weese and her wife - land baronesses

Irony.
One of several reasons we bought the little house down by the water was to cut down on all the maintenance we currently have here.


As it turns out - we've ended up doing a 'bit' more work on the new house than first anticipated...


This has delayed our move in date.
So now we maintain two houses...and yards...and gardens.
Oh - and we still haven't sold my mom's house yet.

Is it any wonder why I have no time for blogging.

a little something for everyone

I went to the bank today. The branch... you know where there are actual tellers and such.
I was cashing in rolls of quarters and proceeds from our tag sale, car wash and bake sale - to get a deposit check together for the new house we are going to own tomorrow.

It took the teller a few moments to gather the paper work and count all those quarters - so I was idly watching the TV screen over her head. Normally I eschew screens in places of business. I find them disturbing and bothersome.
But something struck me about this show.
It was CNBC and they were discussing some top trader type fellow who was leaving his company and going to another. Apparently, this was big news and causing much stir.

But what struck me was the set, the commentators, the backdrop - even the stuff running at the bottom. This literally could have been on ESPN, with the topic about any of the big time players moving to another team. Even their body language and conversation patterns were just the same as I had seen Ferris watch a million times on his sports channels.

I began to picture a room of young analysts in front a huge TV, swilling beer and snacking on chips and big meat sandwiches**. They would argue back and forth about the move... was it the right move, was the new company smart in paying so much at sign on, how would the old company recover.

Hey... whatever you're into.
It's just nice to know those boys have a show to watch too.


** ok, possibly they would be swilling martinis and munching on fancy crackers slathered in caviar. but I like my imagery better.

Friday

tip-o-day

Here's a quick, easy way to keep your house in tip-top shape and always ready for that unplanned drop in.
Put a for sale sign in the front yard.

just when you thought....

I went over to my mom's this evening to meet a woman to sign a binder on her place.
I am the Executrix. I love the way that sounds... it makes me want to wear leather and furry handcuffs.

The contract has Hubbard clause because this woman needs to sell her place first.
I like her. She's a nurse, like mom. I hope she gets it.

But I was early. And I started to wander around.
And it started to get hard.

On the counter I found a tape and a player that my sister in law had left out for my brother to listen to. It was a tape from one of the many visits to one of my mothers many doctors. Sometimes, randomly she would bring along this little cassette recorder, because sometimes she didn't remember what the doctors told her.
I don't think she ever listened to any of the tapes after the appointments.

My sister in law set it out so we could hear her voice again.

This appointment was with a surgeon from Yale. One of the best. He specialized in difficult cases. She visited him a couple times. This visit was shortly after a year on chemo, and a few months before her death. On this tape I heard him tell her that she was still inoperable. That damned tumor was still sitting right on her vena cava. A major artery. And this position is what made surgery out of the question.
But - he told her all was not bad. The chemo was shrinking her tumor. I heard her voice add that indeed her markers were down.
This was all good news. Reason for hope. He advised perhaps some radiation.
Don't rule that out.
You look good he remarked.
Stay positive. And by all means keep in touch, he told her.
He was lovely... this surgeon, with a delightful British accent and a gentle European way. He was so soothing, and confident, and gave her that knowledgeable hope - that she would only take from the best doctors.
He assured her. Even though he could not help her.

I was with her at this appointment. Sitting right next to her. I believe I was holding the little cassette recorder.
I heard the hope, along with the subtleties of fear in her voice on that tape.
I don't remember hearing that when we were there.