Another LOOOOONG day. But another one under our belts. Dick is still very breathless and has no appetite. We are bargaining to get the "carbs" he needs into him. Despite his not eating much, his weight is not going down. Maybe that is because of all the fluids they are pumping into him. Anyway. We started this morning with the first visit at 6:00AM again. His nurse, Linda, noticed the breathlessness and wheeled him down to the car in a chair for me. That helped, and we came home and put him to bed for a nap.

I went grocery shopping then and to Walmart for a new toilet seat and some innards for the guest toilet which is running a lot. Then home til we had to leave for the Clinic to have his blood count with Sue. He is right on so SOMETHING is right. She wants to test him on Monday because of all the antibiotics, but has arranged that they can do it in Plymouth which will save at least one trip to Sheboygan.

We stopped at Mother's house to drop off a prescription for her and her money. I had cashed a check for her last week and had not been there to give it to her because of the cold. She hadn't been going anywhere either, so it was not a big deal but I do like to take care of her.

Home again with naps for both of us. When I woke up, I went down to the wine room and worked on the wine, then finished the first square for the Celtic Quilt. I like it but always have a couple of iffy areas. The colors are really lovely.

Dick just had toast and milk for an evening meal. I hope he wants something else later. I had leftover veggies and rice and a crab cake. I had a piece of blueberry bread for dessert.

Then back to Valley View. We got home at about 7:45PM. Much better than the 8:30 to 8:45 regimen with the hour long antibiotic but still a long time.

I was thinking of my ex mother in law, Lily. My thoughts turned to her because Dick asked for a small can of coke (they had brought some small cans one evening) because he doesn't finish a 12 ouncer. Lily found small cans of beer for a while and she liked that. She liked a beer once in a while but usually it got warm before she finished it. Thinking back on it, I am surprised she bought them anyway because they must have been a bit pricey and she was tight. Uncle John MacIntosh always threatened that he was going to come and dig up all the jars of money that she had "buried in the back yard." Lil never drank much because someone told her that a hangover was much like morning sickness. She had experienced that before she drank anything so she saw no sense in putting herself through that.

I may have told you this but you will just have to hear it again. Her sister Ruth and a couple of her work buddies (they cooked lunches at the school) stopped at Lil's one afternoon. They decided to have Margaritas. Lil mixed up a batch and they went through them. Then, since she was out of Tequila, she decided to substitute Vic's 150 proof alcohol for the tequila. Needless to say these ladies were really bombed. So she decided that she had to sober them up before she sent them home and loaded them up in her open topped jeep and drove them around Costa Mesa for a while.

We asked her later why she wasn't drunk too. She said that she had more sense than to drink that stuff.

My ex hated meatloaf. I am sure it was because his Mom used the very cheapest burger she could get and put it on the table swimming in grease. But that woman made great Chili. My recipe came from her. She also made WONDERFUL apple pie. I have her pie crust recipe too.

I also remember that she made an apricot cake that was wonderful. She would fill a greased cake pan (13x9), mix up a yellow cake mix and pour it over all and bake until done. We just don't get good apricots here.

Later

Mary