PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - Well, Warren Buffett won't be my new neighbor after all.

For a smart woman I often wondered why she changed in her later years. She had two sisters and the three of them found religion with the Jehovah Witness cult. I blame the older sister for that. They all lived to their middle to late nineties.

I would estimate for about their last ten years they all lived in one of the cults nursing homes. It is like the Canadian version of the IRS told me years ago. Once you have control of an older person you can get them to sign or agree with anything. Especially with enough brainwashing involved.

Since my parents did not have the power of attorney. I suspect that organization had it. I can hear their spiel now. Something like you know we are all good honest people.

It was by nursing home standards a very nice modern secluded place and in my mind only certain people were allowed to live out their remaining years there. The very wealthy members of the cult specifically. My mother had tried to convince her to hire people to take care of her at home prior to this.

It was noticeable that Every time I visited her I was being really screened on entry into the locked facility. It was never just who are you here to visit?

Plus there always seemed to be an administrative staff member present with the two of us during the visits. Paranoia on my part I think not. For one thing the administrative staff where very high in numbers compared to any other nursing home I have ever visited.

Members of normal means would be told there was no room there I suppose. If they even knew it existed but they may have.

Even before she became an actual resident of that place. I knew she was giving decent sums of money to the organization. Perhaps they have many nursing homes for different levels of wealth? Come to think of it I do not remember the cults name on the building. I think it was just nursing home. Still it was 100 percent a Jehovah witness facility.

Grandmother sent me a cheque from time to time. As I imagine she did with all the other members of the family. Not a substantial amount in total.

There was nothing left when she eventually passed. I think my parents engaged a lawyer but nothing could be done.

No offense to any believers of any religious organization. Technically they are not criminal in nature. Just like the majority of beliefs the money only flows on a one way street with them though.

It has been a long time since I have thought about how my grandmothers life ended. When I think of her at all what I remember is the better times.

As for the money it does not really matter. As she got into her late 6os she wanted me to take over. She would have been too controlling and have consumed all of my time. I mean all of it. She had a streak in her that if I made an error it could go bad as well for me pretty easy. She set and would have expected a ferocious pace up till the time of her total retirement.

I do not know if the money was grandmothers god in the really busy years or she just enjoyed the challenge. She was driven by something. Her daughter being my mother was without a doubt money oriented. So is my only sister today.

My sister got our parents estate because it was deemed I did much better than her. Plus Our part of the family including the grandchildren moved here.

I have no real complaints about it. My father might have felt differently but he preceded our mother by quite a few years. I had what I consider a good childhood and have to give thanks to both of them for it. My sister was so self centered she was not satisfied with hers. I tried to explain the world did not totally rotate around her at times but it was hopeless.

As she grew older mother caused me many concerns. I always made it a habit to go back several times a year to make sure she was really still okay. She had developed an anxiety disorder in her fifties and it seemed slowly progressive in nature. The last two or three years of her life she had memory issues as well. She at times would say the most atrocious things in that state.

As for myself and the wife. We have enough to last us out. We do not need or really want anymore as we are happy as is. Our children are normal and do decently. So are the grandchildren so far. I may yet live to see great grand children but that is a bit of a long shot.

I hope we as a couple are still up to the task of selling and giving excess stuff off. It is time now. Although I have started correspondence with a member about one of his cars. One more potentially decent 123d with a little work cannot hurt.

Joe asks questions and it might not hurt to express different values in life. For me it is family and building/repairing things. You never make much using your hands. But you are serving a passion.

I even once overheard an individual say that our family has it all. This was about fifteen years ago. It did cause me to pause and think. The guy was partially right and I had been taking it all for granted. Pretty good circumstances in general have followed us in life. So many things could have gone wrong over the years but did not.

Well I better get off and get some snow tires installed on the wives car. Or I might yet suffer. Snow tomorrow..