Uncle update (with bonus bird)
Things have been up in the air with my uncle. He was in the military--I don't know which branch--and is getting buried in a military cemetery. However, there's some sort of waiting period, so even though he died Monday night, his funeral isn't for nearly two weeks. Normally he'd have been interred by now, so this is unusual for us to deal with. At least my aunt had experience with this; this is my California aunt, and her husband's uncle was buried in the same cemetery, so she already knew there'd be a delay of sorts with moving things along.
The good thing is that this is giving everyone a chance to plan and figure out what to do. At first my Illinois aunt, who is the eldest of the remaining siblings, wasn't going to go due to health reasons of some sort. However, she now will be going, along with her two oldest granddaughters--T and my goddaughter--who will be there to keep an eye on her. As far as I know, the girls have never been to California, so they're excited. T doesn't start college for another few weeks, and my goddaughter could not care less about school, so whatever there. (That thrills me to no end, but I'm not her parent, so I don't feel I can say anything.) So then dad didn't think mom would either want to go or could get the time off, so he thought only he would be going. Then mom checked her company's policy manual, and she's entitled to three bereavement days, same as dad at his job, so she'll ask on Monday to see if she can take the time. They'd all leave the Wednesday before Labor Day and get back with a little time to enjoy the holiday, so that would work out decently. What's better, since my uncle's son is a pilot, there's a chance some of them could fly for free, or at least at a reduced rate; the only thing is that they'd have to fly out of Midway since it would be through Southwest. My parents have only ever flown out of O'Hare, so that'll be an adventure. But my parents would pick up his sister and the girls at my cousin's house, which is south and more on the way to Midway than O'Hare, so even that works out decently. They'll all be staying with my California aunt, who sounds like she's planning a family reunion of sorts. The services won't be that close to where she lives, but close enough that it won't be much of a hardship and it'll save a lot of people on room and board while they're out there. Another aunt, Ted's wife, is also making the trip. I'm a little sad in some respects that I'm not going, but I can stay home and keep an eye on the house. Besides, somebody's going to need to water all the plants.
Meanwhile, things have moved ahead with Pookie. Dad was home when I got off work yesterday. Good thing for him I'd worked a little late and gotten gas; he took her to be cremated after he got off work. There's actually a funeral home in town which provides this service, so that was convenient for him. He said they do each animal individually and she will be placed in a white tin when done. They also told him to tell me that she's in good hands. That made me tear up and smile at the same time. Initially I wasn't sure what I wanted done with her, but dad and I had the same thought--we'd cremated the dogs; we might as well cremate her, too. Actually, he was more adamant about it in some ways since we'd had her for so long, like it was a respect thing for her. All I know is that the Labrador's container is smaller than the Lhasa apso's, so I'm half expecting the cockatiel's container to be the largest. That's right, show them who's boss.
The good thing is that this is giving everyone a chance to plan and figure out what to do. At first my Illinois aunt, who is the eldest of the remaining siblings, wasn't going to go due to health reasons of some sort. However, she now will be going, along with her two oldest granddaughters--T and my goddaughter--who will be there to keep an eye on her. As far as I know, the girls have never been to California, so they're excited. T doesn't start college for another few weeks, and my goddaughter could not care less about school, so whatever there. (That thrills me to no end, but I'm not her parent, so I don't feel I can say anything.) So then dad didn't think mom would either want to go or could get the time off, so he thought only he would be going. Then mom checked her company's policy manual, and she's entitled to three bereavement days, same as dad at his job, so she'll ask on Monday to see if she can take the time. They'd all leave the Wednesday before Labor Day and get back with a little time to enjoy the holiday, so that would work out decently. What's better, since my uncle's son is a pilot, there's a chance some of them could fly for free, or at least at a reduced rate; the only thing is that they'd have to fly out of Midway since it would be through Southwest. My parents have only ever flown out of O'Hare, so that'll be an adventure. But my parents would pick up his sister and the girls at my cousin's house, which is south and more on the way to Midway than O'Hare, so even that works out decently. They'll all be staying with my California aunt, who sounds like she's planning a family reunion of sorts. The services won't be that close to where she lives, but close enough that it won't be much of a hardship and it'll save a lot of people on room and board while they're out there. Another aunt, Ted's wife, is also making the trip. I'm a little sad in some respects that I'm not going, but I can stay home and keep an eye on the house. Besides, somebody's going to need to water all the plants.
Meanwhile, things have moved ahead with Pookie. Dad was home when I got off work yesterday. Good thing for him I'd worked a little late and gotten gas; he took her to be cremated after he got off work. There's actually a funeral home in town which provides this service, so that was convenient for him. He said they do each animal individually and she will be placed in a white tin when done. They also told him to tell me that she's in good hands. That made me tear up and smile at the same time. Initially I wasn't sure what I wanted done with her, but dad and I had the same thought--we'd cremated the dogs; we might as well cremate her, too. Actually, he was more adamant about it in some ways since we'd had her for so long, like it was a respect thing for her. All I know is that the Labrador's container is smaller than the Lhasa apso's, so I'm half expecting the cockatiel's container to be the largest. That's right, show them who's boss.