Just in time for the holidays...

Well, "unpleasant holiday season" just turned into the stuff of nightmares. Apparently on Monday, my dad announced to my mom that he no longer wanted a joint checking account, that he would decide how much of stuff he wanted to pay for (including monthly bills). So my mom is planning to move into Grandma's basement, since it is likely that he wouldn't pay anything at all. I found out about this this morning when my mom came over... she said she e-mailed me about it, but I never got such an e-mail. Mostly I feel numb. That's the combined effect of several conflicting emotions. The strongest of those is relief. This has been a long time in coming, and I was not looking forward to walking on eggshells every time I came over to my parents' (now my dad's) house this Christmas.

Sadly, I can see Dad refusing to pay any of the monthly bills and losing gas, water, and power to the house. I can imagine a lot worse things, too, but I won't post those. See, my mom has always taking care of the financial stuff. The bills. Balancing the checking account. Property taxes. Et cetera. To be honest, I think my dad will choke on them, and probably lose everything. But if this is how he wants to play it... Looks like he's going to be spending Christmas alone (or nearly so; if he's behaving himself, I might visit him occasionally. IF). I think someone needs to let his blood family (besides me) know... His sister Sandra is in town, and has been helping out when neither I nor Mom can get Grandma to and from appointments. Dad thinks she and my mom and just about every other female on the planet have been conspiring to destroy his personality. Got news for him: he destroyed it all on his own. But at least Sandra might get him to join her part of the family's holiday activities. Insane or not, I'd rather not see him completely alone. *sighs*

So now I've got to get enough people together to help move Mom's stuff out, and probably find a pickup or trailer to use. Yes, I have my own key to Dad's pickup, but so far I don't seem to be part of his paranoia and I'd rather not give him reason to include me. Possibly just helping Mom move out will do this anyway, but so be it.