Dear Grandma,

Peace be with you.

Love,
Your Annegirl

Thursday morning we brought Grandma breakfast from Dunkin Donuts and said our goodbyes. I don't think I'm going to see her again. --from a May 19, 2010 entry

Grandma is on hospice care.

We (my mom, Brother 1 & I) are just waiting for a phone call.

Dad had Brothers 2 & 3 flying up last night for an unrelated event. They're with Grandma now.

We knew this was coming last year. We expected it months ago.

I still feel numb.

For several years a group of people have been feeding cats at my church. What happens when you feed a cat or two? That 2 will become 4, 6, 10 when the cats aren't spayed/neutered. I could devote a whole post to this subject, needless to say I've convinced K (the primary caretaker) to have Mama Cat and her eldest sons fixed so they can continue to be church kitties.

The newest litter (12 weeks old) was meant to go to the shelter to be put up for adoption. Unfortunately, they're really antisocial. They needed an opportunity to interact with more than one person (K). When they leave this house they'll be socialized with people, dogs and rabbits. We're calling the black kitten, Harry. The orange & white is Ron and the brown & white is Hermione.

My mom and I have been really busy with the Hogwarts Trio and their sister, Princess "Mia" Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldo *insert my family's last name here*. Yeah, so my mom has a cat now. She's only been waiting 30+ years. (Allergies. We got 'em.)

Mia actually came home with us when she was about 7 weeks old. She's not a lap cat but she will cuddle next to you when she's tired. She loves to explore the house when the dogs are not monitoring her every move, and sometimes even if they are. She is a social butterfly and she'll let you know if she feels ignored. It's amazing how different she is from her siblings.

I always thought if we took home a cat it would be an older adult. I always thought it would be a torti. Mia is neither but I love her as much as I love the rest of the family.

Grandma Note: Grandma has returned to the assisted living facility. She's has some good days. She has some bad days. We just enjoy the conversations (and time) we have with her.