update
I was going to post photos from California, but then I realized that most of them are still on my computer and haven't been cropped or uploaded or anything. So that'll have to wait. I'm copying them over now, at least!
It's been a challenging six weeks. In some ways I think this has been even worse than when my mother died, because at least then it was just me (and Matt, but mostly me) dealing with everything. Things are a lot more complicated this time around.
The good news is, Matt's mother is doing pretty well. She's stubborn and practical, and those aspects are really showing now. She had got used to Matt's dad doing everything for her, but she's been trying to do a lot more for herself, and her strength and stamina are improving. She's never going to be completely independent, but she's capable of managing a lot better than I would have thought two months ago.
She's also been easier to get along with, which is great, considering how much time I've been spending with her. I haven't even been tempted to strangle her. Yet. And I think I've finally let go of all the horrible things she said when my mother was sick; it just doesn't seem worth the effort to stay angry with her.
The biggest nuisance is that she's not driving. Matt and I are starting to think she might be able to handle short, daytime trips--I might take her for a spin in an empty parking lot and see how she does. She only lives about four miles from us, but it's four miles in a direction I never go, so every time I have to take her somewhere it's completely out of the way. It usually only takes about 15 minutes, but those trips add up after a while, and it's sometimes hard to schedule around them.
Matt is still spending two or three evenings a week down there, but since we got back from vacation I'm at least seeing him more often than I did in late February. He thinks he's tracked down all the financial paperwork, at least, and is trying to get it organized so that his mom can understand what her options are.
This week I'm regretting taking the treasurer's job at church, because I'm finding mistakes that Matt's dad made, and it's hurting my opinion of him, and I really, really hate that. I loved him like crazy, and I miss him, and I don't want to know about all these problems he caused. I'm stuck with it, though, and it's probably better that it's me than someone else. I'm not having fun, though.
The latest adventure is, one of our employees discovered that the gross pay amount listed on her W-2 is higher than what she actually received. Which means she's paid too much in income tax--and of course she's already filed her taxes. Which means I need to file a corrected W-2 and W-3, and I haven't the foggiest idea how to do that. *tears hair out*
There's a bunch of other stuff, too--it seems like whenever I get one thing straightened out, two more crop up. Mostly it's just little things that wouldn't be problems if there were better documentation. He obviously thought he was going to have time to train someone to take over this job, and he didn't, and trying to wade through everything has been incredibly confusing.
So with all that I've been pretty much a wreck the last week or so. The weather isn't helping, either--if we don't get spring pretty soon I'm going to complain. Um... OK, I'm already complaining. I'll continue to complain. And I'll sue. Someone. Just give us some sunshine, for crying out loud!
The other thing that's not helping is, the house is still a mess, and I haven't had time to deal with it. We're getting it put back little by little, but living in chaos is getting very old. At some point I'm going to just have to block out a day and dive in and do it. The good news is, the shower door is being installed on Thursday, and the mirrors early next week, and then we're done. Really done. Completely done. I can't wait. And there will be photos.
And that's the state of the Thalia. Hopefully I'll be a bit more chipper next time.
It's been a challenging six weeks. In some ways I think this has been even worse than when my mother died, because at least then it was just me (and Matt, but mostly me) dealing with everything. Things are a lot more complicated this time around.
The good news is, Matt's mother is doing pretty well. She's stubborn and practical, and those aspects are really showing now. She had got used to Matt's dad doing everything for her, but she's been trying to do a lot more for herself, and her strength and stamina are improving. She's never going to be completely independent, but she's capable of managing a lot better than I would have thought two months ago.
She's also been easier to get along with, which is great, considering how much time I've been spending with her. I haven't even been tempted to strangle her. Yet. And I think I've finally let go of all the horrible things she said when my mother was sick; it just doesn't seem worth the effort to stay angry with her.
The biggest nuisance is that she's not driving. Matt and I are starting to think she might be able to handle short, daytime trips--I might take her for a spin in an empty parking lot and see how she does. She only lives about four miles from us, but it's four miles in a direction I never go, so every time I have to take her somewhere it's completely out of the way. It usually only takes about 15 minutes, but those trips add up after a while, and it's sometimes hard to schedule around them.
Matt is still spending two or three evenings a week down there, but since we got back from vacation I'm at least seeing him more often than I did in late February. He thinks he's tracked down all the financial paperwork, at least, and is trying to get it organized so that his mom can understand what her options are.
This week I'm regretting taking the treasurer's job at church, because I'm finding mistakes that Matt's dad made, and it's hurting my opinion of him, and I really, really hate that. I loved him like crazy, and I miss him, and I don't want to know about all these problems he caused. I'm stuck with it, though, and it's probably better that it's me than someone else. I'm not having fun, though.
The latest adventure is, one of our employees discovered that the gross pay amount listed on her W-2 is higher than what she actually received. Which means she's paid too much in income tax--and of course she's already filed her taxes. Which means I need to file a corrected W-2 and W-3, and I haven't the foggiest idea how to do that. *tears hair out*
There's a bunch of other stuff, too--it seems like whenever I get one thing straightened out, two more crop up. Mostly it's just little things that wouldn't be problems if there were better documentation. He obviously thought he was going to have time to train someone to take over this job, and he didn't, and trying to wade through everything has been incredibly confusing.
So with all that I've been pretty much a wreck the last week or so. The weather isn't helping, either--if we don't get spring pretty soon I'm going to complain. Um... OK, I'm already complaining. I'll continue to complain. And I'll sue. Someone. Just give us some sunshine, for crying out loud!
The other thing that's not helping is, the house is still a mess, and I haven't had time to deal with it. We're getting it put back little by little, but living in chaos is getting very old. At some point I'm going to just have to block out a day and dive in and do it. The good news is, the shower door is being installed on Thursday, and the mirrors early next week, and then we're done. Really done. Completely done. I can't wait. And there will be photos.
And that's the state of the Thalia. Hopefully I'll be a bit more chipper next time.