Hello realitykraft and welcome! As far as your MIL being tired: this is not abnormal in the elderly, especially for those who have heart issues as yours does. Their bodies are wearing out, basically. And constant pain is very tiring, also. You don't indicate what kind of meds she is on. Certain medications cause drowsiness. If this is something you're concerned about, you should bring this up to her physician. As far as taking a shower once a week, that's a tough call. Does she smell? If she is incontinent, it is imperative that she bathe that area particularly on a daily basis, to prevent the skin from breaking down. There are some diseases, such as Alzheimers, in which the elderly do not want to wash or don't recognize the need for it, etc. Have you investigated getting services in your home for her, such as a home health aide? This person could come in to bathe her a couple of times a week. If she is not exerting herself and not moving around much, she isn't getting dirty so a daily shower might not be necessary. But again, if there are any incontinence issues, it's really important to keep that skin clean. I take it she is mostly housebound. Do you both work all day? If so, does she have any kind of stimulation (besides TV) at home, such as phone calls or visitors? Not having any outside contact can result in depression, of which a symptom can be excess sleepiness. Also, you mention she has diabetes. Is that under control with meds and diet? If not, that can make her sleepy also -- kind of like if you eat a big plate of pasta and then are ready to fall asleep an hour later. It's an overload of carbs -- your blood sugar spikes and then drops. There are a lot of variables that could produce the results you're seeing, but I would definitely encourage you to contact her doctor and your local Council on Aging (if you haven't already) to investigate getting some in-home services for her.

DH & I went to an attorney earlier this year to make sure we had our "affairs in order" in case of death of either or both of us. Our situation is not complicated @ present since we have only one child (DS). We already had the Living Will & Durable POA for Healthcare (FREE from the local hospital) and I had written our WILLS a few years ago from a Suze Orman CD package that cost like $40. The attorney reviewed both these documents & found no problems or changes. The only other document we needed was Financial POA, which she drew up for us. She also had our home deed retitled to TOD (Transfer on Death). The cost for all this was just under $200.00. We asked about Trusts. In our State (Ohio) there is currently an Estate Tax (so called "Death Tax") that kicks in when the estate reaches $338,333 (or so). A Trust would not avoid this tax. The Federal Estate Tax kicks in for estates > $5 million & is subject to change. So the upshot of this is that we don't need a Trust. Whether you do or not depends on your State's Estate Tax & the total value of your Estate. I think you can do some online research to get a handle on how your situation applies. One of the recommendations that our attorney gave us was that when we get older start giving our $ to our heir(s) which will avoid that Ohio Estate Tax. Of course the problem is we don't know how long we'll live & @ what age we should actually start this. Ohio legislature very well might do away with the Estate Tax this year. She also recommend having all our bank accounts, CD's, checking, etc POD (Payable on Death) to our son. All these things will work to avoid Probate & make things hopefully easier for DS to manage after we've died. I haven't read your Ameriprise link, but will. I've had experience with them... not good. I would NOT recommend going to these "FREE" seminars for asset protection or advice. They are most often a hard sell for annuities. Variable annuities have very high HIDDEN costs associated with them. Do a LOT of research before you ever consider purchasing one.. (then don't do it, imo). If your estate is worth millions then you can afford & should get high priced legal advice. If it is not a huge estate & is rather uncomplicated I would think your general attorney could advise you or at least recommend who you might see for more complex advice. Personally I think picking an attorney is much like picking a physician... a shot in the dark. And you don't know how "bad" they are until something goes wrong.

Hoo Boy!!! quirkyquercus said" "Instead my problem is a lot of people are such chickenlivers, they feel they must have a guard dog. And a mean one. An they may maintain their dog to do that job much like a training some herding dogs to do that task. Only in suburbia, guard dogs are a liability." My two are guard dogs first, and family pets second. They can be both. With proper training. Oh, yeah---I also have guns, large knives, and some home made instruments most folks are shocked when they see them. I doubt the 'chickenliver' term applies to me. My dogs protect the house when we are gone---there is a rather high burglary/home damage crime rate at times in my area. I do not need them to guard when I am home----I am perfectly capable of that.(Wink) Now---about the original question. Seems to me many folks have it right---education and life styles. Hound dogs have always been kept in groups for hunting---a favorite sport in much of the western/southern US---so having 6-20 dogs around was quite common. If they were not your dogs, they were a neighbors. Hunting with dogs farther north was less popular---meaning fewer dogs per capita. Breeding/fighting animals has been going on for thousands of years. The Romans pitted men and beasts fighting for the viewing pleasure of the citizens. Customs are different in different countries---eating dogs is customary in some cultures. All these cultures have migrated to the US---bringing their customs with them. In many countries, killing weak/malformed pups is necessary/common---not enough food for all the litter. Many Americans pride themselves on taking the best care possible of their pets. Physically that is quite true. Behaviorally, it is very often miserable. There are many more neurotic dogs in the US than most other countries, IMHO. And, yes, I have been in other countries---Germany, England, and Scotland----to back up my opinion.

My hubby and I wanted to set things up financially because we are both disabled. We needed information about Medicaid, home assistance programs,etc. We contacted our local American Bar assoc for a referral. An attorney responded quickly, came to our home that evening and asked tons of questions. A week later we got a letter-to hire him, we'd need to pay a retainer of $3000 plus $300 an hour. We decided not to hire him. Too expensive-we are not wealthy.