Some PA came back to MN

We are home safe and sound although coming  along on I 94/80  near Gary,IN  I was as close as I ever want to be to  a semi that was drifting into our lane, my passenger side,  to go nowhere as the traffic was heavy and all lanes were filled.  Fortunately the truck driver came to his senses or heard Jerry laying on the horn; when we finally got past him in our own lane to his  left, he glared as if we'd done something. I said a loud thank you to my "people" and guardians.  The trucker appeared to be in his 40's, skinny pointed nose and looked stoned, but don't ask me how I determined that as he was wearing those reflector mirror sun glasses.  Most often the truckers we have met along the road are decent folk who want to avoid accidents too, this character looked hell bent to crash.  This part of the highway has had lots of construction and likely will have forever.  Generally we go farther south in IN, but decided to take the shorter route.  The mad trucker veered off toward Chicago and proceeded to terrorize other motorists.  I was glad to be sitting high up in our coach, still did not want to share a seat and a tiny car would not have had a chance.  Another bump on the road was on  I 80 which was shut down to a stand still in IL while more construction occurs, which made for a long drive.  When we return to PA in July we will avoid I 80 as it likely will not be completed. The  funny thing was we veered farther north, to MI on 31, missing our Hwy 20 connection to I94. We have always wanted to go north along the Lake in MI and return down the WI side and sitting in the  traffic stop, Jerry said, "we should have kept going north."  Ah well, all's well that ends well. 

All is unloaded at home and the laundry is in full force.  I picked up MIL's clothes from the  SNF today to add to the heap.  She refuses to allow them to do her laundry while we are gone, my fault for doing her laundry while we are here.  Although I mark her clothing and it could have survived the facility laundry which is done by a local woman whom I  well know, MIL gets her hackles up and refuses.  She has plenty of clothes to last over a month, but the underwear is another story.  Her solution besides not changing daily (eeyew) is  to rinse them out in her sink.  I am tired talking to her about this and Jerry refuses to discuss further too.  You can imagine his reluctance,  how would you like to tell your 94 year old mother that she is not clean?  What I do not understand is how the SNF allows her to get away with this, rinsing them in her sink in her room and then hanging them over the back of a chair to dry?  She does have a private room and other than ensuring she is up and around and well, I suppose they  find so much going on that this is a minor thing.  Leave it to her to find something bizarre to do and to invoke her obstinate streak.  

Now to the title of the post, today we have a hot humid day here in La Crescent; very unusual.  It is a flashback to the PA humidity that  ravages the summers there and makes me unhappy to be there.  In August 2004  when Mom died it was as humid as ever and I really thought we would perish in her home.  How did we kids of the  60"s grow up without air conditioning in those old two story homes and thrive?  I don't remember being all that uncomfortable as a kid so I suppose we were acclimatized and then we had no idea about  air conditioning.  A fan was rare.  All what we get used to.  I know that my southern friends in La. move very slowly in the humidity if at all.  I think that's where the southern drawl  generates, no fast movement and speech even slows down. 

I dislike heat except when in AZ in winter and I do not like humidity, no not at all.  Here in La Crescent we generally have beautiful summers, seldom humid and 80's, real Chamber of Commerce weather.  I suppose we can take a day of this, tomorrow it will be different.  The weather is ever changing here, day to day.  So , I decided to hose off  the rose bushes and  budding flowers because the predicted rain has not arrived.   The ground has enough water but I know that budding flowers appreciate a sprinkle on a hot windy day  That's something else we rarely do, water flowers or lawns unlike CA where it was necessary else be barren brown.  I also thought it would be  a good way to get some  sun myself.  This escapade lasted about  45 minutes and I had enough, thank you.  Jerry told me so, the sun is so hot here in the north with not a cloud in the sky and no pollution to filter it.   Our rose garden is about to burst into magnificent bloom as as are the peonies out back along the garden fence.  Right now all the salvia and Jacob's Ladder are sporting purple which along with the aliums is attracting humming birds.  Generally the hummers gravitate to the red flowers but since I did not plant the front flower box they seem to be settling for the flavor purple.  Tomorrow I may tackle that.  I so prefer the out doors to the paper work and tedium inside. 

I spent several hours on the phone today notifying various  entities  about Uncle Carl's passing and requesting estate packets, beneficiary forms, etc.  Much to do, like being at work again for the state; this is a different state and I have no staff, only my own  fingers to press the phone or keyboard and recite the litany repeatedly, date of death, estate, etc.     The strangest contact was with the Veteran's Administration about cashing in his WWII Life Insurance policy which he kept all these years.  Actually he has received annual dividends over the years that have exceeded the value of the policy.  Good for him.  After  providing the necessary data to the woman who will  process the claim and mail out the packet with more paperwork for me to do, she advised me to call another number,  the Veterans national call center and report the claim.  I thought that odd and asked her, "you mean I have to call another number and tell them you are sending me information?"  She replied "yes" as though it were the most natural thing in the world and I must be dull witted to question.  Well, consider this is the federal government at it's finest,  slogging away, churning.   I called the 2nd number which entailed a 15 minute hang on the line to talk, as if to say, "how dare you call here, don't you know we are busy?"  I am thankful to use my walk around phone and do other things, not just sit and wait for a human voice.  When the man finally came on the line he told me to call the life insurance number, the same number which had told me to call him. I  told him I had already spoken to them and the process was underway and they directed me to him.  I was nearing  the limit of my tolerance  for exasperation when he finally said, "well if he was receiving no other VA benefits there is nothing to report, she must have thought he was getting other benefits."  So ended that call.  Of all the entities, I have had to contact, the VA gets the prize for wasting time.  I think of the absolute frustrations vets and dependents must endure dealing with them and then I think how fortunate are the members of the local American Legions and VFW's who have access to local veterans services officers as we do here, the ones who facilitate the process and save lots of grief for individuals.  That is worth the membership dues.    

PA  will appreciate this as they grab their stolen share via inheritance tax.  Do I complain about that too much?  Likely so,  I could do without the hassle, the attorney fees and the paperwork.  I am fortunate to have the ability and skills to deal easily with this, many people would be upside down and sideways even attempting. Many would  not  make the progress as quickly as I do.   I have one more stock fund to contact via computer Monday and I must write a  nice letter to his  809th US Army Tank Destroyer reunion group to let them know, most of his WWII buddies are gone, but the widow of one has kept in touch with Carl and has been religious about sending cards to him, signing her self by name and "the one who always could dance a good polka."  I wonder if she had eyes for my handsome old uncle?   And with that I wander away from the keyboard and will find a nice chilled glass and pour some chardonnay. 

On the Road Home

We spent overnight here  at the Elkhart RV Park in Elkhart, IN after winding along some back roads of western OH and eastern IN.  We were here last year October 31 on our return trip from PA; the price at this RV park  has increased by $11;we are not surprised as everything is increasing in price despite what the fools who run Social Security say when denying old folks a COLA.  Even our trusty hosts, Ed and Fran at Mt. Top, our home in PA increased their fees by $5 per night, their first increase in many  years;  while Fran was apologetic, I consoled her, "we expect it, price of fuel is driving all prices upward."   There are fewer motor homes but the business is still flourishing as this Elkhart has added about 30 additional spaces for rigs.  We are again parked next to a million dollar rig, a Patriot; the folks are from TX and full timers. 

This morning we looked over the travel logues I keep on our journeys and  realized that regular gas prices are up over $1 per gallon just since October 2010, not even a year ago. And lately peiople are supposed to be happy when it recently decreased ten cents!  Hah!  Today with this coach which uses  diesel, that has also increased in price,  but Jerry is pleased that with the 10 to 11 mpg he gets with this coach we are ahead in what we spend on diesel fuel compared to last year's  gas consumption.  This is a phenomena which he understands and which makes my eyes glaze over.  Whatever, at least we can still afford to travel.

Elkhart has many open spaces but is looks like over 75% capacity.  Mt Top in PA had  many construction workers staying there again while they work in the ' burgh but not as many motor coaches, though a couple from FL were next to us and they are regulars there too.  They are from the area but live in FL, avoiding the PA inheritance tax.  Can't say I blame them as PA is ridiculous with that.

 Had a conversation with my friend who is also my estate attorney about that and while he being a full liberal believes it is right for the government to confiscate funds from estates, I fully disagree.  The money was already taxed and so if the person wanted to leave it to Disneyland that is their money and not the governments.  Rich on the other hand believes it is only fair; fair I say.  Well he says why should someone who didn't work a day in their life  inherit millions?  I say why not, again, the taxes were paid by the deceased and if they saved good for them.  Greed and government greed know no bounds. I tease my friend that I must hire a conservative attorney instead of a liberal.  However because we go way back and I can trust him, this is a game we play with words.  Naturally estate tax is on my mind as I will be administering Uncle Carl's estate and now that I  have experience with the PA tax greed from 2009 when my aunt passed, I will be more diligent in tacking and deducting every penny of expense I can.  I am pleased Uncle Carl designated a gift to his church as that money will put them over the top for the building fund they have underway on expansion.  He is smiling at that, I know as will the Monsignor when he gets the check.  But I digress, this is about RV travels homeward.

Each trip as we near home, I can't wait to get there.  Although we have house sitters who give us peace of mind, I want to be back in my own routine and off the road.  My body misses its workouts.  We will reach home sometime early evening today and along the road we gain an additional hour changing to the central time zone from eastern.   Jerry says to get a steak out of the freezer for tomorrow as he has not had a steak this entire time and his body is suffering withdrawal.  On travel days we eat lightly, a sandwich along the way and last night it was huge salads, more of the fresh asparagus Lowell gave us from his PA garden,  some left over pulled pork for Jerry and some seafood salad.  As Jerry looked at his meal, he shook his head and said, "pitiful."  He is missing meat!  I on the other hand am ok with greens and grazing.  After all we did have burgers on Monday courtesy of friends, the Hemprich's. 

Someday when we stop here in Elkhart we will stay more than a night and go to the RV museum.  Someday we will be other places than back and forth between home and PA.  But in July it will be back to PA to get the estate sale and home clear out done.  I can say I am not looking forward to PA heat and humidity, but it has to be.

I was so thankful for my homeys, my NK cronies who came to the viewing and the funeral and all around are fun good people to be with.  I am heartsick about Pam who is fighting breast cancer, but at least now her friends know as she has shared and they can support her as much as she will allow.  Patti, another friend has a multitude of health problems too but keeps on moving onward.  That's how we New Ken kids of the 60"'s are--get over it and get on with it.  No pity parties entertained.

Route home looks like  Hwy 20 to 94/80 then to 39, then 90 to the La Crescent turnoff.  Six hours driving time.