Thanks for the Momories

Today I made my last trip to Bayville, to drop off my copy of the key to Mom's and Dad's final house and to sift through their belongings to decide what had the most sentimental value to me that I wanted to cherish it. Turns out, their lives were their lives, and I came back with a handful of photos and a bauble or two, but their lives ran their course and now even the love letters are All Just Stuff. I feel put through an emotional and physical wringer, having not driven four hours (2 there and 2 back) in almost two years, and of course all the tears and such. I'm quite the wreck now, but happy that I got to see my brother, go over a lot of estate stuff, and that I never have to make that drive again. Next time I go into NJ it will likely be to get a new car. Now to summon up enough energy for grocery shopping tomorrow...

Taxes Done and Dusted!

Well, that's a relief. The last time we do taxes on our own. With all the assets I'm inheriting from Mom's estate in 2026 it's just going to be too complicated to do this ourselves next year. Besides which, our eyes are getting to the point where we're having major trouble reading fine print, whether it's on a W2 form, a driver's license, even on a TurboTax screen. Best let a professional do it; after all, we can afford that little luxury now. My list of assets is going to wait until I see my brother next weekend at Mom's old house to go over all her belongings, decide what I would like to take or suggest giving to her brother in his assisted living apartment. Should be among my last trips to that part of New Jersey. But first I need to get through "PCAOB Week" at the office. Then only a few more days until April!

The Last NJ Trip for Awhile

Today I met my brother at the long-term care facility where Mom passed away to pack up all her things to be brought to her home near Toms River, where eventually everything will be sorted out, donated, given to relatives, sold, or otherwise disposed of prior to selling the house itself. It took us longer than originally anticipated since the LTC place hadn't done her final laundry even though they'd promised it would be ready, so we went back to his place where I retrieved the family photo albums for Robin to digitize all the contents, then had lunch at the local diner, then I gassed up the car, then back to the LTC to retrieve one last item to take back home and regift (the matzoh blanket I got for her 94th birthday which will now go to my uncle). Long day even though I was back home by 4, and now I have two office days in a row to look forward to. I think I'll be collapsing but good on Friday. At least the weather's warming up! Erm, getting less cold...

Mom Update

Today was Mom's last day in the hospital. As I speak, my brother should have settled her back into her long term care facility. My other brother is flying in to help out this coming week, which will probably mean a day off work so the three of us can be together to discuss how things will be going forward. I'm just amazed and delighted she's not only alive but cleared to be discharged! She's still sleeping a lot, which is both good in that she needs to heal more and bad in that she can't build up her strength if she's sleeping instead of eating. But I did help her get some lunch down, and although most of my visit consisted of just keeping vigil while she slept, there's enough of my mom still there to have made it well worthwhile. The coming week is going to exhaust me somewhat, as I have medical appointments on Tuesday and Thursdsay so the only day I can head back to Jersey is Wednesday; a NJ day sandwiched between two Manhattan-and-medical days! I'm tired just thinking about it; I think I'll go to bed now.

On the Road to Recovery

After two consecutive exhausting commute days, I knew I wasn't going to get much rest today what with the drive into New Jersey (on what's always been touted as one of the year's busiest travel days), so I was up around 4 or so, lay back down at 5:30 for an hour, and couldn't stay asleep due to leg cramps. I did what I should have done much earlier, put on compression socks for the drive and the visit to see Mom in the ICU. If you're at all in the Morris County, NJ area and you need urgent medical care, I truly believe you could do no better than the Morristown Medical Center. Everyone there was attentive, professional, knowledgeble, compassionate (which Mom, having been a nurse for decades, took pains to confirm to her nurse today, saying "if you don't have compassion, you have no business being a nurse"), and extremely helpful as we wound our way around the corridors and environs trying to get a bearing. Mom was still pretty out of things, but she's been pretty ill and needs time to recover, and she was able to hold up her end of short conversations. And she's trending better! By the end of the day she had been moved from ICU to stepdown, the next stage before she can be released back to her long-term care facility to continue her recuperation. I could see the relief on my brother's face, which I'm sure matched my own to an extent, and felt good enough to treat Robin to sushi on the way home (Kura currently has great fish & chips!) before I simply collapsed. (Although I must say, I never felt anything near to a "biggest travel day" traffic situation!) I was going to do some prep for tomorrow's Thanksgiving-for-two, but Rob's appetite isn't what it used to be so we've cut way down on the sides and when I woke from my afternoon nap I couldn't do anything more than chop the chestnuts Robin had roasted and peeled. That dish will have to wait to be assembled and cooked tomorrow, when I will have so, so much to be thankful for!

The Journey and the Destinations

Big day for me today, visiting Mom to toast the Jewish New Year with cardamom challah and apples & honey, then later gathering with my college frat folks for our annual reunion. We had three hours to kill between the two visits  (which were only a few miles apart) so we took a drive around rural and mountainous NJ (where leaves are changing already!) to visit Willowwood Arboretum (way too humid to stroll about comfortably, plus zero cell service) and the quaint Main Street in Clinton (alas, way too early for Dickens Days). The gathering was fun but very exhausting and, as I said, a bit too humid for my liking. Nonetheless we stayed for at least 2-1/2 hours until I reasoned I'd better get moving before I dropped from exhaustion. Home and happy now, even the GWB traffic behaved itself. Considering how much we ran around and how many things I hate that I shouldn't have, I'm sure I'll pay for this tomorrow.

Mothering Sunday

Today was certainly the better of the two weekend days to venture into NJ weather-wise, but alas not in terms of traffic. Sundays are always tricky, especially going back home through the George Washington Bridge. The wind had me gripping the steering wheel on the way across and down (especially across I-80), and on the way back we were stuck in traffic for about 15-20 min8tes leading to an accident site which gave me ample time to watch Liverpool celebrate clinching the Premier League title, which Robin was able to call up on his phone (I'd seen much of the first half that way while visiting Mom). I also got to listen to about an inning or two of the Yankees game while creeping up to the GWB, and they wound up winning (while I believe the Mets once more pulled defeat from the jaws of victory). I'm more achy than I'd planned on being, so no exercise bike today. Just sleep! And lovely memories of seeing Mom.