Be Prepared

 My mother was my Girl Scout leader, much to my embarrassment in grade school.  She liked camping, crafts, and the overall wholesomeness of it.  Years later when I went to a grade school reunion and Mom was still alive an old classmate said, your Mom was our Girl Scout Leader.  Nothing else. Not how is she? Kind of weird.

I really never liked Scouts but I went along to please Mom.  One motto, Be Prepared was always remembered, if not adhered to.

I think now of friends who had sudden life changes thrust on them and were not prepared.  A friend and neighbor down the street has a lovely home but no downstairs bedroom/bathroom.  Her husband was trimming some bushes in the yard and had a stroke.  He will need months of rehab and their home cannot accommodate him.

Years ago we put in a downstairs bathroom with roll-in shower and other handicapped-accessible features here in our home up north.  Then my husband fell down the stairs, had a concussion and needed downstairs accommodations.  We turned his den into a small bedroom and it works perfectly.  Next year we plan to change our rarely used LR/DR into a downstairs suite.  We will live in the downstairs completely which will be fine.  We even have the upstairs for guests our deck and porch and our garden in the backyard which I love.  If necessary the bedrooms can be used for caregivers.

Now to get those closets cleaned out.