Aug. 13, 2003 - 21:07 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Summing Up

Thinking over the last few months, it has been busy, some hairy stuff and a lot of fun stuff.

Seeing loved ones going into nursing homes is heartbreaking, at least for us it is. Heather's older sister with Alzheimers, almost terminal now been in a nursing home several years now. Her husband went in about the same time. It was another family that the woman was all. He had his hobbies 'til his eyesight kept him from being able to tie flys for fishing, too weak to use his shopsmith, but essentially it was her that kept track. Then her brother (he and I are contemporaries) who we visited quite often had to go into a facility about a month ago, seems to have withdrawn from the world. Much of our time has been spent visiting kin.

Our youngest son, almost through his course of radiation for cancer of the larynx. Our family has spent a lot of time with and for him, house cleaning and such, preparing food and taking it over and just plain visiting when we can.

Then we had our daughter and her family with us for about a month, what a grand time we had.

With all that was going on Heather had a stretch in hospital, which kept me busy and busier when she came home. Then here a bit of time ago I had a bout of respiratory trouble, my usual saline mist and tussin etc. wasn't cutting it. Being worn out I finally went to the doctor, was diagnosed with bronchitis (although the hurt wasn't there), was prescribed antibiotics, other medications and my oxygen up from 2 liters an hour to 3 liters an hour and finally pulled out of that.

Was trying to get going today and accomplish something, no response when I pushed on the accelerator. Then it dawned on me. No medicine walks as John terms it. I haven't been out every day exercising like we were doing before. Man what a bummer. It is obvious to me that I had better get with the program, exercise and bring my energy level up.

So, tonight drowsily at 9:30 the procedure is as I followed it. Which arrives at a sensible summit and points me in the direction I should go. Think first, then the Summing Up . . . . . . . . .

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