Lutz, FL

We haven't posted for a while because almost nothing has happened since our last post. The days have been quiet and void of any sort of excitement. Of course, it would have been easy to go anywhere in the Tampa metroplex -- but we really found we preferred sitting in our son's driveway, doing nothing.

Well, not really nothing. We still have to babysit our surgery patient, and sometimes "babysit" the two grandchildren. But neither is much of a job: Smokey mostly lies and dozes, is very obedient and cooperative. And the two grandchildren are even less trouble -- quiet, obedient, never do anything out-of-line (we keep trying to catch them in something). And it is very rewarding to observe Scott as a successful pastor. So no challenge at all.

Now that he has had his followup x-ray, Smokey is free to travel. Of course it is too late to go over to Texas now, so we talked it over with Scott and decided to hang around for another 12 days -- then head up I-75 towards Columbus. Not looking forward to that.

But when all is said and done, we truly have been fortunate. We were lucky enough to get a referral to a really first-rate orthopod, and our beloved "cell dog" is doing well, medically and psychologically. And it has been wonderful having time with Scott's family -- that never would have been possible without Smokey's medical problem, because we never would have dared impose on one family for so long. Never again will we have so much time with our grandchildren -- and our son and his wife. So things work out.