Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
It's tough enough to have a relative die but then one has to prove that the person died. It's called a death certificate and financial institutions and other businesses have to see a death certificate before allowing heirs or other beneficiaries to inherit, close accounts, pay bills, etc. When our mother died, we were told it would take two to three weeks to get a death certificate. Fortunately the mortuary we used pulled some strings and we got the certificates in three days rather than three weeks. I think this was because both my brother and I were residing out-of-state at the time of her death. It took us a day and a half but we were able to take care of all the Cheyenne stuff. There are just a couple of other things to close or transfer but at least as the executor I can do it from home. Dying just isn't easy. A person has to prove he/she passed on.
Friday, March 25, 2011
My son sent me an e-mail that indicated HBO was planning to make a mini-series on the life of former Veep Dick Cheney who grew up in Casper. On the HBO announcement there was a place for comments. The first comment asked who would play Dick Cheney? With about 20 responses the consensus was that only the devil could play Dick Cheney and do justice to the role.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday was a mixed bag:
As I was leaving to return to Cheyenne to clean out my mother's apartment, I stopped by K & E's. We had had our niece Julie, who was on break from St. Olaf, and her friend Amanda, also an Ole, stay with us for five days. Aiden and Reid were getting a private concert as Amanda, who is in the St. Olaf Orchestra and other musical groups, played the Orange Blossom Special on her violin (where do you store that on a plane?) and later she and Julie, who played the piano at our wedding, played her Uke (where do you store that on a plane?) and sang while Amanda played her violin; and while I was there, they played Over the Rainbow for the boys. The boys were sitting in their BUMBO chairs (you have to be a young parent to know what they are) as attentively as a couple of eleven month boys can be. Reid played the rattle and I guess Aiden tried to sing earlier. It was neat.
After driving to Cheyenne my brother and I went to a Wendy's, which is near the Cheyenne airport to eat. As we pulled into the lot, we saw the biggest plane I've ever seen landing at the near-by airport. It turns out it was a Boeing 787, their newest jumbo, practicing landings and take-offs at the Cheyenne airport because there was so much wind that day and they could practice wind landing and take-offs.The Cheyenne airport is also an Air Force National Guard facility with some good sized Air Force planes of their own and therefore has longer runways than an airport that size would normally have. As we ate they landed and took off three or four times. Years ago they tested the 747s at the Casper airport to practice wind landings. The Wyoming wind is apparently useful for other things than just powering wind generators and blowing snow. We enjoyed watching them.
As I was leaving to return to Cheyenne to clean out my mother's apartment, I stopped by K & E's. We had had our niece Julie, who was on break from St. Olaf, and her friend Amanda, also an Ole, stay with us for five days. Aiden and Reid were getting a private concert as Amanda, who is in the St. Olaf Orchestra and other musical groups, played the Orange Blossom Special on her violin (where do you store that on a plane?) and later she and Julie, who played the piano at our wedding, played her Uke (where do you store that on a plane?) and sang while Amanda played her violin; and while I was there, they played Over the Rainbow for the boys. The boys were sitting in their BUMBO chairs (you have to be a young parent to know what they are) as attentively as a couple of eleven month boys can be. Reid played the rattle and I guess Aiden tried to sing earlier. It was neat.
After driving to Cheyenne my brother and I went to a Wendy's, which is near the Cheyenne airport to eat. As we pulled into the lot, we saw the biggest plane I've ever seen landing at the near-by airport. It turns out it was a Boeing 787, their newest jumbo, practicing landings and take-offs at the Cheyenne airport because there was so much wind that day and they could practice wind landing and take-offs.The Cheyenne airport is also an Air Force National Guard facility with some good sized Air Force planes of their own and therefore has longer runways than an airport that size would normally have. As we ate they landed and took off three or four times. Years ago they tested the 747s at the Casper airport to practice wind landings. The Wyoming wind is apparently useful for other things than just powering wind generators and blowing snow. We enjoyed watching them.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Ironies:
My brother and I are cleaning out our mother's apartment as she died last week.
1. Our mother being a devout Catholic, we found a St. Anthony medal that hadn't been taken out of the package. I decided to see where a Catholic medal was made-sure enough it was made in that Catholic bastion of China.
2. I was cleaning out her closet where had stored decorations for almost every occasion. I couldn't believe I found a huge paper shamrock for St. Patrick's day. She died on St. Patrick's day. I couldn't get rid of that one fast enough.
My brother and I are cleaning out our mother's apartment as she died last week.
1. Our mother being a devout Catholic, we found a St. Anthony medal that hadn't been taken out of the package. I decided to see where a Catholic medal was made-sure enough it was made in that Catholic bastion of China.
2. I was cleaning out her closet where had stored decorations for almost every occasion. I couldn't believe I found a huge paper shamrock for St. Patrick's day. She died on St. Patrick's day. I couldn't get rid of that one fast enough.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
We think we're ready for anything but really we're not. When they called me from the nursing home in Cheyenne at 5:45 this morning to tell me my mother had passed away during the night, I really wasn't ready. I had been in Cheyenne Tuesday and Wednesday with mom. We talked about people and things and took care of some pretty important business. Wednesday morning we went over everything I had done since I took over her personal bookkeeping duties. A couple weeks ago I sent her income tax to an accountant, balanced her bankbook, paid bills, and even deposited some checks that had come since she went into the hospital. She had spent ten days at the hospital and I thought we would lose her then. She survived and went to a nursing home for physical therapy where her goal was to get strong enough to go into assisted living. I had spent time looking for appropriate placement sites for the day she left the nursing home. We arranged having enough money in her checking account that she would be good for at least a year if not more. The last thing I did Wednesday was to bring more clothes to her along with writing paper, notes, envelopes, and stamps. She wanted her address book and her phone card as she was planning to catch up on owed letters and phone calls. When I said good-bye to her around noon yesterday, she was eating in the dining room and had made a friend who ate with her.
Then came the call.
Today I spent half my day on the telephone with my brother, a nursing home, the independent living facility where she resided, a bank, an accountant, and the mortuary. The hardest calls and e-mails were to her friends and relatives. I had to tell my kids that grandma had died. I called a couple of her friends and e-mailed others. Ironically her older sister (almost 98) had the most mature understanding. She had mixed feelings after seeing what mom was going through in pain, etc., but my aunt handled it very well. I think the older we get the more we think about and understand death-our own and others. As my mother would say, "Growing old is not for the weak."
I wasn't ready but I've done enough reflecting today that I'm comfortable with the situation. I didn't cry but I shed a few tears.
Then came the call.
Today I spent half my day on the telephone with my brother, a nursing home, the independent living facility where she resided, a bank, an accountant, and the mortuary. The hardest calls and e-mails were to her friends and relatives. I had to tell my kids that grandma had died. I called a couple of her friends and e-mailed others. Ironically her older sister (almost 98) had the most mature understanding. She had mixed feelings after seeing what mom was going through in pain, etc., but my aunt handled it very well. I think the older we get the more we think about and understand death-our own and others. As my mother would say, "Growing old is not for the weak."
I wasn't ready but I've done enough reflecting today that I'm comfortable with the situation. I didn't cry but I shed a few tears.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
While visiting with my son on the phone tonight, I mentioned that a friend had called me on my cell (it is still a Wyoming 307) to ask if I would work at the Wyoming State Basketball tournaments. I told Glen (the friend) that I was standing in my kitchen in Littleton and I didn't think I could make it this year. I was the one who originally trained the timers and scoreboard operators when we put on the first state tournament years ago and was considered a fixture. When I told him we moved to Colorado to be near Keri who had recently had twins, Glen got excited to hear that and asked me to say hello, etc. When my son told me he had read about Glen's death in the paper, I thought I would go into shock having just talked to him less than a month ago. I did a lot of favors for Glen and he always took care of me. At my age I've lost a lot of friends but this one surprised me so much. He was acting director of the state tournaments which were held the last two weekends in Casper and died on the Saturday of the finals. One just never knows. God bless, Glen.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Going on Daylight Savings Time is one of my least favorite times of the year. It's dark longer in the mornings when I start my day and lighter when I want to sleep. I can't imagine what Monday is going to be like when the grandtwins have to get up an hour earlier. Mondays are always tough on them. I'm for standard time all year.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Today is trash collection day. I set an old vacuum cleaner out about 6:45. We have a guy in a black pick-up who cruises our neighborhood, the "Golden Ghetto", and picks up items that were put at the curb. By 7:15 the vacuum was gone. Great recycling method.
Watching the news about the tsunami this morning. They kept showing a rock which I believe is on the Oregon coast just south of Seaside, Oregon, one of our favorite places. On the coast highway there signs that this a "tsunami area." Who would have believed it until today? The motel where we would stay could be in a world of hurt. I hope not.
Watching the news about the tsunami this morning. They kept showing a rock which I believe is on the Oregon coast just south of Seaside, Oregon, one of our favorite places. On the coast highway there signs that this a "tsunami area." Who would have believed it until today? The motel where we would stay could be in a world of hurt. I hope not.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
We have a friend who best described our generation much better than I ever could. She and her husband spend a lot of time caring for grandchildren as one, who is close in age to our grandtwins, has a severe gastric problem and is in and out of the hospital and requires them to watch the other grandkids. We are lucky the grandtwins have been relatively healthy but it still requires a certain time commitment on our parts. At the other end of the age spectrum we are becoming more and more involved with OUR parents' lives. I have spent several days this week traveling to Cheyenne and getting my mother's financial and health issues dealt with. Our friends have parents who are also ailing and needing their time.
She described us as the "sandwich generation" because our time is being squeezed by people at both ends of the age spectrum. We remember what our parents and grandparents did for us and our kids and it's time to pay back the debt.
She described us as the "sandwich generation" because our time is being squeezed by people at both ends of the age spectrum. We remember what our parents and grandparents did for us and our kids and it's time to pay back the debt.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Reflections on another trip to Cheyenne to see my mother:
1. The Cheyenne cops and Highway Patrol are moving up in class. They now frequent a bagel shop rather than just a plain donut shop.
2. Over half the staff at the hospital has a serious weight problem.
3. After making around 50 phone calls in three days, I have decided the cell phone is one of the great inventions/ideas of our time along with sliced bread, buckle overshoes, remote controls and now cell phones.
1. The Cheyenne cops and Highway Patrol are moving up in class. They now frequent a bagel shop rather than just a plain donut shop.
2. Over half the staff at the hospital has a serious weight problem.
3. After making around 50 phone calls in three days, I have decided the cell phone is one of the great inventions/ideas of our time along with sliced bread, buckle overshoes, remote controls and now cell phones.
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