Jim- my hat goes off to you and Meredyth for the great care your giving ma and Ed. When we all get that old we should be so lucky as to have guardians such and you and M. i mean that.

You are not kidding, the bar has been set high!

If they don't get this health care mess straightened out soon we may all end up on Ramonajim's porch at the next GTG and not leave! Hey Swamp- Can you see me now?

Yes, through the scratches and distortion. :P

Somebody get Swamp a new pair of glasses . . . .

I just haven't been able to squeeze in an eye exam yet. The prescription was 2 years and 2 weeks old and they purge the system after 2 years so they wouldn't/couldn't fill it. :( We're slowing down a little bit now so I'll be able to get in for my 3rd and 4th eyes very soon! Probably have to wait until after my trip to scenic and beautiful Dayton, OH mid-week next week, though.

Ed's got at least a couple dozen pair - I'm sure I could snatch a pair or two without him noticing. He's accumulated 'em up from who knows where over the years - certainly not from an optometrist - hasn't seen one of them in a couple decades. Then again, most of 'em do have a decidedly 70's funk about 'em......

Hey Swamp - just how big is your head? Think you could carry the gigantic rose tinted tortoise shell framed beauties? Pretty sure Ed hasn't been wearing those for the last couple months..... they were the ones he put on OVER his "regular" glasses while he was driving.....

And thanks for the kind words folks - in the words of my wonderful partner, mate, teacher, and muse, Meridythe (aka Darling Wife) - they're family. It's just what you do. And she does the lion's share of it, no doubt.

Happy Friday the 13th! :eek:

Having a good one...yet? :confused:

Do tell... :thumbup1:

Enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the mobile shredding unit churn through a couple decades of old paperwork. There's something very Zen about it.:D

It wasn't a Friday event but being a parent I'm looking for an excuse to brag so I'll do it here :P, attended the Superintendent's Award Reception last night to see my (almost) 12yoS receive the Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Academics and Leadership. The kid is crazy smart and it's safe to say he didn't get that from me. :) His school-work ethic OTOH, which leaves much to be desired...:o

There is NOTHING on the calendar for this evening, no practice, no games, no scout meetings, no choir or band practice, NOTHING! Looks like a good evening to catch up on my DVR's episodes of Rescue Ink and Modern Family and maybe watch a flick.

Nelson and I have a vet appointment tomorrow for his well baby check up.
Sunday I have to teach a class in Columbia ,Maryland. Have a good one you guys!

Trying to uncross my eyes from too many hours of contract writing yesterday, hoping the coffee that is so necessary for my head to clear doesn't churn my gut as much as it is threatening to.

We've officially exited one day at time mode and re-entered nod, smile, and roll with it mode.

Got Ma in to see Dr. Oh on Wednesday and learned that the MRI comparison done at the ER was looking at Saturday's scan vs. the last scan done at Frederick Memorial - back when they first found Ma's brain tumors. So the "no change in size" finding really should have been "they've grown back to the same size they were before the radiation treatments." In other words: 2 to 10 times bigger than they were two months ago (that MRI having been done elsewhere meant Fred Mem didn't see it Saturday in the ER).

"Partial seizures" (Saturday's twitching), increase in passive aggressive behavior, even less leg strength, balance is shot, confusion and memory issues - all getting more pronounced by the day - are all tied to the tumors pushing on various bits in Ma's head. She started another round of chemo yesterday - Doc Oh says there is a 50% chance this cocktail will affect the tumors.

Laid awake 'til just before the sun came up, holding Darling Wife while she quietly sobbed. Ma is really excited about Thanksgiving. Meridythe isn't sure she'll recognize us by then.

Tomorrow: SLEEP IN! It's been a while. Funny how such trivial things can be so eagerly anticipated! Hope to get the head gasket job on the W124 rolling this weekend, and get the new wheel bearing assembly and ball joint on the Jetta, too. Maybe we'll try to do a quick hike at the local state park, and/or catch the EIU home football game.

This really puts things in perspective for the rest of us, my friend. Prayers for you and yours... take care.

Not a good way to start the day off. Drove the shop truck home from Benson yesterday. Get into it this morning (after checking it all over for graffiti <G>), start her up and drive to work. I was pretty impressed with the light traffic and I'm beginning to wonder if there was some holiday nobody told me about. I'm guessing a lot of people took Friday off and made it a 4 day weekend, so anyway, pull into the lot, notice the warehouse door is open, the gate is partially open and the supervisor is in the warehouse straightening racks. "Cool", I think, "I don't have to dink around with that frickety lock, just slide the gate open and pull in". Yeah well, it SEEMED like the plan. Unfortunately, reality is a LOT different than plans.

Reach over to open the slide door, foot slips off the deck and SPLOOSH! right through the plastic lid of the bucket holding 6 gallons of drained engine oil from the Benson trucks! I uttered an impolite and rather loud expletive, the supervisor runs for shelter and I look down to see just a total mess. I've got oil soaking my right pants leg halfway up to my knee, both shoes are completely covered in oil and I'd guess a gallon of the oil has redistributed itself randomly about the well. Slosh my way to the gate, open it and drive in. Get out of the truck, strip my shoes and socks off and squish my way back to my office leaving oil stain footprints all the way. Drop my sopping trousers, reach over to the new uniforms just delivered yesterday only to discover the laundry didn't deliver any pants! WTF? So now, I'm hopping up and down, in my underwear, barefooted, invectives just flowing randomly and thoroughly disgusted. I talk the supervisor (when he finally stops laughing) into going to get me a pair of uniform pants from my shop truck which he does. Now I'm dressed, sort of, but I got no shoes or socks on and the oil is still running down my legs. The good thing is that I don't wear my work boots when I'm driving so I've still got them to wear.

Wipe the oil off the best I can, get into the sales van and head back home for fresh socks and a clean-up. That ungrateful creature who calls herself my wife starts laughing so hard she can't stand up. I mean, choking, gasping for breath, tears running down her cheeks kind of laughing! Let's see how funny she thinks it is when she sees the mess I left in the bath tub, wash cloth and the towel I used!

So anyway, it's Friday thank goodness. The rest of the day HAS to be better!

p.s. This is an email I sent to my boss this morning. The graffiti reference occurred in an incident from Thursday.

Going to the New House later to put in a 200 amp service box and begin running 14-3 BX to replace the 16 Ga. Don't trust anyone but myself and 2 "rental friends" to do it properly.
Continuing the massive cleanout of the Big House, which has been sold....Anyone want an '84 300 Turbo Diesel that occasionally doesn't shift into high? Won't be taking it with me.

Sat, will take my wife to the City to see HER mother who is visibly failing due,in no small part to her refusal to do anything heretofore that could ameliorate her scoliosis, truly the queen of De Nile, yet I wish her well,for my wife's sake...

I only drink wine and beer now, the "amber fluid" nearly killed me 6 months ago.:(