How do YOU feel about downsizing and moving away from your country estate?

[GPintheMitten]

My step daughter is an occupational therapist and does home calls. Today she visited someone at an assisted living facility across the hallway from a lady she had as a patient a couple of weeks ago. So after she finished her scheduled call she knocked on the lady's door. The lady was glad to see her again but told her how sad she was at this place. She had to give up everything she was familiar with, has lost most of her sight. My step daughter started to cry as she told us about it. Very sad to say the least. Her kids are 3 hours away and she doesn't want to burden them. The poor lady is very lonely and depressed.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I should clarify that this lady has a small bedroom with a desk and chair. Maybe a bathroom but I'm not sure. But there is no kitchen or individual food preparation for her. That's handled by staff. She takes her meals in the cafeteria.

I sure hope this doesn't happen to me.

 

[chad22]

Her kids are 3 hours away and she doesn't want to burden them. The poor lady is very lonely and depressed.

That reminds me of the time when I was 10 and in the hospital getting some tests done. for evaluation of seizures "Which thankfully I didn't have" after a wreck when I was 8 and took my dad's mini van for a joy ride and crashed into a next door neighbors fence and tree.

Anyway this lady was dying and she knew it. Her kids and Grand kids were planning on visiting her but they were out of state and bad weather stopped them from getting their on time.

I met her on my way back from some tests when she saw me from her bed walking past her door.

She wanted me to come in and she wanted me to stay with her and the hospital staff said no.

But she insisted that she wanted me to sit beside her bed and hold her hand because she knew she was dying and wanted me to be with her.

Finally one of the staff told the other staff that they should let me stay with her even if I wasn't related to her. Because it would be the right thing to do.

She said I reminded her of her Grandson.

I held her hand until she did die which was about 20 minutes later.

I'm glad I was able to stay there with her and hold her hand while she left this world.

Later her son came to meet me in the hospital and told me thank you for staying with her.

I told her son that I enjoyed being with her even though it was only about 20 minutes.

She was 80 years old.

 

[QRTRHRS]

That reminds me of the time when I was 10 and in the hospital getting some tests done. for evaluation of seizures "Which thankfully I didn't have" after a wreck when I was 8 and took my dad's mini van for a joy ride and crashed into a next door neighbors fence and tree.

Anyway this lady was dying and she knew it. Her kids and Grand kids were planning on visiting her but they were out of state and bad weather stopped them from getting their on time.

I met her on my way back from some tests when she saw me from her bed walking past her door.

She wanted me to come in and she wanted me to stay with her and the hospital staff said no.

But she insisted that she wanted me to sit beside her bed and hold her hand because she knew she was dying and wanted me to be with her.

Finally one of the staff told the other staff that they should let me stay with her even if I wasn't related to her. Because it would be the right thing to do.

She said I reminded her of her Grandson.

I held her hand until she did die which was about 20 minutes later.

I'm glad I was able to stay there with her and hold her hand while she left this world.

Later her son came to meet me in the hospital and told me thank you for staying with her.

I told her son that I enjoyed being with her even though it was only about 20 minutes.

She was 80 years old.

Amazing story. Talk about being wise beyond one's years!

 

[MossRoad]

Its getting dusty in here....

 

[ultrarunner]

My brother's place was kind of like this... had been in the same pioneer family since 1860 and handed down to the last owner who was born there in 98 years ago and died their... it was just too much for his widow and she made the hard decision to sell...

There were lots of emotions and some rifts created... in the end there were two offers on the table and she choose my brother who wanted to continue the tradition over a speculator that wanted to subdivide and the speculator was all cash.

She came out last Christmas with tears in her eyes... she was so pleased at the improvements and repairs my brother was doing and said she knew he and his family to be the right ones to buy it...

It's not always about dollar signs....

 

[GPintheMitten]

Good for you Chad.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

We bought land back in '89. Had a child in '92. Got house plans for a 2600sq' house ready to go around 95. All was set and the Amish builder looks at me and says "Why do you want to build a mausoleum?" Excuse me? "Why do you want such a big house? In 15 year this one (he points at the kid) will be gone and it will be just the two of you in a big, empty house." Then he goes on wit some questions...

Wished he'd have talked to my wife. :laughing: Although I'm more to blame than she is for the size of my house. When younger I wanted a larger house, now I would rather have a smaller one. But I'd still rather be in the country with land around me. My plan for retirement is a smaller house, a larger barn on more land.

 

[newbury]

Wished he'd have talked to my wife. :laughing: Although I'm more to blame than she is for the size of my house. When younger I wanted a larger house, now I would rather have a smaller one. But I'd still rather be in the country with land around me. My plan for retirement is a smaller house, a larger barn on more land.

When we bought our "retirement home" in Mississippi we were looking for a larger house but this one had possibilities for an addition. SWMBO had grand plans for a while of adding another bedroom, a great room, a laundry etc. That was 4 years ago.

We presently split our living, several months at a time, between our house in Alexandria, Va (about 2,500 sq feet) and Mississippi. At this point in time SWMBO still has two large rooms in our "retirement home" almost empty and doesn't talk any more about the addition. She's got her library, about 20x24, her rec room, about the same size, her craft room, the same size. And I've got 5,500 sq feet of shops

I'm beginning to think that putting on an addition will be just "rattle space". We would just go there and rattle around, but still have to maintain it.

We've a relative just down the road that bought a small house, put on a big addition, and really only uses the old part of the house unless a lot of company comes over.

It's not like we need room for a train set laid out or big dollhouses and plastic ponies. Looking back on it children can take up A LOT of space.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I still have an O train layout on the family room floor.