If anyone has a nice non-shooty game that I could play on my laptop without spending a ton of money, I would welcome recommendations!

Seconding esse's rec of Stardew Valley - I have it on PC and on tablet. It's very soothing, though it can also exacerbate my ADHD/hyperfixation if I'm not careful. Though, these days, being hyperfixated on something soothing is kind of nice.

{{{{{JZ}}}}}

Also, we discovered a super secret safe in the floor of a super secret closet behind the basement, containing stock certificates and a giant wad of $100 bills. We are MORE than ready to get off this Mister Toad's Wild Ride whipsawing us between howling grief and ridiculousness and Hardy Boys mystery drama, anytime at all.

I'll write a more detailed narrative up later, including how my middle brother stumbled on the combination to the safe, but pretty much whatever you are imagining is likely pretty accurate. Middle brother kept describing it as "his drug money."

I was just about to ask, how did you find the combination?!! That's amazing.

My parents, when we were going through their house to start them packing, had a lot of junk, but no order. We didn't find any rolls of cash, but definitely some great memorabilia mixed in with bank statements from the 1970s.

Y'all, I'm on the foster page for the shelter I usually do kittens through. Sadly there are no kittens right now--they're all taken and aren't taking in any new ones while the shelter is closed, sadly. BUT. There is a litter of puppies named River, Wash, Inara, Jayne, Simon, and Kaylee!

Yay firefly kittens.

I took a whole tablet of the medicine hoping I'd get to sleep faster and instead I'm wide awake and can't sleep at all. So. I don't feel anxiety about going to sleep I'm just wide awake.

Also, we discovered a super secret safe in the floor of a super secret closet behind the basement, containing stock certificates and a giant wad of $100 bills. We are MORE than ready to get off this Mister Toad's Wild Ride whipsawing us between howling grief and ridiculousness and Hardy Boys mystery drama, anytime at all.

It is not terrible, or at least we're both terrible together. I'll write a more detailed narrative up later, including how my middle brother stumbled on the combination to the safe, but pretty much whatever you are imagining is likely pretty accurate. Middle brother kept describing it as "his drug money."

Also terrible. Thank you for telling us about this JZ.

Firefly kittens! Fantastic.

{{{JZ}}}

Am, too, worried about Gud.

I am also gonna try being more productive today. I am one of the people who have as much stuff to do as before, but being at home does not encourage productiveness nor concentration. Also, being with migraines for about 36 hours of each week because the seasons' change does this to me is no fun either. And yet, all these deadlines are staring at me, y'know?

I sure do like that esse, glad to see them back around here.

JZ, your dad made some wonderful people.

My mom didn't have stacks of bills hidden away but she had a LOT of individual CDs at her bank. Every time she put away a hundred bucks, she opened up a new CD. We were dealing with those for years. She also kept all her bank statements since the 1970s, and she kept them neatly organized in plastic grocery bags in a cedar chest. *facepalm*

My sister and I bought our mom the casket she would've wanted - the cheapest one they had! Well, maybe not the absolute cheapest, but it was plain and simple and just right. There is no way she'd have "put money in the ground". Same reason we didn't bury her with her jewelry, except her wedding ring.

Oh man, I've got to quit crying and get to work.

Gud, if you're out there, please check in. Even if it's just to say hello.

JZ, your role right now is to grieve. Hec's job as an in-law is to keep things going, at least at a basic level. I'd say the two of you are getting it exactly right.

Being productive today would be better. Yesterday I ended up napping for about 3 hours because I was nodding out at my computer.

I sent an email to Gud's profile address. Hope we hear from him soon.

Firefly kitties!! That is awesome.