Room For All

[Mendalla]

We now have a double that is split / dividing wall with door.

Interesting design. We've just got a double width garage with a double width door. There's less than a meter between the cars when both are in, even if we put them close to the outside walls so anything we leave in the garage over winter has to be crammed into the space in front of the cars. Some things, like hedge trimmer and hoses, get moved to the basement. The family across the street have a wider double with two standard garage doors separated by a short bit of wall. That enforces some space between vehicles where you can actually put some stuff. Wish we had that one.

And that's with a Civic and a CRV which are both based on the same compact platform. If we both drove a full-size like a Honda Pilot or something, then one would probably have to be outdoors year-round.

 

[KayTheCurler]

Our house has an almost double garage. The Mr. uses it as his personal workshop. We just have one car and it lives on the driveway. Lawnmower and snow blower live at our son's house and he brings them over as needed to do our yard work. Our older son is very helpful to us. I keep him supplied with home baking as appreciation!

 

[chansen]

@chansen , do they have a location to move to?

I'm sorry that they are both not well

Youre a good son....most of us parents don't want to give up all of our independence till we have to.
I'm thinking I should change careers to do makeovers for housing.....hmmm.

The intention is to move north to the cottage. Only problem with that is the lack of doctors, and the better furniture for sleeping while elevated is at home. They prefer to spend their time up there. The place is pretty nice. Neither ski anymore, but it's quiet, they see their granddaughter all winter and every month or so in the summer when we cut the grass, and there is a stray cat that needs my mom's attention.

Honestly, it's mostly about the cat. My dad has been trying to make the move for 20 years.

The strong intention was to move 4 years ago. I came through, took loads of junk to the transfer station, gutted the basement down to the studs and rebuilt it. The year before, I tiled the pool walls in preparation. Then my mom decided not to sell.

Every year since was supposed to be the year. And then my mom could not bring herself to sell.

Finally, this year my dad has been having more problems with his eyesight and the 2 1/4 hour drive just wasn't feasible, so she agreed. Got an agent and everything. I came through and continued the cleanup. Claire pressure washed all the concrete surfaces. We cleaned most of the house. Got the garden tilled and planted. Cleaned off the roof and the eavestroughs. Cast a new concrete table for the back yard. The garage was a disaster and now it's not. So many trips, so much work, and now they're saying maybe not this year, lol.

It is what it is.

What I do know is that my mom, who looks like she could blow away in a stiff breeze, has lost weight she could not afford to lose. My dad has been in pain for over 30 years with his head. Broke his wrists 25 years ago. Broke his back 20 years ago. Broke his ankle 5 years ago which ended his skiing.

My mom survived a grapefruit sized tumor 20 years ago. Her preferred approach to health care is to avoid doctors when possible, not listen to them when she can't avoid them but she's not about to die, then maybe think about their words and treatment when she can no longer stand. How she's alive is a testament to stubbornness, plus new cancer treatments.

There is a note on her file at Juravinski Hospital that reads "uncooperative".

Now they're saying they may winter in the city. I doubt they actually will. We'll see. They've cancelled Thanksgiving. They don't want us bringing a turkey the day of, or leftovers the next day.

In the interim, I make "proof of life" calls daily. We joke about them. "Still alive?" "Yep."

Time for today's call.

 

[chansen]

Interesting design. We've just got a double width garage with a double width door. There's less than a meter between the cars when both are in, even if we put them close to the outside walls so anything we leave in the garage over winter has to be crammed into the space in front of the cars. Some things, like hedge trimmer and hoses, get moved to the basement. The family across the street have a wider double with two standard garage doors separated by a short bit of wall. That enforces some space between vehicles where you can actually put some stuff. Wish we had that one.

And that's with a Civic and a CRV which are both based on the same compact platform. If we both drove a full-size like a Honda Pilot or something, then one would probably have to be outdoors year-round.

My parents house was built by my father. He supersized the garage. Most garages are 20x20. Some new garages are down to 19x20 and even smaller. My folks' garage is 26x28. You can drive two full size cars in there and open all doors. Lots of cool things about the house. Not that it will ever be sold.

 

[Mendalla]

My parents house was built by my father. He supersized the garage. Most garages are 20x20. Some new garages are down to 19x20 and even smaller. My folks' garage is 26x28. You can drive two full size cars in there and open all doors. Lots of cool things about the house. Not that it will ever be sold.

Ours was built for us by a local builder based on the floor plan of a house they were building in another subdivision that we saw. We moved a few rooms around but that was about it. Didn't even think about the garage (in our defense, we were doing this with a baby in tow who turned one while the house was being built).

 

[chansen]

Yeah, we bought a builder home 14 years ago. Liked they layout, but had limited flexibility to change anything. I've built 8x20 and 4x9 lofts in the garage which is quite tall. That helps, but operating a small contracting business partly out of the house is difficult. Add bikes, etc and it's slammed.

 

[chansen]

What I do know is that my mom, who looks like she could blow away in a stiff breeze, has lost weight she could not afford to lose.

89lbs is the latest. She's 5'4"? Ugh.

But, they drove north yesterday. They may stay for 2 weeks. Now I need the stray therapy cat to show up. Never has so much hinged on the life of a stray cat.

 

[Mendalla]

I've built 8x20 and 4x9 lofts in the garage which is quite tall.

There's a house down the street with a garage like that. A colleague of mine who is now retired owned it when we first moved in but needed more space and moved to the newer subdivision that had just opened up North of us.

 

[Northwind]

It is a sunny day here so far. My sister is in a Zoom mediation meeting to hopefully sort out our father's estate. It started with him trying to get his half of the marital property when he left his ex. The process started in March 2019. Both initial parties have died. Hopefully this will finally resolve things. My sister is in BC. The rest of the group is in Ontario so she had to start at 0600 hrs.

I'm off to the hospital. My cancer group has raised some money which we are donating to the BC Cancer Foundation to go towards the building of a new cancer centre here in town. BC has cancer centres in larger places like Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George. Now one will come here. It's scheduled to open in 2028.

 

[JayneWonders]

I checked

spouses garage is 15' wide by 28' deep
my garage is 11' wide by 28' deep

both have garage doors with individual openers.
full wall between them

the builder was an old car buff and had it well designed

 

[JayneWonders]

It is a sunny day here so far. My sister is in a Zoom mediation meeting to hopefully sort out our father's estate. It started with him trying to get his half of the marital property when he left his ex. The process started in March 2019. Both initial parties have died. Hopefully this will finally resolve things. My sister is in BC. The rest of the group is in Ontario so she had to start at 0600 hrs.

wow, that is crazy that it is still dragging on. That tops my realty craziness. I hope it is resolved for you soon.

Also, how wonderful re the fund raising.

 

[Luce NDs]

It is a sunny day here so far. My sister is in a Zoom mediation meeting to hopefully sort out our father's estate. It started with him trying to get his half of the marital property when he left his ex. The process started in March 2019. Both initial parties have died. Hopefully this will finally resolve things. My sister is in BC. The rest of the group is in Ontario so she had to start at 0600 hrs.

I'm off to the hospital. My cancer group has raised some money which we are donating to the BC Cancer Foundation to go towards the building of a new cancer centre here in town. BC has cancer centres in larger places like Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George. Now one will come here. It's scheduled to open in 2028.

Been there done that ... like epigone ... yep that' Sa word ...

 

[Northwind]

Wow. They reached an agreement. Both sides had to concede a bit. We won't have to deal with those a**holes (family of my father's ex) anymore.

 

[Mendalla]

Great news. Glad this is going to be settled finally.

 

[chansen]

Wow. They reached an agreement. Both sides had to concede a bit. We won't have to deal with those a**holes (family of my father's ex) anymore.

At some point both sides realize taking it further will just incur extra costs and everyone loses. Similar things happened between my mom and her brother when my grandparents died. My mom hates her brother.

 

[Northwind]

At some point both sides realize taking it further will just incur extra costs and everyone loses. Similar things happened between my mom and her brother when my grandparents died. My mom hates her brother.

My father's ex and her son believed that my father wasn't entitled to half their marital assets. They tried to say the homes were only hers. Things like that. My father and the witch were married over 40 years. We learned to accept her only because she was part of his life. She was a narcissist and alcoholic. Seems like her son didn't fall far from the tree.

 

[Luce NDs]

There are folks that say there is no corruption amongst us! In my sight this seems to rest close to those familiar with our soft spots ...

It is best to act like a dangerous nut case ... i.e. Jack in the nest show ... with the mockingbirds ... a species of roadrunner ... expect implications like the old coyote ... keep them guessiing about who's next to be skewed ...

 

[KayTheCurler]

Wow. They reached an agreement. Both sides had to concede a bit. We won't have to deal with those a**holes (family of my father's ex) anymore.

I can feel the relief that his thing is finally settled. Assets sometimes become real liabilities after a death. I chose to Not Argue and my sister got all our parents' assets. More recently I have heard myself saying "It would have been great to get some financial inheritance. I don't really enjoy the inherited eye disease I got as my share!".

 

[BetteTheRed]

I have a single garage, which actually got almost emptied last fall, and I had great hopes to get my tiny car into it. But there was a dump pile that evolved, then the big guy moved some boxes and a chair needing repair into it, then the great backyard clean-up happened, which added to the dump pile, and I'm no longer hopeful for this winter. *sigh* I've got a shed, but it's been 1/3 filled with my motorcycle (unridden) for 20 years, and I once asked the church for plant pots, and now have 2/3 of a shed full of them.

 

[Northwind]

Oh for crying out loud. My current meds are paid for by the drug company and are shipped from a specialty pharmacy in greater Vancouver. I was supposed to get a dose change two weeks ago. Apparently the drug company sent the appropriate info to the pharmacy two weeks ago, so it should have been shipped then. I followed up yesterday and the pharmacy shipped the package today. I asked for tracking. It looks like it has been shipped to the wrong address. Good grief. Of course the pharmacy and the courier are both closed. I left a message on the pharmacy voice mail and sent an email to the courier. My last package was sent here and the pharmacy said they would change my info to this address.

Can't people just do things properly??? This is pretty important.