Getting healthy

What a week of health issues!!

Dad Marty -- The speech therapist thinks all of Marty's speech will come back. And the folks at St. Francis Villa are eager to have him back, so we hope something can be worked out. He'll probably be at East Jefferson for another week or so.

GG -- My grandmother was hospitalized two days ago for diverticulitis. Her latest CAT scan revealed a couple of abscesses that may need to be drained (not sure what that entails). They were talking about letting her go home today, but she isn't eating enough yet, so it looks like another day or two.

Mezzaluna -- We've had one sick little rat on our hands. She's been to the vet 3 times since last Friday, with the last visit revealing reduced liver function and a certain amount of regretful pessimism from the vet. We've been giving her antibiotics in raspberry syrup, SAM-E in maple syrup, a daily subcutaneous injection of fluids, and baby food meals. By last night, she was perking up enough to be really irritated with all the medical attention, and today she seems almost, um, human? again. Well, almost back to normal anyway. She's still having some trouble regulating her own body temperature, so she's keeping company with a hot water bottle. Anyway, we're feeling much more hopeful.

In other news, Frank starts a short (month-long) contract at Microsoft next week. We're looking forward to the extra paychecks, but it's going to make for some family schedule juggling. Chloe is having loads of fun and some decent weather, and they're finally getting going on the Cold War game mentioned previously (she's a private). MJ is back at work this week after missing two weeks' worth due to her New Orleans trip. The foal hasn't arrived yet, so she didn't miss the action. And I'm enjoying my time off, even if it has been dominated by rat care. The weather is FABULOUS; hope it continues indefinitely.

Yesterday, we went out to Jetty Island for a fun day of hanging out on the beach with unschooling friends Jim, Larisa, and Sarah. It was lovely, and we had the place all to ourselves until late afternoon, when the kiteboarders started to arrive. We saw eagles and herons and seagulls, discovered shrimp as we slogged in the squishy sand/mud of the tideflats, and soaked up the long overdue rays.

This weekend will be spent gearing up for the annual chaos of the 4th of July. MJ is totally psyched. I have my annual mixed feelings about the whole deal. :-)