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Don't Forget to Plan for Your Pets: An Estate Planning & Probate Attorney Takes Cats to the Vet By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi October 28, 2024 Artemis Plays Hide-and-Seek in the Wall Cabinet - image by M. Gustafson Gervasi Normally my household responsibilities are clustered on nights and weekends, leaving my weekdays available for clients.  Today was not one of those days.  A previously scheduled annual vet visit for two of our four cats was crowded out of my weekend calendar due to my high schoolers’ cross country commitments.  Fall is a busy time in our home.  So, on a Monday morning I threw on casual clothes (that would soon be covered in cat fur), fished out the cat carriers, and wrangled the twins in record time.  Cages secured, we piled into my car and headed south on Highway 14 to our vet clinic .  Both cats received clean bills of health and I had a nice chat with our veterinarian, someone I have known since we were in high school together....

Decluttering! The Overlooked Aspect of an Estate Plan By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi October 22, 2024 Cross Country Meet, Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi 2024 Confession, I am a competitive person.  Challenge me to something (within reason) and chances are I will bite.  Connect the challenge to decluttering my home, and you are guaranteed I’ll jump at the opportunity.  That was the situation late this past summer.  A dear friend posted a Facebook challenge for the Minimalist Game , and she tagged me.  Having played this game a few years ago, there was no hesitation.  I accepted the challenge; game on!  We were going to spend September purging items from our homes.   The game starts out easy, on the first day of the month you purge one item from your home.  On the second day you re-home two items.  On the third day of the month, you remove three items. And it goes on throughout the month.  While it may start out easy, the game gets ...

A Lesson From The Bard On Estate Planning October 14, 2024 By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi Red taillights sprawled in front of us as we headed east along Wisconsin’s Highway 14.  It was after 10pm on a Sunday evening, and we were one of the many couples who had made the annual journey out to American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin .  As the road entered into the more populated suburbs it widened into two lanes and my breathing eased just a bit, as it always does when I leave a highway known for its deadly accidents.  High speeds, deer running about at night, and an undivided highway make for a tense drive.  Especially having just watched King Lear ; a play where nearly every character dies in the end. It was a night out for my husband and I.  Our teenagers were at home, focused on their homework with a simple pasta dinner.  Yet, sitting there under a night sky dotted with stars, my mind could not quite relax into the moment.  Instead it dashe...