Debating What to Do for 2022

      I'm still here in Michigan... physically, at least. My heart would love to be elsewhere -- and it can, in just a few more days. Back to lovely fall in Colorado.

And hunting -- don't forget hunting season.

     The Mama continues to do well. She still does things very slowly -- but she does them. The doctor was very pleased with her progress. The visiting nurse and therapists have also been happy with how she's been improving. The doctor said when she saw Mom last, she was worried about her staying alone...but that was when Daughter #2 and Son #1 were here, and I was getting ready to arrive. Now the doctor says Mom can handle things on her own, so long as she's willing to call in help when she needs it. 

     The cousin who cleans house will continue to come, and another cousin will stop by at least a few times a week to help out. This should keep The Mama going, at least for the short term. We'll be back in early November -- and will reevaluate then.

     I'm exhausted -- from both the lack of sleep (it gets HOT upstairs) and being vigilant all the time, to make sure everything's going all right. But I can rest soon. 

The next question: How can we start planning ahead now for what may face us in 2022?

   * It's clear that The Mama is slowing down. Fortunately, that deterioration is less since this summer's version -- but congestive heart failure is taking hold. The Brick and I promised her that she could stay at home for as long as possible. Can she make it through next year? I'm not certain. 

    So that means -- do we start making arrangements ahead for what she wants? For future care, if she needs to move to a facility?  For her funeral service? (I already know about her burial plans -- she did that when Dad died, more than 12 years ago.) Do I ask about the funeral-- or is that crass? And what about deeply personal items -- like her jewelry? What goes to who? 

*We took a big hit with the truck repairs this summer. When the dust cleared, including licenses, we were forced to put out approx. $14,000. That took care of the money we'd planned to invest, and decimated our emergency fund. (Thank God we HAD an emergency fund.) 

   So that means -- do we put a permanent kibosh on any trips (except to Michigan, when needed) until the fund builds back up? (Other than repairs, we have been living within our income, thankfully.) OR -- do we say, "Oh well," and take money from our investments to cover the shortfall? (The Brick is for this. After all, that's what we saved the money for, originally. I'm not so sure.)

(By the way, White Coat Investor has an extremely comprehensive list of how much you can yearly contribute to IRAS, etc. This is also helpful in paring down your income, so you can stay in a lower tax bracket. And you can do it up to April 15 -- also helpful.)

*And what about the coming winter? We've been talking about going back to McNeal, AZ, where we volunteered last winter. This time, though, we'd only go for a month, instead of two. The Brick's brother lives in North Carolina -- we talked about visiting there. (Our kids are also talking about moving to North Carolina's Outer Banks area.) Should we just dawdle along through the Southern states, after our McNeal sojourn? Head for Florida, for a while? Head home to Colorado -- or angle up, so we can be in Michigan by spring?

    So that means -- we avoid the cold, and the need to keep the pipes from freezing. (The Brick's pet peeves) But it also means our landlord friend has no one reliable to keep an eye on his property. (He and his wife are headed south at Thanksgiving, and won't be back until spring.) 

      AND -- what about The Mama? Will she be okay? 

*One final issue: Covid. Will it be impossible to travel without getting a vaccine every time the government decrees we need one? What about other restrictions? 

    So that means -- probably no travel to Canada. International trips are probably out, too. (We had hoped to go overseas more, and still need to make up for ports we missed after the world cruise was cancelled.) The Brick had really hoped to do a trip to Israel, and I wanted to tack on Petra. Right now, that is not possible. But will it change? OR will things get so bad that we can't even travel through the States...or Mexico? 

     I'd love to go on a cruise again...and prices aren't too bad right now. But they have their own set of restrictions -- and some are downright territorial. Do I dare even make any reservations?

Decisions, decisions. Have you been debating what to do with your year ahead, as well?