Welcome to the New Normal
It's been very much a week.
Sunday, we moved Mom into her assisted living apartment, which was a huge step for both her well-being and ours. We've spent a lot of time in the days since then ferrying things that didn't get transferred in the move or grabbing things she needs (like a shower curtain), but that will gradually settle down and we can start working on the whole "clean out her house and get it sold" thing. She's been remarkably willing to discard stuff she used to hoard, I can only guess that's a side effect of the stroke. Much of her short- and medium-term memory has been scrambled, including her attachment to many objects. In the time she's been in the assisted living place, she's been chatting with folks, seeing the in-house movies and the like, and she seems to be doing all right; we'll be keeping an eye on her, tho.
While we had the U-Haul, we also brought home the stuff we'd put into storage, since the house is off the market and that's $180/mo we didn't need to be spending. We still need to bring home our stuff from hantamouse's place, so he can have his third bedroom back, but that'll probably be done a carload at a time as weekend visits permit.
Finally, yesterday, Sweetums and Inkyboy were handed off to their new adoptive mum, who took them off to their forever home. I won't lie, it was a wrench. Over the six weeks they'd been with us, we came to love those kittens fiercely, even with their wrestling matches on our bed at 4 a.m. and the way they behaved like piranhas at feeding time. Unfortunately, they would not stay kittens forever, and we knew from the beginning there was no way we could sustain keeping five adult cats in the house. My allergies are in a constant state of Red Alert as it is, and kittens grow really, really fast. Compare:
The kittens when we rescued them, ~8 weeks old.
The kittens yesterday, the last "family video," ~13 weeks old. The bed that all three of them are rolling around in the first video, and the cat tree that only two fit into in the second video, are roughly the same diameter. By February, when it's time for them to get fixed, they will be as large as Buddha.
So now, with three of the four adopted into loving homes, our kitten adventure is done. Inkygirl is staying with us as part of the family at Casa de Lion; she spent the night curled up in the crook of my elbow, eager for somewhere to snuggle without her brothers to keep her warm. Like her uncles Buddha and Dasher, we will take very good care of her. <3
In other news, it hasn't been easy, but I'm still just under par with NaNoWriMo. And I was right: there was no way I'd have been able to do this while working a day job. Between family and kittens and all the other stuff life throws at you, no way. My respect and admiration for people who manage to write and hold down a job is boundless. Even my own previous work, running a webcomic (and occasionally two) while holding down a job, seems impossible to me now. How the hell did I pull that off, and for so long? My mind reels at the prospect.
Anyway. :)
Today, if all goes well, I will reach par and pass it; that's my goal, anyhow. I also need to take care of some stuff around the house and make some calls to cancel utility accounts my mom no longer needs, and of course keep the cats fed and cared for.
This is the new normal. And so far, I like it. :)
-The Gneech
Sunday, we moved Mom into her assisted living apartment, which was a huge step for both her well-being and ours. We've spent a lot of time in the days since then ferrying things that didn't get transferred in the move or grabbing things she needs (like a shower curtain), but that will gradually settle down and we can start working on the whole "clean out her house and get it sold" thing. She's been remarkably willing to discard stuff she used to hoard, I can only guess that's a side effect of the stroke. Much of her short- and medium-term memory has been scrambled, including her attachment to many objects. In the time she's been in the assisted living place, she's been chatting with folks, seeing the in-house movies and the like, and she seems to be doing all right; we'll be keeping an eye on her, tho.
While we had the U-Haul, we also brought home the stuff we'd put into storage, since the house is off the market and that's $180/mo we didn't need to be spending. We still need to bring home our stuff from hantamouse's place, so he can have his third bedroom back, but that'll probably be done a carload at a time as weekend visits permit.
Finally, yesterday, Sweetums and Inkyboy were handed off to their new adoptive mum, who took them off to their forever home. I won't lie, it was a wrench. Over the six weeks they'd been with us, we came to love those kittens fiercely, even with their wrestling matches on our bed at 4 a.m. and the way they behaved like piranhas at feeding time. Unfortunately, they would not stay kittens forever, and we knew from the beginning there was no way we could sustain keeping five adult cats in the house. My allergies are in a constant state of Red Alert as it is, and kittens grow really, really fast. Compare:
Click to viewThe kittens when we rescued them, ~8 weeks old.
The kittens yesterday, the last "family video," ~13 weeks old. The bed that all three of them are rolling around in the first video, and the cat tree that only two fit into in the second video, are roughly the same diameter. By February, when it's time for them to get fixed, they will be as large as Buddha.
So now, with three of the four adopted into loving homes, our kitten adventure is done. Inkygirl is staying with us as part of the family at Casa de Lion; she spent the night curled up in the crook of my elbow, eager for somewhere to snuggle without her brothers to keep her warm. Like her uncles Buddha and Dasher, we will take very good care of her. <3
In other news, it hasn't been easy, but I'm still just under par with NaNoWriMo. And I was right: there was no way I'd have been able to do this while working a day job. Between family and kittens and all the other stuff life throws at you, no way. My respect and admiration for people who manage to write and hold down a job is boundless. Even my own previous work, running a webcomic (and occasionally two) while holding down a job, seems impossible to me now. How the hell did I pull that off, and for so long? My mind reels at the prospect.
Anyway. :)
Today, if all goes well, I will reach par and pass it; that's my goal, anyhow. I also need to take care of some stuff around the house and make some calls to cancel utility accounts my mom no longer needs, and of course keep the cats fed and cared for.
This is the new normal. And so far, I like it. :)
-The Gneech