Columbus OH

I suppose we should apologize once again for our tardiness. Our excuse is that it has been a very busy two weeks (that's not a surprise, is it?).

First, the most important news. Bobbi had her surgery as scheduled on the morning of the 13th (it was still dark out, but we did manage to make it in time to wait around for an hour). The surgeon came out about 9 to report in glowing terms how well the surgery had gone, and Bobbi was back in recovery by 9 -- stoned out of her mind! Takes me back to 1969.

Since she woke up, Bobbi has made slow but steady progress. Tuesday she remained rather out-of-it, but by the next day was in sufficient contact to complain after her nerve block wore off. Pain was the major issue the next few days, but she was scheduled for release that Friday (the 16th). The house had been all prepared, with a hospital bed and various other assistive paraphenalia.

However, it had snowed heavily of the 13th and over some of the succeeding days, after which the temperatures plunged even below zero. This left a heavy blanket of snow on the ground. Now the house has no walkways -- only stepping stones, which become like ball bearings when a layer of ice or compacted snow is over them (and there was). The lawn is old, and with exposed tree roots the rest of the yard is quite uneven, endangering one's ankles even in the summer. So the family put its collective feet down and insisted she could not get from a vehicle into the house without a gurney. The hospital grumbled, but eventually got to work and transferred Bobbi to a rehab center.

Since the transfer Bobbi has continued to improve over the weekend and was even walking around a bit today -- but people still haven't solved the problem of getting her into the house without a gurney.

So the pets and Lew will spend another night in the house without Bobbi, while Paul stays with her as a private duty nurse. And it remains to be seen what they do when it comes time to discharge her.

Keep tuned.