I see it's been over two years since I last posted. News has changed. My mother has made a choice of assisted living facilites in Mason City. Now we have to wait, as Kentucky Ridge is currently full. She chose a medium-sized apartment, but a small might come up sooner. If so, she could move in there and switch to a medium-sized when one becomes available.

My daughter Jessica fell off one of her horses and ended up with a broken left arm. This happened over two months ago. Finally, they put in a plate, as the bone wasn't healing. She's now back in a cast, which supposedly makes it possible for her to ride again. I am not too excited about her getting back on a horse with one arm in a cast, but she says she will be very careful, as she doesn't want to go through all that again.

Daughter Annie completed her nurse's training and is now working with a private case management company. She will be working with clients with dementia. She reported her first client is 90, and resistant to help. Then adds the client is sweet. So Annie will do well with that population.

Their dad died January 27 in Berkeley's Alta Bates Hospital. He had multiple health issues, including liver failure, congestive heart failure, diabetes and kidney failure. He was taken off dialysis because his blood pressure was too low, and died that night. Jessica had called at 10:30 a.m. about taking him off dialysis, then called again at 1:30 a.m. I asked her, "What's up?" and she said simply, "He's gone." "Oh, God," was my response.

It was hardest on Jessica and Annie, particularly Annie with her training as well as being much closer to Berkeley. While it has mostly been me and a cat or two for nearly 20 years, and that was fine, I am now experiencing bouts of loneliness, which I didn't before.

Will get to Jessica and Annie and the ashes another time.