Chapter Closed

 Mom's memorial was yesterday.  It was a beautiful day after days of rain here in Missouri.  The chairs tended to sink into the ground during the graveside service.  The younger cousins kept hold of the older cousins to keep them from toppling out of their chairs as the back legs sunk further into the ground on the sloped area around the grave.  Jack, the funeral director, is a family friend and he did a wonderful service, possibly shortened from his usual as folks kept sinking in front of him.  Mom would have loved it.

I'll head back after the weekend.  Callie dog and I drove out in the Mazda.  It has been fun catching up with the cousins.  I'm pondering what I want to do now.  I have a lot of stuff to sort and get rid of now.  That will be the primary focus for the rest of the summer.

 

Continuing on

 Later today I'll again go back up to Mom's RV to continue clearing it out.  I'm giving myself 2 months.  If it doesn't take that long, great.  It is for sale.  The primary thing that I think will sell it is the lot it is on.  It is the cheapest place to live in the area, as well as being a nice park.

There is a park wide patio sale here in my park in the Valley next Saturday.  My original plan was to get rid of much of my own excess stuff in the sale, but first losing Jim Dixon, then my Mom put my plans in disarray.  I decided yesterday that I'm not going to deal with the stress.  I wouldn't get that much money from it, and I'll just donate the vast majority of both of our possessions.  Yesterday one of the guys here mentioned he is looking for a counter top oven.  Happens that I have one to get rid of, just needs a new cord.  I even had the cord to put on it.  Callie chewed the original one when I set the oven down while moving between motorhomes last summer, while it wasn't plugged in.  This has bothered me since that happened, one of the many background 'things to do'.  I offered the oven to him.  When he picked it up, along with the new cord, he looked it over and handed me $10, knowing he didn't have to.  Universe saying I made the right decision to not sweat trying to optimize this process for money.

My name was already on Mom's accounts, the funeral home in MO is taking care of Mom's ashes till I get out there, probably Memorial Day weekend, so all I need to do is this clearing out of her RV and selling it.  Selling the car is already taken care of once I clean it out.  She made it as easy on me as possible.

One thing I do have to do is change my permanent address.  As a snowbird/nomad I don't really have a permanent home.  I have used her address since I retired.  I'll change it hopefully next week.  I have an option to move my address to the Flagstaff area.  I go up there on a semi-regular basis to see friends, and for just money a forwarding service will forward my mail to me the rest of the time.  Probably.  That is what I did when I lived in WA and then moved to Honduras.  I just need to find a mail forwarding service up there.  A popular saying that I believe is that if money will solve it, it isn't really a problem.

Nearing the end

 Up until a week ago my almost 91 yo Mom was still driving.  Last Thursday I went up and took her shopping at Walmart.  Her legs were weak getting into and out of the car and I was hoping she would decide that it it time to give up the car.  I do almost all the driving now anyway.  She used the cart as a backup walker while we shopped but still walked on her own.

A friend talked to her on the phone Sunday night.  She didn't feel well and had a headache.  I went back up Monday, but when I tried to call to say I was coming she didn't answer her phone.  The door was still locked when I got there.  I let myself in and I processed she was on the floor in the bedroom as she said she thought she'd had a stroke.

Ambulance rides and ER and finding a bed for her down here in the Valley (Phoenix metro) and I got a call from the doctor at Banner Heart she had arrived.  When I went in next morning she was moving still and talking some.  By afternoon she wasn't responding to me or the nurses.

Heart attack, not stroke.  No course of action except hospice.  Today with the drugs to relax her she is just laying there brearhing.

While typing this I realized I no longer heard her breathing.  She's gone.

Staying home

I have learned that someone I was around on Tuesday has tested positive for COVID.  I'm still not feeling well from my ordeal yesterday, although I don't have any COVID symptoms.  I don't want to bring any germs out to you folks who are living away from us city folks.  I also don't want to get on the road and realize I'm too lightheaded to finish the trip.

I really wish I wasn't missing visiting with some friends who are in the area the area, as well as missing Bloggerfest.  It seems the responsible thing to do.  Sometimes adulting isn't fun.

I may not be there tomorrow

Bloggerfest is tomorrow at 1pm at the shelter house at La Posa South.  That said, I may not be able to be there.  I collapsed during my biopsy yesterday and spent a couple of hours in ER.  I am ok, it was a fainting spell due to pain when he hit a nerve, which I had warned them I do.  It was one of my more dramatic spells, and I'm a bit lightheaded still.

That said, I'm still going to try to drive over for the day if I feel like I can do it safely.  I hope to see whoever shows up.  If I'm not there I hope some folks who do show up have fun.  I'll post here tomorrow morning what I decide.

Saying goodby to another long time blogger

 If anyone read the comments on my last post we were informed that David Smith, blog on my sidebar Terlingua or Bust, has passed away.  He hadn't blogged in 3 years.  I hope he enjoyed the time on his ranch in Terlingua.

It is difficult to know when to take someone off my sidebar.  Sometimes they start blogging again after awhile.  Others I see still commenting on other's blogs so I hope they will blog again.  Some I keep there because there is good information there that I haven't yet taken time to transfer someplace else I can find.  I do think about what I can do to let folks who might want to know if anything were to happen to me where I can't blog anymore.  No real fail-safe ways to do it so far.

On Monday I take the motorhome in to have the parking brake fixed.  More on that once it happens.  I look around and think of things that need to go into the shed as I always try to be prepared in case anything happens to the motorhome while on the road.  We will stay in it while the work is being done, hopefully only a few hours, less if they need to order parts.

My rescheduled biopsy is on the 20th.  Bloggerfest is on the 22nd (again, sorry for picking the wrong Saturday).  In between and after I am still working on sorting and getting rid of stuff.  Also, a big thing is just not buying much.  I'm a work in progress.

Oops - Bloggerfest

 I looked (quickly) at a past journal to set the date for Bloggerfest and thought that I posted on the date of the event.  I see now it was 'next Saturday', and I've looked back on other journals, and yes, it was a week later.  I'll leave it at the 22nd, unless there is a conflict for someone who wants to attend.

Calendar is filling up

The biopsy was rescheduled for the 20th.  They didn't have the right shape marker clip.  I'm putting it down to supply chain issues.  Didn't realize it until the last minute.  It needed to be a different shape than the one already there from a previous biopsy in 2016, and the only shape they had was the same.

I have an appointment to have the emergency brake fixed on the motorhome on the 17th.  Barring a parts issue that should be go to go for the trip to Quartzsite.

Now to start troubleshooting the electrical problem.

Bloggerfest and catching up

I'm just not writing much anywhere lately.  Bloggerfest is still on for Saturday, January 22 at 1pm.  I'll be at the shelter house/pavilion at La Posa South with Callie dog.  Come on by.

In other news, I go in for a biopsy of the other breast this morning.  Not too worried about the result, it's not a mass this time.  My history of breast cancer makes them check out any anormality.

My good friend Turtle Lady lost her husband Tuesday night.  He had fought Parkinson's and Lewy Body dementia for several years.  I feel very far away from her over in Kentucky now.

Mom is doing well.  I get reports from the neighborhood watchers of most of her activities.  She knows this.  In RV parks there are always eyes watching to make sure everything is ok.  I personally like that.  I'm far removed from the lifestyle that needed to worry about who sees what I do.

I'm waffling on what vehicle to take to Quartzsite.  The motorhome would be most comfortable, maybe.  The 12V system isn't really functional while boondocking, but the generator works.  There is a week long campout memorial for a good friend, Mike Ardenaz, otherwise known as HighDesertRanger in the nomad community.  It starts the 22nd.  Turtle Lady was going to try to come out for that but I don't know if she will now.  I may end up just bringing the car and sleep over for a night with the gathered friends.

I'll post the results of the biopsy.when I know.

After all this time... And Bloggerfest

No great insights or anything to excuse the absence.  It's been a busy summer, mostly moving, first my Mom and then myself.  I hadn't gotten settled in when we took the motorhome on a trip back East, dropping Mom off at family in Kansas City and then going to a friend reunion in Kentucky.  I had fun, the motorhome is a bit worse for wear.  It was definitely a shake down trip.  Nothing that money and a repair shop can't fix.  

I'm moving down to the Valley for the winter this next weekend.  I kept saying Friday, but I need to see if anyone will be around to be a second set of eyes as I put the car on the dolly.  I am pretty sure I know the steps, but may not have the hand strength to tighten everything up.    I didn't take the car back East as I have too much difficulty getting gas in the motorhome with the car attached.  The gas cap is in the middle of the back, so placement close to the pump is mandatory.  I'm too long with the car attached to get in and out with my current driving skills.  One tank of gas per trip and everything is great.

Callie dog turned 1 this week.  She is basically settled in.  I haven't trained her as much as would best, but for our lifestyle it works so far.  Bosley cat got comfortable enough while traveling that he actually came out from under the couch a couple of times while we were going down the road.

I haven't felt well for the past week.  I went for a covid test Friday and yesterday got the negative results.  A neighbor had been exposed at work, and I had been around him.  It seems not to be covid, but whatever it is that hits me every year around time to swap places.  I'm clearing out my smaller storage unit and using the previous motorhome for storage, parking it in the storage lot here at this park.  Cheaper than the storage unit, and since I already have the motorhome it is the easy way out.  Also, I'm not sure I could get enough out of the motorhome to buy a cargo trailer to take it's place.

It is time to set the date for Bloggerfest.  Saturday, January 22, 2022 I will be at the shelter house at La Posa South to see anyone who cares to show up. More details once I get settled and can make sure nothing is a problem with that date.  If all goes as I hope, I'll have the motorhome there for the week or so before that date.  Feel free to get the word out.  This is a get together for bloggers, blog readers, and anyone else who cares to show up to get to know and catch up with each other face to face.  I don't know if I'll get George's fancy banner updated to post on the blog or not.