Friday, March 20, 2009

Another Unexpected Houseguest (this one averted)

Late Monday night I received a message from my stepdad on my cell phone. That in itself is strange, because he only calls my house phone. He said, "Call me as soon as you can!" in an excited voice. I decide, since it's after midnight, that I'll wait until morning - either he's already gone to the hospital, which is what I suspect, or it's not that bad and he's asleep. I call first thing in the morning, and he says, "Good thing you called, I was just leaving." I ask where he's going, so I know what hospital to track him to later, and he says, "I'll be at your house by 2:00!"

What? First of all, even I won't be at my house until 6:00. I ask him to explain, and his reasoning is that he got his tax return and he didn't have anything to do this week, so he decided to come and visit. For a week.

Aside from the general fact that my stepdad and I have never been close (he and my mom married when I was 16 and I moved out a few weeks after high school graduation), he's 80 years old, in somewhat iffy health, he has an elderly used car, and he hasn't driven more than a half hour since his back surgery early last year. Obviously a prime candidate for a 5 hour drive.

He also can't climb steps (there are no beds or couches on my first floor, and the downstairs powder room isn't working), and did I mention, he's allergic to cats. And scared of them.
I can see why I was his first choice.

I suggested politely, and then not-so-politely, when he didn't get it, that perhaps he would like to stay with one of his THREE sisters who also live in Philadelphia.

It finally sunk in that there was no place for him with me, and he said he'd talk to me later. Which apparently meant Thursday, because he couldn't be bothered to call me Tuesday when he arrived, or even Wednesday. There was no communication until I did an online search, found the only one of his sisters with a listed phone number, and called to find out he was indeed there. And now he wants to know when I'm going to take the train up to visit him, because he got a good parking space so he's not moving the car until he leaves on Sunday. And even if he did, he wouldn't drive to my neighborhood because he thinks it's scary.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm just feeling a little fed up right now. 2009 has been too eventful for me thus far, and I'm yearning for a little peace and quiet and uninterrupted sewing time.

In sewing news, I haven't done anything interesting in over a week, just mechanically making TNT tshirts for the two of us from all that Jomar cotton jersey. We need them, I have the fabric, and I don't have the attention span right now for a more challenging project. So at least I can accomplish something while waiting for life to quiet down a little.

Cats are Annie (top) and Archie (bottom). There are no appropriate photos for rants, so I'm sharing a few more of the children.

10 comments:

Lisette M said...

Rant away...is good for the soul

Elaray said...

Go ahead and rant. You're among friends. I'm sure the cats would have made your stepdad feel right at home. Some cats seem to know when people don't love them as much as their owners. And they climb all over them!

gwensews said...

This sounds all too familiar! My husband had cancer treatments AND a heart bypass very close together. Husband had just got home from the hospital, when his nephew (who we hadn't seen in 20 years or so) wanted to come and "visit" us for a week. I had no problem saying a firm "no".

Paulette said...

Karen - as long as your rants contain cat pictures, I'll read everyone of them!! :)

Linda T said...

Cats are beautiful.

Rachel said...

Go ahead and rant. Getting it off your chest will make you feel a little beter. Your kitties are so pretty.

meredithp said...

By all means rant. Many of us of a certain age are right where you are with elderly relatives. It can be exasperating, at a minimum!

You have the most beautiful bunch of cats! We only have three, and I don't see how you keep up with them. They all look "sew" happy and robust.

Rose said...

I'll rant right along with you. Why do people who are allergic to cats insist upon visiting and expect me to take care of the problem? I only have one cat (spoiled as a dozen) and refuse to lock him in a closet and disinfect (whatever that means) my house. I'd rather sew. Love the pictures of your cats!

Lori said...

The comment about getting a good parking space so he's not moving the car almost ruined my keyboard from the soda!!! I'm NOT saying you should have had him visit, but he may be remembering your relationship as being closer than it was. My mom is in her 80s and comes out with some stuff that throws us for a loop sometimes. Rant on!! Lori

laura said...

Oh this made me laugh! It reminds me of the story Hans told of his cousin (who was a little odd) who decided to travel from Germany to the U.S. to 'visit'. However he neglected to tell those at home or in the U.S where he intended to stay. For about 2 weeks the German family frantically called the U.S. families in search of Cousin but seemed to always be a day late and a dollar short. He was finally located at Hans' dad's house and neither Cousin nor Dad could figure out what the uproar was about!