and I was determined not to support them. As far as I can tell that's stopped now, she's hit bottom, but we have to be very careful about how we help her.

I'm looking out the window expecting snow to begin falling any minute. To be honest I have to say it will probably be no more than an inch and most likely will be gone by tomorrow. I've never lived where it was cold enough to have a lot of snow. This morning when I read Jean's post at The Misadventures of Widowhood I was shocked. I have no concept of how to survive in a world that seriously snows.

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for the shout out. We're expecting another 6 to 12 inches of snow this weekend with a wind chill of 1 to 10 below.

    My sister-in-law on my husband's side did the same thing with her money...gave thousands to her kids and then had to struggle over every penny she spent. She did ask me about it before she did it and I told her to hold on to the money, that she didn't know how much she'd still need before she died. But she didn't listen. Now she's living in a substandard nursing home because she made herself poor giving over $400,000 to her kids. Makes me mad.

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    1. We're getting more snow than I expected but nothing like you get. It's beyond me to understand why these two women put themselves in such awful financial situations. There was no reason it should have happened to my sister-in-law. Bob's brother worked many years for Southwestern Bell/AT&T and had a good pension. She did really dumb things like not enrolling to pay a monthly fee to ensure she would receive half his pension after his death. They did reverse loans on two houses and finally just walked away from the last one.

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  2. Glad things are going well for you and you family Linda. And hopefully your vertigo will disappear completely.

    Our area in upstate NY averages between 110 - 120 inches per season. No wonder I can't wait to escape to FL! It's the driving during the snow storms that drives me crazy. It just doesn't feel safe. I had several close calls when I was still working and felt like I had to go in to work, even though the weather was bad. Very nerve wracking.

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    1. There's just no way I can conceive of such a thing. I very much fear falling. I would be totally house bound. I can understand leaving but why Florida? How about Arizona or Texas?

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    2. Because we are away for 3 months, we need to drive, so as to have our car with us while we are gone. Our FL destination is about 1200 miles .Additionally, close friends of ours stay at the condo complex where we go, which makes it so much nicer for socialization.

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  3. It's nice to end the year on a hopeful note.

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  4. There's a lot of good news here about both you and Bob. I'm so glad. Any time we come out on the positive side of the ledger is good. That mention of divinity is making me envious. I can manage fudge, but I've never made divinity since coming to Texas -- it seems like it's always too humid. A friend in Louisiana tried candy this week, with 72F and fog. She says she'll never do that again.

    It looks like there might be a flake or two in DFW this coming weekend. My, but I would love some real snow. The blizzards when I was growing up were really something. There's nothing so clean and crisp as a nice, new, 20" to cheer a kid up. But you can have the frozen door locks, the shoveling, the snowplows filling up the driveway, and such. I want romantic snow, thank you very much. :-)

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    1. I cautioned daughter not to try making divinity if the humidity was high. She claimed that probably wasn't necessary anymore in homes with central heat and air. Wonder if that's true? I find divinity tricky and I would never be tempted to make it on a rainy day.

      We had about two inches of snow but the sidewalks are slick as glass.

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  5. We don't get as much snow as we used to. Some years, yes, some years, no. I love it when it comes.

    I'm so glad to hear that you and Bob are ending the year on a good note. Nothing wrong with that. I think your bouts with dizziness will disappear. That's what happened with me anyway.

    My husband worked for AT&T for 37 years. When he retired, he chose the "survivor" benefit so that I would continue to receive his pension - at a lower amount, of course.

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    1. I wonder if my sister-in-law looks back and regrets not choosing the "survivor" benefit? I talked to her about it and she claimed they could not afford it. In my opinion they could not afford not to choose it.

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  6. Wonderful news that you and Bob both are on a high note. May it last all of next year. Now if you could just quit going to bed feeling drunk. That has to be weird.
    Great that the family is helping your SIL. At least she is not feeling alone which has to be a comfort.

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    1. Yes, this has been a good year for our family. It's only right we pay some of it forward.

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    1. I was very angry with my SIL for a while after the death of Bob's twin. Finally had to deal with it. We've been in the family together 54 years. You don't get to choose family. I can't be mean to her.

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  8. Eight double batches of toffee?!?! Glad the vertigo has subsided. Your sister-in-law is fortunate to have you family members who care.

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    1. I would think she wouldn't want to make anymore candy but she's committed herself to a father/daughter candy making session so she'll have to rise to the occasion one more time.

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  9. Glad to hear your year is ending on a positive note. Candy making by your husband and daughter sounds like a memory-making experience to be treasured in years to come. Glad your dizzy spells restricted to when you're in bed. Remember some fierce winters from my past and feel no need to experience the real thing now. Merry Christmas to you and family.

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