Welcome to the Misadventures of Widowhood blog!

Welcome to my World---Woman, widow, senior citizen seeking to live out my days with a sense of whimsy as I search for inner peace and friendships. Jeez, that sounds like a profile on a dating app and I have zero interest in them, having lost my soul mate of 42 years. Life was good until it wasn't when my husband had a massive stroke and I spent the next 12 1/2 years as his caregiver. This blog has documented the pain and heartache of loss, my dark humor, my sweetest memories and, yes, even my pity parties and finally, moving past it all. And now I’m ready for a new start, in a new location---a continuum care campus in West Michigan, U.S.A. Some people say I have a quirky sense of humor that shows up from time to time in this blog. Others say I make some keen observations about life and growing older. Stick around, read a while. I'm sure we'll have things in common. Your comments are welcome and encouraged. Jean

Saturday, October 10, 2020

What a Mess!

A man I didn’t know well but who was a good friend and business associate of the son-I-wish-I-had died in his sleep at 51 of still unknown causes. He owned the auction house where we’ve been sending stuff from my house as I’ve been downsizing and where I had planned to send at least two more loads---one before the end of the month with some furniture and miscellaneous antiques and another before listing/selling the house. Tim is still in shock. He’s says the auctioneer had no known health issues, worked hard every day and was very fit. Better than half of Tim’s livelihood depends on having access to an auction house since he deals in closing out estates. Banks call him, real estate agendas call him. People like me downsizing call him. At this point in time, it doesn’t look like anyone in the family can take over the business---even temporarily to deal with the advertised auctions in the queue. He had four brothers, two teen daughters, a contentious x-wife who cheated on him and no will or other paper work to give anyone a legal standing to take charge. What a mess!

It affects me, yes. But at least I have plenty of time and I have confidence that Tim will find another auction house to work with before the spring when I have to switch gears and start getting the house and yard ready to list it. I had decided before hearing this news to quit all my e-Baying except for a few first edition books and send whatever collectibles I still have worth selling to the auction house. I quickly reversed that idea so now it looks like I’ll still be e-Baying until the end of the year even though I'm thoroughly burned out on doing it. Ya, I can hear the voice out there in cyberspace saying, “Why don’t you just donate what’s left?” and to that I’d point out that I just sold a beaded Victorian purse for $49 on e-Bay and I have a few things left like a German built pencil sharper from the 1800s that will sell for over $300 and I’m not willing to let a picker shopping at Goodwill to buy stuff like that for a song then resell it when I still have time left to sell it myself. Down the road closer to the move I will donate, sure, but not now.

This week I met four of my Gathering Girls pals at the Guy Land Cafeteria for a two and a half hour lunch. We decided that we’ll meet two more times this fall, then suspend our bimonthly tradition until the end of January. With flu season coming and holiday and family parties that could turn out to be super spreaders for Covid-19 it seems safer to avoid public places. We always have such a great time and I wish Zoom meetings were an option for us but half the ladies aren’t computer literate enough to even do a Facebook Group chat---we tried that already---so Zoom would never work. Life goes on, and my social life sucks.

I was disappointed to see the manager/chief cook at the Guy Land Cafeteria wearing one of those little 2-3 inch wide plastic shields that rides on your chin that don’t look like they’d contain germs, and germaphobic that I am I asked him if he thinks that style mask does as good of a job as those all the other employees were all wearing. He said the health department approves them and I have no reason to think he’s fibbing about that. I've been going in that place for nearly two decades and I know the guy well enough to have that conversation but at the Breakfast Only Café across the street, where I also stopped this week, I wasn’t as civil. Three of their five employees were wearing their masks with their noses hanging out and when I paid my bill, I said to the cashier, “When you have three people walking about with their noses hanging out of their masks it doesn’t inspire people to come back until after the pandemic has past. You might want to pass that on to our boss.” (Usually I just think these thoughts and never speak up.) She glared at one of the waitress’s near-by who had her nose hanging out, and replied, “I will.” I could tell it bugged her as much as it made me mad. I was mad because I’ve missed going to this place and I wanted to feel safe there. 

However, I'm not sure for how long any of us in my state are going to feel safe going forward. When I got home I heard on the news that the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that our governor "lacks the authority to extend or declare states of emergency in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic." Every thing Governor Whitmer put into place to prevent the spread of the virus---mask requirements in public places, social distancing, limiting capacity in certain businesses, etc., etc. Out the window. Now Democrats are scrambling to stop the reversals of her mandates by rewriting them as health department mandates and you know those will get challenged with new cases working their way up to the state Supreme Court. Some people are determined to live in a super spreader environment. Time to donate to her legal defense fund. They are burying the governor in lawsuits. What a mess!

And in late breaking news: the FBI just arrested thirteen militia members for plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer then put her on 'trial' for treason followed by executing her. They pooled their money, bought explosives, a high powered laser and even did a couple of practice runs while other militia members planned a takeover of our state capital in an armed insurrection. She's a gutsy woman, though. After the plot was publicly announced she called Trump out for encouraging the militia groups involved when he tweeted "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" He gets daily briefings on all threats foreign and domestic. He had to have known about the plot when he sent that tweet out a couple of times, which makes me wonder how anyone can doubt he dog whistles to the darker side of humanity. Why he does it is the only question in my mind. What a hot mess America is in right now! ©

 

34 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry about the auction house and the extra work for you. And that COVID is limiting your get-togethers. I'm sending best wishes. ❤️ Fingers crossed enough people vote to get Trump out of power.

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    1. I live in Trump country and I know a least two dozen people who are voting for him and not enough people voting for Biden to offset them. We're a swing state that helped elect him the first time and I'm really worried. Nothing he does gets through to his supporters.

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  2. Well, selling your things on eBay makes sense to me!!

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    1. I talked to someone this week who always has over a 1,000 listings on e-Bay at one time. I've never had more than 15 at a time. So I guess I shouldn't get so stressed over whether or not my camera, computer or printer will be working when I need them to. LOL

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  3. Losing that auction house must have been quite a shock -- especially to Tim, and especially to the fellow's friends and family. Fifty-one is truly young; it's quite a reminder that we truly never know what's lurking around the corner. I'm glad you've got some time to readjust and figure out a new game plan. Flexibility's the ticket, physically and otherwise!

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    1. It really hitting Tim hard. Over the years they two guys have become social friends as well connected through their businesses. The guy had employees too that are out of jobs. I'm just glad I don't have stuff sitting in the building waiting for an auction that isn't going to take place. Years ago my husband and I was in that situation and we lost it all because in the eyes of the law it became estate property.

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  4. Wow, what a time you have had. Glad you were able to get together with friends as a plus.

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  5. Ironic that those militia men were so mad about wearing masks and said it restricted their freedom. I wonder how they will enjoy prison! Crazy world!
    You are an experienced collector and seller - you will work it all out. One step at a time and you will be ready when it is time to move. Stay safe!

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    1. Crazy world, indeed. One of the militias was really mad the governor shut down the gym he liked to go to. Now, he'll have free access an hour a day to exercise in prison. LOL

      Staying safe is weirding me out. LOL

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  6. So sorry you not only lost your auction access but that Tim lost his friend. We sure aren't guaranteed tomorrow are we?
    Still shaking my head over the deal with the attempt on Gov. Whitmer. What on earth are we coming to? Each day a new crazy becomes common place. Trump did everything possible to sanction the take over of "that woman." Come on Nov. 3.

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    1. They were planning to do it before the election so the FBI moved in just in time. I heard they had to wait until the group actually had taken steps to pull it off i.e. buy stuff and do trial runs. Otherwise the Free Speech thing could have gotten them off in a trial. Some of them lived in the county where my nieces live and some in my county.

      Trump still hasn't condemned their plans but he's been victim shaming Whitmer already.

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  7. This post is a mixed bag! How awful to have this death and no will. Leaves your SIWIH in a lurch, for sure. And shock. Thankfully you had something SOCIAL to help round out the week. I haven't been inside a restaurant in six months! We are all good cooks, thankfully. I made a pumpkin cobbler the other day ... it was VERY rich ... Jesse made himself sick eating too much!

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    1. Pumpkin pies and cobblers are so rich it's easy to get sick on them.

      After I go to my last two Gathering Girls brunches I'm not sure I'll go back to a restaurant again until next summer, assuming things with Covid-19 get better. It just feels creepy and unsafe!

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  8. I haven't been into a restaurant to dine since March. Careless "mask wearing" is one huge reason why. Another reason is that in Ohio, they've found that the common factor of COVID-19 cases is eating in a restaurant.

    These people who wear the mask under their nose are idiots. It's like wearing a condom on the testicles only. Where the heck do they think the infection enters, primarily? Are they aware where the test for COVID-19 is taken? That alone should clue them in.

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    1. It really ruined my lunch to have two waitresses and a cook working with their noses hanging out of their masks. I kept thinking maybe I'd be doing the management a favor to give them a clue on why a person like me, who used to go their 2-3 times a month, isn't coming in. You make a great point about where the Covid-19 tests are taking samples from.

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  9. So sorry about the auction house and Tim's friend. So young. I bet it was an aneurysm.
    Too bad about your Gathering Girls, too. It is almost impossible to maintain a social life. I talk to my best friend on the phone often, but I can't see her. She works part time in a school clinic and part time at Target. She is exposed to so much, I'm afraid to see her.
    We've been watching the news about your state. It's awful. Governor Whitmer is really something. I never thought about Trump probably having knowledge of the militia group when he posted that tweet. But of course he did.

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    1. Aneurysm was my first thought, too.

      It didn't take long for his supporters to claim the militia groups plotting to kidnap our governor were actually Left winger tried to whip angry up against people who support the 2nd amendment and for Trump to start victim shaming Whitmer with his tweets. The man doesn't have a compassionate bone in his body for what she's been going through since the FBI put her on notice of the plot. She's had to have extra security for several months.

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  10. agree - a mixed bag of mainly much trouble with this post - but it seems you are being sensible with it all. With winter coming up - more time at home, methinks even if it doesn't feel right - I spent most of my winter (New Zealand) as a home body but also because of the gov't/health restrictions put in place. Was I happy? Not to start with, then I found that is was possible to override anything negative on my radar...of course I have an art practice to occupy a lot of my time and I used online services for most other things...
    Take care, keep safe and enjoy whatever you can do :-)

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    1. It's a mixed bag for many of us and that's the saving grace for me...knowing I'm not the only one in this boat load of stress.

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  11. So sorry to read about all of this, Jean! I did not know about the plot to capture and kill your governor, nor Trump’s inciting folks to do so. I hope there is a big change coming in November, for everyone’s sake.

    Deb

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    1. Someone from Homeland Security said in an interview that these home grown terrorists (the so-called militia groups) are active in other places, too, and the chatter is they are planning similar take-overs of state capitals. It's going to get messier down here before it gets better, I'm afraid.

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  12. Sometimes we feel life is one big mess, with one thing after another

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  13. It's been a week here, hasn't it? All of our collective issues and then you dealing with the loss of someone. 2020 doesn't seem to be improving. The whole thing with the state Supremes makes me so mad -- and the kidnapping plot, too. And you know there are others out there....

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    1. I knew Michigan had a lot of militia groups but I didn't know until this week that we have more than any other state! My husband actually worked with one back in the '90s. He had stockpiled so many guns they filled up an entire room floor to ceiling and he ended up in shoot out with the Feds. If he's still alive, he's still sitting in prison.

      It's hard not to be mad at people who have a bone to pick with every rule and regulation to the point they want to take over the country/government and make their own rules and regulations. What we saw this week is the group trying to do that using legal channels and the group trying to do that using violence both at the same time.

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  14. Well, if it's any comfort... the militia guys hated Trump just as much as Governor Whitmer. One of them posted videos saying this. No doubt Trump was on their politician hit list, too -- just a little harder to get to, in spite of the governor's million-dollar security update.

    So I seriously doubt he was the one to incite them, in this case.

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    1. I had not heard that but there are all kinds of ridiculous rumors going around cyberspace claiming things like the group were working for the Democrats to make Trump look bad. This same group of guys took part in the armed protest on our state capital and Trump was on TV telling our governor that she should negotiate with them. Trump might not think he was inciting them, but he was.

      These kinds of groups have deep roots here in Michigan. Back in the '90s my husband and I used to run into them at a truck stop restaurant weekly. Eavesdropping was easy and scary! The kinds of men attracted to these militias are misfits in society.

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  15. Jean! I just read like 4-5 of your most recent posts. I don't kow where I've been, but obviously not keeping up! I only did one post on my own blog in September (but several on the yoga blog, so I guess my writing energy when there.) Anyway, good to catch up and I loved every post! And yes, a hot mess indeed. All these news stories about Michigan always bring you to mind. Stay well; stay safe. 22 more days and maybe some of the mess will be behind us. (Fingers crossed!)

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    1. No need to feel badly about not keeping up with my blog. What you are doing with your political advocacy stuff is SO important right now. You are so dedicated and you keep up with that important task. I'm so proud to know you.

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  16. Your auction house story is sad. I'm sorry for all the people involved, including you tangentially-- or maybe directly. I suppose it depends on how you spin it.

    On Twitter the men connected to the attempt to kidnap your governor are being referred to as Vanilla ISIS. While I don't want to downplay the seriousness of what they were plotting, I cannot stop smiling over the hashtag.

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    1. I hadn't heard that, and thinks for sharing. The title fits them. My Trump supporting in-laws are posting things like the group is connected to Black Lives Matter, to the Democratic party in scheme to make gun owners look bad, and my favor ridiculous claim is that the group is Antifa.

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  17. The auction house presents a real problem. I'm sorry that happened for him and you. I know you were ready to give up ebaying and I'm sorry that looks like a no-go for now. Dang. Some days you can't win for losing. Keep your spirit up. You can do this.

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    1. e-Bay has gone super dead for me. I don't know if people have quit buying or what I'm selling just isn't wanted anymore. So I'm at a stand still right now until we find another auction house.

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