Home at last

Spent the week with Mom taking my cats with me. It took an hour to get them in the carriers and have battle scars from the adventure. Both sisters, brother, nieces visited and stayed the week helping Mom out. Mom didn't want to go home alone. First 2 days cats were terrified from all the visitors and after everyone went to bed did they come out. They hid well we had difficulty finding their hiding places. Once they calmed down my nieces enjoyed petting them. People brought food and Mom insisted they take something with them, like 20 packets of Jello or 10 boxes of cereal. The funeral director and pastor came by for the plans. Preacher asked if she needed meals delivered and I said no because she has grocery store in the basement, Dad could not pass up a sale. In fact I tasted 6 year old Mountain Dew and poured it down the sink when Mom wasn't looking. We picked out the coffin on the computer, Mom never done that before. Mom wanted funeral, cemetery, and then dinner to be the order. The church was full as well as the funeral home visitation. We had the slide show they also showed at the funeral. My youngest niece didn't know many of the people in the slides so we gave commentery to whoever was nearby at the funeral home. At the funeral home a few thought I was my sister or knew who I was but I had no idea who they were. My second cousin offered any help we needed. I need oil changed since Dad isn't here to do it anymore. He will gladly do it, he's a mechanic. Now how am I going to pay him? Mom asked people take plants home with them, her house can only handle so many. Cats had pleasure chewing on the plants. One person asked that I tell the cats not to eat the plants. Yeah, that is like placing candy in front of a kid and saying, Don't eat it. I let the cats eat the plants, they going to die and be tossed out anyway.

After the funeral we got busy searching for important papers, like life insurance policy, then sorting and tossing. Sister called nearly 30 magazines and book clubs to cancel subscriptions. Mom was ready to toss anything to do with Dad's time on the railroad but brother-in-law insisted she not toss anything dealing with that cuz there are many collectors who would love stuff he grabbed when it sold to another company. His old coworkers have a reunion every year and would love to have those things. Sell to the right person is his motto. Sisters insisted Mom toss the expired food. Mom was insistant it was good, but relented to her daughters and they got busy. I babysat niece and opened the mail Mom didn't want to deal with. Funeral director gave us pre-printed Thank you cards so another sister wrote out the envelopes. Today one sister found a mummified mouse in a trap inside a cupboard and managed not to scream. My brother-in-law removed it. Sisters will be with Mom tonight and go home tomorrow. They will return for more sorting in the coming weeks. Mom is eager to get rid of stuff and move away, but people tell her not to be so hasty. She can move in the summer when she is not so distraught. Dad took care of Mom so well she is clueless what he did. She doesn't even know where important papers were or how he did the taxes. Gotta check those records, he was organized even if very messy. Well, home again. Cats are happy. I grabbed them when napping so they didn't see it coming. They fought to get out of the carriers as I packed the car. Now they are on my feet. Later.