The Ranch: An Update On TB The Elder And The Future

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and prayers.  My father (TB The Elder) is back home after two nights in the hospital.  The current diagnosis is "Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion" or SIADH (if you are truly curious, see Wikipedia here).  The simple version (e.g., my version) is that due to some condition, the kidneys push sodium out instead of regulating it, lowering the overall blood sodium level and causing hyponatremia (low sodium).  There are a number of potential causes and fortunately the most concerning - heart, kidney, or other organ issues) seem blessedly absent.  The doctors are continuing to work diligently to find a root cause - currently they have changed some of his medications and we have another round of appointments coming over the next couple of weeks, so hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.  

As before, any prayers or good thoughts you have to spare are greatly appreciated.

But this has implications.

One thing that he has now mentioned both to my sister and myself is between his current medical conditions and my mother's continuing decline due to dementia, it is probably time for them to consider an assisted living situation.  There is one in the town they came from - my hometown - that they will be looking into next week that they already have friends living in.   

Which means leaving The Ranch.

Fortunately, my parents are in a position (by years of carefully planning and diligent work; to be clear, they built this life, not anyone else for them) that they would not be required to sell The Ranch to move.  And my father has made it clear - he reiterated it this weekend - that he wants the land to remain in the family. 

So there is a better than even chance that this year, The Ranch will become effectively our concern and responsibility as we will take over the costs associated with it and with managing it.

We are lucky, luckier than most. That cattle that you see in some of the pictures is tended by a man and his family that have had their cattle their for 15 or more years, who love the land as much as we do, and are (literally) there every day.  We also have the small cabin you have seen in some of the pictures, occupied by a long time renter who has done work for my parents in the past - all of this to say there are responsible people onsite (as well as my Aunt and Uncle, who literally live up the road).  So it is not as if things would go unoccupied with no-one around.

All of this means that the theoretical process I have been discussing for years now needs a timetable. I am not sure what it completely looks like - after all, there are two tethers that keep us in New Home at the moment, the major one being a sophomore in high school and the second one is my job (which, to be fair, already now allows me to commute remotely one week a month).  Items of import - but of lesser import - include negotiating how I will continue to practice and improve in my martial art and building a home gym to replace the one I use (yes, yes, I know,  pretty much of less import but I have worked to hard to get to this point to completely give up my progress).

Strangely though, I am confident that these things will resolve themselves as we continue to move forward.  Not by themselves, of course:  there needs to be a plan and steps and such (what luck that I was "transferred" into project management last year).  It is just a matter of moving forward in a purposeful manner.

The Future, as they say, is suddenly here.