Catching up

It’s been a long while since I have posted.  A lot has happened since our travels south began in September.
We spent five months at Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City, TX.  We love it there and this was our third year and longest stay.  We began our time in the park cleaning bathrooms for three months.  January and February were spent the as camp hosts. 
The park seemed less busy this year we had less rain on the weekends so the bathrooms gave us very little trouble.  I do wonder why adults can’t read signs telling them the bathroom is closed for cleaning.  Kids don’t seem to have a problem with it.  Adults climb over the sign, mop and bucket and waste basket we keep in front of the door to discourage them.  I guess they have the mentality that those signs are for someone else, not them.
Camp hosting brings it’s own situations.  One night, while we were on duty, someone came to our door and told me the camper across the road from them had his television so loud that they felt they were watching a movie with sound only.  She kept apologizing for disturbing me but I said that was why we were there.  I drove the truck down to the site and heard the same thing she did. 
I went up to the door of the camper and knocked.  The gentleman opened the door and recognized that his outside speakers were on.  Without my saying a word.  He apologized, explained he didn’t know the speakers were on and he shut them off.  I thanked him and went back home.
We met several wonderful people during our stay.  Every year there are campers from other countries visiting the park.  It is always interesting to hear their stories and to be there as ambassadors for the park, Texas and the good ole USA.
November brought a call from my sister telling us my father was very ill.  He had some surgery done and was doing very well.  One morning they were telling him they were going to move him to a rehab facility.  By that afternoon he was septic, his kidneys weren’t functioning and he was in ICU.  Denny and I shut things down in the camper, packed a bag, left our keys with the camp host and headed for Florida. 
We arrived in Fort Myers the evening of Nov. 3rd.  Dad was full of fluid.  He wasn’t responding to us.  He was in a coma.  The nurses told us to talk to him, saying the hearing is the last thing to go. They wanted to do dialysis but he wouldn’t be able to tolerate it. They were pushing fluids and antibiotics.  We knew he wouldn’t get better.  When all of Dad’s girls (me and my three sisters) arrived. 
We talked to Dad, stroked his arm and talked to his girlfriend.  We knew he wanted no extraordinary measures taken to keep him alive.  My sister, LuAnn had his DNR form which stated just that.  We talked about removing the machines but Lu had just arrived and we all wanted to have the night to make the decision.
Three of us went to Dad’s home and one of us went to stay with Dad’s girlfriend.  We all met at the hospital the next morning and made the decision to remove the machines.  Dad breathed on his own for about 10 minutes and then peacefully passed away. 
Three of us went back to Dad’s house and began the task of going through Dad’s things.  We cleaned out his closet.  Found his jewelry and his paperwork. LuAnn was named the executor in Dad’s will so she needed all the information she could find.  Dad had given her almost everything but there is always something you miss. 
We called our younger sister and had her come over to chose jewelry and other keepsakes she may have wanted.  Living in a camper, I took a small clock Dad had and some a narrow belt he had worn at one time that fit me.  Denny took a few of author Louis Lamoure’s westerns and a set of DVD’s about country music.
We gave several things to the Lion’s Club.  Dad was very active with the organization there and we knew many of the things we gave them he had purchased from them at one time or other.  We cleaned the house for sale.  We decided to sell the house furnished so that if someone bought it they wouldn’t need to bring anything but clothes, toiletries, food and personal items.  It looked nice.
We had a memorial at Dad’s church for his Florida friends.  After the memorial Denny decided to drive back to Texas to complete our volunteer job at the park.
We all interviewed an attorney.  We decided to hire him.  We found a realtor and shut off all utilities we could.  We found someone to take care of the house and drove Dad’s car back to Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. 
The girls left me off in Illinois, Lu went on to Iowa and Diana took the car home to Wisconsin to try to sell it.  We then had to wait until Dad’s ashes were sent to Iowa.  We decided not to have Dad’s service until December 8 so it wouldn’t interfere with Thanksgiving or Diana’s birthday.
LuAnn did a wonderful job getting everything together for the service following Dad’s wishes and providing a meal for those attending the service.  She had paperwork for all of us to sign from Dad’s investments and Denny and I headed back to Texas with Dad’s car.  Denny had sold it to friends in Texas.
I miss him very much but I am so glad he didn’t suffer.  He was a wonderful father and grandfather.  Rest in peace, Dad.  I love you.
Charles Roy Cassatt Sr. 1927-2011