2024 Year in Review - Crazy year - Seniors - Cats - Estates - Hard Work

Who knew getting old was this much work! Now I know why people retire at 65, because one must take care of their aging parents and pets, file for social security, find new insurance, sell real estate and basically set up one's future so you can ease into it! I've yet to see the easing but the summation of this past year has been "one thing after another" but there is always a silver lining as so many people have come to my rescue this year!

The first few months of 2024 started pretty calmly and then snowballed into a complete nightmare. My husband was living in Tennessee caring for his 93 year old father and everything that could break at our house in Virginia did. We're big DYIers and rarely hire anyone because often it does not turn out like it should. In early Spring the power went out and I was hauling in wood for the stove. Things calmed down and were going along pretty well until the grass started growing. The belt on the lawn mower broke. I had someone tell me they were coming several times to replace it and never did so the grass kept growing - a lot! I had to find someone to mow the lawn which was a bit of a disaster. A kind gentleman showed up with a push mower for 2 acres. After 6 hours, 3 stop and start rains and the sun beginning to set, I let him go and there was still 1 acre left to mow! Retrospectively it seems like such an easy thing to work out but everyone already has mowing commitments and it was impossible to find someone urgently over Memorial Day weekend. 

During that time the water heater began to leak and the compressor on the Heat and Air broke. Next up was opening the pool which was totally not doable by myself. I don't even remember what else happened but I was bailing in a boat, sinking in a swamp -- totally losing it. Finally we decided enough was enough and it was time to either get divorced or move my father-in-law in with us. Of course he did not want to leave his home and that was another hurdle. We ended up proposing a 2 week vacation which at least got him willingly out of his house. It was frightening driving him 6 hours but we did make several stops (one being ice cream) and it went smoothly. After being at our house for 3 days, he told us he wanted to live with us and to sell his house. We all cried!

Bob is very little trouble and still gets around but can't be left alone. The biggest responsibility is that I have been managing his home located out of state. We discovered there was no insurance on the house! The first trip to check on this house was intense. I had a long list of tasks to accomplish to list his house with a realtor. The heat and air was not working when I arrived. A lot of time was wasted hiring a disreputable company that ripped me off straight away (my worst google review of 2024) but I did find a great company to fix it and also found a wonderful tree cutter who did an excellent job. My Aunt who lives nearby helped me and supplied FOOD so I ended up enjoying my time with her and the wonderful realtor that brought me coffee to seal the deal. Brittney Riddell has helped me in so many ways, letting people into the house to buy items and picking me up after selling Bob's car at Carmax. During the horrible rain that nearly wiped out Asheville several bridges were washed away near Bob's house. When the realtor finally could even get to the house she had to bail out the crawl space. A neighbor of Bob's has also helped me greatly, coming to my rescue many times! I am so thankful these angels dropped into my life.

To add more drama, when Bob found out that I was at his house he got angry that I did not take him with me and went on a hunger strike. After a week of preparing his house to sell; hiring an assortment of companies while cleaning, painting, selling items online, gardening, stuffing my car full and general craziness I was told Bob was at the ER. I was driving home and my husband called saying his Dad passed out from not eating. Luckily the home health care worker caught him. So I drove 6 hours to Virginia straight into the ER. Talk about exhausted. He remained in the hospital for observation for 3 days. 

After moving Bob to Virginia we had to transfer his Veterans healthcare which amounted to wiping the slate and starting all over. Setting up medical care, prescriptions, and home health care. The VA has some great benefits but the systems takes time and persistence to set up through the Richmond office. They have a wonderful VA Clinic in Charlottesville and after a few months we were assigned a geriatric doctor that comes straight to the house! He also hooked Bob up to a local day care program at JABA which he really enjoys. They have qualified caregivers, live music, meals, and programs to keep him active. He was even dancing the other day which we never thought we would see given the doctors said he would not make it through the year! Also through the VA we have home health care come several days a week to assist him.

The icing on the cake was my year end deadline to finalize my friend's estate that I've been working on since 2023. I really thought I could complete this process alone, but the complexity of her brokerage account financial statements got me in the end. No unsurmountable issues until the accounting struck. In the end I wanted to blow my brains out. I consulted with an accountant, watched tons of videos, and even attended an online Q and A session. I did everything imaginable but still could not balance the financials. How hard could it be? It's just MATH! I like math. It drove me to near insanity and finally with a week left in 2024 (after searching for a week), I found a CPA and handed my completed accounting over and ran screaming into the night. It was like giving up a child. I had invested so much time and energy into this. Apparently this last step is a beast and very few accountants will fool with it. I'm ending the year sweating as I've not heard that she has been successful. I hope she can find the error!

Another side project that I've been working on since the Summer is getting free solar panels installed. It is a pilot program through our local energy company and LEAP that ended in 2024 so the clock was ticking! They were turned on 12/23. It's a basic system and we'll only see 1/4 - 1/2 of our usage covered but I've been committed to solar for a very long time. It's a pretty exciting moment for me and a positive way to end a year of chaos and trauma. This is my annual environmental commitment that will last for 30 years! We'll be in our 90's when they pull the plug if we make it that long.

My mother has been living with us for 4 years now. She is still very independent and has her regular weekly drive route that she navigates safely. We volunteer for Friends of the Library and she mainly watches the chaos from afar. We upgraded her tablet at Christmas so she is amazingly tech savvy at 89. She also helps me package items for my online selling sites and it's a mystery how I continued to sell through thick and thin and had the best year ever.

In the Spring I discovered my long time vet had retired and had not been happy with the vet staff for some time so I switched my 3 aging cats to a new clinic. A frightening process but the staff is kind and the vet is excellent. Our cats have arthritis, 2 are on blood pressure meds, one has IBS, another is hyper-thyroid. $$$$. We have reminder alarms for pill management going off morning, noon, and night for people and cats!

Anthony ran into a technicality at the first of the year with his job working out of state and eventually had to retire a year earlier than planned. He finalized his Medicare and social security and will collect his first check January 2025. Because I'm not retirement age I had to search for private health and dental insurance. Adding another duty to the roster. We also have an insurance angel that helps our entire household. Thank goodness for Mr. Trout.

Being "the year of Bob", we ended it with getting him a Virginia license that allowed him to vote and get a fishing license. He really wants to get out this Spring by a Lake! 

Without the help of several key people, I don't believe I would be sitting here typing this. here were some kind souls that really bailed me out!

The happiest new year to all and keep the faith. Day by day, hour by hour, keep plugging. This too will pass, and it did, 2024 is toast!

~Rebecca

Ending 2023, my year in review. A tough year and glad it's GONE.

I probably should not wish a year to end as the coming year could always be worse, but it's hard to imagine. It was a year full of anguish and hard work. Once I got a breath, more bad news arrived but conversely some really depressing moments ended up positively.

Judy loved her cats!

Early in the year a dear friend passed away and I was named Executor of her estate. Prior to her death I was her Power of Attorney during her long illness. I had never been either so it was a learn as you go experience, emotional but educational and interesting. When I signed the original agreement we lived in the same town but as the years traveled along we had moved 3 hours away, making assisting more difficult. Fortunately I worked closely with her dearest friend to inventory her belongings and gained a new friend in the process.

My Mother-in-law loved Schnauzer's

As soon as I managed to get her estate in order, my mother-in-law passed away after a long illness. My husband ended up practically living with his mother and father for months (they live 6 hours away). I was glad he had the opportunity to do this for his parents. After her passing, we switched gears to figure out his father's situation, researching health care workers for him because he didn't want to leave his home. I discovered a veterans program where they pay for home health care for a certain number of hours a week. It has been a life saver.

A few of our amazing chickens from the past

Oddly, with each human death one of our chickens would follow. We now have no chickens after 10 years of managing and watching out for their safety from hawks and foxes. There is nothing sadder than looking out to an empty chicken yard, but we're planning for our retirement by not adopting more animals as we're determined to flee the coop and travel... ONE DAY. We still have our three cats which amazingly are hanging in there with various senior issues.

In between the ups and downs, I've somewhat neglected my online vintage business but I found time to kick it in gear for the holiday season. Surprisingly I've have a good sales year. I presume it's because I've been selling for 13 years now which gives me an online presence and I also have keyed in on what and where to sell.

My mother still lives with us and is very independent. Shopping for herself and pitching in with packing up goods to ship for my shop. We finally got her to visit our new Senior Center in the Fall to pick up a bridge game or two and the next week we all got COVID so that new venture has been put on hold until Spring. I also developed a sinus infection which was worse than Covid! Shutting me down for a month.

I captured this Bee sleeping in a Crocus

Unfortunately for our pocketbook we had to get a new roof but we're hopeful we will be dead and buried before needing another one! Happy to at least get that behind us because we suspect the roof might have been 43 years old! It was a positive experience and the contractor was awesome so that helped swallow the bitter price pill.

We ended our year with my husband, my mother, and me needing a tooth crown, all in the same week. As I was waiting for the permanent crown a different tooth decided to break. So I'm ending 2023 with a temporary tooth reconstruction awaiting a crown in 2024 (which Cigna insurance pays zero for - they only pay for 1 crown in 60 months - what a racket). So technically my 2024 is not starting well, but we'll just lump that with 2023 since it happened in that year. I am very grateful to my new dentist for stepping up for my two emergency visits.

We didn't have any big health dramas other than teeth, so we can consider ourselves fortunate on that front. My husband is now officially 65 and signed up for Social Security but will not retire for a few more years - wow - seems impossible.

Finishing the year refreshing the dining room in time for Christmas dinner. The table was overtaken with Estate business and my Grandmother's Chandelier was jerry rigged with a piece of wire for the last 14 years! We managed to clear out the stuff, clean and rehang the chandelier, and hang a large painting that belonged to my deceased friend over the table.

I always try to adopt an eco-resolution and this year I'm trying to limit my plastic purchases to #1 and #2 recyclable containers (or better yet - purchase none) since any other number can't be recycled and most of #1 and #2 are landfilled anyway - ugh. I'm also testing our appliance consumption with a device and researching solar panels, an all consuming research project. Better to generate less electricity and waste to begin with!

Wishing you a positive and healthy 2024! Keep the faith that turning the page to a new year can refresh and renew.

~Rebecca

New Year 2018, where did 2017 go? Food changes on the horizon.

Amazing Fall Sky on Forsythia Hill

The first part of 2017 was a big blur. My father passed away in May from Alzheimer's and the lovely Spring flowers were hardly noticed, for the exception of the daily drive through neighborhoods to see my father in the Nursing Home during his last days.

I've been wanting to write about our family experience with this disease but have been unable to relive this devastating experience. My hope is to one day to write in order to help someone else that is in this hopeless situation.

It certainly makes one want to never get this disease and do everything possible to change the course. Drug after new drug tests fail and little snippets of potential causes are periodically proposed, but no concrete evidence has been found. A few weeks ago they claimed to think sleep disturbances contributed to Alzheimer's. My father never had a bad day of sleep in his life. Just yesterday I heard someone say they believe some people diagnosed with ALZ really have Mad Cow disease. Well that's a distinct possibility as my father did consume a lot of meat. Obesity and sugar consumption certainly fit the bill too.

Jethro is still protecting the ladies on our mini farm.

With each passing year I try to improve my diet and tread less on the environment by making life changes. Beginning in 2018 my husband and I have decided to consume less dairy products by removing the cheese blocks, sour cream, and yogurt from our grocery list. If you have not yet watched What the Health, a movie that could be called "the life changing movie of 2017", I recommend it. I'm still not convinced that eggs that I raise in my backyard are the root of all evil but it got my attention. I do believe that factory farm meat and eggs, and fish farms ARE the root of all evil and terribly unhealthy not to mention a cruel existence for so many animals. The premise of the movie is that in the United States we have a health care system focused on disease control by pill not prevention. While watching, just remember that claims to find the solution to perfect health are often called "a fad".

Strangest photo of 2017 - Gus and Cesar spotted together!

Sure, every day some new revelation is discovered; Eggs were in, then were out, now are in. Diet fads come and go. One constant seems to be that the major U.S. diseases; Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, Autoimmune Disease, and Alzheimer's are either inflamed by meat and dairy or occur because of diets rich in it. Diabetes is epidemic in this country. I want to live a life with the least amount of suffering and if I can make gradual changes to my diet to improve my health and potentially stave off these issues then I'm all in. Personally I believe GMO's are our enemy as is high fructose corn syrup and barley malt. Simple to avoid as they don't add any value to the taste. Common sense tells you that any product - food or cosmetic - should have the least amount of ingredients and be made of things you recognize!

Beach trip with Jenn to Southern Shores

Over the years I've set several goals and it's helped me stick to them by making a public pledge in my blog. I still only purchase recycled toilet paper and paper towels, always bring a fabric bag when shopping, don't eat chicken or turkey, eat my own chicken eggs or organic when out of season and don't drink cow's milk. I'm actually excited to remove 3 more dairy products! I'm still guilty of an occasional weak moment concerning hamburger or pork but it has evolved to be a desperation moment when I'm tired or craving Barbeque (I just bought my first 2 cans of Jackfruit to turn into BBQ, hoping that does the trick)! I'm stuck as far as coffee creamer as I have yet to find a dairy substitute that tastes GOOD. Fish are so polluted or fed GMO meal so that too has nearly been scrapped from my list. I really hate labels such as vegetarian or vegan as it can come across as boastful and is also too restrictive in my journey. My father's death certainly brought home the thought, "you only live once". Life is too short to be so anal about it that it becomes a chore. The more great tasting plant based options that are developed, the easier it is to make the change!

A drone fly over when Forsythia was in full bloom!

Even if the claim that meat and dairy are a detriment to your health is false, no one can dispute the cruelty to animals in factory farms and the unnatural conditions forced upon them My philosophy is that if each of us would cut back on the meat they consume and make the effort to eat local farm raised meat then the planet would be a better place. I can not imagine living next door to a factory farm being subjected to the noise, pollution, stench, and the horribly sad animals that are imprisoned there for life. It's simple, the less we support, the less suffering.

A crowd of Angels marching to the gates with my Father

On the day before my Dad's passing, I looked at my phone and noticed this strange photo that was on it (that I never shot). A friend said that purple signifies death in many cultures and that the white dots were spirits. It gave me a little peace to know he might be leaving us with angels all around!

Our much improved newly painted shed

I did manage to make it to the beach and it was so lovely. We did get one out of 2 sheds painted and I love the new look. We're going to paint the house and other big shed this color. We also redid the bathroom downstairs which was also a major accomplishment! Anthony is installing a hot water insinkerator that I picked up at the Habitat Store for $30.00 on this last day of the year! I hope he is finished in 2017 and that it actually works!

Our new little Powder Room

I'm hoping for 2018 that I can get back into the garden and celebrate SPRING, my favorite season. Happy New Year and take a stand to change your life to better your health and the planet. I would love for you to leave a comment if you plan to do just that!

~Rebecca