Dear Laura from next door. A good person, life time of success, married a doctor; bought and sold many parcels of land; runs her care home for elderlies; raised a heart surgeon son and a daughter. At 80 years old, lived with a houseful of achieves and presumably collectables (like the 3 legged bath tub that still sits in her yard) . Her shingles covered with thick layers of green moss threatened to cave in or rot out, paint chipping off from her house, front door step rotted, yard full of weed. Yet Laura is very proud of her childrens' accomplishment and that's all she talked about in her conversation.

Thanks to Barbara's tireless care. Spent days on the ladder to clean up her roof, shuffling 10 cubic yards of top soil to resod her lawn.

A year or so ago, Laura decided to retire and hand over the care home and the whole business to her daughter and her husband. Then Laura chose the most sensible thing to do to hire someone to repaint her house last year when we did ours. Then she wanted to build a new deck on the back of her house. She passed couple of good quotes. Ended up hiring the divorced brother of her daughter in law and paid him $30 an hour. He took weeks instead of week because he is an amature. Built the most radiculous set of steps which is dangerours to use. She, no doubt ended up paying him three times she needed to. Then her son-in-law who was a very handy person for building and renovation work advised her the steps were no good. So she hired someone else to rebuild the steps a year later.

We tho Laura could enjoy her back yard now. But instead we saw her old picnic table pushed right against her French door opening to her deck. Barb found out from her that she is afraid roaming cougars in the lower mainland might find their way into her house. Her children decided to take their mom to visit her ancestors' homeland- Iceland, in June . Barbara predicted travelling at that age will do her in, may be they think she is spending too much money lately and want to put a stop to it. I said may be that is her final wish. Well, amubulanace has been coming and going at her place since September. She was suffering a bad heart valve. Where is the son? Monitoring mom progress through long distance, I suppose.

In to see Laura in the hospital several times. Surrey Memorial is so filthy these days, I feel like walking into a butcher warehouse. Do they ever clean the wall and the floor anymore? Wonder why they even boarder to put a Christmas tree in the midst of it. The last time I visited her, the doctore decided that she is strong enough to be moved to the care home in Sunshine Hills the same afternoon. She couldn't reach her daughter, so I helped to pack her belongings.
There was not even an overnight bag. Her scanty clothes were in grocery bags.

Barbara and I went to see her at the Hillcrest Home. What a day and night difference. The place is clean and smell fresh, decors are attractive. Beautiful Christmas decorations. Nice and quiet atmosphere, patients seems to be well cared of. She even has her own room and couple pieces of furniture. They said she may be well enough to go home on Dec. 24. Laura seemed to like the idea of spending Christmas there. We encourage her to do so. At least she would be cared for.
Barb bought her an overnight bag for her toilettries. I manged to find her a top, a jacket and a pair of pants from Zellas. Hope she will wear them instead of the vest and sweater that has been on her back for the last 30 years. Where are the evidences or reward of her life long hard work and accomplishment..........?