TheBanyanTree: annoying

Thu Dec 15 00:50:59 PST 2016

My mum, God love her, is still hale and hearty at 85, to the point where
we're going to the UK next April-May for a holiday. She pays, I do all the
organisation. Mother has a heart condition that is stress-related, so the
easy answer is to keep Mother away from stress. So I do all the navigating
through airports, make sure all the right documents are stamped by all the
right people, arrange ground transport to accommodation and then drive the
hire car. She waves the credit card and signs the cheques. It works. To get
to London is 24 hours in the air with a 36 hour stopover in Hong Kong both
ways. It's gruelling for people half her age!

Mum lives on her own in her huge rambling house. The Australian government
is very pro-active in keeping seniors in their own homes for as long as
possible, and Mum is a war widow (my dad was a WWII veteran, he died in
2011) so the Dept of Vets' Affairs looks after her very well. She also has
fantastic neighbours. And I mean fantastic. If her newspaper is on the
front path for 20 minutes longer than usual, someone is knocking at the
door to make sure she's OK. She also has one of those medi-alert thingies
so if she has a problem or a fall there is an ambulance at the door in
minutes. It's a relief to both my brother and me to know that she's got
that support. Brother lives in the same city and will drop everything in an
emergency, but I'm a 2-day drive - or a 2-hour drive and 2-hour flight -
away.

Mum is 'in training' for our UK holiday. She walks about 3-4 kilometres a
day and is picking up the pace. At this rate I'll need to get into training
myself to keep up with her. She also plays bridge about 4 times a week.
Anyone who tells you bridge is 'just a game' has never seen my mother play.
Those little old ladies are out to kill.

Meanwhile, plans for the big UK adventure are gaining acceleration. Flights
and accommodation have all been booked and friends in the UK alerted - just
in case they want to leave town. Mum's older brother, my uncle, will turn
96 in January and last year submitted his second PhD thesis. My grandmother
made it to 99 in good mental and physical health until the last few months.
Longevity seems to be in the genes. Mum tells me that next year's trip will
'probably' be her last overseas holiday. I have learnt never to
underestimate her.

R

On 15 December 2016 at 18:26, Monique Colver <monique.colver at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I have given up adult-ing. My phone keeps refusing that word without a
> hyphen. I have buried my parents, though in two cases it was more of a
> throwing them to the wind. My mother the convenient Catholic had her nice
> Catholic funeral, and now her husband lies next to her. When I drop in when
> in town, which is rarely, the graves look untended because my brother isn't
> in to that, so I clean up a bit.
>
> I thought of my stepmother the other day. She dropped dead when she was 60.
> And I thought how sad it was that she never got to see her golden child's
> children. Just as well - she was a bitch.
>
> Monique
>
> On Dec 14, 2016 9:46 PM, "auntiesash" <auntiesash at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > As you are working down to the $2000 mark, you can pre pay burial
> > expenses.  Just go wherever she'll end up.  Pay for the cremation or
> > whatever,  For mom, we prepaid for pastor, church, flowers, etc.
> >
> > One less thing to deal with later on & it comes out of her money.
> >
> > Love you, sweetie.  This adulting shit sucks!
> >
> > *“Everyone is from somewhere, **even if you've never been there.  **So
> take
> > a minute to remember the part of you that might be the old man calling
> > me.” *
> > ― Jethro Tull
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 14, 2016 at 8:37 PM, paul <paul at remsset.com> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Mom had AAA for insurance on her van.   I canceled it, it was pushing
> > $850
> > > a year.  Did not get the promised refund, so F the AAA.
> > >
> > > Our cars and house are on Traveler's.  R wants to get a local insurance
> > > critter.  I'm not exactly sure why unless it's a Nikita at the UN
> thing.
> > > So, I got a policy on the van at the local Farmer's agency.  6 months
> at
> > a
> > > time.  $280 the first 6 months including a $30  membership fee.  And
> then
> > > $302 to renew.
> > >
> > > Really?  For a 2004 Ford Freestar minivan?  Almost $600 a year???
> > >
> > > And the policy is for me, not my 84 year old mother that has problems
> > > pushing a walker.
> > >
> > >
> > > Oh, and shit, all the effing e-mail from Farmer's wanting me to do
> > > "satisfaction surveys".  A couple of surveys a week!  I got nothing to
> > > say.  Mark as spam.  So of course I missed any renewal notices that may
> > > have appeared.
> > >
> > > I went by the local Germania office the other day.  Closed for lunch
> from
> > > Noon to One. And hey sports fans, it's eleven fifty fucking eight!!!!
> > >
> > > I have other stuff to do.
> > >
> > > I called Traveler's and since the title isn't in my name, no go.  Like
> > now
> > > you have get your vehicle inspection done before you can renew your
> > > plates.  And you can't do shit if you don't have insurance.   A royal
> > pain
> > > in the ass.
> > >
> > > Er, must be a new rule by Traveler's because the PU on the policy isn't
> > in
> > > my name.  Not gonna say a word...
> > >
> > > Anyway, they'll cover the van for $354 /a year/.  With more than AAA or
> > > Farmer's.   Add about $80 for Comprehensive to cover shit like running
> > into
> > > deer.
> > >
> > > Plan A is to "sell" the van to me.  That puts the title in my name.
> > >
> > > As long as she has less than $2000 in the bank, including her slush
> fund
> > > at the nursing home for stuff like hair cuts and extra jello or
> whatever,
> > > we be cool.  She's going into the hole because it's like $20/month each
> > for
> > > a water and electric meter on  her house.  Plus Property Taxes.
> > Basically,
> > > Medi-whatever takes all of her income but gives her a $60 a month
> > allowance.
> > >
> > > The surplus is running down.  Not a surprise, actually.  It's ok.
> > >
> > > Plan B is my preferred choice:  Get my name on the title.
> > >
> > > Why?  Because the van has Purple Heart tags.  Labels you as an old fart
> > > driver right away... folks seem to back off on the tailgating stuff.
> For
> > > real.
> > >
> > > Oh, and Purple Heart tags are like $12 a year vs $70.  I think I
> earned a
> > > bit of that for all the beatings I received.
> > >
> > > So, Plan B is The plan.
> > >
> > > Now to get the paperwork done....
> > >
> > >
> > > paul
> > > --
> > > _____________________________________
> > >    http://remsset.com
> > >
> > >
> > >    I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
> > >
> > >
> >
>

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