Sheila & Mike to the Rescue!
Thursday, December 29th, 2022 09:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudioA pretty crazy day today, beginning with the fact that it got up to 52F out there! It got warm enough yesterday for the snow to melt away, but today was downright balmy!
It began as usual with me up at 9AM, and then leaving my poor kitties to hang out up here alone after the coffee had been brewed. I said hello to Dad downstairs and gave him his morning pills, then went out to walk Yvette.
Because of the holiday, today was garbage pick-up day, but the trucks had not come by yet, so I eyed Dad's old box springs and mattress out on the parking with a bit of dread that they may not take them away... though I did put two garbage stickers on the two handles of the mattress.
--<>--
Sheila texted me and said she and her son Mike were gonna walk over to see us, as their hotel, by the train station, is only 1.3 miles from the house.
She'd been visiting him in New York for the holidays, and since this was such a whirlwind, unplanned visit, they didn't want to waste money on a rental car. They simply took the train from O'hare to Aurora, and then stayed at the hotel by the station.
--<>--
They arrived at 10AM, and thus began an intense, ten hour visit!
First thing in the door, they had breakfast bagels bought at the shop near the station. I ate one, and Sheila launched immediately into coercing him to eat.
He kept saying he wasn't hungry, and she kept pressuring him to eat another bite of the scrambled eggs for her... over and over.
And he did it, but... I could tell he wasn't super happy about the situation.
--<>--
Still, Sheila and Michael really did knock it out of the park today! They had a bunch of groceries and cleaning supplies delivered. And Sheila actually cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom down there...
But most importantly, and most effectively, they helped me get back on top of the finances!
Facing the bills, had been something I've had no time for, this whole month!
And we'd gone into December in some trouble, because of the Great Good 'n Fun Crisis of November!
We'd missed two payments to the home equity loan, and were late on the utility bills!
And Sheila called the bank, with Dad on speaker phone, to figure out that we owed $200.00 on the home equity loan... and paid it out of her own pocket!
Not only that, but she set it up so that, for the foreseeable future, She will pay that $100.00 a month payment, going forward!
But then She and Michael went through all the bills, while I was at work, and through Dad's bank accounts, because I gave them the user and pass to see them...
And Michael paid the outstanding bills online, from Dad's account, and then created a spreadsheet, and set them all up to auto-deduct, from now on... changing the dates, so that they auto-deduct at the right times of the month...
He calculated a budget for me, based on how much I've spent of Dad's money this past month, while dad's been down.
And now, all the bills are up to date, and Mike's handing off to me, a roadmap to stay on top of everything from here on out... now that Dad's no longer a wild card, out there on the loose, blowing the budget on dog treats!
--<>--
Mike's system is basically, the culmination of three years of efforts!
Until 2018, Dad just handled his own finances, and I knew nothing about them. But after he began getting into trouble, I went through a long learning curve of all the bills he was paying, and what his income was... and when everything hit, and what the dollar amounts were, for the income, and the bills.
Mike was able to look at my notes... on a yellow legal pad, going back three years... and the bills themselves, and Dad's bank accounts and loans... and get it all to the final step, in a day, today.
And now it's all kinda plug and play. Everything will auto-deduct at the right times, and all I have to do is stay inside my $800.00 per month budget of Dad's income.
Until Dad dies... at which point his income is gone, but I can go back to full time work.
And Mike's roadmap will help me prepare for that transition... by socking away money in a savings account to get through it, before we're there.
--<>--
They did a LOT of shit in ten hours today, including keeping Dad company while I was at Grape Elementary, shampooing carpets in classrooms while the kids are on Christmas break.
But they REALLY knocked it out of the park on the financial front!
And it's a HUGE relief to me, as December ends, and January begins!
--<>--
They took an Uber back to the hotel at 8PM, but they'll be back tomorrow morning and able to hang out again, until around 1PM, when I leave for work, and they leave for the airport.
------------{=0=}------------
This move by Sheila and Mike, of coming on such short notice, did motivate Kevin and Tim to step up and plan longer visits, along with Colleen, who was already planning a week long visit.
And Brian too, is coming on board.
I do now think Dad will make it into January, and... through January, with all of this activity.
I still think he's in his end game, and may not make it to March, but I think he'll remain lucid long enough for the transfer of ownership of the house to be worked out this coming month...
And he'll also get some very meaningful interactions with all of his kids in that process... as we kids, also have very meaningful interactions with one another.
Chronic problems are getting solved. Old hatchets will be buried. And the family, as a whole, is ending one chapter and beginning another, on a good note!
Oh, and yes!.. the garbage guys took away the mattress and box springs!
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
It began as usual with me up at 9AM, and then leaving my poor kitties to hang out up here alone after the coffee had been brewed. I said hello to Dad downstairs and gave him his morning pills, then went out to walk Yvette.
Because of the holiday, today was garbage pick-up day, but the trucks had not come by yet, so I eyed Dad's old box springs and mattress out on the parking with a bit of dread that they may not take them away... though I did put two garbage stickers on the two handles of the mattress.
Sheila texted me and said she and her son Mike were gonna walk over to see us, as their hotel, by the train station, is only 1.3 miles from the house.
She'd been visiting him in New York for the holidays, and since this was such a whirlwind, unplanned visit, they didn't want to waste money on a rental car. They simply took the train from O'hare to Aurora, and then stayed at the hotel by the station.
They arrived at 10AM, and thus began an intense, ten hour visit!
First thing in the door, they had breakfast bagels bought at the shop near the station. I ate one, and Sheila launched immediately into coercing him to eat.
He kept saying he wasn't hungry, and she kept pressuring him to eat another bite of the scrambled eggs for her... over and over.
And he did it, but... I could tell he wasn't super happy about the situation.
Still, Sheila and Michael really did knock it out of the park today! They had a bunch of groceries and cleaning supplies delivered. And Sheila actually cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom down there...
But most importantly, and most effectively, they helped me get back on top of the finances!
Facing the bills, had been something I've had no time for, this whole month!
And we'd gone into December in some trouble, because of the Great Good 'n Fun Crisis of November!
We'd missed two payments to the home equity loan, and were late on the utility bills!
And Sheila called the bank, with Dad on speaker phone, to figure out that we owed $200.00 on the home equity loan... and paid it out of her own pocket!
Not only that, but she set it up so that, for the foreseeable future, She will pay that $100.00 a month payment, going forward!
But then She and Michael went through all the bills, while I was at work, and through Dad's bank accounts, because I gave them the user and pass to see them...
And Michael paid the outstanding bills online, from Dad's account, and then created a spreadsheet, and set them all up to auto-deduct, from now on... changing the dates, so that they auto-deduct at the right times of the month...
He calculated a budget for me, based on how much I've spent of Dad's money this past month, while dad's been down.
And now, all the bills are up to date, and Mike's handing off to me, a roadmap to stay on top of everything from here on out... now that Dad's no longer a wild card, out there on the loose, blowing the budget on dog treats!
Mike's system is basically, the culmination of three years of efforts!
Until 2018, Dad just handled his own finances, and I knew nothing about them. But after he began getting into trouble, I went through a long learning curve of all the bills he was paying, and what his income was... and when everything hit, and what the dollar amounts were, for the income, and the bills.
Mike was able to look at my notes... on a yellow legal pad, going back three years... and the bills themselves, and Dad's bank accounts and loans... and get it all to the final step, in a day, today.
And now it's all kinda plug and play. Everything will auto-deduct at the right times, and all I have to do is stay inside my $800.00 per month budget of Dad's income.
Until Dad dies... at which point his income is gone, but I can go back to full time work.
And Mike's roadmap will help me prepare for that transition... by socking away money in a savings account to get through it, before we're there.
They did a LOT of shit in ten hours today, including keeping Dad company while I was at Grape Elementary, shampooing carpets in classrooms while the kids are on Christmas break.
But they REALLY knocked it out of the park on the financial front!
And it's a HUGE relief to me, as December ends, and January begins!
They took an Uber back to the hotel at 8PM, but they'll be back tomorrow morning and able to hang out again, until around 1PM, when I leave for work, and they leave for the airport.
This move by Sheila and Mike, of coming on such short notice, did motivate Kevin and Tim to step up and plan longer visits, along with Colleen, who was already planning a week long visit.
And Brian too, is coming on board.
I do now think Dad will make it into January, and... through January, with all of this activity.
I still think he's in his end game, and may not make it to March, but I think he'll remain lucid long enough for the transfer of ownership of the house to be worked out this coming month...
And he'll also get some very meaningful interactions with all of his kids in that process... as we kids, also have very meaningful interactions with one another.
Chronic problems are getting solved. Old hatchets will be buried. And the family, as a whole, is ending one chapter and beginning another, on a good note!
Oh, and yes!.. the garbage guys took away the mattress and box springs!
°¦}
