Insanity doesn't run in my family...

... but it might be slowly limping along. I will drive myself insane trying to help out and make everybody happy.

My parents are moving from a small apartment they had while they were helping my Grandmother when she got unable to care for herself. They didn't want to dump her in a nursing home, so they moved to her town - about 2 hours away from where they own a house.

They got an apartment for my Grandmother down the hall from them in a special complex. Couldn't live in her house - no central air, no shower, basement falling apart, etc. They lived this way until she passed away in 2004. Everyone assumed they would move back to Lincoln to their house. Not so - turns out they like this small town. Plus they still "have to do something" with my Grandmother's house. So they stayed 'doing something' with the house, whileliving in an apartment. In the process, they had gotten into the habit of buying furnishings, appliances, etc... from an auction. A little place just down the street from their apartment lies a shop a guy my mom went to high school with owns. He sells stuff during the week there - second hand material usually. Twice a month is the 'auction' that draws my parents like moths to flame. They just can't seem to say no to anything there. Can't pass that up the garage sale prices - it's like an addiction. "It's only 50 cents" was the phrase I most often heard. "How could we pass that up?" They'd say, as they'd bring in a box of other people's discarded knick-knacks. Got a coffee-pot already? Didn't matter- there was a nice carafe system for only a buck or two. "At least get rid of your other ones," I'd beg them. If you bring in something 'new', you should get rid of something to make room. "Oh no - we might need that in case the other one doesn't work out." This is where one of my great frustrations begins. {sigh}