MARCH in here NOW!

**jeepster09** · 03-25-2025, 05:22 PM

My mom died 49 years ago when she was 49,
my dad died exactly 10 years TO THE DAY after my mom. Both died of cancer and neither one smoked. My brother in laws family were like vultures and had the farm cleaned out even before got there [I was executor]. Gotta love family....

**Armybrat** · 03-25-2025, 05:24 PM

I’m sorry to hear about these family issues.
Such problems are luckily nonexistent in both my immediate and extended families.
Prior to my mom's passing in 1992 she suggested that us three sons & wives continue to have our monthly dinners together at various restaurants- rotating the choices among us.
We have honored her wishes faithfully until the pandemic started- skipping the dinners for months on end .
This is the last one with all six of us together a couple months ago.
Now health issues unfortunately are causing our oldest brother & his wife to drop out.

(Dagnabit! I have no idea why my photo fails to upload here)

**Bawanna** · 03-25-2025, 06:05 PM

I can fix upside down, but I'm perplexed when there's nothing to fix.

**Bawanna** · 03-25-2025, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by jeepster09

My mom died 49 years ago when she was 49,
my dad died exactly 10 years TO THE DAY after my mom. Both died of cancer and neither one smoked. My brother in laws family were like vultures and had the farm cleaned out even before got there [I was executor]. Gotta love family....

I had kind of the same deal when my dad passed. His wife had her son who was a carpet guy fill my dad's shop with carpet so no room for me to even get in. Fortunately, I anticipated this and asked for his hunting rifle (a 1917 Enfield) earlier. Her son about my age got the whole kit and kaboodle. I didn't really even want anything except some trinkets on his work bench and some specialty tools that wouldn't mean anything to anybody else and not worth much.
Her sons loved my dad since he took care of all her wants and to do list. I would have continued to help but at the funeral she asked me to have my name removed from their joint bank account. Thought that was rather tasteless. I didn't do it right away and she said if I didn't do it, she'd just close the account and open a new one but it would be a pain since it had some direct deposits going into it. I went to the bank, wife knew the manager and she said the account was set up so I could do anything I wanted. her son was on it too. It was in case they both passed at the same time. I thought about just taking all the cash out (wasn't much) just until she noticed and then put it all back. Manager thought it was a great idea but even I wasn't that low.
At any rate that was the end for her, hadn't pegged her as a gold digger but apparently, I missed the gues on that one.
It's a great life if you don't weaken.

**berettabone** · 03-26-2025, 10:38 AM

I grew up with a father who was a part time gunsmith out of the basement. Guns were coming in regularly. He worked in cahoots with a friend who was also a gunsmith. The guy had a nice, heated shop behind the house. Sold Ithica and Weatherby firearms and did smithing. I remember the first time he took me there. Rows of beautiful rifles and shotguns. Bluing tanks, presses, lathes, every tool you could imagine. They used to make custom fit guns from scratch for big game hunters. $60 an hr. Good gig for the mid 60's. His buddy did the metal work, and my father did the woodwork and fitting. My first gun, a Savage single shot 20 ga. from the shop. The father's favorites were Mausers. Due to our stubborn German heritage and the old man's PTSD from WW2 (Africa,Normandy,Battle of the Bulge) we pretty much butted heads forever. Over the years, he sold off things that he had acquired over the years. I had only been in his house a few times over a 20 yr. period. The last time I was there, he still had the Remington bolt .22 that we shot in the basement. He still had the Browning 12 ga. auto that he custom made in zebra wood. He still had his M1 Garand, a custom Rem .243, and an 1852 Tower and 1862 Springfield. Wall hangers. After his passing, I was curious what I would find as far as guns in the house. The .22 was still in the bedroom closet. The muskets were still on the wall. Unfortunately, the Browning, the .243 and the M1 were not. As much as I would have liked them, I am sure that they went to someone who would really appreciate them. I'm not a collector and the only one I probably would have shot was the M1. Shot it once when younger. Nasty gun. Sold the .22 and the muskets to a civil war reenactor. I got a framed picture from him of a civil war cannon that was pulled from a lake about 20 miles from my birthplace which they had a nice cradle made for. They put it out in town for display, weather permitting. The thing I do wish I had gotten was the combined knowledge of my father and his friend.................................