okay, still trying to get dh to deal with end of life issues, and he is doing pretty well. He has signed the forms to leave his body to Ohio University for research. The selling point for the tightwad was this will incur the family no expenses at all. The University will pick up his body and mail me the ashes when they are finished. Other universities charge for transport of the body and to return the ashes. I was interested in Ohio State University where a great amount of cancer research takes place, but the no cost option won out.
Just noticed a heavy metal rock star died over the weekend from stomach cancer. I have had a hard time learning how the end plays out. He was diagnosed last summer with early stage stomach cancer, had radiation, was considered beneficial in his case, then he died. In any case, he did not last one year from diagnosis, and with treatment. It has become easy for us to overlook dh's condition because he still functions relatively well....and then we read a story like this..
A book that has been a great help to me is "Dying Well, Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life" written by a Hospice doctor. Even before he knew he had cancer, dh would say he was going to check out, if he ever found himself in a debilitated state. This book directly addresses common fears, especially suicide and not wanting to be a burden on caretakers. It can be a blessing for caretakers to be given the opportunity to care for their loved ones as they lay dying, and this book clearly explains this from both perspectives.
Work on the house exterior continues. Rain has stalled a few projects. The last project on the exterior of the house will be to replace the stationary glass panes in the greenhouse. That will be in a couple of weeks.
Blackie, our tuxedo cat continues to provide comfort to dh. She is let in the house every morning for a while, before going outside for the day. He holds her while he eats his oatmeal every morning.
We are back going over financial stuff. We switched homeowners insurance agents and upgraded our policies. Also he made a spreadsheet (he wanted me to make it
) that will show if it pays to take social security benefits early or late. It appears to be beneficial for me to start taking them at age 62 rather than 70.
Dh says he is operating at about 80% of his past energy level. Some days he feels really bad and other days he feels okay. Last week was bad, but this week is tolerable. He is wavering if he can make the motorcycle trip to New England with his brother in July. He is eyeing some BMW rallies in Kentucky and Alabama in the next two weeks. He says what he really wants to spend time doing is working at home, or riding his motorcycle.
And some photos....one for Uncle Bob of my 6 foot cut bush hog
...painting the house and the greenhouse glass that will be replaced..
in rural Henry County Indiana. I have been there many times to visit my ancestors, and have stayed in a lovely old home in Richmond Indiana. Before I had decided on Fallingwater, Rich had suggested an ancestral cemetery of mine.
