4 cats, 3 dogs, 2 humans

 I was chatting with a middle school friend of mine this morning and I summarized my life with the phrase, "4 cats, 3 dogs, and 2 humans," because that's really where I spend my time since my dad had back surgery in Dec. 2024.  

I love my petpalozza, and wouldn't change them for anything - except maybe the occasional fluid leak and bark festival.   

I've toyed with the idea of writing about these furry friends before, but I was hung up on the idea that I needed to purge myself emotionally by writing to my mom and my sister before I attempted this.  With my usual efficency, I have combined my tasks. 

So, first, I'll explain the letter to my mom and my sister.  I listened to a book (that's what I do these days rather than read.  I used to do it because it was hard to see, but now I do it because I can listen to a book and do other things at the same time.)  The book was by Tommy Orange and one of the characters looses his brother and suddenly decides to send him an email.  The idea intrigued me -- and touched me and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I put that on my bucket list.

But, I've been delaying.  (Ha, no big surprise).

So, when I said that to my friend via text message this morning, I thought - I know what I can do!

A little background about me and the petpalozza.   In 2016 my sister died from a heroin overdose.  In the basement of this house.  It's a finished basement and it was set up like an apartment for her and her boyfriend.  It was a mess, but it was there place and it didn't require they pay rent because they couldn't afford to any longer.  

The maudlin and dramatic details of Angela's overdose are a whole other thing, so I'll bypass that, and say, my parents were devastated, as was I, but she left a 3 month old puppy named Delilah, and three cats, Gracey, Bella, and Ella.  

 My mom also died, but in 2021.  She left a cat, Wilson.  And my "brother" died in 2024, he left a wife, daughter, and a few cats somewhere in Indiana.  So, that leaves me and my 79 year old dad.  He's dating, but the woman lives in Texas, so when he found out he needed back surgery, I sold my townhouse and moved in with him and brought with me two dogs - Timmy and Charlie.

So, I'll say that living with my dad does have some perks, but for the most part, I feel I can officially be considered a caregiver.