I live in a state that has a car property tax you pay each year, and it's based on the type of car, I guess, but also specifically, its age. The longer you own a car, the lower the tax gradually becomes. In 2024, the car tax on my little 2013 Honda was down to $204. I just got the bill for this year with my new 2024 Toyota SUV, and I'll be paying $405. Ouch. Call it a new car penalty tax.

Saw Dad in rehab the other day. They had just brought him down to another floor for his first physical therapy session, so I went down to find him. I nearly didn't recognize him because they had given him a shower and completely shaved him. Anyway, his exercises consisted of raising a bar about two feet long up overhead and in front of him and doing a bunch of reps with it, and also walking with his walker and stepping up a single step. It's a start. Mentally, I don't think he's really into it, but I think he finds it easier to just goes along with it when people are encouraging him to do so.

That's one thing I've realized about dad....my own mental outlook/attitude makes a huge difference on HIS mental outlook. He can pick up very quickly if I'm in a less-than-perfect mood myself. A positive, but not fake demeanor and kind words go a long way with him. 

He has really enjoyed the green chai tea I've been bringing him in my thermos. He also enjoyed listening to a new audio book on tape cassete I brought; the first book is about the role of privateers in the Revolutionary War, which he asked for. When I see him tomorrow I think I'll swing by the Chinese place and get him an egg roll, something he always gets when we go. And more chai tea. 

I am thinking ahead to when he is well enough to return home, or the point at which Medicare will no longer cover his stay there. If there's anything glaringly obvious to me, it's that it is not safe for him to continue living alone. The little baby step I would want him to take is to agree to having a home health aide come and check in on him a few days a week. Just a little extra companionship, someone who can maybe help him make lunch and maybe do some very light housekeeping. He will probably resist it as he has in the past, but maybe the scare of this last fall will help him to understand that wearing the emergency necklace around his neck is not enough. 

My challenge is getting my sister on board with this idea. She has now revealed that she is dad's POA since she added POA after her name when she signed the $5K Christmas check she wrote for my father for each of his kids, something he's done for the past 5 years or so. So while she still can't force him to do anything, she now has the ability to write the checks and so on. My sister will likely be reluctant to push anything. Taking care of my father really requires coordination of our efforts, but if your sibling is my sister, it's a whole different story. 

I have to be so careful in the way I phrase things to her becus she is quick to take offense and withdraw if I come on too strong. When I was walking in the parking lot into the rehab facility the other day to see dad, I saw her driving up and I waved. She rolled down the window and said I'm not going in, I'm on crutches, here, take this. And she handed over to me the cassette recorder I had asked her to bring from dad's apartment (adjacent to her home) to give him something to do. As I took it, she said, don't tell dad about the crutches. That's how she is....very secretive and never wanting to share anything about her life or situation. I have no idea why she's on crutches, but a few years ago, she finally submitted to hip replacement surgery after limping around for years. So maybe this is the other hip.

I had a nice chat with my cousin M. Christmas morning. She was stopped at a traffic light a few days prior and a pickup came up behind her and crashed into her, failing to stop. She has an older car with very low mileage that she likes, so she wanted to repair it, but the insurance company said it's too old to repair so you have to agree to total it, and then we'll give you $8,000. Now she's got a rental car for 2 weeks to give her time to find a new vehicle she didn't really want.  Anyway, she gave me a very nice Advent calendar tea sampler set with different herbal teas to enjoy each day.

Christmas for me was a quiet day, really a non-event. I guess I'm getting used to it becus I wasn't too upset. I didn't even bother going out for Chinese or Indian food. I just spent the day reading, listening to music and doing a jigsaw puzzle. Still, I'm glad it's behind me for another year.

We had a good 6 inches, maybe more, of snow overnight. The driveway is shoveled but I didn't get to doing the car and I'm worrying it will all be rock hard if I leave it overnight. A squirrel knocked my bird feeder down, so I threw handfuls of black oil sunflower seed and dried meal worms out on the roof of my family room from my upstairs bathroom window and had fun taking photos with my new iphone. This song sparrow is my favorite.

White-throated sparrow (above).

Cardinal.