Good morning Shape Shifters. Sunday was my rest day. It worked out well, because we got quite a bit of rain. I had a nice day playing games and cuddling Tinus. Yesterday I went for a walk again. It was pretty magical on the moors and in the forest with lots of sunrays through the trees. I had a good time. Happy Tuesday everyone

Hello Shape Shifters! I took a break from our group for the month of August to help some family members though some difficult situations.

My sister found a squatter living in the upstairs section of my mother’s house! Our mother lives on the first floor of a townhouse in Boston, and enters on the first floor. She can’t climb up and down the stairs anymore. There is also a second floor entrance. Someone got in that entrance and stayed on the third level until my sister heard him moving around upstairs and confronted him — scary! 😬😳😮

The week prior to that discovery, we learned that my mother’s aunt (my great-aunt), who lives in a house around the corner from my mother, had been scammed out of A LOT of money. A man talked to her about doing renovations to her house and convinced her to write at least two big checks. My sister was helping her pay bills when she found out her bank savings account had a $0 balance. At least four people in our Boston neighborhood faced a similar situation, and the checks were cashed on Long Island, New York so the police are investigating the case.

In the meantime, my sister is getting power of attorney approval to serve as ‘from my aunt’s financial proxy so we can set up automatic billing, etc. My sister was a visiting nurse for many years and dealt with many people who were ‘aging in place’ so she is very skilled and caring — but she needs a break!! So, I’ve been trying to find things that I can take off her plate despite living about two hours away by plane (8-9 hours by car).

We also have another family member who has been dealing with anxiety, depression, and recovery from an eating disorder. After receiving a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder and getting medicine, things seem to be improving substantially. So, it’s been a busy but productive summer!

We also enjoyed a nice family trip to Boston, Cape Cod (for a family wedding), and Bar Harbor, Maine. I loved Acadia National Park! Now, our younger son is back at school and our older son returns to Boston tomorrow. Soon, I’ll be adjusting to the fall schedule but, right now, I’m in Lisbon, Portugal with my husband. I have a work conference from September 6-13, 2023 so we came early to explore Lisbon before I travel a little farther south for my workshop. That’s the very long way of explaining that I need to extend my break until mid-September. Thanks for understanding and I’ll be back in touch soon!