A Stressful Week

The fog finally cleared on our last day at the coast and then we returned with another list of maintenance items still needing attention at Mom’s for Marc to attend to. However we took time out to enjoy some of the fruits of our labor, making some tempting tuna dips for crackers while we enjoyed the company of my son and daughter-in-law and he showed us how he makes his signature “wings”.

Last week, my best friend had a bad bout with fever and pain and very sore stomach, thinking it was flu. She let things go too long and found out after about eight days that she needed to go to ER for testing. From there they admitted her into the hospital with a severe diverticulitis attack. She is still there after five days with a prognosis of maybe a total of eight or nine days stay. Surgery could even be in the picture later. This has left me reeling, knowing how dangerous a situation she is in.

Even earlier, I made the hard decision as we were sitting in the campground at Bastendorff on the coast, that despite telling my daughter that I could continue to keep her cat Derby, I decided we couldn’t. Derby has been fine as a dear companion to me in Yuma when she had a steady routine and environment but she just hasn’t proven to be a good RV kitty. She reacts poorly to the changing physical environment, the closeness of the RV and the proximity to Marc. (She is afraid of men). My daughter finally moved into a rental which allows pets so can have her back, so the decision was made for me to drive her over this Saturday to the valley. Despite Derby being a generally bad-ass cat with attitude, she and I spent many a lonely day together and grew close. Of all the cats I have owned since I was a child, there is only one other who proved to be as affectionate a lap cat as Derby is to me, so it’s quite a heartbreak to give her up. It will be a very tough day. I will forever remember how she so loved our front screened porch which gave her the ability to be a sun cat and outside, yet not really loose.

Marc and I are scheduled to leave Bend very early Sunday for the trek back to Yuma to prepare ourselves and our big rig for travel to the next job. Another huge sadness will be leaving my elderly mother, not knowing when I might see her again. Our vacation time has been wonderful though and very worthwhile. Everyone, at some point, has a terrible dose of reality, don’t they? Chalk this week up as mine.