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?
Janet's Smiles 
How nice that your M-I-L’s transition went so well. It is obvious that living on her own made her world smaller. Now she has friends and activities. You did a lot of driving but it sounds well worth it. Good luck on the home sale!
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Yes, selling the house will be the next big hurdle. She has a few issues but she’ll get used to it. Thanks for stopping by!
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I am glad your MIL is in such a lovely place. It looks really nice. My Mom is in a nice luxury high rise and she is thriving. Luckily, she lived in the same neighborhood for thirty years surrounded by the high rises so she didn’t have to move far. She wanted to get rid of everything for a fresh start. It was an easy move even though it was during the height of pandemic. I hope your MIL has the same excitement, fun and peace that my Mom is experiencing.
I laughed about your Mom being Depression era and everything holding value. My Mom was WWII era & the Great Dust Bowl so she is the same way. Even though she wanted a fresh start she opens up her new closet and has to show me all her boxes packed with things she couldn’t let go. I know all of it is useless, lol.
I love Rick Springfield. I have a separate phone I just use for music & I have a lot of his songs uploaded. I own his complete discography CD. I loved him as Noah Drake on General Hospital.
I love the Glider
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Thanks DeeAnn. i’ve talked to mom a couple of times and while things are not perfect (she still doesn’t like the food…but she said she gained 5 pounds – LOL) I know that she will be okay there. I think of it like they explained to us about our daughter living in the dorms at college the first year. There will be peaks and valleys. i was really proud of my husband as we were going through his mom’s things. We only took a little bit to bring back home 🙂
I didn’t watch General Hospital much because I had a job after school so I wasn’t really into Rick Springfield but we’ve seen him twice now and he does put on a good show.
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Yes I missed you, but you were doing good things. I know that oak furniture is not in style having found that you can’t give it away. I like your MIL’s apartment. It looks homey and safe. Hope her house sells quickly. Oh, am glad you got the glider AND time to spend with your daughter.
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It was surprising to me (and my mom-in-law) that the furniture was not in high demand. The road trip with my daughter was good too. She really wanted to see gramma.
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Sounds like an ideal situation for your mother-in-law. Glad it worked out so well! “Mom was from the Depression era and you know that means every paper clip has value.” I can SO relate to this! My mother had stacks of bills going back decades, along with other useless flotsam. Good thing you could get the chair. It looks comfy. A high-five from Rick Springfield – very cool!
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It is amazing the things she kept, but in the whole house there were no rubber bands! That surprised me so much.
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I love Rick Springfield…
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He really puts on a good show.
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💗💗
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I’m so happy it is working out for you mother-in-law. My mom is 90 and she’s in assisted living in the Seattle area. My brother informed me last night that they are moving her out of her apartment into zombie care. At least that’s what I call it. It’s a room with two hospital beds and no room for her belongings. She has slight dementia but is incontinent. I personally think the home wants to sell her apartment to someone new.
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That’s too bad about your mom. I think the only way that they would try to move ours is if she starts losing her memory. There is a “memory care” section at her facility.
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Aye, I did miss you. I am happy to see your post! I’m not one to throw stones, haha!
Glad you got MIL all set up, looks like a nice space and it’s lovely to hear she’s made friends and is socializing.
Still can’t believe you got that high-five! 🙂
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Thanks Joey! Nice to see you here too. I mean, yes the high five was quite exciting. Some of those women wanted much more! Gave me a momentary pause about, you know, Covid and all but it was worth it.
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You are lucky. Most older people do not want to leave their home until it’s too late. The glider was worth the extra trip!
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I was so surprised that she made the transition as easily as she did. I think the fact that her son had already moved out of the house and she had tried several live in helpers who were not much help was a factor for her. I love that glider!
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Believe me (from someone who has been through this with several old relatives) this is a miracle. The fact that she can still enjoy the social programs they have is gold.
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Yes. They have bingo, which she likes but hasn’t been to yet and a happy hour on Thursdays which I asked her if she went to and she said she walked by but all there were were old men – LOL.
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Sounds like my mom. She would say all the people are so old not realizing that they were her contemporaries! Gotta love moms.
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