New sneakers and odd conversations

My new sneakers I ordered with my Kohl's gift card arrived yesterday.  They are a Skechers with memory foam. At first I'm like boy, these are hard and stiff! Don't feel cushion-y! Then I realized they were basically frozen, LOL. Once they got to room temperature they were much more comfortable and cushion-y. So.....I really now need to throw out my gross yucky pair.....and make my other pair the ones to wear for outside type stuff. They are still pretty new looking. They are supposedly the same exact kind as my yucky worn out pair, but they have never felt as comfortable and so I don't wear them too often. I pretty much only wear them when I am going out in public. I think these new ones will be comfortable to wear every day around the house. I don't like walking around in socks or bare feet. No support.

I see the package that went to Alaska is making it's way into our mailbox today. I can't even remember what it is. Something I'm sure I ordered for dh and his repairs/projects. The other missing package says it was shipped from NC on 12/30. I don't even remember what I ordered over 2 weeks ago, haha. The only thing I remember around that date was the OTC supplies I ordered from my mom's medicare advantage plan benefit and that box arrived a couple days ago. I actually think that package is the one they are showing still not delivered. The dates match and USPS doesn't show delivering a package earlier this week and they did.

My cat swallowed a feather part off one of his toys yesterday! OMG! I was on the phone chatting with my mom and looked down to see him playing with one of the feather parts he had awhile back chewed off the toy and then chewed the feathers apart some more. It was a smaller piece and he had it in his mouth and I reached down to get it from him and poof - it was gone! He seems fine. Silly cat. I'm probably going to see orange poop! He is one weird cat. He hears the shower turn on and comes running and sits outside the shower (walk in, no door) and then when I am done and turn off the water, he comes in and sits there, on the wet floor, and watches the wet walls, LOL. 

I don't talk to my uncle too often - maybe every month or so and usually fairly quick calls (he does call my mom regularly for quick chats). I think he is like me, doesn't really like to talk on the phone much. In between calls might be a text or two. Last time we chatted for any length was when he called me a couple of times about his will he was having re-done. Last conversation about was him calling me back and saying "you will be in my will, I don't know what I was thinking" (after telling me a few days earlier he decided to not leave anything to me, since I was going to inherit from my mom). 

So he calls me last night, and as usual, another strange conversation with him. And of course the story is never the same 2 times in a row with him, LOL. He said he was asking, to learn more about what's best to put savings into and wanted to know how most of my mom's money is "kept". I said about 90% of it is in her retirements funds account, with an investment company. I told him my step dad got with this investment guy 30 years ago and that's where the money has been (and earned very well) ever since. I explained it's like a 401k type of retirement savings account and she has to take a minimum required distribution each year. Then he says "I think I told you this, but I had my will re done and since you are going to be inheriting a bunch from you mom, I took you off my will and am leaving it to your 2 kids". I didn't say, no, last call you told me I was in your will! LOL. Like I told dd - I take everything he ever says with a grain of salt.

Another thing he often brings up, when we chat, is that with my mom having over $1 million dollars and not having to spend down any of it, because what she earns on it and her soc sec each year far exceeds what she spends, her money just keeps growing. He keeps commenting "you're the one going to inherit the majority of it - if you and your dh need some of it now, you should just spend some of it, she's got more than enough to last her life's expenses". I always say I know she does, but I just don't feel right doing that. He's like "I'm serious, she can't take all that with her when she dies and it's going to you anyway - use some of it now, while you may need it". I'm not sure why he often brings this up. Maybe it's something as simple as he's speaking from the perspective of an older person (he's 78) and realizes you should have some of the money to use/enjoy while you are younger and not wait until you are too old to be able to use it. I did say, ya, I had always wished, after my step dad died, that mom would have spent some of that money on herself to enjoy, traveling and such. I know she had wanted to, but then she started seeing that boyfriend and he wouldn't go to anything at all, so she never got to travel and enjoy some things like that while she was still able to enjoy it. Now she can't do it.

But, as always with my uncle, I'm always a bit suspicious of the what and why he is asking and talking about things, LOL. I'm not going to lie - it sure would be nice to just take a $15,000 "gift" (the amount per year you can gift someone without taxes on it) and finish up the 3 things we need to do to our house, but that's just not my way. But then again, I could inherit all this money in 10 years and be too old/infirm to enjoy it much myself by then. 

My mom is often saying the same thing to me: "if you guys need some money for something, just take some. You might as well use some of it now". Maybe that is where uncle is getting it from - maybe she is saying to him that I should do that, when they chat. 

The other thing he said was he plans to leave an old pick up truck, worth some money, to my dh in his will. I said oh, dh would love that. But again, I take everything he says with a grain of salt. He also said he and a friend are thinking of coming over for a visit - if Covid dies down. They'd like to take the train. I told him they are more then welcome to stay with us, we have 2 nice guest rooms. I doubt he will ever do it, though. Plus, as I thought and just verified - there is no passenger train service to our part of the state, it's all up north several hours away.