Is that you, Dad?

 

My sincere apologies to everyone for not posting for a few weeks. I have been so unbelievably busy that I barely have time to breathe as of these last few months since being thrown into a nightmare. I will try to visit your blogs when I can I promise. Until then, I felt the need to share a recent personal "ghost story" if you will ...

This past Saturday, my husband's cousin's daughter, Carissa (my realtor) and her husband were helping me to clean out my mom's house - which is a sort of horror story of its' own I might add. My dad built the house and no one has ever lived there except my family. The attic is just a crawl space that you can not even stand in. 

Carissa shared a story with me about something "creepy" that happened while they were checking out the attic to see how much of a mess we have to deal with. She said that every time her husband spoke or said anything, the attic light would flicker. After he stopped talking, the light would stop flickering. They did this several times and the same thing would occur. Carissa spoke aloud to the "presence" that was apparently making themselves known to them and told them not to worry, they were not there to hurt anyone. She immediately asked me if anybody had died in my mom's house. I explained to her that my dad had passed away in the living room surrounded by my mom and I. 

So, I have no doubt in my mind that my dad was in the house with them and most likely always is at all times. I can feel him every time I walk into the house and most especially in the four-car garage which he also helped to build and was his pride and joy - which now is almost empty as I have been trying sell off items to help raise more money for my mom to live on. 

As I stated previously, this entire experience has been a complete and total nightmare. By far, the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life since dealing with the loss of my dad.

Dream Interpretations

After my previous post ("The Dream"), I decided to delve into the meanings behind dreams. I have always been interested in the subject and I have several books regarding it. 

However, I came across an informative site called, "Dream Moods" and I thought that I would share some info from it as it pertains to my dream.. I have added the link to this site at the end of this post.

I focused on the two main subjects of my particular dream:

Dead

To see or talk to the dead in your dream forewarns that you are being influenced by negative people and are hanging around the wrong crowd. This dream may also be a way for you to resolve your feelings with those who have passed on. Alternatively, the dream symbolizes material loss.

If you dream of a person who has died a long time ago, then it suggests that a current situation or relationship in your life resembles the quality of that deceased person. The dream may depict how you need to let this situation or relationship die and end it. If you dream of someone who has recently passed away, then it means that their death is still freshly in your mind. Dreams can also be a way for you to keep loved ones who have past away alive and still be in some aspect of your life. You are still trying to grasp the notion that he or she is really gone. If the dead is trying to get you to go somewhere with him or her, then it signifies that you are trying to understand their death. You also don't want to be alone.

                                            Father

To see your father in your dream symbolizes authority and protection. It suggests that you need to be more self-reliant. Consider also your waking relationship with your father and how aspects of his character may be incorporated within yourself. 

To dream that your father is dead forewarns that you need to proceed with caution in conducting some business matter.

(Source: Dream Moods: What's in your dream?http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/s.htm)

The Dream

This morning I had a very lucid, albeit unsettling dream. As anyone who still follows my blog knows, I have been trying to find a way to sell my mom's house for her so that she may have money to live on since it no longer possible for her to live alone anymore.

Before I woke up, I dreamt that I was in my mom's house with the realtor and we were discussing what needs to be done when all of the sudden I saw my mom's last dog she lost about a year ago. Surprised, I said to the dog, "What are you doing here?" Then, two of my mom's other dogs and her only cat that passed away years back walked past us. I bent down to pet one of the dogs and I could actually "feel" the dog's fur on my hand. I turned to the realtor and said, "Do you see that?" 

As I turned my head toward my mom's kitchen, I saw my beloved Dad standing there wearing a long gray coat. I ran up to him and hugged him and told him I loved him. I remember he just stood there and said nothing. Then I woke up. And that was the end of my dream.

What did it mean? What made me dream something like this? Guilt because I need to try to sell the house my father built with his own hands- not to mention the childhood memories of a house I grew up in. Or, was it merely the result of an overwhelmed mind? 

What's new

Greetings, friends! Well, last evening after we returned home from our family shrimp bake, I noticed that I could not get my laptop to charge. Apparently our cat Teddy found it necessary to chew up my ASUS charger cord! My husband has ordered another one for me which is supposed to arrive in the mail this coming Friday. After a lot of frustration, I was finally able to sign into my other laptop, BUT I am not able to sign onto my Yahoo email for some reason. And, I can not change my password because you need to be able to retrieve a "code" in order to do that. (sigh). In the meantime. I still can not access anyone's blog to read and leave comments. 

Moving on, there was a last minute change of plans and we did not have to move my mom into Rittenhouse after all. After hearing the news that my mom was set to leave Mifflin Court last Friday, the Marketing & Admissions Director called me on the phone and said that she hated to see my mom leave and asked me if I would agree to let her stay if she could get authorization to match what my mom would be paying for rent at Rittenhouse? I emailed the financial info to her and she in turn immediately forwarded it to her superior. The next morning she contacted me again and said she had gotten the permission to match Rittenhouse and my mom would be paying 2k less a month. In addition, my mom would still be getting the same "perks" she had been at the higher rent price. And her transports for doctor appointments are free.

After, going over the rest of the services she would have been paying for PLUS fees at Rittenhouse, my husband and I felt that we made the right decision. First of all, my mom's house is nowhere near ready to hit the market yet (still working on details) and we would have had to set up a telephone line with Verizon at Rittenhouse in addition to the active line at her house as my mom can not use a cell  phone because she only has use of her one hand and arm. Therefore, she would be paying about $100 per month for two lines as apposed to the land line that is already included in her room and she only pays $1 per day ($30.00/month) to have it. And, on top of her rent at Rittenhouse she would also be paying extra for what they call Level of Care of which there are 7! Mifflin Court's rent includes the level of care (aides, nurses). Level 1 would have been $275.00 more and there was a big jump for Level 2 at $490.00 and so on.

Weekend happenings

It's Labor Day weekend and I am off until Tuesday for the holiday. On Saturday, I spent the day with Aurora Skye. We had lunch at The West Reading Tavern and did some shopping ...

We both really love "Gem on Penn" ...

A beautiful Amethyst suncatcher.

More gemstone treasures ...

A Smoky Quartz pendant and two pairs of earrings.

We stopped off at our local Old Navy store for some great deals!

And, of course Barnes & Nobel bookstore where I picked up a couple of magazines ...

From Celtic Myth & Moonlight ...

And later on, a nice relaxing dinner with my husband at Sinking Spring VFW ...

Today, we attended a shrimp bake at my husband's cousin's house with chicken, shrimp. diced potatoes, carrots and onions AND corn on the cobb! SOOOOO GOOD!

I will post yet another update on my mom sometime this week. A sincere "Thank You" to my Blogger friends who cared enough to send her good wishes! 💜💛💚

Another Update

Greetings friends. Well, one step at a time so I am told. Last Thursday, I met the nurse from Rittenhouse at Mifflin Court who was assigned to assess my mom's level of care. Surprisingly, it went fairly well as she is what they consider a Level 1 - meaning she needs the least amount of care. The level of care is added to her monthly rent plus some extra fees 😲. I am currently in contact with Trish from Rittenhouse as to what the month-to-month rent will be after her first time one month's rent (in September) of $99.00; however, it is estimated to be $2K less than she is paying now at Mifflin Court. After spending about an hour speaking with Trish, I was rather surprised that Rittenhouse offers a bit more in the monthly rent than Mifflin Court does. Mifflin Court is a very nice facility, but they are far too expensive. As my mom's P.O.A. I am trying to get more "bang for her buck" so to speak. 

This past week, I have been in contact with both Rittenhouse and Mifflin Court as to what I need to do as far as getting my mom transported to Rittenhouse as her last paid up day at Mifflin Court will be August 31st. Unfortunately, just as is the case with Mifflin Court, I will have to pick her up myself and take her Rittenhouse since they only have one driver who is responsible for transporting residents to their weekly doctor appointments. My husband will be taking a 1/2 PTO day on September 1st in order to help me transport my mom from Mifflin Court to Rittenhouse because she is not very stable and I do not think that I can handle her all by myself. I can not take another FMLA day from work until September 1st regardless.

And on top of dealing with all of that BS, I am still trying to get the ball rolling on selling my mom's house for her - against her will, of course, but I see little choice at this point. It is a no-win scenario. I am damned if I do and damned if I don't. The alternative is to send her home and leave her to her own devices. 

So, at the end of this week it is goodbye Mifflin Court ...

On the other end of this, I am also working with my husband's cousin's daughter who is a realtor and she is currently assessing my mom's house property to see how much my mom could live off of after selling her house. My head is spinning at the thought of it all!!!!

TBT: Thanks, Ehstemai!

(Most Wiccans in the U.S. practice alone, though they congregate in large gatherings to conduct rituals and learn from one another.)

Late last week, I received an e-mail from a very nice Wiccan Priestess named Ehstemai. She happened to come across one of my old poems which I had posted on Witchvox called, "Earth Sisters."

She told me that she believes her readers would really love it and asked my permission to post it on on her site, "What is Wicca?" 

 Earth Sisters

In fate they so did meet

In friendship they so stayed

Neither realized the kind of bond

That yet was to be made

Judy so shy and quiet,
Kim with Pisces eyes
Both are kind and caring,
Free spirited and wise

As years went by so quickly
Their lives seemed such a mess
Always striving to move forward
But growing so restless

Until one day they finally found
A love they both could share
In the precious Lord and Lady
Who are always everywhere

They chose their craft name wisely
One Rhiannon, one Caer
And thus respect Natures powers
Of Fire, Water, Earth and Air

They worship now in perfect trust
As they give back to the Earth
And where they once felt unalive,
They now can feel rebirth

 With each passing day
Their sisterhood grows strong
As does their love of music
Which they share in dance and song

They know someday the time will come
The question not where but when
As Merry Meet, merry part
And Merry they'll meet again

~ Lady Caer Morganna 

***********************************************

Wordless Wednesday: For My Friend, Jon

Jon, this post is for you, my friend! 

Weekend Happenings

Another busy weekend of errands for my mom as usual. On Saturday, my friend Deb tagged along with me and we hung out. She treated me to a Starbucks frozen White Chocolate Frappuccino on the way to Rittenhouse to drop off my mom's application. Afterwards, I took her to Murdough's Christmas Barn and then we had an early dinner at The Railroad House with her hubby and our friend, Kyle ...

I visited with their kitty Jack ...

A book I ordered on Amazon for my husband also arrived on Saturday ...

On Sunday, I met up for a nice lunch (also at The Railroad House) with my sister Aurora Skye. She picked up these cool mermaid gifts for me at The Paper Party. Mermaid tail pens and a mermaid cup!  🐟 💜💛💚💙💟

.

Aurora and her hubby went to see Barry Manilow perform live on Friday night so I thought I would share two of my personal favorite Manilow tunes!

.

Just a bit of trivia. Ironically, Barry's first big hit was "Mandy" -  a song which he did not actually write himself but rather was asked to sing by record producer, Clive Davis. The song was originally titled, "Brandy" and Barry not only changed the title, but had written his own arrangement of this song - GREATLY improving a very memorable song. I have included the original version by Scott English which in comparison to Barry's is , IMO, sub par. ENJOY!

♭♮♯♭♮♯♭♮♯♭♮♯♭♮♯♭♮♯

AND, A BONUS VIDEO!

TBT: Black Cat Appreciation Day!

 

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Go outside and look up. Midnight's light is shining down on you from the stars. The breeze on your cheek is his face rubbing against yours. He has left behind his body and moved on to a new adventure. Nothing is ever truly lost. It just changes."

~ Fellow Blogger, Mohave Rat (after the loss of my sweet boy and best friend, Midnight)

Our beloved girl, Kiki (2007~2018) ...

And our little boy, Mr. "Bo" (Bojangles - he was actually a Tuxie cat) ...

This and That

Yesterday, I took a tour of Rittenhouse in Muhlenberg. It is a bit off of the beaten path to find, but it looks lovely. I met with the Senior Living Counselor named Trish who showed me around and sat down with me for about an hour going over options for my mom ...

🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡

My mom's graduation pic.

This pic was taken two years ago at "The Van Reed Inn" for her 82nd birthday dinner.

This is a pic of my Dad and I back in 1995 taken at his Retirement Party. It is one of my favorite pics of us.

Happy mail - I received a "Thank You" card in the mail on Monday from my friend, Deb who just celebrated her 60th Birthday about a week ago ...

Also, my new Halloween dress that I recently ordered  through Amazon arrived. It is an XL and I still need to drop a few pounds, but it is cute - especially for the price. I really like the fat cat print ...

Today, after I had gotten finished with yet more running around, I met up with my sister Aurora Skye and her hubby for a nice dinner at "Flanagan's Pub" ...

Delicious crock of lobster bisque ...