Another year, another update (10/3/2019): Mother passed away

To think I used to update this blog on a daily basis, then it was updated on a weekly basis (then a monthly basis) and now I'm lucky if I update it once a year.

In my defense the last two years (2018 and all of 2019) have been very interesting (IRL).

My mother passed away in late November 2018 and her passing has caused some serious changes in my life (mostly good).

I did not expect to inherit anything from my mother other than physical stuff such as her stereo, rolltop desk, etc.

Technically I did not inherit any money (when she wrote her first will, she was very mad at me so I was left $1000.00--and nothing if I chose to dispute the will). When she wrote second will I was left nothing at all, and ditto for the third will. The third will was judged to be inapplicable for whatever reason, so the second will (wherein she left her money to two of her friends) was the one that was judged to be her true last will and testament.

In that second will, again I was left zero, zip, nada, nothing. However, in late February/ early March of 2019 I received a request from my mother's friends for my address. At that point since I did not know that I had been left nothing--the last time my mother and I had talked about her will I was still in said will--I assumed I would be getting a check for $1000.00

I got a check all right but it was for way more than just $1000.00 (although I would be have been incredibly grateful had I gotten a check for any amount!!)

I was pretty sure I was going to be receiving a check so I haunted the mailbox in the clubhouse for a few days and yes indeed approximately 4-5 days after the request for my address I received a letter and a check from my mother's friends.

This check was for EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!! First I had to reread the check about 10 times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating the amount (I kept saying there are too many zeroes on this check)

. Then I blurted out HOLY FUCKING SHIT in front of god and everybody (actually there was only one person in the clubhouse at the time, and he just laughed at me!!)

It turned out that my mother had thirty thousand dollars left when she passed away (I was very surprised that there was anything left because she was the queen of poormouthing!!). According to her she was broke beyond belief. LOL.

There were bills that had to be paid from the thirty thousand -- she had spent a month in adult foster care, there were charges from the hospital, and she wanted to tithe to her church as well.

I was in such shock I had to go to the next-door neighbors house to decompress and calm down!!

The first two things I did with the money were paying off my back due space rent for my mobile home and my back due property taxes; together those items took slightly over twelve thousand dollars. My landlord said that he'd had to listen to my request for a payoff quote several times (I'd had to leave a message for him) to make sure I was actually saying what he thought I was saying. Similarly, Deschutes County Tax Assessors asked me if I had sold my house.

After the two major financial stresses in my life were removed, I hired a cleaning lady to come in 3 hours a day every two or three weeks. I'd allowed my house to become a total disaster area after my last roommate left (she was a self-proclaimed neat freak who ripped on me all the time about my slob tendencies, never mind that she didn't vacuum the bedroom she rented from me even once in 13 months).

I bought a 52" inch television as well but haven't taken the time to get it set up. Another purchase was a new laptop as I write books (mystery novels, some erotica, and some non-fiction) and I needed a laptop that didn't crash all the time).

I got some needed work done on the car I purchased in August 2018 (replaced tire sensors, oil change, etc)

I bought an Instant Pot on clearance at WalMart so I could start cooking more (that hasn't happened yet but it will).

I bought a new garbage disposal and had it installed, now my sink doesn't leak (the old garbage disposal had rotted clear through at the top, no I am not joking, you could see daylight through it!!, the sink leaked, and the dishwasher never got used because it backed up onto the countertops).