Boy has this been a couple of days of events.
Tuesday afternoon I went to school to pick up Michael jr to take him to the podiatrist, while Michael sr was to pick up Brendan and Aidan at their bus stop to take Aidan to get a flu shot. Fortunately I got lost looking for the podiatrist's office. This enabled me to get the call from the bus driver telling me that no one was at the bus stop to pick up the children. (Great concern gripped me at this point wondering where in the world Michael sr. was. He had still been feeling badly, but he needed to pick up the boys for the flu shot) The bus driver said she was unable to get Michael sr on the phone and she was letting me know that she still had B and A on the bus with her and wanted to know what she was supposed to do. I arranged with her to pick B and A up at the junior high when she finished her junior high run. I returned to the junior high, after not being able to reach Michael sr on his phone and picked up B and A and went home. All the time worrying, praying and wondering what in the world had happened with Michael sr. When we got home I found Michael sr. phone on his phone jack in his bedroom so I knew he had not received any of the calls because his phone was not with hom. This answered the question of why I received no answer from him, but my concern now grew because I knew he had no way to summon help if something had happened to him. He had not been feeling all that good, but he was better.

At about 5 o'clock he came into the house so glad the boys were here but stripping off his shirt and getting out an alcohol swab and a needle and telling me I was going to have to help him. I needed to swab his wound and puncture the large lump at the surgery site and releave the pressure of the build-up of fluid. He gave me a towel because he said a lot of fluid would gush out when I punctured the lump. When I punctured the wound (Can you believe I did that? There was no time to balk, because he was in extreme pain and it had to be done.) When I punctured the lump at the surgery site, nothing came out. He got up immediately put on his shirt, and said he had to get to the ER. The concern was that since no fluid came out when I punctured the wound, the lump was caused by either pus,indicating an infection, or blood,indicating a normal collection of blood in the bruise caused by the surgery. The hospital got 5cc of blood from the lump. Then Michael sr returned home. He said he had missed the bus (he got to the bus stop by 2:40 but the bus had been by at 2:30 which was very early for the bus. Michael had missed it nonetheless. Because Michael sr, unlike me, is not in the habit of missing the bus, he didnt realize he could trace the bus route, locate the bus, and pick up the boys. He had returned to school and, unable to locate them, was in a panic, but the pain at his ound site was getting so great he returned home hoping we would be there. He was greatly releaved that we were there, but then his emergency situation took precedence.

Right now he is in a lot of pain. His chills and sweats have vanished and he is left with just the pain. His original arm pain has returned. He said that was to be expected since the steriods he had been given after surgery had kept the muscles from swelling from the surgery trauma. Since the steriods have now worn off, the pain would return for period of time. He says he just has to be patient. he also said he has not been able to get any sleep because of the pain. This, of course, has been the story for the months I have been here.


This afternoon he picked up the boys. I fixed dinner for all of us and put the children to bed after he read them a chapter from their on-going book-before-bedtime.

this mornig i took the boys to school and then went to the Lexus dealership so my car could be checked out: dashboard indicator lights and the battery and stuff. I received a free loaner car--one of the blessings that comes with taking your lexus to a delership with an appointment for service. Then I went to Borders books and ordered a Christmas book Vicki had recomended. I also got my nails done. I went to the butcher and returned home and fixed dinner for the boys as I mentioned before.

I will return the rental car after driving the boys to school Thursday morning.

Presently Brendan is on the hard wood floors beside my bed and Aidan is in the bed with me. My mercy. The bed is a single bed with some stuff on it so we haredly have any room, but Aidan is fast asleep now and he wasnt before he got in my bed. These boys do bring me joy, although the joy does not always mean a good night's rest. I will take a nap tomorrow. Right now it is 2a.m so i guess I mean later today I will take a nap.

My left knee is really really bad. I am unable to walk without a cane and even with a cane, I have a very difficult time. I probably need to be walking with the walker, but as I have mentioned before I am too embarrassed to use the walker.

I will attempt to get back in the bed and sleep a bit prior to arising for another day with the Indiana Kelley men.

May God richly bless you, my loved ones. jk