Hi everyone. We will be back into the 90's today with a low chance of an isolated thunderstorm.  The housekeeper just got here.  I had planned on getting a haircut but just not feeling peppy enough to do it, at least this morning.  We do plan on eating our main meal out today.

Joan, I bet Candy will be equally happy to see you. 

Mary Ann, here is a link to the pull out shelf we purchased:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_aps_sr_pg1_1?ie=UTF8&adId=A0424010217X1ZT0Z6MBL&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLynk-Professional-Roll-Cabinet-Organizer%2Fdp%2FB000SOYK8G%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1502457703%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26keywords%3Dlynk%2Bcabinet%2Borganizer%26psc%3D1&qualifier=1502457703&id=3564840740518024&widgetName=sp_atf .  It is heavy duty.  We initally put a heavy crock pot and another heavy appliance at the front of the pull out shelf but found that because the roll-out was installed on a removable  shelf that it caused the back to raise up.  That will not be a problem with a lower shelf that is built into the cabinet. (I hope this made sense.)  I do see they have increased the price $5.93  from when we ordered last week. My son found the unit easy to install.   

JeanneP, since we now have only one remaining child our situation is pretty easy in terms of a will as after Pat and I are gone whatever is left will go to him.  These are matters easy to delay on but so important when needed. Sorry to read you are being bombarded with the soliciting calls.  One of the nice features of the cell phones is having the address book.  If the call isn't from someone in my address book or a local number I usually won't answer it and if it is a legitimate call they can leave a message and I will return the call. 

Patricia, interesting that there were people from such diverse places that ended up at your dining table at the fair yesterday.  The heat is one thing I well remember from attending fairs years ago, which always were late in the late summer.  Certainly a sad situation for that poor cat.  It is hard to understand cruelty to animals.  I never noticed our cat vocalizing about its food but must admit I never listened for it.  It does sound like they are keeping the apartments in a very nice condition.  In Missouri, my folks trust did not have to go through probate as everything had been put into the name of the trust and under the control of the trustee, which remained my dad until he became to ill to deal with financial matters and then a simple note was prepared that he signed that was witnessed gave my sister the power of attorney to become the trustee.  The attorney here in South Carolina advised we would really gain nothing by using a trust and that probate was not expensive or a lengthy process.  As Mary Ann has said we won't be around to know what happens.   

Marilyne, I guess your cat thought he had punished you enough after you stepped on his paw.   

Larry, she was.   She is sleeping still but I have an appt. downstairs this morning so had to get up early.  Nice to have her here.

Larry, that is a good looking shelf and I think would work well.  I do have a pullout shelf in the cupboard now but it is not full size.  It also is solid, rather than a rack.  I bought it so long ago that I don't remember where I bought it.  It could have been online or it could have been at our local Meijer store, maybe even K-mart or Wards, both of which are no longer around.

Our recycle has been picked up.  I went to the garage this morning to put some of it out and one bag was so heavy I could not lift it; probably had the kitty litter in it.  I was afraid Tom was still in bed but he was not so he took care of that along with the recycle stuff.  The trash itself will be picked up about 1 pm.  Recycle is picked up every other week, trash weekly.  It is a condo function, included in our monthly fee.

I wonder if states have different laws regarding Trusts; not all handling them the same.

We had a light rain last night, amounting to one half inch.  Today will be clear. 

Mary Ann

Question?

Are a will and a trust the same thing or are they called different names in different states?

We have always just had a "Will with right of suvivorship". When I pass, what I have is divided equally with the kids.  Cathie has my power of attorney, both legal and medical.  Do I need more or.....?

Mary

Mary, to the best of my knowledge, a Will and a Trust are not the same thing.  They may serve the same purpose as far as who gets what, but I do think they are not the same thing. 

Mary Ann

Mary, I went to the Internet, typed in Wills vs Trusts, got all sorts of answers and ads, but settled on this one. 

Mary Ann

Wills do have some advantages, however, including being easier to create and manage, according to NOLO. Wills can also cover non-asset issues, such as who will be the guardian for any minor surviving children and who will be appointed as executor of the estate.

Revocable living trusts are most often used by those who have high-value assets or those who want to avoid anybody being able to look up what was left behind after the death. Wills are required to go through probate, which makes them open to the public. This means that the information can be published in the media, which is common when celebrities or other public figures have wills.

A revocable living trust also allows the person to carefully control how the assets will be distributed. It functions like any other trust, in which the person setting it up can make stipulations, such as a certain amount of money will be dispersed to the beneficiary every year or at certain milestones instead of in one lump sum. A will does not offer as much flexibility.

Mary Ann, thanks for the info.  Think I'll just stick with the Will.  My assets aren't high value by any means and if anyone wants to know, they are welcome.

Thanks again.

Mary

Good morning from a cloudy, cool Interior with a big drop in temperatures and rain expected all weekend.

My folks had a very simple trust at the time of their passing because my mother had Alzheimer's. Originally my older sister was the trustee but after a falling out with my dad, he made me his trustee and my sister remained mom's as she was no longer able to give her wishes. Everything had been signed over to my father by my mother when her diagnosis became known and unavoidable. My father had control of all assets until he went into the nursing home due to several strokes and I stepped up to manage which was basically paying the bills and fighting with Etna until we had to use a lawyer and sue them. Both Etna and Allstate have a long history of being federally fined for ripping off elders and attempts to mislead seniors.

After my father's death, the reins passed to my older sister as all assets and everything else went to my mom. that was when the trouble started as everything went to probate for three years where they would not pay one cent for my mother's medical and nursing home fees, (She was in a semi coma at the time which lasted until her death in 2000.) and we were so thankful that the private  nursing home understood and didn't press for payment or eviction for those three years. After her death, the remaining assets were split equally between the three daughters other than specific requests of belongings going to different daughters. As I said, not a hard trust, fairly simple.

One thing I've repeatedly said is something that is totally legal in all fifty states about durable power of attorneys. When you name someone for a durable power of attorney, you make your wishes known and that person signs with a notary that they will carry them out. You may or may not specify a certain doctor or group of doctors for any medications or medical issues when you are no longer able to agree or disagree. Your durable power of attorney is there to be your spokesperson, honoring your wishes.

Here is what can happen and again it is totally legal in all fifty states. Your durable power of attorney may suddenly decide that they "cannot in good conscience" be able to follow your stated wishes, and they don't have to, not if it is against their suddenly new beliefs. The same with a doctor or group of doctors. They also have the right of refusal and they don't have to follow your wishes legally either. The only buffer you have is to list in your duly signed and notarized power of attorney that anytime your trustee holding that power or any doctor or doctors cannot follow your directive, then another trustee or doctor must be appointed that will follow your directive.

My father's lawyer and his doctor concurred about this and I also saw it happen where a woman wished her body cremated and no funeral. Her son had recently joined an evangelistic church and "could not in good conscience" follow her direct and witnessed, notarized and expressed legal wishes. His new church had a funeral where none of her friends were invited and she wasn't cremated but buried according to the son's wishes and those of his new church.

All of this was and is completely legal if not ethical. Another case was where a Catholic person's child directly disobeyed the parent's wishes in order to baptized, after death, and bury the parent according to that church's rituals. Nowadays, when you make out a trust or have a durable power of attorney you must have contingencies in place.

Hi everyone.  It looks like it will be another relatively mild day.  We did have a good rain again last night and there is a possibility of more today.  My only plans for today are to attend a meeting this morning and then will watch the 3rd round of the big golf tournament.   Last evening we did go to a new BBQ place for us and it was good.  It seemed like ti took forever to get there and a much shorter time to get back home.  I guess that is always the case when you are not sure where something is.  I did see it as we drove by but had to find a place to turn around and come back to it.  Unfortunately their A/C had gone out yesterday and it was quite warm in the restaurant although they had fans running. 

We had a very unexpected event happen yesterday as a coffee friend and fellow Church member called me saying he was going to bring over his dehumidifier for us to try for a few days.  I had mentioned at coffee on Thursday the problem we were having with very high humidity in our house.  It wasn't long became he drove in and unloaded it and brought it into the house.  It is working like a charm. He will pick it up on Tuesday and in the meantime I will be ordering one for us to use permanently.  They now have them with pumps built in so you can drain the water into a sink through a small hose and not have to empty a tank.  It really brought the humidity down in the house but Pat turned it off when she came to bed so it let the humidity rise again during the night so have to basically start again.  This should solve our humidity problem. 

Joan, I bet you were relieved when Candy knocked on your door and you knew she had safely arrived. 

Mary Ann, Pat plans on putting some place mats over the open spaces on the pull-out shelves.  I think that mess rubbery lining would also work well and allow circulation of the air. 

Mary, as others have indicated in the interesting information provided on wills and trusts that they are different things that serve different purposes.  We have been careful to put title to everything in both our names so that won't be a problem for the one left. 

Patricia, it sounds like your and your sister had a time dealing with your folks estate issues.  The way my folks trust was setup there was no problem for my sister to pay all of their bills as due and then to distribute the remainder of the estate between she and I.  I wanted her to take a stipend for being the administrator but she refused and divided everything equally. 

Lary, was great to see her too.  Dan and her had a bit of a time to chat before he went to the store for me.

wjoan - Glad that Candy arrived, and all is well!  Is she going to continue to travel, or will she settle down somewhere?  I hope near you?

Larry - I've heard about those dehumidifiers.  Something we don't need here, but I know it would be a relief in your part of the country. We consider 55 or sixty to be high humidity in the summer.
I hope Pat is over her latest siege of back spasms?  I can relate to the misery, and keeping my fingers crossed, as I haven't had to deal with it for some time.

A lazy day here.  It's only a little past 9:30 in the morning, but I plan to stay home today, and do nothing.  Yesterday I got all the grocery shopping done for the weekend, so I can relax. 

Good morning from a cloudy, rainy, cool day in the Interior! 

Marilyne, she has decided to settle down in Santa Cruz with her sister. That realy surprised me but if they can pull it off god for them.

Lot of posting on the Matter of Will and putting estate in order. I feel that now I had better just quit messing around and get the darn thing taken care. Of
It is just that I want it to be a little different than just dividing estate between 2 Daughters. They are well off Financially and I am more interested in trying to set it up now to work for the 5 Grandchildren. Never know how things will be in years to come for them. I just need to get everything so that not property as such left. Get most assets out of the way so  Just Financial assets left. Such as Stocks etc. I have already gotten rid of.. I want to take care of such as my death wishes, funeral and things like that. My thinking on that area is lot different then the rest of family. They will follow my wishes long as it is written out. Dont know why I haven't gotten this taken care of by now. I have always been one for putting things off to the last minute thinking it never comes. Always seems to get done in time. I think that people like me who have lived alone for over 50 years sort of forget that some things have to be done so people will know what you are doing. My girls have never known and I know that makes that a little mad at time.  Just to independent they say.They don't live close to me either which makes me doing this Will think a little harder.

Jeanne, before you get to the Trust, make a list of all of your assets such as your house, car, checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, stocks, funds etc, etc.  You'd be surprised how they add up.  I think this revision, which I hope will be the last, is my third or fourth.  Because I have no children and only one nephew now, I am including my nephews' children, but not their grandchildren.  My great-nieces and -nephews are all over 21 so I am leaving the same amounts of money to each of them.  I have a few other donations and also payment of any bills and expenses involved with my death.  Whatever is left will go to Tom because he is the only one of his generation left.  Then you can go to a lawyer, talk things over to make your final decisions.  It isn't too complicated, but you should know what you want to do.

Today was a day of devastation for me.  Last night when Tom came home, Kendrick scooted out the front door - and we haven't seen him since.  We thought nothing of it because he has been so trustworthy of late, coming in almost immediately.  There are so many places he can get into, also two busy roads.  I think if I had been driving yet I might have driven up to the stores above us to see if I could find him.  Today Tom did not feel well and stayed downstairs until about 6 pm when he went out.  He had not asked about the cat so was surprised he had not come home.  I have left the doors open so I might hear him, but it is getting cool and almost time for bed so I'll close the doors. 

Mary Ann

MaryAnn.  Yes, that is why I have been trying to get out of Such as the Investment accounts .This I have already done.  Will try to also not have house, auto.lots of Antique items. I Will try to have just basic things and be either in a Senior LIving appt. that will be just a lease.
I have had to list these things with the Attorney but told her the same . Hope not to have them.  I just need to get things organizes.  I will soon as this darn hot weather gets away and more into a mood to get stuff done.

Yours is a lot like I want mine to be.Grand  Children involved . saying that I hope funds will help with their childrens Education type thing.

It is just that all mine are not very good and so use to things coming so easy that its like money grows on trees.  Think we really are partly to blame for that. Spoiled them...They are now doing it to their children.

Jeanne, Tom would like to buy my condo and he should have enough money to do so (my condo is not an expensive one).  As far as possessions are concerned, I have mentioned some that I would like to go to a specific person, otherwise I'll let them do what they want.  Right now, no one seems to be interested in family things.  I can't call them heirlooms because nothing I have is of great value, only family value.  I have no car now so I don't have to worry about that. 

I would think the grownup kids would like something that belonged to their great-grandparents but so far apparently not.  They're also not too interested in family history, but when I got Annie interested in DNA, others got interested.  The reason for the interest is that Annie's mother (Tom's former wife) was adopted and for many years she was not interested in finding her birth parents, probably because of loyalty to her adoptive parents.  Her mother encouraged Sue's brother to find his birth parents and they all get together occasionally.  Now Sue has found who her birth parents were, but both have died.  There are a lot of things you can find out through DNA but I have not pursued anything other than to verify my nationalities. 

Mary Ann
Mary Ann

Oh Mary Ann!  The worst nightmare for those of us with pets, is the possibility that they will get out and not come back.  I will be thinking about you and Kendrick, tonight, and hoping that he will return.  I  have read that it's a good idea to put a few things outside near the door, or the sidewalk, etc., like a  sweater or shoes or something that has your scent on it.  He will be attracted to the familiar scent.  Also, some cat treats that he might recognize, in a bowl that he is familiar with.  I will be looking forward to seeing a message from you in the morning.

Hi everyone. After a very hot day yesterday we expect basically the same for today.  There is a higher percentage for the likelihood for some rain this afternoon.  I am going to Sunday School and Church but I am doubtful that Pat will make it to Sunday School but hopefully will want me to come and get her so she can attend Church and we can go out to eat our main meal of the day.  I will rest this afternoon and then watch the end of the golf tournament.  They sure had a long day yesterday and the playing conditions appeared to be difficult.

Marilyne, the dehumidifier had the humidity down into the mid-50's range, which is where we like to have it.  Pat did leave it running last night and just closed the bedroom door when she came to bed.  Unfortunately, when one part of Pat's body doesn't hurt another part seems to.  Glad your back has been behaving itself. 

Joan, glad Candy has settled on a place to live.  I hope it works for them.

JeanneP, each person has to decide for themselves how to split up their estate.  It sounds like you are giving it a lot of thought.

Mary Ann, I occasionally put together a net worth statement for us.  I have been retired for over 22 years and still have had to touch very little of what we had saved for retirement.  I hope Kendrick will have returned home by the time you post today.   

Mary Ann - Still no message from you this morning?  I woke up a couple of times during the night, and thought about you and Kendrick, and hoped so much that he would be back home this morning.  I hope we will soon hear good news from you?

Oh, MaryAnn, I am also upset for you. That is my fear, that Taffy gets out, and we are only a few feet from the road.  Cats do have a way of finding there way back home. i pray you do find Kindrick.

Thanks for all of the positive remarks - AND THE CAT IS BACK!

It was kind of funny this morning.  I debated whether or not I wanted to go to church and how bad did I really feel (bad enough to stay home???).  I got ready for church and I had a few minutes before Dot would be along so I sat on the davenport - and this is funny - and all of a sudden something moved to the right of me.  There was Kendrick on his tower, sleeping the sleep of the just.  Tom wasn't awake yet but I knew he must of let Kendrick in.  The cat was not at the front door when I went to bed about 11 pm but he must have been at the downstairs slider when Tom came home and went downstairs.  Oh, if Kendrick could/would only talk.  He sat by me after I got home from church and he milked the attention for all he was worth.  He doesn't look any the worse for wear, no cuts or bruises so he didn't get in any fights with other animals.  We do have raccoons near because of the pond and some of them are huge; I will say I haven't seen any recently.  When your pet is missing, you think all sorts of things and we are near the intersection of two busy roads, but knowing his past travels, I doubt he got near either road but stayed in the areas around the condos.  I have an idea he was at the slider when I went to bed, but I don't go downstairs now (waiting for the chair lift) and I did not hear him.  Anyway, we both are glad he's back.

Probably because of the lack of sleep Friday night, I did something last night I have not done in years - I slept from 11 pm to 5:30 am without getting up for a bathroom break.  Would that I could do that more often.

Dot and I did our usual after church and we split a long john and a tuna melt.  The restaurant is very good to us because they give us an extra plate for splitting the tuna melt.  It's funny in a way but Mr Burger is a local chain; the owner has seven of them.  I have eaten in more than one and had tuna melts but none tastes as good as one from where we eat.  Of course, the cooks do not move around so each one can vary the ingredients to make things taste different.

Like Larry and probably Gloria de, I will be watching the golf tournament.  I understand the course is not the easiest one to play and I think the scores show that - 8 under is not a big score for a tournament.  I did not see the very end, so I think the score is more than 8 under, but not much.

Now, I'll go on to other S&F folders.  Thanks again for the sympathy.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, great news about Kendrick.  No doubt about it, cats will be cats.  I remember seeing a TV show some time back about cats and their wanderings when away from home and their owners.  Some of them can be quite vicious and their true instinct comes out. 

But, like I said, happy for you that you have your friend and companion back.

Thank you, Hal.  Kendrick has come in here twice since I came home from church to check on me.  He hasn't learned to open or unlock doors, so I don't feel I have to check on him.  I'll take a nap later today and he probably will share the bed with me.

The hard part about his not being here was not knowing where he was.  If he had gone to someone else or had been killed, I could have accepted that, but my mind was coming up with several ideas and none of them good.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - I'm so happy to read the good news about Kendrick! Give him an extra hug from me, and tell him I said to behave himself from now on.   He's probably seen enough of the outside world to last him for a long time! 

Mary Ann,  so happy to know that Kendrick is home.   I agree that it would be great if he could talk.  Umm.....have you thought about checking with that cat he could see from the deck?    

Hal, I know what you mean about pets away from home and true instincts. In the south, Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee as well as rural Texas, we saw issues with roving packs of dogs and they could do a lot of damage to livestock and sometimes people.

MaryAnn, I'm glad Kendrick returned home and stayed in the area. Sometimes, as with a cat I had some time back, it can get to be a new hobby or habit to wander about. That's why I now have indoor only cats.

Angle people dumping dogs in the country and even neighbors dogs will run in packs and kill livestock.  Ranchers have been known to .shoot these dogs and hang them on the fence as a warning to look after your dogs if you want to keep them alive. And you don't want them killed.

That's what I was talking about Hal, especially in rural areas near cities.

We live, this building, right on the banks of the Chena and the Tanana river is just 12 blocks away so this should be interesting. We had some minor flooding of low lying areas in July, but have had more steady rain since then.

"Issued by the National Weather Service
For Middle Tanana Valley, Alaska
FLOOD WATCH FROM 4PM AKDT MON UNTIL 4AM AKDT THU ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FAIRBANKS HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WATCH FOR THE CHENA AND SALCHA RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES. * FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT * BETWEEN 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO FALL OVER THE SALCHA AND CHENA BASINS FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE RAPID RISES IN THE SALCHA AND CHENA RIVERS BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT. MINOR FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THESE RIVERS BY EARLY TUESDAY. * THE TANANA RIVER HAS ALREADY BEEN RUNNING HIGH IN RECENT WEEKS DUE WARMER TEMPERATURES AND GLACIAL MELTOFF. THE TANANA RIVER AT FAIRBANKS WILL BE CLOSE TO MINOR FLOOD STAGE BY MIDWEEK, DUE TO HIGH WATER FLOWING IN FROM THE SALCHA AND GOODPASTER RIVERS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. SOME UNCERTAINTY REMAINS IN THE EXACT TIMING AND LOCATION OF THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL, AND THE RAINFALL FORECAST WILL LIKELY CHANGE OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD ADVISORIES OR WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP. &&"