By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
The wily robin sat on a spade waiting for the worms to merge from the freshly dug earth
The blue tits spending their lives chasing madly around the gardens and trees looking for food for their chicks
The wobbly walk of puppies taking their first steps
Watching ducklings trying to clamber up a step when following their mum who made the step easily
Cooking for friends and sending a whole evening talking about old times and silly things we did
Dad's diaries - they are so precious too
The way the early morning mist burns off leaving a warm sunny day
Splashing in puddles like a big kid
The look and feel of real wood after you have polished it
A row of newly pressed (ironed) clothes hanging neatly by colour and type in your wardrobe (oh god I did do this too)
Highly polished shoes (I should have been in the army)
Seamed stockings (back in the day when my legs looked good in them)
The smell of lavender wafting on the breeze
Essential oils of jasmine and geranium mixed with ylang ylang and a minuscule amount of patchouli (too much and I vomit)
The smile on a genuine poor persons face when you take the time out not to give them money but to buy them a meal - a real one not a burger and a drink or perhaps some shoes for their feet - While on holiday I did this in Jamaica to a genuinely poor gent who said good morning to me every morning and doffed an invisible cap to me - he had no shoes and his clothes were clean yet ragged. When we went out to dinner that evening I bought an extra meal and a huge coffee and went outside and found him and gave hime the meal. Next day he was waiting for me with a bunch of flowers (I didn't like to ask where they came from).
Before we went home we asked all the people on our holiday if they had clothes (male ones of course) that we could donate to this sweet old man - he was about 70/80 but looked much older. Well I tell you generosity was amazing. One couple gave me 100$ (US) so we went to the local minister who knew him well and asked what we could get him for the money we collected (almost 900$ in total) The minister said he needs shelter and this would get him a refuge home - not for a huge length of time but enough for him to get well again - let me tell you those acts of human kindness meant a lot. The minister arranged for him to go to his house and have a shower and he would have been able to cream his body forever we gave him so much aftersun and suntan cream that we weren't taking home with us. About 6 pairs of flip flops that would last him a while.
Thats a favourite memory for sure
Your comment on wood reminds me of how much I like the smell of wood being cut - that woodsy aroma that makes me feel as if I'm in a forest.
Once we visited Mackinac Island and rode around it on bikes (no cars are allowed - only pedestrian, horse and bike traffic). We stopped at a forest and leisurely sauntered through, inhaling that fresh and somewhat exotic scent of the combination of trees, plants and perhaps something mysterious that we never identified.
It always reminded me of Longfellow's poem, Evangeline:
"This is the forest primeval. ..."
The scent of junipers and pines in winter is also especially enticing - so appropriate for those cold days, days in which spirits are high as it's just the beginning, not the end of winter.
I've also learned that there are some tricks the street and highway panhandlers use. (1) stay on the major cross road or highway intersections, (2) be out in rush hour (3) add "God bless" on the sign they hold. Maybe there's a school they go to or website they have? That sounds callous, but to clarify I'm referring to those who panhandle instead of work; I'm not referring to someone who really is destitute. But how to tell the difference???
I used to give to panhandlers on the streets of Detroit, but when a few of them got aggressive I became more than a bit frightened.
The ones calling from foreign countries are a real nuisance; Often they use spoofed numbers, but they have a distinct way of speaking. One has been harassing people for months, inferring he's with the IRS and is attempting to help the recipient of the call avoid prosecution for fraud.
His spiel begins "this message is intended to contact you." "Contact" is pronounced con tact', with emphasis on the second syllable. I can't figure out his accent - it's not British; it's a blend of different countries.
I love Eskimo dogs... Malamutes, Huskies - they're such energetic dogs - and those marvelous blue eyes!
My favourite things:
My Little House on the Prairie, peace and quiet
The ability to grow a lot of our food without pesticides
And most of all my beloved critters:
Sue, 6, a minpin x jack russell terrorist, inherited from my mother
Ashy Girl, 9, a big black lab who came from rescue 2 years ago. Abused in a former life shes come a long way though still spooky around strangers or new thing or places.
Charlie, 8, former street cat when I lived in the city and head of the Mouse Squad
Katie cat, 7 pulled from a horrible situation when she was little
Pixie cat, 7, inherited from my mother
Lucy cat, 1, found on a nearby dirt road, sick, starving and desperately trying to eat a piece of long dead bird. She was so small when she came she could sit in the palm of your hand.
And then there is Ralph, a fancy goldfish who lives in my home office and has been with me for years. Frankly I prefer animals to most people, so sue me lol
I too love the huskies, one blue eye, the other eye another color. My dog was also a rescue, but a purebred. She had dark eyes.
We are financially committed to not having another pet due to the high vet bills.
The care we both gave our dog was enough to last a lifetime, we will not forget that we just cannot do that again. I have had other dogs, it is a lifetime commitment, we could never give our pet away just because we couldn't care for it. But that is just me. I love dogs especially. My favourite pet!
One of my favorite things today is nice, cold, orange sherbet. If it weren't for the fact that we're under a heat advisory (100 to 105 degree heat index anticipated), I could be outside gardening, but not in 90+ heat.
Lime sherbet is a treat too. The ultimate though would be the local chain supermarket's Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream, chocolate chip ice cream, mint chocolate chip ice cream, black cherry ice cream...heck just about any ice cream. I don't discriminate - I love them all. And they really hit the spot on hot sweltering days.
Do you ever feel you've become the worst version of yourself?
That a Pandora's box of all the secret, hateful parts-your arrogance
your spite, your condescension-has sprung open? Someone upsets
you and instead of smiling and moving on, you zing them. "Hello, it's
Mr. Nasty." I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about.
Or in my case, Mrs. Irritable. I never wanted to be who I've become
Today.
As to worse self versions...I'd hate to think I could actually be any worse than I already am!
But it's also necessary to remember that there are a lot of irritations in life today, whether it's repeated telemarketers who ignore the Do Not Call List, or foreign scammers trying to get your financial information, either by phone or with phished and spoofed numbers and e-mails.
I've stopped most of the door to door salespeople with a large NO SOLICITATION sign on my front door. But the telephone has expanded from being a lifeline to being an instrument of harassment.
And the junk mail...I don't even want to start on that.
Now, thinking about all that, I'm going to refocus to think what I'd rather be than what I don't want to be.
And hope for a wonderfully refreshing rain.
There's a special thrill as well with the post rain rainbows that sometimes appear. It's as if I'm gazing into a magic environment, something from a fairy tale.
If you ever go, be prepared for a lot of exercise. It's almost a culture shock to see no vehicles but also a wonderful reprieve from the smell of auto exhaust.
Be sure to visit the fudge shops; Mackinac Island is famous for them, and the fudge is delicious - rich and creamy but also soft, not hard as some fudge is.
Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be.
And speaking of snowfall, even though I dread the cold dark winter, that first fall of snow drifting gently down like feathers is magical.