And where did September go? Well I’ll tell you, for me it went to Oregon. My mom-in-law is 96 and decided it was time to transition to a senior living apartment. Hubby and I flew up on the 6th of September to help her find a place. Luckily she liked the first one she saw and then we began the process of going through her house to see what she would take with her and what could be donated, sold, whatever. What.a.process. Mom was from the Depression era and you know that means every paper clip has value. Add to that being a collector of cookbooks and a jigsaw puzzle aficionado you can guess there was a lot of stuff to go through. We tried to take some furniture to the consignment store but after sending them pictures, they only wanted one of the bookcases. Apparently oak furniture is not in style now.
Our original plan had been for me to fly home on the 10th so that I could work and my husband would stay until the 20th to help mom but once the actual move was set in motion we thought it would be a good idea for me to drive our truck up there and that way I could help with the moving and bring some things home that we wanted to keep. So I flew home and caught up with my work and then drove up on the 14th. We made several trips back and forth to donation centers and to the new apartment. I tried to be as organized as possible and to help ease the pain of having to leave so much stuff behind. The next goal was to have mom in her new apartment by Saturday the 17th. Hubby and I were still going to be staying at the house until the 20th so we could bring over anything mom realized she wanted/forgot and to help her organize her new living space.
In reality, it all worked out much smoother than I had anticipated. We were able to meet with the real estate agent and mom’s financial planner and lawyer to make sure that all the paperwork was in order. As we were moving in, mom met some of the other residents and when they found out which apartment she had, they all told her that it was the best in the place. It is light and airy with lots of windows and a hexagon shape to the bedroom which makes it quite large. There are community spaces for her to work on puzzles with other folks and several spots around the place with lots of bookshelves. There is even a Coca Cola room where she could go and bake a cake or cook something if she wanted to (her room has no real kitchen since the meals are provided).
The food is not 100% to her liking and there are a few other things that are not perfect but she has made some friends and one day she even walked all the way around the outside of the building and then sat out in front chatting until it got dark. She hasn’t done anything like that in years, being mostly housebound since neither she nor my brother-in-law drove. Plus, my husband doesn’t have to worry about her living alone. There are attendants around all the time and people to help her if she needs it. Three meals a day, laundry service, someone to clean the apartment and television service are all included plus rides to the doctor, pharmacy or grocery store and lots of community activities like bingo and even planned outings are available to her if she wants to make use of them. Right now she can have as little or as much assistance as she wants. As she gets older, if she needs help with medication or things like that, it will all be provided.
On the 20th, we loaded the truck with the things we wanted to keep. There was a gliding chair with a footstool that I really liked and wanted to bring home but it didn’t quite fit in the truck. (I think it would have if the truck had been packed differently but hubby said it wouldn’t and after a little outburst, I let it go). Hubby flew home and I drove home. A couple of days later we got a call from my brother-in-law who had noticed that the chair was still there and he asked if we still wanted it. I made the decision to drive back up over the weekend to get it and our youngest daughter came with me so she could go visit gramma in her new place and make one final trip through the house to see if there was anything else we wanted to keep. The two of us took a road trip on the 24th, spent the night in a hotel and drove home on the 25th. We didn’t tell my mom-in-law that we were coming up so it was a nice surprise for her.
Now the house is for sale. Anybody looking to relocate to Oregon? Check it out here:
In other news, before we left for Oregon we went to our last concert at the Mountain Winery for the season. It was Rick Springfield and guess who got a high five from Rick himself??? My hand is the one that shoots out toward the end, the last one he hits before the clip is over. The song was Human Touch and he went through almost the whole venue slapping hands, giving hugs and posing for selfies. Thanks to my hubby for getting this shot!
And we went to a couple of Giant’s games. A bit of a disappointing season for us but I am a fan to the end, good or bad. We saw one thrilling game where Joc Pederson got an inside the park home run and a not so thrilling one where they lost. I still love the 415 section and we’ll be back again next year for sure. Even got to see my cousin who is an usher there. My face is red from the sun, not the Irish coffee – LOL.
I wanted to get a post out in case you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. I have tried to comment on folks blogs but to be honest there were a lot of days I missed. Can’t do it all, I’ve come to realize. I also have had some work to catch up on since I didn’t do any while in Oregon.
Guess I’ve bored you enough for now so I’ll end this one and come back to show the crafty stuff I’ve been working on another day. Did you miss me?
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Hi, Janet!
ReplyDeleteYessum, I've been missing you something terrible, dear friend, and now I know the full extent of what you went through last month to help Bill's mother. It's remarkable that you had any time or energy left to visit blogs, and I greatly appreciate your visits to mine during the month.
I looked at the Zillow ad and was impressed by the spacious home your mom-in-law left behind. It's a beauty and should sell quickly. I know it must have pained her to move out and try to make the adjustment to new surroundings at her age, but the assisted living facility she now calls home looks like a wonderful place. Her unit has plenty of space and lots of windows. Those are two musts for me as well, especially natural sunlight filling a room. The community areas look clean, bright, tastefully decorated and inviting. I'm sure your MIL will enjoy relaxing and chatting with her new friends in those spots. Once again, I applaud you for devoting yourself to this task and getting it done in fine fashion. You even got that gliding chair you wanted so badly.
I'm surprised that Dr. Noah Drake looks so good after all these years. I'll bet he still sounds good too. I know it must have given you goose bumps to achieve a "Human Touch" with the rock star. I wish I had seen Rick's show, because he's been a favorite of mine ever since "Jessie's Girl" and GH. Nice to see you hanging out in Sector 415 at the ball park. "Sector 415" would make a great title for a story about a hidden bunker where the government hides UFO's. :)
Thanks for the update, dear friend Janet. I look forward to viewing more of your crafts. Please give my good buddy Benny a peanut butter Kong and enjoy the rest of your week! My next post hits this Sunday, Oct. 9.
Hi Shady! I was happy to do the move for my mother-in-law. As I told her, I would have done the same for my mom and was sorry that I couldn't have done more for her before she died. Mom-in-law is not always the easiest to please but I think she had made up her mind that this was for the best and with time she'll get used to it. She told me in a phone call the other day that she was sleeping better every night.
DeleteIt's funny that Rick Springfield is trying to put his Dr. Noah Drake days behind him and to tell you the truth, I never watched him on the soaps. He does look good for 73 doesn't he? I didn't realize that he suffers from depression, something he told us about that night.
Thanks as always for coming to visit me here. I will make sure to catch your Sunday post! Benny is wagging his tail at you.
You can definitely count yourself as a good daughter-in-law. It must have been exhausting with all the toing and froing between your home, MILs home and her new location. It looks lovely though and hopefully she will get used to the food. It must be a lot less of a worry to your hubby and you too, to know that she is being looked after and has company. I'm sure you have lots of catching up to do at home now but look after yourself.
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy! I am glad all the actual moving is done. My old body was feeling it for sure! She told me yesterday that she gained 5 pounds so I guess the food isn't all that bad, right?
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