-=> Quoting Carol Shenkenberger to Nancy Backus on 08-07-05  19:30 <=-   
      
   Guess I dropped into another black hole again this year...  I may be   
   telling the story in a less expurgated form when I get a chance (as   
   Maurice has already expressed interest...) but for now, short version is   
   that since mid-August my time has been totally swallowed by first family   
   and then other responsibilities... A friend for whom I am POA and proxy   
   went into the hospital last part of August, and in order to get her   
   home, I had to essentially sign my life away to the home health agency   
   that supplies her aides.  We have been working on a better solution, but   
   now we are in the waiting phase for that.  But I am rarely home except   
   to sleep (and that often in the daylight hours), so bbs'ing and even my   
   email has taken quite a back seat.  Things have eased a trifle, so I may   
   be showing up in spurts for a while, as I get a free moment or two...  ;/   
      
    CS> Thanks!  Nancy, the settlement is in the final stages now.  Just   
    CS> waiting to see if we get any money for Charlotte for college as had   
    CS> been planned by the grandparents.  Sadly the MIL went a bit 'off' and   
    CS> the SIL was not at all good at tending her as we were when we were   
    CS> still there, so she got lonely and called for ambulance rides.  That   
    CS> may have eaten up all the money from her house sale.   
      
   I hope there was something left after all... :)   
      
    CS> I wish we could have been there as we were there for her and walked or   
    CS> drove over every 2-3 days.  It was just 2 miles.  For 6 years, we were   
    CS> there every other day or so.  Cut the grass, fix the sidewalk. Chat.    
    CS> Sadly, we've been in Japan for 4 years now and the SIL was not all   
    CS> that much around until Mom got really sick.  No real 'blame' there but   
    CS> Mom got pretty lonely once we left I think.   
      
   I hear you.  "Being there" for people comes naturally (or with just a   
   modicum of effort) to some, but not always for all...  and there are always   
   times when circumstances make it not feasible at all...  I had wished   
   that we could have spent more time with my MIL before she passed, but we   
   lived a couple hours away, and could only come for a weekly visit on   
   Saturdays.  We'd usually spend the whole day with her, though.  Before   
   she had her stroke, she and I had taken a number of trips together... I   
   really miss that, too...   
      
   ttyl            neb   
      
   ... When I was a kid we had to chisel taglines on the cave wall.   
      
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