[lodwick]

Good report on the start to a fine day.

I'd not thought of it, but you and Andy are correct about the unbelievable profileration of El Rancho Motels - they're everywhere. Though the one in Bisbee with data ports and direct phones sounds a cut above the rest. Mrs. lodwick told me I'd have to wait until she was dead before moving to AZ - we'll see. There's no guarantee when our time here is up. My father had everything arranged for him to go first, but that was not the way the Book was written.

[andysandmikesmom]

You are so right about not knowing for sure about how each one of our 'Books' is written...

We know that my dad had always thought he would outlive mom...she had Alzheimers, and had other medical problems, so dad just figured he would spend several years taking care of her, and then just be on his own...

We can even see how dad hoarded stuff, figuring he would eventually be housebound with mom, and he figured if he had enough stuff stashed away, he would not have to leave her too much....I was amazed, after he died, and me and BigDom packed up moms house, to move mom in with us....

Dad had favorite foods, canned corned beef, spam, and beans, all types of beans...when we began to unload the kitchen cabinets, we found these things in enormous quantities...I mean like 20cans of spam, 40 cans of beans, 30 cans of canned corned beef...all hidden in places in the kitchen, that I am sure, mom never found....

And in dads room, he had all sorts of things to occupy himself with, if mom was ailing and he was just in his room, keeping watch...dad was fascinated with beadwork, especially Native American beadwork...sometimes he would buy things, claiming they were for mom, but we all knew they were for him, as they involved beadwork...

Anyway, it appears he bought himself a brand new bead working machine, and tons of vials full of various beads...all of it, untouched and unpacked, all brand new...he just never got around to doing it, before he got sick...

And in his railway container, gosh, I found two cardboard boxes, full of cigs, so that he would not even have to go out and buy cigs...and also in that railway container, I found boxes and boxes of wood he had bought at the store, for wood carving, and tons of other wood he had found or pillaged, to use for wood carving....

It just appeared to BigDom and myself, that dad was getting ready to put in years of being housebound to take care of mom...little did he ever dream, that he would get sick, and die just a few months later, and that mom would go on for another two years without him...

But in some ways, I am almost glad he did not live long enough, to see how she declined during her last year...totally unable to speak, to walk, to dress, to eat, incontinent, at times, just plain mean...I think it would have broken his heart to see her like that...

On the other hand, when he was ill, mom did not really realize it, because her mind was so far gone...

Each of our 'books' of life, is written, and sometimes its a suprise ending...Which only goes to show, we should live each and every day to its fullest, and carpe dieum as they say...or carpe rosa, "Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May"