My father turns 99 today

- and yes, that is my adored "Senior Cat". He told me himself that he is "the Senior Cat". We are a cat loving family.

Just before Christmas though the Senior Cat had a mild "stroke". He recovered reasonably well from it but Middle Cat and I have noticed the difference since. Indeed before Christmas we thought he might not make it to Christmas. He now has pneumonia and it is only because he was already on antibiotics for another issue that it has not been far worse. Two weeks ago I didn't think he would make it to today. Somehow he has. 

Yesterday I went in to see him. Today Middle Cat is going to try and get him outside for an hour - under the guise of "palliative" care. He  is adamant he doesn't want a fuss for his birthday but this will be a way of allowing him to see more than one of us. We are all triple jabbed and our RATs keep coming back negative. Being in the fresh air and sunshine may be good for him.

When I went in yesterday I tried to get him to "reminisce" in a good way. When the Senior Cat was born most people did not have a phone or a car. Outside the city many people did not have electricity. There was no television. My paternal grandfather was a tailor. He employed a great many people because you couldn't walk into a shop and buy a suit. My grandmother made most of the other clothes they wore. They had an "ice chest" rather than a refrigerator. 

My grandmother would not have known what "pizza" was. Cheese was something you bought in the grocery. It was cut from a great wheel with a cheese wire and then wrapped in paper. Plastic was unknown. Milk was delivered to the door and so was bread. Meat came from a butcher because supermarkets were unknown.

But there were other things that my grandparents did know, things that many people were not really aware of. The Senior Cat grew up meeting,  if only briefly, people from all over the world. His parents welcomed homesick young sailors into their home on quite a regular basis. My grandmother followed her mother-in-law's example and saw to it that those in need had an extra basket of food or that something else was done to help. She knew about some customs and was accepting of the many different ways of doing things.

At the end of his life the Senior Cat is now being cared for by people who come from Asia and Africa as well as elsewhere. Someone working there said to me recently,"Your father is so polite to everyone. We have people here who refuse to let people like ...... and ..... help them."

When I look back on that I think I am fortunate. My siblings are fortunate too. We have grown up with a parent who has seen immense changes in his life - and not simply accepted them but embraced them.