Greetings again, phoggie/Mary. In my earlier post I appeared to be unaware of some info that you appeared to have posted a couple of hours earlier, so much of what I said was not useful. If you want to take a good portion of the things from your current home to furnish the one where you will live in future, I have a suggestion that might be relevant. Son's sister/my daughter moved from near Toronto, on the north side of Lake Ontario, to Phoenix a few years ago, and son and I were discussing yesterday the cost of moving her goods: I'd thought that it was something over a dollar a pound, and he said he thought closer to a dollar and a half ... ... so I suggested that we should have bought her an old school bus, then we could have packed it for her, she could have driven it down there, and sold it after getting her things moved into her new place. Or, if the rules governing licensing required really different criteria, buying one there and driving it up, loading it and driving it back. Perhaps you might be interested in buying an old school bus, packing your goods into it and driving it to Burlington. Then check with (former)/friends to try to find some farm or rural person nearby who'd rent you some space at nominal fee to park it for a time, until you have found a place to live on a permanent basis. When one considers the monthly/quarterly cost of renting a storage space (or annual - and which period does one choose, up-front?), using the school bus idea might not be such a bad idea. There'd be an additional benefit of handling all of the stuff twice instead of four times: saved effort (says a guy with a streak of laziness) and less possibility of damage/breakage. I'd thought of suggesting that, should the contract for sale of your current house fall through, that it might be a good idea to do some checking as to whether that arrangement had been satisfactory. But when I heard that your former husband's son was in a related business, I was fairly sure that he'd have been aware enough of the local housing market to have ensured that you weren't being taken. With regard to the lady who has the house that she's talking of sharing ... how about finding a reason, whether real or imagined/manufactured, to visit there for a few days, or, probably better, a week or so, so that you could stay at her place and get an idea of her lfestyle, including an idea, even if vague, of the financial end, and whether you might feel comfortable with it. ole joyfuelled ... who doesn't have to buy gas for a school bus P.s. I've been saying for some time that it makes sense for several singles, especially senior ones, to live together. Advantages: -intellectual stimulation helps keep Alzheimer's at bay, -shared chores would enable one to continue to live independently longer, -each person would eat better than tea and toast for some meals if living alone, -increased safety: if someone has immediate trauma, as long as one can call, there's someone there to help, plus -they could triage: decide whether we can handle this situation in-house; or we call this person's caregiver to handle the situation; or call 9-1-1- ... right now!, -there's be a major cost saving over buying a smaller home/condo, renting one's own apt., etc. ... and a major one over entering a residential home and certainly over a nursing home. That cost saving would enable them to afford to have someone come in to take care of much of the cleaning and housekeeping. o j ... who lives alone

Jamie and family, you are in my special thoughts and prayers.Just to share with you,my Mom and I shared a special love for birds.The day after she died, I was sitting on my back porch and a beautiful Ospry came and sat on the fence right in front of me.I had never seen that bird before and never saw it again.I knew that was message from my Mom.When I see an Ospry now, I think of Mom.

Thanks for the welcome back. As for me, I'm not doing very well. Hubby & I have separated and he has decided he wants a divorce. Oh, and he told me this on our 4th anniversary. Lovely, huh? To make matters worse, I had to have my beloved Josie put down in early May. That was so hard and I miss her immensely, especially now. She would've been a big comfort. Adding insult to injury, I'm having to live with my parents again. They're great people and I'm very thankful that they're in a position to help me, but it's still not what any of us wanted me to have to do. Needless to say, I'm battling severe depression. We've had to increase my meds and I'm seeing a counselor once a week. Sorry I don't have better news. How are you guys doing?

I am so very sorry to see this Patti, and extend my sympathy to you and your family. You will continue to be in my prayers. Tami