The family gathered Saturday in Madisonville to eat a meal together and to discuss the bequests under my Aunt Jean's will. Mother, who is the executrix, put on her best business voice to conduct the meeting. She told us we all had to sign a waiver saying we were satisfied with our bequests, before she could distribute the estate. Then she handed ( Read more... )

Lee Co. recommended that I have my shower and pan torn out and replaced (they'll have to check to see if I need mold remediation), which means that I'm going to have to have new tile work done in the shower and have to replace the tile on the floor. So, since I also need a new sink, faucet, and toilet (which are all original to the house, built in ( Read more... )

And I feel like a light has gone out in the world. Even though she was tiny and frail and non-communicative at the end, she had been an amazing woman...a committed teacher and principal who continued to teach Adult Basic Ed and Sunday School, even after she retired. She was a truly kind and giving person, taking it upon herself to visit her sick ( Read more... )

I had a hearing in Clinton today, which went pretty much as expected. More importantly, I came home with presents. I stayed with my folks, and my mother had packed up my Grandmother Loraine's china and my Aunt Jean's crystal to bring back to Nashville. I will be using them for my St. Patrick's Pokeno party this weekend, because the plates have ( Read more... )

There were a few bittersweet moments. My parents seem so much older than I picture them in my head when I'm away. My Aunt Jean's memory issues are getting worse. And my brother was really sad, after his kids left to spend a second Christmas with their mother and her family. He's still having a tough time dealing with his failed marriage, and I ( Read more... )

But I have to kick it up into high gear, because Mike and I are driving to East Tennessee on Saturday to pick up my new dining room set. It's not really new; it's my Aunt Jean's, but she's in assisted living now and declining fast. Mother is the executrix of Jean's estate, and she gave me the go ahead to come and get the furniture this weekend. ( Read more... )

When I reached my early 30's and was still unmarried, my mother decided that I should go ahead and select a crystal pattern, so that she and my Aunt Jean (her oldest sister) could start buying me pieces for birthdays and Christmas. I thought that was a brilliant idea, and I selected Lenox Firelight. (She also thought that I should select a ( Read more... )