This week seemed to go pretty fast, but some things did get accomplished. It was also another learning week in the world of widowhood.

Monday has been bill paying day since Bill retired and all of the income came at that time. So, Monday morning I got online and looked at the bank...and there was a deposit from the VA. They had told me that I would get a one-time payment for the full amount he had been getting and I thought that was what it was. But, just to be sure, I called the VA. And, it was not my payment (which will come in the mail) but a regular one for Bill. I was told to call the bank and have them send it back. So, I called the bank and just happened to get the person who is in charge of sending back transactions. She was able to verify that it had indeed come under Bill's SSN and would need to go back. As we chatted, she looked through the deposits and, even though he is entitled to receive the money, the SS deposit that was made the week before also had to be sent back. See, Social Security has a little rule that, even though that payment was for April, because Bill died before the deposit was made, it had to be taken back and it will be reissued under my SSN at a later date. So, in just a few keystrokes, my bank account was smaller by $5300...and I hadn't paid a single bill! Luckily we've always been able to keep a cushion and I can pay the bills, but I wasn't expecting this. I just kept thinking about people who don't have that cushion to fall back on and that are barely getting by month to month anyway.

Tuesday there was a letter from SS informing me that MY monthly benefit was dropping by about $200 a month! Part of mine was based on Bill's benefit and since he wasn't getting his anymore...well, you get the picture. Trouble is now, it's an amount that can't be lived on. But, the surprises just kept coming!

Wednesday I get another letter from SS telling my that my new Widow's Benefit will be almost $1400 a month beginning in May, but they can't make the May deposit because I qualify under another account and they need more information. (I do qualify under another account. I can draw the benefit from either Bill or Gene, depending on which is larger). So, since the letter didn't specify what information was needed, I called them. When I told the man I had gotten that letter his exact words were "So, what do you want me to do"? What do I want him to do? I want him to tell me what information they need to get it settled! He told me just to call my local office, which of course is closed due to the pandemic! But, he said there is a special number, which was at the bottom of the letter and I would get the local office. So, another phone call and she doesn't say much and then tells me to give her my email address so she can send me the form I need. She doesn't tell me who I will be drawing from and I was sure it would be Bill because he worked much longer than Gene did with being older. I get the form and it's to apply for the permanently reduced widow's benefit, but it doesn't say which name I should put down. So, another phone call, and I was to put the name of the one who recently passed. So, got that done and mailed back to the local office. They could email it to me, but I couldn't fill it out, scan it in, and email it back.

For some reason, Wednesday I decided to start working on the memorial service details. We still haven't set a date, so it was just a start. Since we aren't using a funeral home, I started looking through CDs and found one that is all just simple piano hymns. I'll need to do some editing and burn a new mix, plus add some from another CD. But, listening to those brought tears at times and I ended up crying all morning. I was still productive and ordered the other music that I want, but it was a tough morning.

The mail came late Thursday and it had the packet of information from the VA. I opened it and looked at it and decided I was too tired to tackle it, so it waited until yesterday. And, just as I was getting ready to settle in with it, I got a phone call from the insurance agent who took over when our agent retired about the annuity Bill had. He had just gotten the information about Bill's passing. I told him he was on my list to call because I was confused on some of the paperwork, so he told me just what he needed and gave me his email address. He is also retiring and travels between here and Fayetteville on the other side of the state. So, I got that filled out, called Joe my neighbor to see if he would witness one page and got it scanned and emailed back. And then it was time for the VA. Oh my goodness! They want so much stuff! I was going back through all of Bill's military papers pulling more records. I still don't have them finished, but I'm up to requesting the burial in a national/state veterans cemetery and what should go on his headstone. And then, next week I'm going to track down a VA service officer and have them go over it with me before sending it in. I was a little apprehensive about the part for the Survivor's Benefit because they changed the rules on it. When Bill started getting the VA benefit, it was based on being married and the only criteria was that we had to stay married for 8 years from the date of the award. They changed it at some point to 10 years, but since his award is dated from 2008, we made those dates. (I always joked that I had to keep him alive so that I would keep getting the money!) Anyway, now it depends on assets. So, that was kind of worrying me. But, you don't count house or cars or property needed for normal living like furniture and stuff. And, since nothing has been switched to my name yet as far as the investment accounts go, the only asset I have right now is my little $600 social security benefit. So, I will qualify for the survivor benefit. I have no idea how much that will be.

Ryan and I did get the door purchased Tuesday, but it still hasn't been installed. And then he started working on a farm Wednesday. So, I will call my back-up workers, once the door is in place.

The cats are still at the vet. I thought they were going to get to come home yesterday but he wants to keep them through the week-end. I have gone through the house really cleaning floors and trying to find what they may have gotten into to make them so sick. I've treated all the furniture and rugs for fleas and got new litter boxes, just waiting for litter. So, hopefully Monday afternoon they can come home. They probably think that I've abandoned them!

Today McKenna and I are going to ride down to the cemetery to see if she approves. She will be the one who will want to visit the most. We're also going to try to find a different way to go that might be a little faster than the way my navigator wants to go.

There you have it. I had always thought those books about "Now That I'm Dead" and "What My Family Needs to Know" were kind of useless if you had common sense. But, if nothing else I'm learning that things need to be at least listed as far was where records are located. Luckily I knew where most of Bill's military paperwork was located and we didn't have many investment accounts. So, if you have the time. at least take a notebook and write down these things! And...just live forever! That way no-one has to deal with it!