Our son's dog, Kate B. left us in her 12th year. She slept at my feet on the corner of the bed for so long that I automatically bent my right leg to make room for her even after she was gone. I told my DH that we had to find another friend. He said we could not replace her. I told him that was true but a new little friend would help to fill the void she had left (I boohoo'd for what seemed like weeks...my son could not believe I took it so hard). Six weeks later Tess came into our lives, all 1 3/4 lbs of her and she has been the best dog of our 42 year marriage. She loves us both, loves to talk to our grown son on the phone...hates his 4 huge cats! We just took in 2 black feral kittens we found under our house. I thought Tess was going to disown us. LOL She loves to tattle on what they are up to and with those two they are ALWAYS up to something (what was I thinking!). The good Lord shared a wonderful friend like Tweed and surely HE will send you another that will help you during the trying times you are dealing with. Much love from Tess, YoYo, YaYa, DH and me (((hug))) Peggy

My mother passed away April 13th 2022. she raised me and my sister, as a single mother. she worked 2 jobs to ptovide for us, but we took her for granted as children. When the mother of my 2 children passed away in 2016, my mother moved in with us. My mother helped raise my daughter(16 now) and my son(15 now) for almost a decade. My mother was more than just my best friend, she was my only friend. i have complex PTSD, and she was the only one that i trusted enough to talk about the war with… she went with me to the VA, when i had to. she gave me strength, she always seemed to understand things that other people either couldnt or didnt want to understand… my dog died about a month before my mother did… 2022 has taken a lot from me and my 2 children… they saw her as a mother, as much as me… i go from feeling numb to feeling deep sadness and loss… i don‘t want to give up, but i always needed her support. she died from cancer, after being on immunotherapy for 2 years… she suffered from many side effects, for most of her treatment. she became so thin near the end that it was painful to see her like that… i was with her until the end, and it may sound strange but i held her for some time after she died and just sobbed onto her… i talk to her still thst she is dead for months, but i still wake up thinking that she is alive… i beli my mother is in heaven, but selfishly i just want my mom back… i miss my only friend… i miss the only selfless person that i ever met… i feel so empty, and i did not think that id feel so lost… she gave me direction when i didnt know what to do… i hope this posts, it does give comfort to know that i am not a

I asked about that too....he's fully covered on medi-cal now and she will have no lingering medical debts they say...I hope they are right. As far as a will, he really has nothing to leave behind. He gave his truck to his sister, that was important to him that she get something that mattered to him. She just turned 17 and is really having a tough time with all of this. They are very close. He has no bills or huge bank account, so nothing really to will to anyone.

I prepare food for my parents that is easy to reheat and easy to eat also. Does she have any swallowing issues? Sometimes that can linger for a while after a stroke and softer foods are safer as well as easy for her to work with. I think Gardenlad has expressed some good ideas in a nice way about her being as independent as she is capable of. I do make a lot of chicken and package it up in slices or small pieces for them in a sauce. My Dad's arthritis makes it hard for him to cut the meat and my Mom has trouble with a knife too. So, I try to make it fork or spoon friendly, like your friend requires. Here are some other favorites of ours. I have a ton of ground meat recipes - its easy for them and we like it too. Various meatloaves by the dozen, LOL, Ginger's Porcupine Meatballs, meatloaf patties, meatloaf muffins, Ann T's Salisbury Steak, Greek Meatballs, Chili, Gaucho pie. I make pork tenderloin in several different ways, she can cut it with a fork or you could cut it into small pieces. Keilbasi pieces with sauerkraut and potatoes all cooked together. Sausage Marzetti is a big favorite - pork sausage meat with noodles. Octoberfest stirfry - sausage slices and chopped cabbage cooked in beer and beef broth. TUSCAN CHICKEN (cut the chicken into smaller pieces) Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons butter 2 shallots, chopped 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup dry white wine 2 cups beef broth (yes, beef broth) Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, half the chicken pieces, and a couple of crushed cloves of garlic. Brown chicken 2 minutes on each side and remove from pan. Add remaining oil, another single turn of the pan, remaining chicken pieces and garlic. Brown chicken 2 minutes on each side and remove. Add vinegar to the pan. Let it cook off. Add butter, shallots, and rosemary to the pan and cook 2 minutes, add flour and cook 1 minute more. Whisk in wine, reduce 1 minute. Whisk in broth and bring liquids up to a bubble. Return chicken to the pan and simmer over moderate heat 7 to 8 minutes to finish cooking chicken through. There are innumerable chicken recipes - as long as it has something to keep it moist, chicken can be cut into small pieces and I think would be perfect. There are also tons of pasta dishes - I would stay away from long spaghetti type pastas but use farfalle or something easy to stab with a fork. Thick soups are easy to eat - pea soup, lentil soup, and if she's pretty adept with her left hand, other thin soups would be okay too, I suppose. I hate to bombard you with tons of recipes that you wouldn't want, so if you would like some recipes, please let me know and I'll be happy to post them for you. I wish your friend all the best, she has been through so much, how wonderful that she can still keep a smile on her face.