Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Bits and Pieces and Some Advice

Most of you know my only sibling, my big brother Pete, has been 
in a nursing home since last January.  He lives in Liberty, Missouri, 
in a very nice older nursing home, well-run... and he is okay there... not happy, really, 
but okay.  The big parts of the day there are breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Here is my cautionary tale. 

My brother did not have a Durable Power of Attorney for his wife, or 
anyone else.  He did not do an Advance Directive.  

He is not able at this point to make clear his wishes, 
and therein lies my caution to all of you.... 
Get your affairs in order.  
Today, Keith and I signed our wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, and 
Advance Directives. 

We do not want to get caught unawares. 

As it is, my sister in law will need to go to court... I will go with her, 
and we will be appointed (eventually) Pete's co-guardians by the court in 
Clay County, Missouri.  This is an expense that could have been avoided. 


My dear old brother.  

How I wish things could be different for him.  Dementia is a terrible thing... it 
takes the mind and leaves (mostly) the body. 


And now to totally whip around and change the subject, 
I think this above picture is so cool!  See the new house on the 
left being built where there had been an old farm, about two miles from us?  Well... the 
building in the forefront began to go up two weeks ago.  It is a huge new barn... see the "lean to" portion on the right?  It has not been tar-papered yet.  It is being built on the foundation of a 
much older barn... there is a silo off to the right.  Well done, new owners!  



This is down almost to the levee on Tonganoxie Road, County Road five. 
It is an abandoned house that is slowly being devoured by the vegetation.  In the summer you cannot see it at all, and from the front, it is no longer visible. 

Cultivated fields wrap around it. 


Here is another farm I go by frequently... there are at least seven barns 
here, and one that is down.  They are in decent repair, and as you can see, someone is still 
using the farm regularly, though it does not look like anyone lives in the house.  In one of the other pictures I took, you can see a hay truck parked in there between the barns. 

You know I love barns. 


Here's our dark, shy hawk, over on Donahoo. 

He did not come closer today. 

But look who was around the corner?


This is our hurt juvenile from last Wednesday. 

I was so glad to see him looking perky. 




He got ready to launch. 


And.... 


He flew rather lumberingly two poles down the road. 

As long as I knew he could get around, I quit worrying. 

The point is, he FLEW. 

Whew. 

I have been away from the house the better part of the last two days, so 
I am going to relax with little Jester now, and except for chicken chores tomorrow, 
I'll be home... bliss! 


13 comments:

  1. Its good to get business taken care of for sure,, glad you and Keith were responsible and did this.
    And again, your camera does a fantastic job!
    love
    tweedles

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very good reminder. I am sorry for what you are going through with your brother, it's very tough just overall on everyone involved.

    I am loving your Hawk pictures, all of them, they are really awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great photos. So sorry for what you are going through, we went through that with my Grandmother and it's such a horrible illness/disease. And your advice is so so true...thank you for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your reminder is timely since I've come to know some close relatives are in the same boat.

    Love the photographs of the farms, and the hawks. hawks are a dubious joy around here. We love their beauty and prowess, but having flocks of poultry , we are wary of them, as are the free-ranging poultry !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, I agree, it is important to get those affairs in order while we can. No one ever likes to think they'll ever be in a position to need that but it does happen way too often. Glad you get to enjoy a day a home. Sound like you need it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, a good point about having affairs in order.

    I'm glad the young hawk did fly. Neat pics of the old barns.

    ReplyDelete
  7. that is the best advice! we are putting all of our affairs in order so when the time comes, it will be much easier on our kids.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mary Ann,

    My husband and I have gone through enough legal crap with my Dad while sick, and passing. Now were dealing with my Mom's dementia, and her lack of completing paperwork or being prepared. Both Bulldog Man and I refuse to put our children through what we've experienced with my parents. We are making sure all of our papers are in order. Great post Mary Ann!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Getting our affairs in order is always an un-comfortable topic, but a necessary chore to do :)
    It helps if we think about the loved ones that we will be helping out, by taking the necessary steps to insure our wishes are known.

    Great pictures!
    Enjoy your day at home :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. So true. Loved those pictures of the hawks, they were beautiful.
    stella rose

    ReplyDelete
  11. Everyone should get their affairs in order--the sooner the better. I have a cousin who became a widow in her 30's after her husband was killed in a car wreck. We don't have a guarantee to live well into our 80's.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!