UPDATE

Posting has been erratic lately, mainly because of computer problems.  My computer is now in the capable hands of my tech-savvy son-in-law who will a) fix it, or b) give it Last Rites.  In the meantime, he has loaned us one of seventy-two zillion computers -- we are back in business, baby!

KITTY'S LEG

The wound-vac is off!  Woot!

On our visit a week ago, Kitty's wounds were so improved that the doctor said the wound-vac was no longer needed.  A visit to the surgeon the next day also gave us good news.  Although we are still going to the wound clinic on a weekly basis, we don't have to follow up with the surgeon for two months.  I suspect we will only have two or three more visits to the wound clinic before she gets a final okay.

Papa divot (the one that was really big) is almost completely healed.  There is still a lot of hard keloid scarring that will have to be broken up over the next few months and Kitty will probably have a permanent dimple just above her knee, but I think dimples are cute. 

Mama divot (the one that had the tunneling that had to be opened) is shrinking like crazy.  Kitty is still packing the wound with medi-honey, but we are very pleased with the progress.

Baby divot has healed long ago.

Now the she doesn't have to carry the wound-vac and its bothersome tubing everywhere with her, Kitty is getting cocky.  She finds herself moving around the house without her walker or her canes.  She has to continually remind herself to be more cautious.  But she's happy and can now sleep in just about any position.

The pain is still there, but it seems to be mostly muscle pain -- something expected for some time to come, especially once she starts regular physical therapy to strengthen her thigh muscles.  Her range of motion (without the PT) is close to perfect.

Last Tuesday, the wound center called the wound-vac people and told them to come and pick it up.  The wound-vac people (of course) never bothered to.  I called them yesterday and made arrangements for the device to be picked up tomorrow.   I wonder if they are going to charge me for that week, especially since their latest bill included almost $500 that had been previously paid.  We all have to try to make a buck somehow, I guess.

With the wound-vac gone, so to is our visiting nurse.   The nurse spent almost all of her last visit telling Kitty how much she would miss her.   Friendly and non-grumpy patients are evidently few and far between.

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC

Grandson Mark was chosen for his middle school festival band, an invitation-only group that played at the all-county festival last week, judged by four professionals from outside the county.  Although not a competition, each band was judged and rated.   Mark's band received the highest possible rating, equivalent to an A+.   I don't know if any of the other bands got the same high rating, but his former music teacher told us that everybody is talking about the band's performance -- I gather they were very impressive.  I know they impressed us and knocked the socks off the few other bands we stayed to hear.

Then, on Saturday, fifth-grader Erin and her friend Chloee (two e's) performed a flute duet in front of a professional critiquer.  This was a volunteer activity that the county music departments offered.  A perfect performance and they received a lot of helpful advice and a celebratory luch at 5 Guys.

It was a pleasure to watch Mark and Erin, as well as the other kids.  They all worked hard and performed well.  I've mentioned before how important I think the arts are in our schools.

KANGAROO

The Kangaroo has a new trick.  He can blow raspberries.  Feeding him sweet potatoes is now a challenge.

There is some concern about his development.  He's eight months old now and cannot (will not?) sit up by himself -- something that should have happened at six months.  A child developmental specialist has been examining him and she freely admits he has her puzzled.  He hasn't followed the normal developmental path, nor is he following one that babies born with a drug addiction usually follow.  I am concerned about his future devlopment.  It looks like therapists will be "patterning" him over the next few months.  He's not crawling, either, but hitches himself all over the place and manages to find everything he shouldn't.  He keeps us on our toes. 

In any event, the kangaroo is happy and smiling and loves to laugh.  Kitty is determined that his first word will be "Nana."

He and his sister had to appear at a court hearing yesterday and it appears that Christina will be fostering them through August, at the very least.  The fact that their mother, grandmother, and aunt were recently busted for possession with intent in a raid on their house might have had something to do with this.  Sadly, every generation has its throwaway kids; I hope these two will not be among them.  I applaud Christina and Walt for doing what they can to ensure they are loved and safe, at least for the time the courts allow them.

JUST A BIT OF HAPPY BRAGGIN'

No matter how long I live and no matter what the future holds for me, I have the knowledge that, at one time in my life, I did something completely, totally right.  That was forty-three years ago today when I married Kitty.  I thought then, and I think now, "I'm the luckiest man on earth."   She is as beautiful today as the day I met her.  She still melts my heart.