Yesterday, when talking with my mom she told me she told Tressa to get her stuff our of the garage. She said Tressa had a lot of excuses ("It's been there a long time" etc) I told her I wished she'd use the money I sent (drop in the bucket) to have stuff hauled away. My mom does not think she should have to do this and, in fact, she is flat out refusing to pay to have Tressa's stuff removed. I think there's a snowflake's chance that Tressa will do anything about it. I told my mom $250 would probably pay to have 2 loads removed. I said if Tressa cares about whatever she has out there that if she sees it being hauled away she WILL do something then, but that I don't think she does care and that if my mom wants it gone I think she will have to pay. My mom referred to the 3 days her city allows things to be hauled away...I asked, ""Can you pick the days?" "No" "Then that's just more time passing where what you want done isn't getting done" (There's also a limit of 10 large items per load.) I have no idea what's out there but I'm not so sure it's large items rather than a LOT of smaller junk.My mom gets upset when I point things like this out. She reverts to saying she needs to do things her own way and in her own time. Hercules could not do what is needed speedily, so if my mom is trying to do this herself it will not occur in her lifetime. I am sure we both hung up frustrated.

While I was at work a friend messaged me and he asked how the projects were going and if my mom was happy with the yard care. I said she is not, but that from what I can see it looks like the people did $1500 worth of work. There's just more to do. And then at some point it needs to be landscaped. I told him I was already gathering names for people to finish the taking out portion (there's a HUGE- tall but thin tree she didn't even know was there it was so hidden in the jungle. And there's a bird of paradise stump and other stuff that needs to go still.) This is just the front yard. Anyway, I told him I'd suggested to my mom that she not do this take out stuff right now, nothing is going to grow back uncontrollably any time soon, but that she should concentrate on getting the garage cleaned out so that she can get the new garage doors before the estimate expires. She is trying to do all this stuff on her income. I don't know what her income is, it's probably more than mine but i bet it is not much. Again, I see doing things that way as extending beyond her lifespan. If she does it that way I don't think she'll ever have the satisfaction of seeing things the way she wants them. Plus she SAYS she'd like to move anyway.I get extremely frustrated. My friend suggested that she is perhaps eligible for Habitat For Humanity to come in and renovate the house for her. I told him houses in her neighborhood go for $700 K + and I don't think Habitat For Humanity is going to help there. Then he suggested Oprah. I started to experience physical symptoms of anger. I said begging from Oprah is about like thinking you will win the lottery. He pressed on about the Oprah idea. I told him tthe thought of Oprah made me ill. He asked ehy. He said she started with nothing and earned all her money. I asked how one "earns" 3 BILLION dollars and he answered, "slowly" I told him that in my view she did not start with nothing and that it is impossible for a person to honestly "earn" 3 billion dollars. This woman is an entertainer. I cannot see her value to humanity being that large and the control she has over resources makes me just squeam.It's not exactly personal. I feel that way about all obscenely rich people. He could not understand my anger and suggested that one day I might explain it to him. I considered his acculturation, and thought, "nope, the hope of making an inroad through your mindset is not worth the possibility of a stroke. I thought of my mom working all of her life and having so little....compared to Oprah. I had to tell him to stop talking to me.

The yard care service sent me some before and after pictures. My mom is not satisfied but to me it looks like $1500 worth of work was done. It sure isn't pretty and there is more that needs to come out. I told her I would pay to have the taking out done. She doesn't like that idea and I can ill afford it but I can't see asking those people to do more. There's at least one more BIG tree that needs to go and a stump and if it were my yard I'd take more out. It would be a blank canvas. But it needs to be relandscaped and I do not think that's even on the radar of things to be done right now. And again, unless she takes out a huge loan I don't see how she can manage to pay for all that needs to be done. I have a small amount of money that I intend to give her, I thought I'd be contributing to having excess stuff hauled away but maybe she will want to get the yard stuff worked on first. I would clear the garage and get garage doors. So much needs to be done. In the pictures it is evident she needs window coverings. Windows too. It's daunting I really feel like I should be down there. And I am angry and resentful thatt she has to deal with Tressa's CRAP, accumulated over decades. This is a belated reaction you'd think, but it has been the same all along. My mom just let it happen and it seemed like it was, in a very twisted way, her choice. That human is the bane of my mother's life. And I am not sure that she knows it. Tressa that is. I guess it's more that she doesn't give a fuck. I could vent and vent and vent. I REALLY wish I could help my mom more. Heck I need to help me more, but it's my mom's time. But my total income was about $17,000 and that does not go far enough. I was never money oriented and at this point I wish I had given it more attention

Happy to say when my mom called the bank the yard care people had only cashed one. I texted them telling them that I was concerned that they had not returned my texts, that i wanted pictures, and the remaining things my mom wanted done or done more to her liking. The lady, same one I have been dealing with was fine with me and for me. She said the pictures were on her husband's phone and something happened to it so not sure if I am going to get before pictures. They are going back out Monday to hopefully finish up and I had better get pictures then. She said that they may have to rent a stump grinder to take out the other "large plant" (another bird of paradise) She says they will try not to bu it they have to that wasn't covered in their original estimate. I asked how much it would be. $250. I think the price overall was fair for the work involved, so if it gets the job done I will pay it myself. I don't have $250 just laying around but I will figure it out. I am sorry my mom didn't get a long with them (though I haven't seen work quality yet) because they do a number of other things she is going to need done. But she was feeling pressured, and like the woman was aggressive and argumentativ with her.

Very relieved that the yard care service only cashed 1 of the three checks. I have texted dissatisfaction with the finished job and another request for pictures. I will groom the dog I have coming and then call. My mom still sounds pretty sick.

I am just dizzy with fear. I called my mom today. She was dissatisfied with the final results of the yard care people because they did not remove a "big plant" that she wanted removed, did not remove miniature rose bushes, that she asked to be removed, did not remove a holly bush that she wanted removed and did not trim the big tree in the in the front yard as much as she wanted it trimmed. She had paid them yesterday. I talked to the woman yesterday and again she told me she would send me pictures of before and after. I have gotten no pictures. I had also texted her Monday night to thank her because my mother was very well pleased with the first day's work. I texted that she still wanted the other things I had mentioned done (they had not trimmed the tree yet) Today my mother told me that thee woman had told her there was a problem cashing the check . My mother wrote anther one. The woman was WAITING at her house when my mother got home from the bank but I nearly had a heart attack when she told me she had written THREE checks. Now, I understand my mom's handwriting is not very legible anymore and she says she got two of the checks back but she had no idea that checks can be cashed and the bank not HAVE them. I told her to call her bank first thing tomorrow morning and see how many $1500 checks have been cashed. In the future, if she even proceeds, estimates will need to be in writing and detailed and I am going to ask her to ise a credit card so she can dispute charges if necessary. If more than one check was cashed I am calling the police immediately.  I cannot believe this. My clue should have been when the woman said they were a Christian company. In fact, I told her not to say any such thing to my mother who has been ripped off by "Christians" shamelessly before. We took the highest estimate because the yard was in bad shape and the other two estimates did not seem high enough to fairly cover the work that needed to be done.

The yard care people came yesterday and 2 people were there almost all day. My mom said they were nice, polite and cleared a lot of stuff. I have yet to see pictures which they've promised to send, but they aren't done. She said they trimmed, but did not remove a HUGE Bird of Paradise that was planted in a random looking place. She said she planted it there because long ago neighbor children kept messing with one of the sprinklers. I sent a message asking it to be removed along with some other stuff. Today they are supposed to trim a big tree in the front yard and work on the side yard. I am hoping they send pictures. Next project up is the garage doors but first the garage needs to be sufficiently cleared to give access. I need to call her city and see what notification she has to give my brother's widow, who has a bunch of stuff stored there without her permission and without paying before it can be junked. I plan to do that Thursday unless I have time to do it at work today. I am really really glad she is proceeding but I don't know how far she can get. I suggested she take a loan out on the house and get everything done but she says she does not want to go into debt so to me that sounds like she wants to continue living there. I don't think she has enough income to do very much without taking out a loan so this is a big problem because that house needs a LOT of work. I cannot understand her attachment to the place, but i am not her and I have to keep reminding myself of that and that this IS her life and her choice. Anyway, with the front yard cleaned up, the garage appreciably cleared out and new garage doors that's a start. I have never been good with money or anything like it but I wish i had some now. a lot of it. But I don't. I can about pay any difference the yard care people ask if the work exceeds their estimate.

My mom called me back and she allowed me to make the appointment for the yard care people to come Monday or as soon after as they can! I left them a message immediately. Hoping I can get them to send me pictures of the work as they do it so I can tell if they are a good group to ask for other projects. But I am so glad that she is apparently serious about addressing things far too long neglected.