Thursday, October 31, 2013

'Twas Halloween Day...

and all through the house...
Things were in readiness, even the mouse...The pumpkins were lined by the front door with care
In hopes that Trick or Treaters soon would be there ...

Wrinkled witches hands reached sneaky and slow
To grab some of the treats piled up and ready to go...
Scary pumpkin heads watched with diabolical glee



for the first sign of children....ready to flee... So Pa in his witch hat
And me with nails painted black
Had just settled down for TV and a snack...
When what to did appear before our wondering eyes,
But a weiner dog dressed, in a Halloween disguise.
Oh he begged with his eyes and he howled most forlorn,
For Kit-kats, for Dots, for M&M's and candy corn.

To his great disgust we had to refuse
and when he turned around we saw he had a broom!!!!

And showing his fangs he gave us such fright...
when he barked out these words "It's almost Halloween night...
protect all the candy because I'm coming back"
And off he flew on his broom without getting a snack!
We went back in the house and were feeling quite wary.
Because it was almost Halloween and a hungry weiner dog is scary...

...and what we saw by his food dish gave us another great fright...
Ooooooh....there's nothing as scary on a Halloween night.

This is a re-run from a few years back!  I thought it was funny and wanted to share it again, though.

Sadly, we are missing our weiner dog this year.  Halloween just won't be the same without incessant barking and escape attempts to get candy!
 
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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Alphabe-Thursday Letter X


Good morning class.

Welcome to round seven of Alphabe-Thursday! Today we will be studying the X-cellent letter:


Please link directly to your Alphabe-Thursday URL (if you don't know how to do this let me know!) and please continue to visit the five links before and after your link and leave a comment. Minimum of 10 links visited please. You can visit more if you like, of course, and please try very hard to visit the blogs that visit you for this meme.

I'm finally on the mend around here and hoping to get to blog visits more quickly.   I've been visiting this morning and I can't believe how much I still LOVE seeing what you're writing.   Thanks for participating and putting up with my tardiness.  

If you have any difficulties with your link, please make sure to include the number of the link when you e-mail me. It is really difficult for me to find you easily otherwise.

If you have any questions about Alphabe-Thursday or problems doing your link just post it in a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll do my best to help you as quickly as I can.

The McLinkey will be live from 1:00 pm MST time Wednesday afternoon in an effort to assist our lovely "friends across the pond" and continue through 10:00 am MST time Friday morning!

And remember.... link back to this post, you need to be registered as a follower of my blog, PG posts only, and you must visit at least 10 other posts...perhaps consider starting from the last posts and work backwards. The links will stay live after the final post deadline has passed so you can even wait and visit over the weekend or whenever you have more time.

Please link your X-citing X post now!
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

You know how a few people seem to ruin it for everyone?

It's annoying, isn't it?
 
All those people filing frivolous lawsuits, clogging up our judicial system and being ridiculous...
 
so that when you really, really need to file a lawsuit about something important...
 
Lawyers might perceive it as...
 
ummm....
 
frivolous...
 
...and dismiss you before you can even get to the pain and suffering part.
 
Grrrr.
 
Grrrr.
 
Somehow.
 
Someway.
 
I mistakenly purchased one too many Halloween treats.
 
Just one.
 
I had to.
 
It was all about nostalgia and supporting America and all that stuff.
 
However.
 
Grrrr.
 
However.
 
There I was...
 
Hiding (I mean sitting quietly) in my office...
 
Opening the cello wrap stealthily so I wouldn't have to share with Mr. Jenny when I BEHELD THIS ATROCITY AGAINST candy everywhere.
 
I can barely stand to show you this picture.
 
I must ask you to try and be brave.


Un-freaking-believable.
 
I know you're shocked, but it's true.
 
My Goetze's ORIGINAL Caramel Cream bar was missing a cream filling.
 
At first I thought it might have fell out somehow into the package...
 
...but...
 
NO!
 
That darned cream center wasn't anywhere.
 
Oh, sure, I ate it.
 
But it was stressful.
 
And traumatizing.
 
And caused an immense amount of pain and suffering.
 
But because of those whiners who said their coffee was too hot and blah, blah, blah...
 
I cannot even attempt to be compensated for my loss.
 
Grrrrr.
 
Yessirree, Bob.
 
Those frivolous lawsuits tie up our legal system forcing the rest of us to simply suffer through.
 
Sigh.
 
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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Alphabe-Thursday Letter W


Good morning class.

Welcome to round seven of Alphabe-Thursday! Today we will be studying the wonderful letter:



Please link directly to your Alphabe-Thursday URL (if you don't know how to do this let me know!) and please continue to visit the five links before and after your link and leave a comment. Minimum of 10 links visited please. You can visit more if you like, of course, and please try very hard to visit the blogs that visit you for this meme.

I am behind, behind, behind.   I will get to all your links, though.   Pinkie swear.

If you have any difficulties with your link, please make sure to include the number of the link when you e-mail me. It is really difficult for me to find you easily otherwise.

If you have any questions about Alphabe-Thursday or problems doing your link just post it in a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll do my best to help you as quickly as I can.

The McLinkey will be live from 1:00 pm MST time Wednesday afternoon in an effort to assist our lovely "friends across the pond" and continue through 10:00 am MST time Friday morning!

And remember.... link back to this post, you need to be registered as a follower of my blog, PG posts only, and you must visit at least 10 other posts...perhaps consider starting from the last posts and work backwards. The links will stay live after the final post deadline has passed so you can even wait and visit over the weekend or whenever you have more time.

Please link your witty letter W post now!

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Monday, October 21, 2013

You know that annoying saying...

... like blah, blah, blah
 
...whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?
 
Yeah.
 
Who thought that ridiculousness up anyway?
 
If it were even vaguely true...
 
THIS !!!


 
... would be me.
 
And, honey.
 
...the only time I look anything like THIS...
 
... is in Mr. Jenny's most hopeful dreams.
 
Sigh.
 
PS.   Getting stronger by the day here!  I miss you guys!  Hope to see you more soon!
 
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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Alphabe-Thursday Letter V


Good morning class.

Welcome to round seven of Alphabe-Thursday! Today we will be studying the very vivacious letter:


Please link directly to your Alphabe-Thursday URL (if you don't know how to do this let me know!) and please continue to visit the five links before and after your link and leave a comment. Minimum of 10 links visited please. You can visit more if you like, of course, and please try very hard to visit the blogs that visit you for this meme.

If you have any difficulties with your link, please make sure to include the number of the link when you e-mail me. It is really difficult for me to find you easily otherwise.

If you have any questions about Alphabe-Thursday or problems doing your link just post it in a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll do my best to help you as quickly as I can.

The McLinkey will be live from 1:00 pm MST time Wednesday afternoon in an effort to assist our lovely "friends across the pond" and continue through 10:00 am MST time Friday morning!

And remember.... link back to this post, you need to be registered as a follower of my blog, PG posts only, and you must visit at least 10 other posts...perhaps consider starting from the last posts and work backwards. The links will stay live after the final post deadline has passed so you can even wait and visit over the weekend or whenever you have more time.

Please link your vibrant letter now!
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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

I have been feeling lousy...

...so it was with great annoyance that I found myself rummaging everywhere looking for the receipt.
 
No.
 
Not in the pile of little bits of paper in my wallet.
 
No.
 
Not in the stack of stuff in a bowl by the phone.
 
Grrrr.
 
Grrrr.
 
Finally, I gave up and went into Mr. Jenny's office in frustration.
 
"I can't find the receipt! You'll have to take it back to the store without it?"
 
"Huh?" Mr. Jenny replied.
 
I repeated myself in an even crankier voice.
 
"I CAN'T find the stupid receipt! Just take it back to the store without it?"
 
"What? What are you talking about?" my confused husband answered.
 
"The vacuum cleaner. The new vacuum cleaner. You want to return it and I can't find the receipt!"
 
He looked even more puzzled. "Huh? I don't want to return the vacuum cleaner! What are you talking about?"
 
"Seriously. You told me you hated the new vacuum cleaner!"


"No! I never said that! What are you talking about?"
 
"Seriously? You did so SAY that! You told me the new vacuum cleaner sucked."
 
Ummm.
 
Ummm.
 
So yeah.
 
Sucked, in this instance, was a good thing.
 
The powers of communication are just mind boggling, aren't they?
 
Just thought I'd share a laugh.
 
And tell you that I'm getting poked and prodded more later today hoping to find some health answers.
 
. I'll write when I can.
 
And you can just feel better knowing that I have well vacuumed floors in the interim!
 
Ha.
 
Haha.
 
Ha?
 
PS.  Yes.  I know I'm lucky.  Mr. Jenny vacuums the floors around here!
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Saturday, October 12, 2013

Saturday Centus

 
 Jenny Matlock
To every thing there is a season.

And this continues to be my season to be physically laid up.

I can't manage this right now.

I'm barely writing anything and have been having hand tremors that make it difficult to type.

I need to figure out what's going on with me...

...and work on solutions and getting better.

In the meantime, though, I'm stopping this Meme for a while.

Perhaps not forever, but I'm truly just not sure.

It's making me quite emotional writing this so I'll just keep this short and sweet.

Until further notice, SC will be down.

I'll keep you posted as to what's going on with me.

I have loved doing this with you all.

I am heartsick that I can't keep up with it anymore.

Please take good care of yourself my long-time and wonderful SC friends.

Hugs from Arizona,
 
 
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Thursday, October 10, 2013

A very wise friend...

...shared these words with me a few days ago.

I've been struggling trying to remember that only sticks and stones can break your bones...

Words can't break bones...

BUT

Words can hurt.

And they do hurt.

And they leave gaping wounds inside our hearts once in awhile.

My dear friend listened to me cry and try to find understanding about some especially hurtful, cruel words.

I love my friend.

She always 'gets' me.
 
And while you don't know her, she gives me great advice...
 
And I thought I'd share her with you.
 
In case you need advice.
 
And you need someone to 'get' you, too!

Here's what she said...
 
"I'm sending you a link to a quote from Theodore Roosevelt.  Blow your nose and go read it and then I'll call you back in an hour or so."

I blew my nose.

Opened the link.

And read this...

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
 
Amazing words.
 
I suspect you're trying valiantly, too.
 
And daring greatly.


 
Keep going, my friend.
 
I 'get' you, too!

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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Alphabe-Thursday Letter U


Good morning class.

Welcome to round seven of Alphabe-Thursday! Today we will be studying the understated letter:


Please link directly to your Alphabe-Thursday URL (if you don't know how to do this let me know!) and please continue to visit the five links before and after your link and leave a comment. Minimum of 10 links visited please. You can visit more if you like, of course, and please try very hard to visit the blogs that visit you for this meme.

I also want to let you know that each week I visit every blog. If it appears I haven't visited your blog by the following Thursday evening, please let me know!

If you have any difficulties with your link, please make sure to include the number of the link when you e-mail me. It is really difficult for me to find you easily otherwise.

If you have any questions about Alphabe-Thursday or problems doing your link just post it in a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll do my best to help you as quickly as I can.

The McLinkey will be live from 1:00 pm MST time Wednesday afternoon in an effort to assist our lovely "friends across the pond" and continue through 10:00 am MST time Friday morning!

And remember.... link back to this post, you need to be registered as a follower of my blog, PG posts only, and you must visit at least 10 other posts...perhaps consider starting from the last posts and work backwards. The links will stay live after the final post deadline has passed so you can even wait and visit over the weekend or whenever you have more time.

Please link your easy to understand post now!
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Sunday, October 6, 2013

Chron-ICK!

So.
 
Yeah.
 
Things are fairly kinda/sorta icky here.
 
Struggling with a chronic illness gets tiring.
 
If you know someone engaged in a life-long battle like this...give them your understanding and your prayers.


 
And if you, yourself, are struggling with invisible chronic disease try and remember...
 
If your compassion doesn't include yourself...it is incomplete. 
 
I read that today.
 
And it made me think.
 
I have stories to tell.
 
So, so, so many stories.
 
Just too tired to tell them right now.
 
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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Saturday Centus Week 181

 
 Jenny Matlock
 
Welcome to week ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY ONE of Saturday Centus. 

Tracy had the great idea of doing an anagram, but I'm just feeling physically and emotionally lousy this week so I'm just taking the easy route. 

I will think that through for next week, Tracy!

It's a great idea.

The word this week is:

COWARDICE

  The prompt this week is the word Cowardice'

Number of words:  Exactly one hundred but don't use the word 'cowardice' anywhere in your writing.  
Style of writing: Any
Pictures: Any

Please keep your writing G rated...cuz I blush easily.

Please display my link button or just a hyper-link back to Saturday Centus. Be careful to link your SC URL to the Linky and not just link to your main blog.

E-mail me directly with ???'s or ask your question in a comment and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Feel free to link up any time between now and next Saturday...
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Friday, October 4, 2013

You gotta get up now...try, try, try

This little 100 word piece is linked to week 180 of Saturday Centus.   To read other little stories, just click here.
 
 
 
 
What it is in the still dark yard that catches his distant eye?
 

I attempt brittle conversation…

Engage.

Engage.

Talk to him like he’s here.

He is still here.

(right?)

Weary of one-side conversations I flip on the TV.

It’s the usual daily dribble-drabble of stupidity.

Hey, it’s at least some noise in my now tomb-like house.

I do inane tasks.

Each time stop to check him, I dabble the dribble from his lips.

He continues to stare at TV.

He blinks.

OHMYGODOHMYGOD!   He blinked!   He blinked when I wiped his lips.

OHMYGODOHMYGOD!   He’s coming back!  He’s coming back!

(Right?)
 
 
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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Quick! Call the police!

I'm continuing my sorting and I started in the garage today.

Obviously...

some criminal has been sneaking clutter and boxes INTO that area.

Obviously!

Someone  seriously packed away a box of rags for ... umm...

posterity?

I have no way to explain the absolute stack of boxes in that space...

Unless...

Someone has been sneaking stuff in.

Yeah.

That's what happened.

I'm sure this is a criminal offense.

I need to go call the police now!



Sigh...

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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Alphabe-Thursday Letter T


Good morning class.

Welcome to round seven of Alphabe-Thursday! Today we will be studying the terribly terrific letter:



Please link directly to your Alphabe-Thursday URL (if you don't know how to do this let me know!) and please continue to visit the five links before and after your link and leave a comment. Minimum of 10 links visited please. You can visit more if you like, of course, and please try very hard to visit the blogs that visit you for this meme.

I also want to let you know that each week I visit every blog. If it appears I haven't visited your blog by the following Sunday evening, please let me know!

If you have any difficulties with your link, please make sure to include the number of the link when you e-mail me. It is really difficult for me to find you easily otherwise.

If you have any questions about Alphabe-Thursday or problems doing your link just post it in a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll do my best to help you as quickly as I can.

The McLinkey will be live from 1:00 pm MST time Wednesday afternoon in an effort to assist our lovely "friends across the pond" and continue through 10:00 am MST time Friday morning!

And remember.... link back to this post, you need to be registered as a follower of my blog, PG posts only, and you must visit at least 10 other posts...perhaps consider starting from the last posts and work backwards. The links will stay live after the final post deadline has passed so you can even wait and visit over the weekend or whenever you have more time.

Please link your tremendous link now!
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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

How I'm 'DE-Stuffing'...

I wrote yesterday that I've decided to be responsible about my possessions.

I feel very positive about this decision right now.

I am sad about having our beloved Oskie put down...I am still laid up from illness and stuff...

BUT

I'm not feeling the end is close or anything.

I just keep thinking of how hard it was to simply put Oskie's blankets into a pile for the no kill shelter.

Mr. Jenny and I got pretty broken up just doing that.

And Oskie didn't even have 'stuff'.

But it was hard, you know?

Unless I live to be really, really, really freakishly old, I am well past the halfway point of my life.  Probably well past the 3/5ths point of my life.

Definitely time to de-stress as much of my stuff as I can.

I had quite a few e-mails asking me how I was doing it.

So I thought I'd share with you here. 
 
Don't gasp.   This isn't my 'stuff'.  This is just a picture of 'stuff'  I found.  I don't know if I would be up to sorting this much stuff.  Although I do see a box of Cheez-Its that might give me the strength to do it!
 
 
Before I started the daunting task I thought about many horror stories I've heard.

...the fighting among survivors (I don't think you can ever avoid that totally)

...things being thrown away as junk that had sentimental or monetary value.

...etc. etc.

Taking the sentiment and emotion out of this process, I realized that, absurdly,  something that is valuable to me, might not be of value to any of my kids or Grandlittles.

I also realized that some things I have that are valuable don't necessarily look valuable.

Well, except for the gold bullion bars.

Yeah.

That's funny.

Like I have any gold bullion bars.

However.

Here's how I started on my task.

I started in my office.

Gulp.

YessireeBob, my office was a testament to 'stuff'.

I started with the walls first.

I looked at everything I had hanging up.

There was only one thing that had an important story for me.

Everything else I just like, you know?

I took just a minute and wrote out the story of the specific piece of art.  And then I taped it to the back.

Office walls.

Done.

Next was my bookcase.

I went through and organized and de-cluttered every shelf.

Again, not a lot of valuable things on the bookshelf but the two things that have monetary value now have little tags on the bottom that say "Keep or sell on e-bay.  1942 collectible."  Or whatever.

I went through my office drawers.

They are organized now.

Anything that has been stuck in there that I still think is cool, is now in a box that says "cool stuff.   You should look through here."

Everything else was sorted, organized and all the address labels from my last two houses have been thrown away.

I did the same thing with the closet in my office.  Donate, sort, designate.   All the pictures and school papers and programs are in one section now.  I'm not up to organizing them, but they are all in one spot and clearly labeled.

The box that I keep my current bill receipts has a label that says "Current bill receipts.  Shred and throw away."

I went through the box of music I've written over the years.   I put the songs in plastic sleeves in binders.  My Grandlittles read these writings and maybe they'd like the binders someday.   If not, they are easy to throw out.

I have gone through my entire office thinking of my children and how I DO NOT WANT THEM to ever be standing here thinking, "OhmyGodOhmyGod where do we start?  How can we even start now that Mom is gone?"

It's gonna be bad enough for them.

I don't want them to have this burden as well.

When I was done with my entire office I made a log.  Just a single sheet of paper that kinda/sorta lists stuff.  And that sheet of paper is going into a page protector in a binder for 'someday'.

I'll tell you about the binder soon.

But I have a long way to go.

As I went through my office, I realized that...

I can't transfer my likes onto the people that come after...

I can't help them to physically sort these things when I'm gone...

...but I can make it easier for them by not guilting them (of course, you will want to always keep the pottery jar I made in 1992)

...and I can make it easier for them by not having them make decisions about my things.

Some of the ultra personal things, I've kind of grouped into another flat box.  I'm a little unsure what to do with those.  I'm thinking about putting a label on there saying "Probably best if you destroy but if you insist on going through these things know that I warned you!"   I am still undecided on this and I'm sure I'll be finding more things to add to the box as I de-stuff the rest of my house.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

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De-STUFFING and DeSTURBING

My house.
 
Yeah.
 
It's full of stuff.
 
Craft stuff, memory stuff, saved stuff, saving for someone else stuff.
 
Yeah.
 
It's a mess of stuff.
 
And it's time I do something about it.
 
After Oskar died it made me philosophical.
 
Okay, yeah, well it mostly  made me cry and carry on like a girl who'd lost her dog.
 
Sigh.
 
But somewhere in the middle of the crying and the searching for additional Kleenex boxes, I realized something.
 
Oskar was a pretty 'stuff-free' kind of weiner dog.
 
After a few days, Mr. Jenny and I were able to gather his things together and decide what to do with them.
 
The biggest item we've debated over is his boat.  He had a boat for a dog bed.  It's pretty cool and I'll have to tell you about that someday.
 
But on this particular day, I have something else I want to tell you about.
 
That subject is stuff.
 
I was folding up some of the dogs blankets to take to donate to a no kill shelter, and I had a terrible thought.
 
"Mr. Jenny, Mr. Jenny," I shouted across the house.  "I need to talk to you right away!"
 
He came skidding out of his office, looking worried.
 
"Hey!   What happens when we die?"
 
He paused..."Well....our spirit leaves our body and..."
 
"NO,NO,NO!" I interrupted rudely.  "What happens to our stuff?"
 
"We have a will."



"I know we have a will but what happens to all our stuff?"
 
He looked a little puzzled.   "Everything is in the will.   Who wants special stuff, money division, etc."
 
I shook my hand impatiently.  "I know all that, but STEVE!  SERIOUSLY!  WHAT ABOUT ALL OUR STUFF?   Who takes care of that?"
 
"The executor or executrix, why are you so worried about this?"
 
"Let me show you," I said.  I showed him my craft closet.   "This is why I'm worried."
 
I showed him shelves in the garage and other cupboard filled willy nilly with 'stuff.
 
"Someone has to take care of all this stuff.   Someone has to decide what to do with it.   This is not organized AT ALL!   See!   See!   Here's some pictures I need to scrapbook by this stack of paper.   Here's a box of pictures I haven't sorted.   Here's a bunch of cards I've saved.  Here's all the music I've written, crumpled here into this ratty shoebox."
 
I opened drawers and cupboards and realized that the only person I could have sort all this stuff would be a person I hate.
 
Seriously.
 
And I don't really hate a lot of people.
 
In all actuality it would be a person that I loved doing this terrible sorting job.
 
Wow.
 
What a horrible burden to put on someone.
 
To put on someone who is possibly grieving me.
 
Talk about selfish.
 
Yeah.   Selfish is me.
 
So, I'm rethinking my whole house and its contents.
 
I'm writing the stories of family pieces and attaching them to the back or bottom.of frames and drawers.
 
I am combining like content with like content.
 
I'm going through all the boxes of random correspondence and cards and sorting them into smaller boxes.
 
Those boxes have stuff written (legibly) like:  "You might enjoy looking through these", "Shred", "If no-one wants any of this, just donate to ABC."
 
It's hard work, this organizing of memories, but no-one else is going to be able to do it.
 
Mr. Jenny thinks it's depressing.
 
I think it's empowering.
 
What bigger act of love to show to the person managing our things after our death than to give them a guide.
 
A total and complete guide of who wants what and how to dispose of the rest of it without having to go through every box.
 
Mr. Jenny is going to tackle his office before months end as well.
 
Then, together, we will make all the pertinent lists and info.   Who to call (including phone numbers), lists of specific things going to specific people or places, life insurance policies with the agent card attached, bank passwords, contents by room to make the task less daunting.
 
I just keep thinking that I would not want to go through and sort my house.
 
Hey.  I don't even want to do it now.
 
But it's my responsibility as the keeper of all the stuff.
 
And maybe it's my responsibility to the beloved family member who will not only lose her Mom and Step-Dad one day,  but will also become an almost-hoarder at the same time.
 
Seriously?
 
Who is ever ready for that?
 
Darn, our sweet little Oskar for dying anyway.
 
If it wasn't for that, I'd be still hitting garage and estate sales and finding more cool stuff.
 
I wouldn't be surrounded by 27 piles of disorganization that I thought I had just organized.   
 
Ha.
 
Oskar was always a Good Boy.
 
Perhaps especially now by making me realize I have a responsibility for what comes after I'm gone...
 
...and for the poor loved one who has to deal with all the nuts and bolts of dismembering another persons life.
 
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