Of books, wine, and Gary
I decided not to go to the BluesFest tonite. I hauled a dozen boxes of books out of storage, instead. I've really got to sort through the books and decide which ones to let go of. Its a new quarter, so I turned the wine bottles. Pulled everything non-merlot prior to 1999 and filled the wineracks in the living room and the dining room. Found that case of Table Rock merlot I'd forgotten all about. A lovely table wine. Emptied 3 cases of port and racked them. Found some bottles of Australian viognier as well as more of the superb Griffin Creek. Very nice wine to sip in the summer, is viognier.
Gary's not going to have his surgery afterall, his final appeal was denied. His insurer will not pay for the reconstructive surgery, and his primary surgeon says that without it, the hernia will just happen again. Since he had such a difficult recovery last time, he does not want to risk going through a second one knowing it may just lead to a third. The last surgery cost over 300k and there are no guarantees that he will survive another surgery, not with the blod-clots he tends to throw. His life has been on hold for 2 years now, and he's decided to accept that he will be partially disabled for the rest of his life. He has resolved to get in the best physical condition he can given his mobility, and to get on with his life, including giving serious consideration to my offer to move him up here to live near me. He's growing older and I'm the only relation worth mentioning on an 'in case of emergency' contact list. He says he doesn't want to be a burden to me, but the thing is, he's always such a joy -- he's so funny, brilliant, well-read. I love his laugh and I love to hear him sing. We never run out of things to talk about or do. He is more than my uncle -- was my friend, my mentor, my confessor when I was in my teens. I survived adolescence with his support, and its time to reciprocate. I hate it that he is so alone down there.
We can get an obscene amount of money for Grandmother's house -- it has increased in value 700% in the past 20 years. Sell the house, buy a new one up here and invest the capital gains to produce more income for the trust, which should, at the very least, cover the insurance and the property taxes for the new house for as long as he lives. Note to self: need to contact to Ms. Baldwin about tax consequences of realizing significant capital gains.
I've already started looking at properties. Gary really likes the Craftsman-style houses, and I've sent him some links, but I'm thinking moving him into one is going to be impractical. Those homes require a lot of maintenance, maintenance he can't do and I dont know how to do. And, most of them require going up and down stairs to get into, and I'd rather not deface one of those gracious old homes with a wheelchair ramp if it comes to that for him. I should talk to Robin H about new properties. Gary really liked the view of Portland from Mt Scott and I noticed there has been some new construction there. Also, there is the Coast. I think he'd like Cannon Beach or Seaside -- they are only 70 miles away, and it would give me an excuse to spend more time and less money there :) Whatever it is he thinks he wants, the house needs to be accessible, preferably all on one floor, low maintenance, and within walking distance of a commercial district, prerferably one with some vibrancy, like Hawthorne, Sellwood, or the Pearl.
Time to go spend some time gardening. It is an absolutely gorgeous evening.
Gary's not going to have his surgery afterall, his final appeal was denied. His insurer will not pay for the reconstructive surgery, and his primary surgeon says that without it, the hernia will just happen again. Since he had such a difficult recovery last time, he does not want to risk going through a second one knowing it may just lead to a third. The last surgery cost over 300k and there are no guarantees that he will survive another surgery, not with the blod-clots he tends to throw. His life has been on hold for 2 years now, and he's decided to accept that he will be partially disabled for the rest of his life. He has resolved to get in the best physical condition he can given his mobility, and to get on with his life, including giving serious consideration to my offer to move him up here to live near me. He's growing older and I'm the only relation worth mentioning on an 'in case of emergency' contact list. He says he doesn't want to be a burden to me, but the thing is, he's always such a joy -- he's so funny, brilliant, well-read. I love his laugh and I love to hear him sing. We never run out of things to talk about or do. He is more than my uncle -- was my friend, my mentor, my confessor when I was in my teens. I survived adolescence with his support, and its time to reciprocate. I hate it that he is so alone down there.
We can get an obscene amount of money for Grandmother's house -- it has increased in value 700% in the past 20 years. Sell the house, buy a new one up here and invest the capital gains to produce more income for the trust, which should, at the very least, cover the insurance and the property taxes for the new house for as long as he lives. Note to self: need to contact to Ms. Baldwin about tax consequences of realizing significant capital gains.
I've already started looking at properties. Gary really likes the Craftsman-style houses, and I've sent him some links, but I'm thinking moving him into one is going to be impractical. Those homes require a lot of maintenance, maintenance he can't do and I dont know how to do. And, most of them require going up and down stairs to get into, and I'd rather not deface one of those gracious old homes with a wheelchair ramp if it comes to that for him. I should talk to Robin H about new properties. Gary really liked the view of Portland from Mt Scott and I noticed there has been some new construction there. Also, there is the Coast. I think he'd like Cannon Beach or Seaside -- they are only 70 miles away, and it would give me an excuse to spend more time and less money there :) Whatever it is he thinks he wants, the house needs to be accessible, preferably all on one floor, low maintenance, and within walking distance of a commercial district, prerferably one with some vibrancy, like Hawthorne, Sellwood, or the Pearl.
Time to go spend some time gardening. It is an absolutely gorgeous evening.
posted by KR | 7/01/2005 07:05:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home