[fintstone]

It is always pretty weird when someone passes away and folks start dividing stuff up. I had a great aunt and uncle on my mom' side who had inherited a great deal of antique furniture and other items that has been in the family for a long time ( my great, great, great grandparents who apparently had money)...some only about 100 years and some much longer. Probably pretty valuable. Their only son sold the house, took a couple of small things and told the fellow who bought the house that he could have anything he wanted that was in the house when he took possession. They had no sentimental value whatsoever to him. Some of the family members managed to get a few of the pieces of furniture before the bed owner took possession...but only because they found out by accident.

My mother remarried late in life to a fellow who had a 109 acre farm and a big house almost next to her property. He was a farmer had a nice place (but no money other than social security) and elected to go ahead and divide everything he had among his two adult children when he married mom to keep their assets separate due to their advanced age. My mom had inherited my Grandmother's house and sold it, getting enough to build a new house solely with her funds where they lived mostly on her money, her things in the house, etc...and he contributed his small SS check,

When he divided his farm and belongings (while healthy), the daughter got the big house and the best property and the son got the part that was good hunting, but essentially swampland which was what the first wife had wanted before she died (property had been in her family). Apparently, the daughter did not get exactly what she wanted and had not talked to he father or brother since.

The fellow died last week after a long illness of a couple years where he couldn't care for himself and my mother (with help from my wife and I) cared for him in her home. His daughter came by the house after the funeral and asked when they were going to divide up "his stuff". Since she had not visited the old guy it helped out in any way while he was ill (and all the "stuff" in the house was my mother's before they married...I thought my mom would have a stroke she was so mad.