Posted on May 12, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Getting pumped for the long weekend

 

 

Well, the long weekend is coming up in a few days. Many people will be going to open up their cottages and visiting with family and friends. There will be lots of good food, a hint of booze and plenty of laughs. Oh yes. There will be one other thing .  Guaranteed. The price of gas will go up. Start looking for the lineups later this week.

Speaking of which, the sequel to “Adding Fuel to the Fire” will appear shortly at Week45. “Pandemonium at the Pumps” delves deeply into the thought processes of people who line up at the pumps in anticipation of a price increase in gas. These are the same people who idle their vehicles in the lineup at local coffee shops. If last week’s story was a study in economics, then surely this week’s is a study in human psychology. I’m pumped. Are you?

Do you realize that nagging can lead to an early death? I swear it’s true. A recent study out of Denmark indicates that men who are routinely chastised by their spouses, have a shortened life expectancy. I was all over this one when I read about the report. One woman who was interviewed said men need to be nagged because they are defective. The story has been written and edited. Oddly enough, it’s called “Nagged to Death.” I won’t keep you in suspense too long.

So, we decided to sell our house and had it listed last week. Within hours of initiating the process, we received a call from our realtor that someone wanted to see the house the next morning. We thought it would be days or even a week before we got some activity. We had to drop everything and go like crazy to make the house presentable. This wouldn’t have been a big deal but our basement apartment had just been vacated by a student. I am going to be charitable and just say that it needed some work. Beauty is in the sty of the beholder.

Because my regular Tuesday story won’t be published until Wednesday this week to coincide with Casket day, I think I’ll re-publish a story I put out last year at this time about cleaning up messes after people have vacated homes and rentals. Cleaning our apartment was a fresh reminder. The story is called  “Moving On.”

The response to my tribute to Blaise MacInnis was quite astounding. It is obvious that he touched a lot of lives.

Have a great week.

 

 

Posted on May 11, 2014 under News & Updates with one comment

Teresa, Mom, Tom, Len and Catherine

M O T H E R

M  is for the many things she gave me,

O  means only that she’s growing old,

T  is for the tears she shed to save me,

H  is for her heart of purest gold,

E  is for her eyes with love light shining,

R  means right and right she’ll always be

 

Put them altogether they spell mother, a word that means the world to me

( Author unknown )

Posted on May 10, 2014 under Storytelling with one comment

An organ donation

 

 

“Please don’t bury me, down in that cold, cold ground”

John Prine

Most of the time, my thoughts are about living.  I’m very much a “carpe diem” kind of guy. When I sent this story to the newspaper in Cape Breton after one too many coffees, it came out as “caper dime”, which caused a lot of well-deserved head scratching.  I am definitely a “glass half full” person.

But I’m also in the reality business and know that my time must come, just as it will is for everyone else on the planet.  In my line of work, I talk to clients all the time about their estate plans.  I make sure that they have current wills, powers of attorney and personal health care directives.  Throw in a life insurance policy for the grandchildren’s education and you’re good to go.

So, what is your plan?  What will you leave to your children and grandchildren?  If you’ve never married, who will receive the fruits of your labor?

I was chatting with a good friend the other day about this and, after careful consideration; he decided that he wanted to donate his body to science.  I thought that this was a very honorable thing to do.  He even made the effort to go to Halifax to the medical school at Dalhousie University.  He met with the doctor in charge who conducted a brief case history and psychological profile.  A few days later, he received a piece of registered mail from Dalhousie Medical School.  Stamped on the enclosed letter was the word “REJECTED”.  Apparently there were so many body parts in poor repair, including his brain, that he was not deemed a worthy candidate.

Many clients ask about organ donation.  I had a long discussion with a lady who never drank or smoked.  She was extremely fit for her age.  She seemed to be an ideal candidate to donate a heart, liver or lung, save for her hearing.  I told her to think it over and we would discuss it at a subsequent meeting.  Two weeks later, she proudly produced a draft of her will in which she bequeathed her Hammond organ to the church.

I also encourage people to make a list of prized possessions in order to avoid family disputes.  I have often seen families bicker for years after a death about an antique or grandma’s jewelry.  Mr. Jones, who routinely was at odds with his wife, wondered if he might be able to give her away while he was still living.  Mrs. Jones, who was standing a few feet away, suggested that perhaps he could donate his heart … except that he didn’t have one.  Love is blind.

And there’s always one curmudgeon who doesn’t want to leave anything to anybody. He still has his rabbit money and the only coins he ever spent in his life were on 3-in-1 oil.  He is so tight he squeaks.  It was with amusement that I read the other day that a sum of money was lost at his wake at the funeral home.  I was never one to dwell much on the afterlife but now I am sure it exists.  I suspect that the money fell out of his pockets when they put him in the casket and he sent the notice using mental telepathy.

Who says you can’t take it with you?