[StarFan]

Sorry for the sob story. Just feeling a little down (doesn't help that the Yankees are getting pounded, either :<) No need to apologize as we are all family here and as family we share you plight. Your father is quite young to be in a residential care facility. Is this a permanent placement or temporary until he heals?

BTW, you are kind when you say the Yankees are getting pounded. My husband is using other words to describe how 'well' they're hitting tonight (tehehehe).

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

He's at a place in Thousand Oaks, CA called T.O.R.C.H. That stands for (I think) Thousand Oaks Residential Care Home. It seems to be a step below a nursing home. My sister and I dreaded it when we took him to see different places, because he's one of those stubborn people who made a big deal about 'not wanting to be a burden on us'. But we had no choice. I'm going through a divorce, and trying to sell my home, so I can't take care of him. My sister has health problems of her own, but works at home, and lives with her fiancee', who has a steady job teaching Math at UCSB. So she has the time to oversee his care.

Most of the people there are women, and much older. There are a couple of older veterans (WWII-era), though. My father saw no combat, but did serve as a Vietnam-era veteran. I believe he did his basic training on Okinawa. I'm not a military buff, and he never pushed it, so I don't know much more than that. I was hoping he could talk to the other vets as a way to keep him from spiralling too far into depression. I don't know that he's doing that, however. He used to use the Internet all the time, and would email me every day or two. Now he can't even type simple words, and doesn't seem to remember how to use a computer at all.

My grand plan is to quit my job in the spring, sell most of my stuff, put the rest in storage, and hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I will never get a better opportunity to do it. I love hiking, and I need a break from life. I'm disillusioned somewhat. My marriage fell apart, my family is almost nonexistent, and I live in arguably the most liberal part of the country (Connecticut).

Anybody out there hiked part of the PCT? For those that don't know, it runs from the Mexican border in California, to Manning Provincial Park in Canada (just north of the border with Washington State). It's over 2,600 miles, and will likely take 5-6 months to hike. I've lined up a potential hiking partner, a young woman about my age, whom I've been corresponding with over the Internet.

Sorry for interrupting the thread. I suppose it's bad form, especially one about someone dying. Someone let me know if I've stepped over the line. I just get going sometimes, and forget where I am.