Parent~ma! I helped a lot with my dad, but my stepdad mostly took care of my mom. I'll love him forever for how lovingly he cared for her. We'll likely have to do a lot for my MIL soon. I have no idea if either of my sons would step up, but suspect they both would. I guess we'll find out.

So, I am trying to talk myself into spending a ridiculous amount of money to go on a cruise with my sisters. The biggest reason for is that I will be 70, and they will be 74 and 76, so really how much longer will we be able to enjoy this? The biggest reason against is that it is a ridiculous amount of money. I was going to cover the cruise, and one sister would have to do her airfare and the other her scooter rental, and they could get any incidentals. On the one hand, I am totally worth it, on the other, ridiculous amount of money.

In ten years, will you be happier to have the money or the experience?

Dana makes a great point! I’m very much not a cruise person so am biased but it seems like you could do a lowkey tropical vacation, renting a place, for less than a cruise would cost.

I've thought about that lisah, but it would have to be within driving distance for one sister who doesn't want to fly and will need a wheelchair most of the time. I thought about going to the Keys, but not a lot to do other than drink. (which works for me, but not them) Still trying to come up with vacation options. I'm going to see if I can talk her into flying to an all-inclusive type place. Surprisingly to me, the resorts are less accessible than the cruise ships, which have nice accessible cabins.

I am doing some more searching on resorts in case I can talk her into flying.

The biggest reason for is that I will be 70, and they will be 74 and 76, so really how much longer will we be able to enjoy this?

I will say that JZ and her mom had always dreamed of going to Hay-on-Wye, the book village in Wales. When we got the money but hadn't moved into the house yet, I pushed Jacqueline to take her mother then. They started to plan it but her mom backed out of it and they never got to go.

I've still got all these bookmarks for a literary tour of England that included all the bookstores around Covent Garden and where to go in Oxford, Edinborough and Glasgow.

We looked at a bunch of resort options and decided to go with the cruise. Basically, if we wanted to stay in a resort we could stay at my place and eat meals across the street at the beach. (but we would have to make our own beds)

Do Viking cruises including pillaging and looting?

I have seen ads for U.S. river cruises, but I don't think I'm much of a cruise person.

A friend and her mother took a cruise that took them through the Panama Canal and had a whole series of serious cooking events included.

I find cruises relaxing. So do my sisters. I'm a water child so I will live on the ocean balcony when in the room. I've found the variety of food good enough, and love the dorky entertainment.

I did a lot of traveling when I was young, and I don’t regret it or the debt it cost me for a while at all because there is definitely no travel section of our budget these days. I’m so sorry Jacqueline never got to take that trip. I’ve never been to Hay on Wye, but I’m sure she would have adored it.

Somewhat tangential to this discussion my Jane Austen mug from Bath UK that I’ve owned for about 25 years broke last night. I looked around online for a while last night, but it doesn’t seem to be replaceable. However, I did email my friend from high school who just happens to live in Bath now to keep her eyes open in case she sees anything like it. I know it’s stupid to be this upset over a mug.

There are sort of mini-cruises where you can rent canal boats in the UK and boat everywhere in the country that canals can reach. Which is apparently extensive—they were a big means of transportation there in the early industrial period, before the trains took over. Anyway, those seem fun. You take your living quarters with you, like a regular cruise. But it’s just you and your friends/family, stopping and going as the mood takes you.