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Reply by JennJilks
13 Dec 2015, 3:55 PM

Thank you, all. Caregiving can be lonely.
Sadly, hubby is getting my cold. My Ottawa granddaughter has it, but her gastro specialist, see her on another matter, suggested she has Croup. sigh. I'm convinced that that is what I have.

Happily, we just had a 4-day visit with my Vancouver son, wife and granddaughter #3. We won't see them again until next year. It was a lovely time, and my son made us dinner one night!

 
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Reply by Carlyn
20 Dec 2015, 6:57 PM

Jenn and Nat your last few posts.... Rock On Ladies :-) With you in spirit.

Jenn, i'm already living the way you expect to end up and I promise you - it is FABULOUS for the most part. That sounds awful but I can't help it. Hermit life is not bad if our other options are miserable people and constant strife.

There is a wonderful buddhist magazine I subscribed to and that has been very enlightening and relieves a lot of guilt. I live with illness also and very limited in options to keep my spirits up and engaged in life so I find it brings a peace and happiness I was on track toward but got sidetracked taking care of others. Balance in life is important and sometimes we can't have it I know, especially in caregiving mode, but when the opportunities for balance arrive, I hope to take them and use them well.

Thanks so much for the photo! It's so cheerful and was a nice treat to see :-)

Hugs to all
Carlyn 
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Reply by JennJilks
20 Feb 2016, 4:15 PM

We are, indeed, carrying on. It has been amazing, when you live in the present moment.
I read some of the caregiving stories and my heart breaks. As a hospice volunteer, I've seen families struggle with needing respite, and being a volunteer to provide that.
I keep myself busy by taking notes, making graphs, and researching. Then that fails, a walk in the forest, called forest bathing!
I am grateful that his PSA scores are only SLOWLY rising. It could explode at any minute, as the radiation oncologist explained. In the meantime, we are down to appointments 6 mos. apart. This has been a relief.
The PSA test results, which we agonized over, are now available online through our lab. 




PSA = 1.7 test last week, online results!

 In the meantime, I have a delightful client, aged 92, with whom I sit while her daughter (age 70) goes bowling. 
For all these things I am grateful.
Valentine's Day was minimal. We babysat thegrand kids the previous night, and rested. Hubby bought me a card, which was nice. In the ensuing years, I have to change my expectations. It's all such a scam, as I know he loves me everyday.
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Reply by KathCull_admin
03 Mar 2016, 2:23 PM

Always good to hear from you JennJilks and enjoy your photo inserts. I have not mastered that skill. 

You may have already heard the following but I like to google - do you think that is a verb now? and so copied and pasted the following from the online history channel re Valentine's Day.


"One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure."


Happy almost St. Patrick's Day:)
Katherine
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Reply by JennJilks
05 Mar 2016, 6:55 PM

We anticipate March break: babysitting grandies, ages 5 & 8 (going on 14!).
Just have to keep on laughing...
March is here!
 
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Reply by Carlyn
05 Mar 2016, 7:52 PM

The photos really add a layer of life to your posts Jenn. I'm so happy you've got time coming up with grandkids. It looks like fun times ahead :-) if that photo is any indication.  Also... your 92 year old client with the 70 year old daughter...those two sound like a very interesting pair :-) Awesome. 

Katherine, i use google as a verb. I've just now finally got a smartphone so I think you're ahead of me in many respects. Until someone tells us it's not a verb, i'm with you on the googling. Love the history! Thanks so much for posting that.

Carlyn 
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Reply by KathCull_admin
26 Mar 2016, 1:40 AM

Hello everyone,
Carlyn, I hope your move went okay and that you are settling in to your new home. Change takes time and energy. 

JennJilks and NatR, hope that you are spending Easter with family (especially children:) 

Could I ask you to consider responding to a new member, CarolK who started the thread I am feeling exhausted and depressed  - her husband was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2014 and it’s been a tough go for them.

Take care

Katherine

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Reply by JennJilks
03 Apr 2016, 11:38 AM

Spring is nearly here. What a relief.

Whew. It's tax time. It was a struggle. Thankfully, we can deduct our medical appointments (here is the full list), as well as parking, since we are well over the minimum distance for this. I used TurboTax, which is fairly simple, but doesn't include the full list of deductions. This is a problem. 

We document our trips, record the mileage, Ontario pays $0.55 per km.
Travel expenses (at least 40 km)
Travel expenses (at least 80 km)

Parking in Ottawa is about $13 per visit. You can claim meals up to $17. We don't stay over, but you can claim this, too. Prescriptions, keep the receipts. See the List of common medical expenses.

Our naturopath has been terrific. We can't claim the supplements, but we can claim the money we pay to our Dr. Jenn, as we call her!  

I like to get my return done early, even though I often miss a tax receipt that arrives THE DAY AFTER I file. Seriously! But I think it is better to get it in in good time, and send a supplementary file after the fact then it is done. I like to beat the rush. I know their offices are crazy after April!

I recall, in my dad's case as executor I had him declared disabled, and this recognized a lot of tax savings. You can claim up to 24 months after a death, as well. 

Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate – The List of common medical expenses indicates if you need to have this form approved by the CRA for your claim. For more information about this approval process, seeDisability Tax Credit. 

That's my two cents worth. Hope it helps! 
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Reply by KathCull_admin
25 Apr 2016, 3:44 PM

Sorry its taken me so long to let you know I appreciate this information JennJilks. I will pass it on in the next update - although I know it will be after the tax deadline for this year.

Thank you for all your wise advice and information.
Katherine
 
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Reply by JennJilks
25 Apr 2016, 6:15 PM

No worries, Katherine. One can always file an adjustment. I have to do this as a couple of T5s came late.


1-ADJ - T1 Adjustment Request


This form is used by an individual to request an adjustment (a reassessment) to 
an individual income tax return.
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t1-adj/README.html

 
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