Thoughts from Crow Cottage (My Main Blog.)
crowbelle's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pity Pary Update Pity Party Update... I suppose the worst thing a person could do at their own Pity Party is actually have some good luck happen! Well, dry your tears... Paul did get out lobstering yesterday after all. He went down to the boatyard and got the marine guy to come out to his boat with him, to see if he could diagnose the problem and/or get a replacement part. They rowed out to his boat (named "Bollocks!" for obvious reasons) and he did all the things he normally does to get it going. He finally put the key in and turned it on...and poof! It started right up! Natch! It's kind of like when my old IBM Selectric typewriter would fail in some way or another, at my old job, and I'd call IBM to come in (after spending 30 minutes trying to convince my tight-wad boss that 'yes! I need it repaired! I have to type my work on it, remember?' - I'd convince the IBM repairman to say he'd be there the following morning... of course he'd walk in about 5 minutes before I was scheduled to go out to lunch, so I'd have to cancel lunch and watch him repair the machine (I was a one-person office manager). After he put his test paper in the old IBM...it would type for him just fine... no problems! What? He'd sit there typing random characters as if no one had ever taught this guy to touch-type before! Then he'd clean it, and of course charge us $150 for the minimum office visit AND the cleaning, and leave, saying to give him a call if it does that quirky thing again. Yup. OK. Thanks. And of course as soon as his car was down the street, that quirky thing would happen to me again, and round and round we'd go! Thank Gawd for Computers! Anyway, Paul apologized to the marine guy and went on his merry, albeit quite late, way out to haul traps. He got home around 2:30 and by 3 was on the road up to Maine again for another load. He met his sister up there with her pick-up truck, and they both loaded up and came back. There is still more stuff to be retrieved, but I think one more trip should do it. Paul's folks called yesterday. They are the sweetest parents anyone could ever dream of having, by the way. I really lucked out in the department of in-laws with Paul's folks. They are in their mid 80's, and just sold their homes in Maine and Florida to move into an assisted living facility near here. It's very very plush and nice... you have to put a down payment, before moving in, of almost $200,000... but that is refunded to the family when the folks "go". The monthly rent there is steep too, but for around here, it's about average - less than $1,500/month. That monthly rent gives you a one bedroom like-new apartment, with brand new wall to wall carpet (each time someone leaves, they rip up the whole carpet and put down new, and completely redecorate). All utilities are included, all cable bills paid for, all heat and central a/c is included. Also, one big meal a day, at any time, in any one of their 3 (soon to be 5) restaurants on-site are included. All they have to pay for each month is their phone bill and their rent. And now that they are only one town away from us and Paul's sister, they won't have many long distance phone charges anymore. They are loving it. They can get anywhere in the complex by indoor, centrally heated & air-conditioned walkways, with benches and seats all along the way... so they don't ever have to brave the elements if they don't wish to. It's a huge place, too, quite the Shangri-La of Peabody, MA, and they have a year round pool, activies of all sorts and descriptions, a gym, trips all thru year scheduled (his Mum said they may take the cross country bus trip that is offered!) They can come and go at will. They are not bound to stay there. They can have their own garden, and yes - they can even have pets (one big priority for us if we ever went to live there!). I was telling Paul that I wouldn't mind moving into Brooksby Village myself in about 20 years! My mother-in-law gave me all her cookbooks and a lot of her cookware, saying she is not cooking any more... only light things for breakfast...they eat their large meal at noontime anyway. So they are all set. Brooksby has an Alzheimer's medical service there, as well as regular physicians if they choose to use them. But they don't have to - they can still keep their own doctors, too. It sounds an awful lot like the fictional town of 'Stepford' to me - hmmm... I wonder what they put into the food at those restaurants? Can you just see all those elderly folks walking around with smiles from ear to ear all day, happy as clams, like the Stepford Wives? So, it's upstairs to work for me. We moved the spare bed we got from Paul's folks up into the den last night, mattress and box spring and all, and it was 11 before we were through, and 12 before my head hit the pillows. I didn't get all my Friday typing done yet, so that's the plan for today. I DID get the entire 3 areas of lawn mowed here at Crow Cottage yesterday, however, and for that little job, my muscles and joints are paying dearly today! Where's that Arthritis Tylenol? I think I may need it before the day is out? Cheers, Bex
7:31 am - 07 August 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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