Suffering Amongst Us

My poor old brother has suffered a lot, and continues to do so. I have everybody I even remotely know praying up a storm (I hope) that he will get well, for goodness sake.

Of course, this has my elderly mother worried sick. She can't be there, she isn't able to ride that far, walk that far, or even stay, which of course, since he is still in ICU they wouldn't let her anyway.

As you know, I had me a kidney stone a few days ago, which resulted in lots of infection, which has resulted in them powerful antibiotics.

Which has resulted in all sorts of problems.

I woke up in the  middle of last night curled into the fetal position with pain right smack dab where an old ulcer used to live.

I knew I had to have food. But Daughter saw me, and went downstairs for me, and brought me a sugar cookie and a glass of milk.

Awwww.

This worked for about three hours, and I awoke again, in more pain than before. I went into the bathroom and slung junk asunder under the sink until I found a bottle of Zantac and took myself a pill.

In about twenty minutes the pain eased enough for me to go to sleep.

Today has been uncomfortable, but I hope I can tolerate the medication, because I need to get rid of the infection.

However; I am swolle up.

If you ever wondered what a fifty-nine year old woman looks at five months pregnant, I'm your poster child.

And it ain't pretty.

You know it's bad when your sweat pants are too tight.

But in spite of all the misery, there is good news: The doctors have found what the problem is with my brother and hopefully can correct it now.

My first column is coming out in the local paper "The Best of Ellijay Blue Ridge Jasper".

A very popular store in Blue Ridge is taking one of my books, "Out on a Limb of the Family Tree" to sell because they think it will do great.

Daughter  has responded to antibiotics and her throat doesn't look like Armageddon anymore.

See? There is always a silver lining.

Or two.

It's Raining Men er I mean

It's Raining Men Leaves!

For at least two days, non-stop, it has poured leaves. And still there are more on the trees.

I've never seen it quite so fierce or constant.

I suppose (maybe) it's because we had solid green until the cold spell, late, and then BAM! everything changed at once.

So I guess they are all dropping at once.

My cats are delirious. They stalk from window to window, tails swishing sixty miles an hour, watching them fall from the sky. I don't know if they think they are birds, or what. But it is certainly keeping them entertained.

Eli sat in the bathroom for five minutes, looking up at the skylight. He would cry, look at me expectantly, cry, look up, cry. I have no idea what he was expecting me to do, but he clearly did not like what was going on.

It's been an entertainment for me, too.

Other than pacing and racing to the bathroom yesterday, until I passed the kidney stone, I haven't done much.

Now that I'm left with an infection - fever, headache, backache, tummy ache, lying in bed and watching the leaves fall is entertaining for me too.

Okay, okay. It was for about five minutes, then absolute boredom set in and so I whined loudly to anyone who could hear me.

My baby brother gave us a scare last night after doing so well from surgery, but he is stable now, and we are all breathing easier - including him!

I wonder if he can see the leaves fall from his hospital bed. Probably not, being in ICU. He'll come home to bald trees.

Well, I think I'll go back to my well wallowed bed for a little while.

I wonder if it's still raining. Leaves, that is.