My Dad's cat Charlie has gone to his new home.  The nursing home called
the aide and she called me sobbing wanting to make sure this was what I
wanted.  I assured her it was because Dad had made the arrangement with
her and I thought she would be a good home for Charlie because I knew
she loved him.  I told her to go and pick up anything that looked
remotely cat related and take it.

I called her later to see how she was doing and to check on Charlie.
She is doing okay.  Charlie is kind of in shell shock.  I recommended a
vet clinic and told her where he got his last shots so she would know
how to document keeping them up to date.  Charlie is hiding a little bit
and being kind of docile right now.  It is clear he knows things have
changed permanently.  But I feel better because he knows this woman and
he will eventually come out of his shell.  He is 8 years old maybe 9 and
has a lot of years left if well taken care of.  This woman knew she was
getting Charlie, so when she remodeled her house, built in a bay window
for Charlie to sit in.  That gave my Dad a lot of comfort - knowing that
he was being looked after even before she had him.

She told me that my father encouraged her to become a nurse.  He didn't
do that to just any of the aides.  So I will take up his place and start
encouraging her to do just that.  I offered her free tutoring in
whatever she needs tutoring in to make it.  I know most of that stuff,
so I will help her in what ever way I can.  She was, as my Dad put it,
"one of the good ones."  That was rare praise coming from my Dad.  He
only saved that for the ones he really liked.  And he gladly told them
freely how he felt about them.I go this afternoon to pick up his stuff
and sort through the rest of the things that I want or that will be
donated to the nursing home.  I get his recliner and brand new
television set (very brand new - less than a month old my sister bought
it for us to watch movies on for his b-day on Feb 17.  I picked it up on
the 18th and took it to him so we hardly got to use it), I get my craft
supplies back, they get to keep his clothes - including all his brightly
colored pajama pants (and they were to beat the band), they get the
lamps, they get the small table that he did crafts on in the beginning
(I got no place to put it and they've been wanting it ever since he got
it!) They get his winter coat and winter gloves for another resident who
might need them to go out to appointments next winter.  It is amazing
how many residents show up there without many clothes.  So I am glad to
be leaving some of Dad's things behind that can still be used by someone.

I talk to the director of the nursing home in the morning to arrange a
time for a memorial service for Dad because there are trainings she has
scheduled and I don't want to interfere with those and I want those
people to be able to come and it has become apparent in talking to
people at the nursing home that they need closure too, so I am going to
hold something for them.  He wasn't just my Dad, he was their friend and
patient and they took care of him for a long time and had a great
fondness for him.  I am not going to dismiss that.  It was important to
him.  And, I think it will do me some good to see the people show up for
him.

Okay, I started on topic there, I just wandered a bit off topic as it
went on.  I've done worse :).

Bridget - who isn't crying quite so much anymore