Here less than a week and accomplishing All the Appointments...
Indeed, I flew in last Wednesday and many things have happened. First, Sadie was amazing on the plane! I didn't think she would have too many issues, however many of the passengers didn't even know there was a cat on the plane until we landed with a solid thump and Sadie went MEROWWWW!
I don't think I realized you could clearly see her eyes until I posted this picture.
Da-ee picked us up from the airport and she didn't make a peep on the way back to the house. I've set up a little area over in my "office" from my bedroom with a disposable litter box and corningware containers for water and food. She's really settled in, which is lovely. She spent much of the first day hiding, but slowly has gotten used to the house. She continues to follow me around, which is precious. She's also scared Momma by jumping on top of a cabinet from the stairs, which is about 6.5 feet off the ground. I pulled her down and both of us were covered in dust bunnies.
My parents have greatly enjoyed meeting their "grandkitty" and I feel as though her presence has somewhat eased my being gone from Baltimore for so long. I was able to take this picture, which really seems to make it all worthwhile:
It should be noted that my father appears to be very jealous of this picture. Sadie hasn't yet jumped up on him, but tries to sniff him whenever he's back down on her level. With his legs, his recliner is elevated, so Sadie can't jump up and explore that area. He gets so excited when she gets close that I think she's more frightened of his voice than she is of being in a new environment.
On Thursday, I went with my mother to her re-established pain specialist, as my parents' PCP (and formerly mine as well) passed away suddenly the week before I came down. We've been scrambling for medications and trying to find new doctors, so Thursday, we went to a new pain specialist to at least get that link going. We also did some shopping for the post cards I finally had some time to mail, since I was going to be in Florida for 2.5 weeks.
Saturday was a day I had been longing for awhile! With Bluejay's move back to the East Coast, she came down with Kenickie and baby Toasterette. We socialized for a bit with my parents (Da-ee really liked the baby), then gallivanted to the beach, one I grew up on and Toasterette's first beach experience! After coming home to quickly shower, we ate at a fish shack and they loaded up and headed back to their home North. It's finally satisfying to know there's at least someone I consider a good friend close to my parents' house. I plan on going up to see their new abode this upcoming weekend. And possibly drinking all their wine.
Sunday was the first Mother's Day I had spent with my mother since probably high school. I thought the last time I was in Florida for Mother's Day was during 2004 on trip with Jennie, but I think I showed up for Mother's Day and Momma wasn't even here, but out with Aunt Fran! In any case, we enjoyed a very low key Mother's Day where Momma got gifts from myself and Sadie and spent much of the remaining time sleeping. I found a condo over by Fidget's grandfather's (like literally 161 ft away) that was for sale, so after crunching numbers, we decided I would contact the realtor to possibly set up a showing. I spent the remaining part of the night on the phone with a drunk Fidget, covering topics from his family, my family, our money, and ending with "fifth wave feminism" when I finally had to shut his chatty butt up.
On Monday, we went to her surgeon's appointment. This turned into the Appointment Which Would Not End. We finally realized she was scheduled for her surgery (June 11) and all that it would entail. I left somewhat overstimulated but hopeful that this could lead to some health and quality of life. Grades were posted, ending the spring semester, all As, all done. More appointments for Momma were scheduled, a new PCP was found, and an EKG was ordered. We got chicken and came home, exhausted. I finally completed the rest of my post cards and tried to work on the bankruptcy claim from the Starship, staying up until 0330 trying to format my father's printer to the Cloud.
I woke up today around 1120, realizing we had to get to the post box in order to get the claim stamped for today. After fussing with it some more, I was able to get it printed, roused my mother, and off we went to another appointment. Finally figuring out medications, we then left and went to the post box to get the stamp. Since Momma was still feeling pretty good, we decided to go to The Fresh Market, giving Momma some exposure into a healthy lifestyle as well as buying All the Things.
This picture not only sums up our shopping, but how happy she was:
Driving back from The Fresh Market, I talked with Momma about the collapse of the Starship and how even though it was miserable when it happened, it brought me to here. It allowed me to take a week to spend with Kayrin when Mary K passed, something I wouldn't have been able to do, but she needed to happen. And now, I'm spending 2.5 weeks in Florida with my cat, not working, not going to school, not trying to balance Fidget. Just organizing and prioritizing my parents, cooking, cleaning, figuring out medications, and lining up appointments to be completed. And her happiness? That's the Good Thing to come out of the rug being pulled out from under me almost a year ago.
I joke with my mother about how Sadie is antagonizing Socks, how he's become an Old Man Cat with his too-thin frame and grumpy meows, how they finally can coexist in a room together with him on my mother's bed and her by the hope chest. How we can joke about what happened on the railroad, or what Bluejay/Kayrin/Otter Bucket/Trips/Fidget said, or what happened with Da-ee. How we just laugh and laugh, smoke billowing through the house and Sadie giving me pleading eyes to go to sleep. So while all of that is happening, I feel as though I'm somewhat grounded, getting work done, laying the foundation while I can look at them and put events forward so we can finally be a family together in the same county...
... it's those smiles and laughs that keep me here and keep me focused.
I don't think I realized you could clearly see her eyes until I posted this picture.
Da-ee picked us up from the airport and she didn't make a peep on the way back to the house. I've set up a little area over in my "office" from my bedroom with a disposable litter box and corningware containers for water and food. She's really settled in, which is lovely. She spent much of the first day hiding, but slowly has gotten used to the house. She continues to follow me around, which is precious. She's also scared Momma by jumping on top of a cabinet from the stairs, which is about 6.5 feet off the ground. I pulled her down and both of us were covered in dust bunnies.
My parents have greatly enjoyed meeting their "grandkitty" and I feel as though her presence has somewhat eased my being gone from Baltimore for so long. I was able to take this picture, which really seems to make it all worthwhile:
It should be noted that my father appears to be very jealous of this picture. Sadie hasn't yet jumped up on him, but tries to sniff him whenever he's back down on her level. With his legs, his recliner is elevated, so Sadie can't jump up and explore that area. He gets so excited when she gets close that I think she's more frightened of his voice than she is of being in a new environment.
On Thursday, I went with my mother to her re-established pain specialist, as my parents' PCP (and formerly mine as well) passed away suddenly the week before I came down. We've been scrambling for medications and trying to find new doctors, so Thursday, we went to a new pain specialist to at least get that link going. We also did some shopping for the post cards I finally had some time to mail, since I was going to be in Florida for 2.5 weeks.
Saturday was a day I had been longing for awhile! With Bluejay's move back to the East Coast, she came down with Kenickie and baby Toasterette. We socialized for a bit with my parents (Da-ee really liked the baby), then gallivanted to the beach, one I grew up on and Toasterette's first beach experience! After coming home to quickly shower, we ate at a fish shack and they loaded up and headed back to their home North. It's finally satisfying to know there's at least someone I consider a good friend close to my parents' house. I plan on going up to see their new abode this upcoming weekend. And possibly drinking all their wine.
Sunday was the first Mother's Day I had spent with my mother since probably high school. I thought the last time I was in Florida for Mother's Day was during 2004 on trip with Jennie, but I think I showed up for Mother's Day and Momma wasn't even here, but out with Aunt Fran! In any case, we enjoyed a very low key Mother's Day where Momma got gifts from myself and Sadie and spent much of the remaining time sleeping. I found a condo over by Fidget's grandfather's (like literally 161 ft away) that was for sale, so after crunching numbers, we decided I would contact the realtor to possibly set up a showing. I spent the remaining part of the night on the phone with a drunk Fidget, covering topics from his family, my family, our money, and ending with "fifth wave feminism" when I finally had to shut his chatty butt up.
On Monday, we went to her surgeon's appointment. This turned into the Appointment Which Would Not End. We finally realized she was scheduled for her surgery (June 11) and all that it would entail. I left somewhat overstimulated but hopeful that this could lead to some health and quality of life. Grades were posted, ending the spring semester, all As, all done. More appointments for Momma were scheduled, a new PCP was found, and an EKG was ordered. We got chicken and came home, exhausted. I finally completed the rest of my post cards and tried to work on the bankruptcy claim from the Starship, staying up until 0330 trying to format my father's printer to the Cloud.
I woke up today around 1120, realizing we had to get to the post box in order to get the claim stamped for today. After fussing with it some more, I was able to get it printed, roused my mother, and off we went to another appointment. Finally figuring out medications, we then left and went to the post box to get the stamp. Since Momma was still feeling pretty good, we decided to go to The Fresh Market, giving Momma some exposure into a healthy lifestyle as well as buying All the Things.
This picture not only sums up our shopping, but how happy she was:
Driving back from The Fresh Market, I talked with Momma about the collapse of the Starship and how even though it was miserable when it happened, it brought me to here. It allowed me to take a week to spend with Kayrin when Mary K passed, something I wouldn't have been able to do, but she needed to happen. And now, I'm spending 2.5 weeks in Florida with my cat, not working, not going to school, not trying to balance Fidget. Just organizing and prioritizing my parents, cooking, cleaning, figuring out medications, and lining up appointments to be completed. And her happiness? That's the Good Thing to come out of the rug being pulled out from under me almost a year ago.
I joke with my mother about how Sadie is antagonizing Socks, how he's become an Old Man Cat with his too-thin frame and grumpy meows, how they finally can coexist in a room together with him on my mother's bed and her by the hope chest. How we can joke about what happened on the railroad, or what Bluejay/Kayrin/Otter Bucket/Trips/Fidget said, or what happened with Da-ee. How we just laugh and laugh, smoke billowing through the house and Sadie giving me pleading eyes to go to sleep. So while all of that is happening, I feel as though I'm somewhat grounded, getting work done, laying the foundation while I can look at them and put events forward so we can finally be a family together in the same county...
... it's those smiles and laughs that keep me here and keep me focused.