Mother Siegal- still breathing

Went to Frank Campbell's yesterday with my brother, Gary. I picked out the most attractive cheapest coffin and it was $5,000. The black simple shiny one I liked was $11,000. The funeral director started with showing us the $50,000 boxes. They actually have a $900 pine box for the Orthodox I was tempted to get.

Got the bare minimums, some white roses and one limo for the idiot brother and relatives. (I just got my new dark grey BMW with pale grey leather seats and black leather interior and it is gorgeous.) Did you know Jews do not embalm? News to me. Anyway, it's $20,000.

So Gary tells me to put it all on my credit card and the estate will reimburse me.

Or, I can put it on my mother's credit card and it will come off her estate.

Ile has power of attorney. Can he do that before she dies. Charge her own card with her own funeral? Can he do that after she dies?

Need help from the grave.

We are going to the house today to get all the jewelry out of the safe. She had cancelled all the insurance to save money. The will just says split jewelry, not itemized. Gary wants me to get it appraised.

Ile mentioned calling a real estate office because he saw a sign with the name of a local real estate company in front of a random house while driving thru Alpine.

I told him I would call Claudia Cohen's brother who lives in Alpine in a huge house and also Serena Boardman at Sotheby's.

Of course he says to spend money on a lawyer is not necessary because mother's accountant will take care of everything and everything is very simple and organized.

I still think the lawyer is a good idea.

Any input?

Yesterday at the nursing home...Mother was half dead. It was beyond ghoulish to sit there and watch her take her last breaths. Is that what loving relatives do? They watch their parents die. I have seen enough of this suffering- although she is out of it and on morphine-.

Did you sit there till the very end? I am expecting a call any hour from my brother saying it's over.

I am trying to go to the Oscars by Thursday morning...latest Friday. Peg