Hello,
Welcome to my new blog! I have written short stories since I was a child and recently, I started writing as a way to process some recent changes in my life. My sister-in-law suggested that others might be interested as well, so I decided to give it a go.
As a starting point, I have three categories for these posts:
- Caring for an elderly person – in my case, my mother came to live with me
- Renovations at home
- Life transitions – including jobs, pets and various other topics
I may add other topics as we go along, e.g., public health issues, books, movies and other amusements. We’ll see how it goes. One goal is to address challenging issues with a bit of humor. That said, I’m not a stand-up comic, so humor may be hit or miss.
Another goal is to create a place where we can learn from each other and have a conversation. I welcome comments (though will be monitoring and approving to make sure we weed out any trolls), ideas for posts and even “guest posters” who could contribute to the blog.
Oddly enough, I am not a very public person, so may sometimes hide behind my alter-ego, Alphacat … silly, I know! I started using this name online eons ago – a friend of mine said that I allowed my cat (Oscar) to get away with too much mischief: I needed to be the “alpha” in the relationship. So, I am Alphacat. I’m also Susan. This reminds me of a line from Dead Poets Society referencing Walt Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! – paraphrased as: in this blog, you can either call me Susan, or if you’re slightly more daring, Alphacat!
The balance between public and private is complicated for me. I have not engaged in social media – outside of work, that is – because sometimes it seems intrusive. Yet, here we are. I look forward to hearing from you and, hopefully, hearing about your experiences.
my mother, my cat and me 
Susan, I am so impressed with the way you have handled all of these enormous changes in your life. I know it hasn’t been easy but it appears you have figured it out with humor, kindness and good old common sense.
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Hi Mary, thanks so much for stopping by! It has been quite a ride. We’re taking it a step at a time and I think we’re doing a pretty good job. Thanks for the support!
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You did very well, handled all the changes as they came. Keep up with the positivity you will be blessed for what you are doing for your mother.
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Thanks for stopping by, Maxine, and for the support! I think taking challenges as they came was critical – it kept me from being overwhelmed. I just knew that we would get there if we focused on taking each thing in turn.
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Susan – just read your latest. I am sure the changes have been difficult – but, you have been wonderful for and to your mother – so many put their mother’s away someplace and you are to be honored and blessed for what you are doing. God is blessing you for all your efforts and you will be glad you did it in the long run. I wanted to tell you that Sister Angele passed away on the 17th – not so good for your mother to hear right now. The times when she called me she always asked about Sister – thought she should know. Tell her I think of her often and she remains in my thought and prayers.
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Hi Mary, thank you so much. Let me apologize for my tardiness in approving your comments and replying. We can only do our best and Mom and I make that effort every day. We heard about Sister Angele’s passing. She and Mom went to high school together! She was not really surprised because she hadn’t heard much from her lately – they exchanged notes for several months and then they stopped coming from her. I will pass along your thoughts and prayers. Best, Susan
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