TREADING WATER

Well, having picked 101 brains re the depressed financial situation in Becket, I have arranged to speak with a bank person when I'm next over. Apparently there is a home equity loan outstanding that my father took out for $50,000 10 years ago to fix the driveway or something, and which we are still paying off the interest on until the end of this month, when we start paying off the principal. There is another $45,000 available on this loan that they never used, and we can perhaps now do so, or, negotiate another equity loan and combine the two. 

For one brief moment there I almost convinced myself that I knew what I was talking about. 

In any event, I need to address whether another loan is better for us than a reverse mortgage. Or tipping Peg down the hill.

I need to address a lot of things. 

The bank in Norway where I'm trying to close my father's old account, just to be tidy, has written yet again for more documentation proving my father is indeed dead and I am who I say I am and not some devious Becket Mafia type trying to launder maybe all of seven kroner through the Cayman Islands. I was feeling very kindly disposed towards Norway until this ridiculous time-consuming bank business. Have already had 9 million documents copied and notarized and stamped and verified for them and sent off special recorded mail by prize-winning carrier pigeon, next they'll be wanting my SAT scores and Virgin Atlantic Frequent Flyer number maybe, and possibly my Southwold Library card. 

So meanwhile, while I'm here busting my gut pretending I'm a financial whiz kid who's going to get Peg out of the mess she's in--Peg's busy wanting to buy books on Amazon, the latest being something Heather the Occupational Therapist recommended on her last visit there ever, saying Peg HAD to get it (thank you, Heather), so Bonnie emails me for permission to purchase (the NEW RULE) and I look it up on Amazon and they have one copy, that's it, and, I kid you not, want over $2000 for it. So I said "No". Bonnie meanwhile found one on some other site for two hundred and something. I still said "No". This must be one hell of a read. And there's me thinking DK's memoirs going out at $14.99 was too high. I believe the title is Growing Up In Old Age or something similar, I can't be arsed to check. But if anyone happens to have a copy they're done with could they please send it to Peg before she clicks "BUY NOW".