It has been over two years since this post was written. Here is a quick update. We tried two assisted living facilities, we did a nursing home, we did three group homes, and during this time she's had a big hospitalization, so there was the acute care and a rehab hospital. We hired four different in-home aides to help. One ripped us off for about 40 thousand dollars. You read that right. Forty Grand. She'd take my MIL to the hairdressers or out to lunch, only she was stopping at the bank for my MIL and would take a few thousand each trip. She cleaned my MIL out from her savings. And, she took some antique linens, some jewelry from my MIL and me. She took some Polish Pottery from my china cabinet, and basically, had a field day at our expense. (Yes, there are police reports. Only no prosecutions as my MIL is the primary witness and she is useless and the aide swears that it was all given to her as gifts.) One aide was horrible and we canned her after two weeks of paying her to sit and drink coffee and do nothing, the other two were okay, but not worth the money or time. As soon as my MIL would say she didn't want a shower or whatever, they felt compelled to honor her patient rights. The facilities, to a last one all failed. My MIL was a horrible fit for each one and ended up turning me into the state, the county, and to adult protective services for abuse. I have had five intense and complete investigations due to my MIL's claims (proven to be lies after investigations.. oh gee, she'd lie?? I call her "The Patron Saint of All Holy Liars), and all of them proved my MIL has progressive dementia and that not only am I not abusive to her (or anyone), but that I am the standard bearer or the gold standard of in-home care giving and wouldn't it be great if everyone was as good as I am. Yea, why doesn't everyone give up their lives for the demented aims of the demented. So, my MIL is still here. The granddaughter is going to be 4 years old soon. I spend as much time as I can with our granddaughter and make every effort to make the basic care for my MIL but to stay away from her as much as possible. My MIL is worse than she was, but is stable and healthy here. She is quite happy to see her son everyday and she gets on the telephone with her friends and goes on and on about what a horrible woman I am. I don't cry as much, I don't complain as much, and I don't lash out for a life much anymore. I have come to accept that I am worthless and will have to either wait until she finally dies or I get the balls up myself to walk out on my husband and kiss this dream good bye. Because.. this dream is a nightmare. Oh yea, a couple of her friends have come here to rescue her from me. They believed her stories. One even came with her adult daughter my age and a traveling caregiver to help with the transfer to take my MIL with them and out of my evil clutches. When they saw the truth, they were shocked and ashamed. And, they LEFT HER! I would have been thrilled to have had them take her! But, they said they wouldn't be able to give her the care she needs.. BS! They saw what a wicked old crone she was and didn't want her in their lives. We've never heard from them again!! So, two years down the road and my life is as bad, if not worse. She's either not fit or been kicked out of every facility we've tried. I could tell you the graphic accounts, but trust me on this.. you don't want to have to read it. It is hard to find any happiness in life at all. And, I know that she is going to be here until I die. Not her.. me. And, my death is something I look forward to now. Amazing how much life can change in two years..

Alan Ladd (my hero when I was 11) starred in The Iron Mistress with Virginia Mayo

I have just finished reading an amazing book. I say amazing because I grew up with the author. We were friends all through Jr. and Sr. High. She even sang at my wedding. We lost touch until last year. She told me that she had done some writing but last week I received an autographed book from her. ""Anne Merrill, a reluctant psychic, becomes an OSS agent in World War II and soon finds herself not only fighting the regular war but, also, a psychic war with her powerful, psychic father, Albert. He and the worldwide, ancient, secret society, the Chhayas Society (Shadows Society), are using psychic powers along with earth forces that magnify those powers to assist the Nazis." It was really a good read. I am proud of her and the book.

My husband has a house with 30 acres of woods that he bought a dozen years before we met. I didn't especially like going there but went along for an occasional weekend because he liked it. Then we spent a year out there because of Covid. I'm used to walking four or five miles a day in the city, but out there not only are there no sidewalks, there is nowhere to go even if there were any. My body felt sluggish from lack of walking, so I tried hiking in the woods. Two ticks later, I decided it wasn't worth it. I once saw a bear when heading down our driveway to get the mail. That's about a quarter of a mile "hike" through the woods. But at least there was an incentive -- getting the mail. I wish I felt what people like about walking around in the woods, but it just does nothing for me. Also, I feel comfortable going all over the city by myself. But in the woods, there is no cellphone service and no one to hear me if I needed help. Forget that!