Well, I'm back.  I haven't been posting for a while, primarily because life had other plans.  And eventually I'll share what's been happening with you.  But for now, let's stick to the near-past, the present, and (cue eerie theremin music) the near-future...

The first big thing:  My sister and I have been working on settling our parents' estate.  For those who came in late, my father passed away in November '03, and my mother followed him in January '04.  Since then, my sister and I have been dealing with (1) the various pensions, (2) our parents' IRAs, (3) the house, (4) the properties, (5) the cars, (6) my sister moving twice, and (7) trying to fit all this in while living our regular lives.  At least, for me, it's been slightly easier.  My sister lives in Florida (where our parents lived) so she's been taking the brunt of just about everything.  The only good thing?  She and I get along so well, there's no squabbling over what to do, or who gets to keep what.

Keepin' the Jinx Away:  Depends on who you talk to.  If you discuss plans ahead of time, you're either (1) tempting the gods to screw you over just for giggles, or (2) putting good energy out into the universe so that things will work for you.  Well, I'll opt for (2) right now, but I have to give you some history first.

My first partner, Irwin, and I were together for nearly 20 years.  When he died, I was the sole heir.  I remember the day when his life insurance checks arrived.  I sat on the bed, insurance company letter in hand, sobbing over and over "I want him back." 

I got a check yesterday from the sale of my parents' house.  No sitting on bed this time, no sobbing either, but I still wanted them back.  This is going to happen a few more times, as the estate gets distributed, but yesterday was the first one.  It's when the finality finally hits home, in a way.

Of course, being ruled by my emotions (insert sarcastic voice filter), I turned to more concrete thoughts of what to do with the money.  I won't go through the thought processes, because there were almost none -- it's a gift I have, that in times like this it's like everything falls into place after floating around in my head for however long (think of opening a jigsaw puzzle, throwing all the pieces in the air, and having them all fall into perfect place upon hitting the table).  Anyway, here's the plan: 

A percentage of the dough goes to pay off current debts.  Another chunk pays down the mortgage on the house.  A third piece goes into investments, mostly stocks (what I call my "play money").

The rest goes to future work on the house.  For starters, I know the roof and the gutters need to be replaced, as well as 28 windows and the front and side doors.  From there, it gets interesting.  The garage needs to be totally replaced.  The kitchen needs to be enlarged.  Both bathrooms need to be totally redone.  From there, it's dreamwork:  getting the grounds landscaped; building a deck off the back; building something to go over the driveway, like a carport; remodeling the three bedrooms into two; even (way far off dream) building a guest house attached by a walkway over the driveway to the main house.

And no, I'm not inheriting that much, thank you.  But my parents have done one last time what they've done for me most of my life:  given me the means to fly.

And I still want them back.

On the Road Again:  In two weeks, I'm taking a quick solo trip to Florida to pick up some furniture and stuff from my parents' house, that my sister is keeping in storage for me.  August 1 is the anniversary of Irwin's death, so I'll be at the cemetary for my annual talk with him.  The weekend around October 10 is when Bill-the-honeybear and I will be celebrating our fifth-can-you-believe-it? anniversary in Toronto.  Election Day finds Bill and I flying down to Disney World to meet my sister and commemorate our parents' deaths.

And now for something completely different:  I recently changed my political affiliation from Republican to independent.  I think President Bush was right to go into Afghanistan, and right to strike at Iraq -- I see these actions as two facets of the larger struggle against radical Islamic terrorism.  (Side note:  In this century, it's no longer patriotism that's the last refuge of scoundrels, it's terrorism.)  However, his administration has managed to bungle the critical period between the end of major military operations and the turnover of power to a new Iraqi government; he has tossed out any concern for fiscal restraint, which used to be a key Republican defining point; and most fatally he has, through his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, his ban on stem cell research, and his stand on drugs (especially regarding medical uses of marijuana), totally abandoned the smaller-government, decentralized power that the Republicans used to give at least lip service to.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not supporting Kerry, at least not right now.  My problem is that I haven't found a candidate yet that supports at least a bare majority of my positions, and who I can believe does and will support them through their term. 

I think I'd rather have a McCain-Lieberman fusion ticket than anything that's out there right now.

And would someone please tell Ralph Nader to get a life?  (Preferably one that doesn't include running for President every four years [cf. Harold Stassen, William Jennings Bryant].)

Thus endeth the political rantings of the laird of Toad Hall...