Updates continue to dribble out, so sorry about that.
We are still working steadily on the master bedroom. I am hoping to be finished with the trim by Saturday, but little things keep delaying us (ex: Ann got a flat tire two days ago, which caused me to use up half-a-day getting it changed and fixed). Once that is done, we can redo the TV/study room (which is currently our bedroom). I hope to get all of the phase one interior changes done by the end of Feb. Phase II will be the remodel of the master bathroom (this summer or fall?). Phase III will be a major remodel of the common rooms of the house, but that is probably a year+ away.
I am also busy documenting the various issues with my sister vis-a-vis mom’s estate in case my sister goes through with her recent threat to sue the estate. The crux of the issue is that my sister doesn’t believe the horses, which she inherits and which my parents bought and owned (and she rode, trained and cared for), have any value to the estate and that she should be gifted them free and clear of the estate distributions. Given my parents put six figures into the horses over two decades, and the fact they own them 100%, the horses do indeed have value to the estate and, thus, part of my sister’s inheritance should include some value placed on the horses. Since she knows this means she will get less cash from the estate, she believes this unfair and is very upset about it (even though the current plan is to give her the horses at half the market value to recognize her contribution to their value, but she refuses to have any conversation about this). Ugh!
We are still awaiting a date for Ann’s semi-emergency gallbladder surgery, but our local hospitals are very busy with COVID patients, so we aren’t sure when she can get in. At this pace, it will likely be an emergency procedure at some point!
Perhaps the best news of the year is that I have the shop heater running … oh boy, does it warm up the shop quickly!!!
Vernon asked about the heater. It is propane powered (we have a 1000 gallon tank). It is connected to a thermometer on the wall: :