Big Wigs Roll Into Town

The big wigs rolled into town today, Uncle Bud and Aunt Julie. They came from Milwaukee and brought the attorney that will handle Leo's estate. Uncle Bud is 83 and Julie is 80. When they arrived, Julie told me that she thought she knew where money could be hidden and so Bud gets a ladder and she is in a shed up on the ladder looking in the rafters. She came down from the ladder with nothing but cobwebs in her hair. But that lady can move!

Then the big city lawyer pulls in driving his Lexus. He had his paralegal with him. All I could hear in my head was ka-ching ($$$). He pulled out his camera with a 12 inch long lens and entered Leo's pitiful little farm house. He declared that it would be a good place to donate to the fire department to set on fire and give them practice. He took pictures of the antiques and farm equipment. He also took a group picture that somehow I think he will use to show at parties and laugh about.

Next pulls in the little farmer from down the road who is taking care of Cleo the cow with the crooked neck. He asks the lawyer to please hold the farm auction on any day but Saturday as he's a 7th Day Adventist and Saturday is his holy day. The lawyer tells his paralegal, "Mark this down, auction should be held Monday through Friday." Then this little farmer, Allen, apologizes for being filthy cause he just came from his cow barn. He is covered in dirt and for some funny reason I can't explain is wearing a rubber cover on only his left foot.

Allen then points out that there is a 200 gallon gas container that should be secured somehow. The lawyer tells him to buy it from "us" and just be honest about the price and gallons. I can't stand this, I want to just give Allen the gas plus the cow and even the hay baler. Allen lives life right and is one hell of a role model for 7th Day Adventists.

Then the lawyer tells Allen to take Cleo to market. This is not a date, like "Let's go to market, dear, bring your purse." This is death for Cleo. My stomach turns. I interrupt that Allen needs to be paid from the estate for his time and fuel, just as Mr. Big Wig is. The lawyer says he agrees and tells Allen to mark it all down and he'll hopefully be able to compensate him from the estate.

We then start to go through more of Leo's things in the house. Under the beds we discover hundreds of plates from the Bradford Exchange. This guy lived life near poverty and without an indoor bathroom. His one sink had water that drained to a cistern in the basement. Yet, he "invested" in plates. We loaded all these plates into Bud and Julie's car. They should get a better price in Milwaukee.

We were there for six long hours. My lungs were full of dust and mice dropping dust. Mom looked at me as we were leaving and said, "Beer?" "Hell yes." We went to the little bar in town and I announced, "Two cold ones, and fast."

While there, I tried to find a home for Chloe the cat as my brother has forbidden my mom to take in another animal. Everyone there agreed that Harlow needs another barn cat. Mom tells them that Cleo is not really a barn cat, more of a fireplace cat. I know how desperate the situation is becoming and ask if Harlow is good to animals. Everyone agrees that he is a huge animal lover. I ask how he's lost his other cats...(animal lovers, prepare)...some killed in rat traps in the hay loft and some get killed on the highway and one died last week when she cuddled up to one of the cows for warmth and he rolled over and squashed her. Mom and I looked at each other in horror and decided to keep looking for other potential homes.