Queen of the hill

We are trying to introduce our cat, Lacy, the stray we took in at J's, into this house (his mother's) with his mother's cat, Kit Kat. She is about 7 and has been queen of the hill all that time and she wants nothing to do with poor Lacy. She chased Lacy into the bedroom closet and I had to chase Kit Kat out of the room. Boy, she spit and growled at me; she wanted to attack me, I could tell, but she didn't. She is quite a spitfire that one. Poor Lacy didn't come out of the back of that closet all afternoon, but she is now laying on the bed in that little room. We've closed her in there for a while on the advice of the vet. She has her own box and food/water in there. He said for about a week anyway we should do this and let them sniff each other through the doors. One door is open about an inch w/a brick doorstop on the inside holding it and the other door into the living room is a folding louvered door. Hopefully this will work. J is not very optimistic, but I think it will eventually work. I hope that it will.

If you have any advice on this venture, please, I welcome any and all.

Changes

It has been two weeks of changes, both bad and good. First, J's mother's passing and our gradual move to the homestead. Missing her keen wit and helping family members claim photos and small treasures that they or their children had given Gram. Making small changes here and there, settling in. Making big changes, moving furniture; buying a new mattress. Planning more changes; discussing renovations, a new, bigger, flatscreen TV, new microwave. Today I bought a new dishpan, but it is too big, so have to take it back and get the smaller one. I knew it was a mistake, but thought I had to try it anyway.

Last weekend, got to see a good friend whom I had not seen in over 40 years. It was a true pleasure; we are both extremely excited about the idea of seeing each other much more often now that she and her husband have built a second home (their retirement home) in the area. The timing couldn't be more perfect as I've lost two good friends in the past two years, so it is especially gratifying to reconnect with an old friend and one that I loved so much. Life is good. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Passages

What an honor and a privilege to be with a friend at the time of her death. To have had the opportunity to give her the best care I could possibly give in the last few weeks of her life, to have shared in her thoughts and feelings, her laughter and her frustrations as well as her hopes, was such a blessing to me I have to give thanks.

I said "her death" and not her passing because this is what she believed. She said many times that she wasn't passing on or passing over, not going to be with anyone over there. "When I'm dead, I'm dead, that's all." And she was okay with this; she was ready and not afraid. I cannot feel sorry for her because she lived a very long life (97) and she lived it her way. She knew who she was, what she liked and what she wanted. She was good hearted, strong willed and sharp as a tack, right to the very end. I only feel sorry for her many family members who miss her so terribly.

Another reason I do not feel sorry for her is because I do not agree with her belief that she would not pass over to another life and be with God and her loved ones. I am sure that she is with them and that she is joyfully surprised to be there. One cannot love as much as she did, or be loved as much as she was and not be There. God bless and keep you, dear friend.