Lawyers, Carpenters, and Doctors - Oh My!

         There’s been so much going on in the past two hours, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m retired after all. What started out as a pretty ordinary day definitely picked up speed in the afternoon.

          The morning was mellow if you don’t count the heartache and frustration of badly played golf. But that was okay, because I was in the company of friends, nice people who couldn’t care less that my once-mediocre game is now several notches below even that sad level.  

Afterwards, we hung around as usual chatting in the parking lot, covering whatever topics we hadn’t gotten to in 2 ½ hours of walking the course together and then I headed home, conscious of the fact that I had a carpenter coming to start on our leaky porch.

          Just before he arrived, an unfamiliar number appeared on my phone but I answered it anyway when I saw that the source was Oklahoma, land of my ancestors.

The nice lawyer on the other end had just launched into her explanation of searching out information on for a probate of my sister’s holdings when the doorbell rang.

          I ushered the carpenter in and returned to my call. My sister and her husband died in Texas without wills in 2022, and as a result their property has been twisting in the wind ever since. But good news – this woman was calling about Oklahoma mineral rights passed to my sister and me by our grandfather. So there might be some closure coming from that quarter.

          I hung up, heard voices and found My Guy out in the driveway chatting with the carpenter, who drifted off to look at the porch. My Guy: “I’ve got some bad news.”

          Our doctor is retiring, shutting up shop. And here I thought he’d be good for at least another ten years. Damn.

          As it happens, NO ONE apparently graduates from medical school and thinks, “Hot Diggity! I’m moving to Western Massachusetts!” So, remembering what a hassle it was to find a doctor two years ago when My Guy’s doc up and died (seriously- it was over a year and a half before he found someone) we jumped into action. I texted everyone I could think of – to no avail. One person said she hated her doctor, another said her doc wasn’t taking anyone new, and another said her doctor was older than dirt.

          My Guy fired up the car and took off to the one place the office had said might have openings. Bingo. We now both have appointments in the fall, and the new doctor is only ten minutes away. Score!