Those of you who have been paying close attention may know that my folks moved into assisted living in Florida a few weeks ago. So, on the spur of the moment, I decided to take the family down there to get a look at their situation and help them with whatever I can. Brendan’s headed off to college in the fall, so in a way this is our last chance for a family vacation, too, and likely the last time the kids will see Grandma while she still remembers who they are with a little prompting.
My sister Kathleen lives down in Sarasota, which isn’t too far from Naples, where Mom and Dad have their condo. They’re snowbirds, who spend the summer in Wisconsin, where they’ve got a great house on a lake that they’ve put up for sale at this unpropitious time. You may know that Dad’s lost his sight to macular degeneration, and Mom’s got frontal lobe dementia. It just got to the point where he couldn’t locate all the stuff she was putting away, sometimes moments after he’d brought it out.
At any rate, son Brendan was down in Florida paddling down the Suwanee with his class, on their senior trip. So, he’s not going to use his return ticket to Vermont. The upshot is that Mairead, Aidan and I get into Sarasota a little bit after midnight, and I’ve got to drive to collect Brendan. His class will be flying out of Jacksonville, but I’m going to try to get in touch with them and ask that he be left closer to wherever it is that they get out of the water this afternoon before they head back. If any of you lives near enough to meet up with him, that would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, I’m sure he’ll be fine, but he’ll be hanging out on his own for awhile. UPDATE: Turns out he’s getting off the river tomorrow afternoon, which makes things easier.
Mary’s going to fly in tomorrow, Monday, then we’re all heading down to M&D’s place in Naples. They’re not planning on selling that one anytime soon, so if any of you has any interest in renting, they’re at Windstar in Naples in an approximately 2000 sq ft condo with a nice view of a pond from the huge lanai. There’s a pool out front. During the peak months, these things bring about $4k per month, maybe $3.5 per month shoulder. I can probably get any of you a deal. There are some awesome golf courses, but that’s nothing that I’ve had time to do for about 10 years, and that would be additional; Dad says that $2k would buy a couple unlimited golf there for the entire month, which I whistled at, but he says is a bargain if they play a lot. There’s a pontoon that takes people out to the beaches on one of the nearby barrier islands, and use of M&D’s Lincoln Town Car is part of the deal.
So, you’re thinking, Dan comes from money. Not really. The insurance company that M&D have paid into for many years has balked at paying for his care, apparently because he’s able to feed himself, in the fork to mouth sense. The fact that he’s too blind to read directions or shop for himself doesn’t seem to matter to them. They’ve also continued spending a lot of money on their insane property taxes in Wisconsin, which amount to over 5k a month to live in the house that they built 30 years ago. That’s my way of saying that anything anyone wishes to contribute via PayPal (vermontaigne-at-gmail-dot-com) is welcome, though this is Jeff’s place and I’d urge you to donate to him rather than me, if it’s a case of either/or, which I imagine it is for most of you.
I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to steal a signal at M&D’s, so I may or may not be posting this coming week. Thanks.
My wife’s dad is in Sarasota. He tried Florida once before didn’t like it because there were too many old people, moved to Vermont and Massachusetts for a while, and decided the liberals and winters warranted going back to Florida.
And my grandmother, at 93, just went to assisted living too. She likes it. She says the food is good in the communal dining hall and no dishes to do. She says matter of factly that if someone misses dinner three or four times, they assume they died. At 93 that is probably pretty realistic.
I was all the way to secret Jew until you said “pontoon” without insulting Minnesota parenthetically.
Surely you meant 5K a year. No place in that whole state is worth 5k a month in property taxes. BTW went through what you’re currently going through with my mother. My sympathies are with you.
insane property taxes in Wisconsin, which amount to over 5k a month to live in the house that they built 30 years ago
Regardless of all the other crap we have in California, I am eternally thankful that CA taxpayers revolted in the 1970’s and passed Prop 13 so that kind of thing doesn’t happen here. Oh, the politicians HATE P13 and have tried to kill it from time to time over the last 30 years, but they haven’t succeeded yet.
I wish I did, Rusty. But there’s a lot of Chicago money that buys lake properties, especially in SE Wisconsin. Lake Beulah’s about 25 minutes north from Lake Geneva, WI.
Dan
Doesn’t WI have any program so seniors don’t lose their property due to taxes? None?
Sorry to hear of your parents’ troubles Dan. We’re going through a similar thing – my grandpap’s dementia keeps requiring us to up his level of care, sell his house, etc. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible for me to visit him right now, which was making me sad this morning. So I am truly happy to hear that you get to visit with your parents! This life thing can be so surrealistic – when you watch the strongest person you know (spiritually- and emotionally-speaking) wither into a weaker version of himself. I suppose it’s a reminder to live now while we can. Sorry… But on that note, I think I’ll take advantage of the rare sunny Oregon spring day and get out on my bike.
As far as I know, Darleen–and this is something Dad would know, I’m sure–no, there’s none. As you can imagine, the municipality likes to soak the lakeshore property owners, as well, on the several lakes in the area. Back when Doyle made it clear that he was going to run for Governor, I warned all my friends there that it would be a bad idea; unfortunately, he was pro-gay marriage, so the fiscal aspects were moot to them.
When I get old I want to live somwhere it snows. I have a very distinct picture how I want it. I want to be one of those people you call me and I tell you about a bird I saw out by the shed. Tell you what flowers look like they’re coming back this year and we can wonder if they’ll be the yellows or the whites or maybe both.
This is what is out there right now. Hit the “typical voice” button to learn how I know. Here’s a better picture.
Good luck with the folks, Dan. I’ll give the fund-drive a mention tomorrow at my joint; who knows, maybe a few of my readers have a few extra bucks they can spare — rich, white rightwingextremists that they are. They’re just so greedy, you know; hard to get ’em to part with a shekel or three, just like them damned Joooos. Did I mention that they’re all racists, too?
Because they are, you know.
Thanks, Sdferr, now my cat wants to get that bird that’s has taken up residence in my computer speakers.
Oh… *somewhere* it snows I mean… Florida rivers have those alligatorsaurus thingers don’t they? Safer than hippopotami but still treacherous beasts. They have nutria.there too. And bear. We know how to handle bear.
Oh… Sdferr I am on the berry in an airport in a state what borders a midwestern farm state. I will listen to your links when home sweet home. It is raining here.
Proposition 13 rawks.
More birdy fun, I just watched one of these climb from 300 ft to about 1500 ft harassed the whole way by one of these while the whole thing was overwatched by one of these gyring oe’rtop the spectacle.
That’s very discovery channel. I saw a red-winged blackbird yesterday. Apparently these are very common and unremarkable.
oh, yeah, I see those in my backyard fairly often. and Grackles. and a few mourning doves and I think, a pair of cardinals, but I don’t see them as often.
Red-wings are sort of common all right but I don’t think of them as unremarkable myself. I’ve always been kind of partial to their voices, though they’re certainly brassy-forward, as opposed to their relatives, the Orioles.
can’t listen at the moment as RTO’s asleep. but to bring everything together…
My grandmother seemed to like cardinals. She always had a few on her Christmas tree and there were a few figurines scattered about her house. When she was moved into a nursing home, my mom and her sisters put a cardinal ornament on her door so she (hopefully) could easily find it. Anyhoo, she died May of last year and at Christmas, my aunt mentioned that there was a cardinal that would visit the tree outside her kitchen window and she figured it was grandma checking up on her.
Sooooo, the other day I was out taking pictures in the back yard and just as I walked under the pecan tree, one bird song stuck out to me and I looked up and there was a cardinal. He took off before I could get a picture of him, though.
sappy, I know. I’ve just been in a mood lately.
To maggie katzen-
I liked your cardinal story.
The morning after my father died, as I was driving back to my place from the nursing home (picked up the last of his belongings, etc) I was amazed to see about a dozen seagulls soaring in the sky. OK, maybe it DOES sound sappy, but I just “knew” that it meant Dad was free and happy, and was reunited with all the people he loved who had passed on before.
And still, three years later, occasionally I’ll be driving along and see just one lone seagull, always moving away from me, always quickly out of sight, and I tell myself Dad’s letting me know he’s still around and is just saying “Hi” to me.
Blackpolls and Yellow warblers coming through this a.m.
@ Sdferr What sounds I miss the most from my days in Arizona’s White Mountains.
Those sounds are much like thor terrorizing a symphony hall. But still, they rawk.
ha ha, yeah, I just played some of the links and when I played the cardinal, Carlos got up from the front room and went to look out the back door.
Thanks for that sound excursion serr8d, I enjoyed it. I’ve seen Stellars in Oregon when I visited there but nowhere near enough to have got their bodacious burbling to imprint in sound memory.