I haven’t been blogging a lot lately even though I do have time on my hands because Blogger has been sucking for me lately. It hangs up when I try to publish and frankly, it’s frustrating me to the point of looking elsewhere for my blogging needs. I don’t want to leave blogger, but let’s face it, I need something that actually lets me publish a blog and god only knows why this is hanging up the way it does.
It’s the night before a big snow storm. Something like 6 to 8 inches is the forecast. I was already at the store for my dad, oblivious to the fact that most people are at the store at 5PM on a Sunday night especially a Sunday night right before A MAJOR SNOW STORM HITS THE AREA …
I guess a 24 cart backup just to get to the milk is normal. I don’t know. I tend to do my shopping at random times. The fact that every lane was blocked by people sort of scared me. I mean people were piling things in their carts up like there was no tomorrow yet they still had the time to chit chat and say hello and block the lanes to the items I needed.
I eventually got my stuff but to make it to the checkout lines I had to cut through the health section. There’s never anyone in the health section in our store, which is sad, even sadder is the health section shares the center of the grocery store with the candy section. So I almost ran over some small unattended children as I high tailed it through no man’s land and into my destiny.
Checking out. I picked a line with a pretty girl cashier. Unfortunately the guy in front of me was like Felix Unger of the Odd Couple. He daintily placed his objects to be checked out one at a time. The cashier kept the conveyer belt moving the whole time so by the time this guy was half done individually hand placing his things, all of my stuff was rubbing up against his, which he couldn’t have. I think he gave me an evil eye, which would explain my headache, but dear lord, man, you see a cashier and you should put all your stuff up there before you make small talk.
I do have a headache and I did mention that a major winter storm is on its way. I hope this on blows over. My mom has been in Texas since Friday morning. That leaves me to do everything around the house. I’m starting to get tired of it already. We had major snow the other day and I had to shovel everything. I’ve had to bring in several loads of wood, I’m constantly outside taking garbage out, and I’m having difficulties with just the sheer volume of things my dad needs done.
Right now I’m dreading tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is shovel again. I’ve shoveled more than my fair share of snow this year. My mom keeps talking me out of buying a snow blower (with only 3 weeks left in winter), but you know what? I’m getting older. I’m not the spry young lad of a couple of years ago. Eventually I’m going to break down and buy one. I just wonder if my back will hold out until then.
Speaking of money, there’s no real update on my inheritance. Other than it was confirmed that the grandkids get the money. There were schemes floating around for most of last week. Aunts and Uncles wanting the grandkids (me included) to give up our claim on the money, give it all to my grandpa and then it would eventually be distributed to someone other than us when he dies.
I essentially made it clear that I’m not giving up any claim. My grandfather set up the trust for my Aunt the way he did because he proclaimed that he hated his kids. He literally flipped the rest of his children off when he set this trust up. So now when there’s money to be gained he wants it back and he wants to essentially flip off his grand children by taking back money promised to us.
What surprises me, though it shouldn’t, is some of the kids that he flipped off seem to be more than willing to work with him to screw their own kids out of an inheritance. It’s twisted. It’s not right but it’s my family and I’m ashamed of it.
Sometimes I think I should give up the fight, but you know what? I’ve essentially given up the last 8 years of my life to take care of my dad. I’ve given up relationships, I’ve given up job opportunities, I’ve given up any chance to move forward with my life and to lead something “normal.” I think I’ve shown my devotion to my family and while I never asked to be rewarded for my decisions (I made the choices freely), I feel kind of justified in my claim to my share because I’ve invested so much in this family.
What really bugs me is that for all the bickering and for all the schemes, no one has directly come to me. Not even my Aunt Ellen, who threw a shit fit the size of Japan last week, has bothered to explain to me why I should give up my claim to an inheritance set up for me (and my sister & cousins). Since I’m still out of work and the prospects aren’t good for work right now, I’d love to hear something to convince me to change my mind.
k9