Day Trip and Lawyers

Thursday I hopped on the senior hall bus for a short trip to have lunch, then tour a city facility. Raise your hand if you’ve been to a plant that turns what you flush down the toilet into clean drinking water. That’s where we went. I must say, that place was cleaner than any factory or commercial building I’ve ever seen. The walls were white, the floors light gray and the computerize equipment was black. The giant piping, motors, blowers and holding tanks were painted in colors like salmon, aqua, pink, yellow and blue. The outside is designed to look like a large farm. I’ve driven by the place 100’s of times and never guessed what went on in that collection of buildings. Only one building had an odor inside---where they make dirt (like in gardens) in huge vats that look like cement mixers. And the air from that building is piped to another building that filters out the smells with a house-size block of charcoal before releasing it into the outside air.  

This state-of-the-art water and sewer authority services thousands of homes plus everything that goes down the storm grates in the streets. They discharge the end resulting clean water into our river that takes it out to Lake Michigan where it eventually ends up in our tap water. The neighboring city, and thousand like it across the country, skip the middle man---the river and Lake Michigan---and pipe their cleaned sewage directly into tanks that supplies water to the city. Anyone who was brave enough on the tour could have tasted the water that came down its last trough. It’s certified as drinking water---looked crystal clear---and is held to a standard higher than our neighboring city that pipes the water directly into homes. If you like glass beakers of every size and shape you’d love the lab in this place. They test constantly. 

I learned a few things I won’t forget: 1) never flush "flushable" wipes because they don’t break down and often bring neighborhood pumping stations to a halt. When that happens, the pump automatically places satellite calls to several people who get the yucky job of cleaning out the pump; 2) whenever I buy toothpaste and facial scrub I need to check the labels for micro-beads because they can’t filter those out and eventually they end up in our bodies. They are finding them inside Great Lakes fish in great enough numbers to be seen with the naked eye; 3) never flush medications because many of them can’t be filtered out, especially antibiotics and anti-seizure meds; and 4) they can’t filter out artificial sugar or caffeine so even if you’re trying to avoid those chemicals, you’re going to get them in your water. 

I had to go to my lawyer this week, too, for a three year check up on my legal stuff. It was pretty simple since none of my heirs have moved, died or done anything to make me want to cut them out of my will. I had a few questions about having a will and going through probate vs. having a trust---the pros and cons of each. And another question about why the banks keep nagging me to put beneficiaries on my accounts instead of ‘the estate of Jean so-and-so.’ These are topics that come up at the senior hall often but I keep forgetting the answers as to why my lawyer recommends what she does which is the opposite of what the ladies at senior hall say is smart. I’ve been called “dumb to do it that way” often enough that I actually had a session with the free legal services for seniors just to double check what my own lawyer was telling me. The second opinion, confirmed the first for MY situation. I hate this kind of stuff! I would rather bury my head in the sand and sing “la, la, la, la, la” when it comes to money and lawyers. On the good side, my lawyer gives hugs to senior citizens. Very firm hugs. I haven’t had one of those since I asked my lawn care service guy for one a month ago. He gave me two. Don’t be alarmed. I haven’t take up accosting casual acquaintances for hugs. My lawn care guy is also my nephew. ©