My dad's caregiver finally confessed to two of her family members who staged an intervention yesterday. She's been doing meth, probably for a couple years.

So now we're on the road to cleanup. I am so relieved and yet still so mad and scared. My dad needs her - not as a caregiver, per se, but as someone to nurture. He believes no one could possibly care for him as much as she does. A part of me agrees, because without him she's on the street...of COURSE she's gonna care for him and be protective of him! It's all she has.

The other good news is he did kick out his other roommate, someone who'd been clean from heroin for two years. (Where does he GET these people?!) So she'll be gone pretty soon.

And my brother, my nephew and I will make sure one of us shows up three weeks out of every four, to keep a loving eye on the situation. I wish I lived closer. The one time we discussed buying the house next door, dad was horrified. That was 15 years ago. I wonder if he regrets dissuading us from that course of action.

At any rate - I've been up since midnight now, two cups of camomile tea haven't done squat. It's bloody freezing outside (okay - it's only 40 degrees) and the skin on my hands feels like its cracking. I don't like this cold weather stuff.