Yvonne has a website for her comedy club, La Nuit Theater which means "the night" in French(Yvonne is Shirley's niece). The site is: www.lanuittheater.com The entertainment there is a hoot. We cannot recommend it highly enough. A hint, though. Yvonne doesn't have a liquor license so it is BYOB. Saturday night after the performance we attended at the club, we came home and watched "Saturday Night Live." After the live improv exposure we had just had, SNL was BORING.

It's Monday from New Orleans. Sun is shining and temperature is in the 70's. Rose, Shirley, and I flew down Saturday morning. It was a very early flight but our faithful Goldman delivered us to the airport.

Pete called as we were boarding, and he and Janet were in Sedona, AZ. They had been touring all week and enjoying the sights. He hardly believed that I once walked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I did helicopter out or I think I might still be down there.

Shirley's niece, Yvonne, has an impromp theater here in New Orleans. Rose, Shirley, Shirley's sister Loretta, great niece Savannah, and I went to a performance on Saturday night. I was anticipating a long, loud evening. It turned out to be a short-seeming hilarious event. A group of young adults entertained us, and the evening flew by. We went to the early performance and it was nice clean fun. Yvonne said the late show got a bit risque if there were no children there. I imagine that would be even funnier.

Rose and Shirley are going home on Saturday. I had planned to come home then too, but have the opportunity to keep Brayden for a few days so I'm going back early. The Abbotts will give me a hand until Rose and Shirley get back. Goldman and Uncle Ding have offered to help out, too. Jalen asked Scott the other day if it would be OK if he calls Goldman 'Uncle Goldman'.

I have a correction on the last posting. Rose added Joe's update for me but I had thought Joe's cardiologist was a woman. As Kelly Felin used to say "Her's a him".

Joe told me he had seen his cardiologist. In asking him in an e-mail about the meeting, I referred to the person as "he." This is Joe's response:

"She is a he, Dr. David Zolgafhari, MD. It was a very interesting and enjoyable visit. He said he keeps hearing about me from his friends and colleagues. He is the surgeon that did the surgery. Dr. Z also is a member of Hickory Hill Country (per Lisa). My heart Dr. is Dr. Anderson (same office) who is married to the dermatologist Lydia sees. The Heart Dr and dermatologist spouse have two sons who are Mary's past students! One son is now in Lisa's Spanish class and going to Costa Rica this summer with Lisa, Lydia and the rest of the group. Dr. Z said he decided to look at my recent Dr. charts from recent visits (to other Doctors) and then decided to call me in. Everything is real good but he explained the incision hernia in more detail. He visited for probably 15 minutes and mentioned being from Phila, PA and rarely having any contact with any of his patients outside the office (in Phila). He said it is nice to go to Home Depot, etc., and bump into people he knows and know him. I mentioned being stationed in Phila. and the NIKE missile base near his old stomping grounds. It was news to him as guess it was pretty well closed down before he was born.

Moral of the story, I now know what my son went through in high school. Anything he did, even on the ski trip to Colorado, got back to us before he returned."

This entry is a correction of my earlier post of today. Jana is Bobby's daughter - not grandaughter. She is, of course, Bob's grandaughter. Her mother, Cindy, Bobby's widow, is undergoing chemo and Cindy's oncologist has a newer chemo treatment he may administer if the current chemo doesn't continue to stabilize her condition. Keep her in your prayers, too.

At times the love and caring of a wonderful family and circle of friends keeps me going.

It's Tuesday morning and the snow is finally almost gone. It is warming up which I hope is a sign that Spring is just around the corner. Remember that old saying - If winter's here, spring can't be far behind.

I heard from Pete, Joe, and Bernie, among others this weekend, all calling to check on me and to cheer me up. Bernie and Maudie were in Casa Verde, Az., and looking forward to going back to Spokane. Bernie sounded a bit homesick. Kay-Kay, as we called her when she was a little girl, is going to make the trip with them and then fly back to Mesa. Joe has an appointment with his cardiologist tomorrow to check a small hernia in his incision. He didn't seem to think it was anything to worry about and Norm showed me he has one, too, and it is nothing to worry about, but Joe, keep us updated.

Pete and Janet are going to head for Idaho on the 13th. They're spending one night at Circus-Circus in Las Vegas enroute but Pete says they aren't going to gamble. As Aunt Mit used to say "I've heard bugs poop underwater before". Pete and I agreed that gamblers are like fishermen. It's not that all fishermen are liars. It's just that a lot of liars fish.

Goldman took me to the Abbotts on Saturday. Margaret and I aggravated Norm Saturday night reminiscing about old times. He gets tired of our laughing and arguing about what really happened 50 or 60 years ago. Chris picked me up Sunday and took me home and Shirley and I watched a couple episodes of Desperate Housewives Sunday night.

Jana {Bobby's grandaughter} and John called Sunday night to see if we could watch baby Ellie yesterday. Their daycare had President's Day off and they didn't. They brought her over Sunday night and she slept through the night on a pallet in Shirley's room. She is almost walking and a joy to have. Shirley and I spent the day being entertained by her. She seemed to like Shirley best and then me, but when Dad and Mom got here to pick her up, she would have nothing to do with either of us. Rose is coming back from Chicago today and hated missing our day with Ellie.

My neuromuscular condition hasn't made any notable change for the better or worse since the IVIG's I had last week. I have had a few mini-seizures but I'm still hope the adjusting of the medications will remedy that. The neurologist told me that I've developed anemia but I have to see a different doctor about that. I only weighed 109.5 yesterday morning. Rose and Shirley can't lose weight and, much to their chargrin, I can't seem to gain. They would like to develop just a touch of anorexia.

Again, I hope I don't sound too down in the dumps. Keep praying.

It's Saturday morning and we have a bit of new snow on the ground, but the temperature isn't quite so cold. Rose has to go to Chicago this morning for a workshop and to see clients. She'll be back Tuesday. Shirley and I are going to watch some of the previous seasons of 'Desperate Housewives', our new addiction. We joined Netflix some time ago but it takes 3 or 4 days for us to get new episodes so we guilt Chris into getting them at Blockbuster and that is much quicker. We're like Mom was when she watched 'As the World Turns'.

I didn't intend to sound hopeless in my last blog. There is still no definite diagnosis for my condition. There are some neuropathy cases that defy diagnosis and baffle the experts. I may be one of those. Keep praying. I am surrounded by loving caring people. The list would be too long for this blog. Rose and Shirley, ALL the Abbotts, Chris and Shelly, Scott and family, Goldman, - just to mention a few. My faithful blog readers keep abreast of my ups and downs and trials and tribulations. Shelly thinks Goldman will definitely go to heaven someday even though he IS a Jew.

Everyone helps me whenever I need it. I was talking to Brayden yesterday and told him I was going to come over to Louisville and kick his dad's butt. He said, "Granny, you can't because you are old and have bad hands, but I'll help you and we'll do a wrestling move on him".

Rose's flight is on time so she's scurrying around to get things together. Goldman is coming over to take her to the airport. Chicago is always cold. Sandi, are you basking in the sun while we are shivering in frigid Missouri?

It's a cold Friday morning after an extremely cold week. We have some snow on the ground but not enough for another snow bear. Rose's snow bear builder helper celebrated his fourth birthday on the 12th. Scott, Sherry, and Jalen took him to Chuckie Cheese for supper and then to the circus. When he was going to be four, he told Scott that Scott wouldn't have to carry him around anymore. His leg was in "great pain" though at the circus except at an intermission when all the kids could go play on an indoor playground. He made an amazing recovery when the intermission started but suffered a terrible relapse when the intermission ended.

Scott has totaled two cars in the last week. Chris has offered to give him a refresher course in driver's education. He had one of them on the way home from work on the night before the circus. He got a bit banged up in that one but HAD to go to the circus because the boys were so looking forward to it. He's considering buying a four door pickup now. He had a Saturn station wagon vehicle but was incensed when anyone referred to it as a station wagon. He always referred to it as his 'truck'.

Rose took me to Barnes-Jewish hospital for my second IVIG treatment on Wednesday. It was a rather disheartening over night stay. The neurologists were disappointed in my lack of strength gain. The IVIG treatment usually produces a more remarkable improvement than the one that I had last month. I have had IVIG's before, the first one in November, 2004, and periodic ones since. If my improvement has been because of the IVIG's, it has always been gradual. Dr. Lopate is now leaning toward whatever I have being degenerative rather than autoimmune. I go back to see him in a month at which time we will discuss other possible treatments or continuing the IVIG's. Dr. Lopate said other possible treatments carry a greater risk of side effects, including death. Keep praying for me. Jalen was praying one night at supper and he asked God to "help Granny because she needs a lot of help." I do.

I'll try to pick up where I left off. Joe's computer is now back in operation. Rose and Shirley are back from their sad trip to Louisiana. I had a wonderful weekend with the Abbotts. Catrina, Robbie, and Lizzie were there for supper on Saturday evening. Margaret made one of her down home fried chicken dinners with lemon meringue pie for dessert. Sabrina, Alex, and Bret came after dinner because the boys wanted to play Trivial Pursuit with Margaret and Norman. Sabrina didn't play and was ready to leave long before the boys were. What a great compliment to Marge and Norm!

Goldman has been wonderful about taking care of us three old ladies but he nearly blew it on Saturday. He and I stopped at the casino last Saturday after dropping Rose and Shirley at the airport as we were enroute to the Abbotts. I was playing one machine and Goldman was playing one in a different row but kept coming over to make sure I didn't need anything. There was an elderly man at the machine next to me and when he left he told me that my 'husband' could have that machine if he wanted it. When I told Goldman this he got a worried look on his face and exclaimed "I must look really old today". I told him to get his foot out of his mouth because I was sure the man thought I looked really young.

Chris took me to the Barnes-Jewish Seizure Clinic on Monday for the appointment I've waited for for almost two months. [It was the miniseizures that caused me to look for a new neurologist in December, but the Barnes-Jewish neurologist deals only with neuromuscular issues. He, in turn, sent me to this Clinic, after more waiting to get another appointment.] This doctor, a woman, thinks the seizures can be controlled by simply changing my medications. I am a good candidate for this to work since medication worked so well before. She says the seizures are most likely an aftermath of the encephalitis and, like the other neurologists, doesn't think the neuromuscular condition and the seizures are related.

Margaret and I found a phone number for Wanda and called her this weekend. She still lives in Okeechobee but will move to Alabama with a daughter when her place finally sells. Ricky is doing well and was there when we talked to Wanda. The deadly storms in Florida weren't close to her.

Norman still has some pain in his fingers from his snowblowing incident. He has to see the doctor again today. He and Margaret seem to be really enjoying their retirement. They have a daily routine which my presence disrupts, but he takes the disruption well.

Pete, you never did say who sends the check for the refrigerator replacement.

Good morning from St. Louis. Temperature here is about 15 and I don't know - or want to know - what the wind chill is. Our furnace wasn't working one morning this week but it turned out to be a minor thing and the repairman got here before we froze.

We had some bad news this week. Shirley's brother-in-law, Clark, died in the middle of the night on Thursday. He had been very ill for quite some time. His widow, Shirley's sister, Loretta, is our vacationing card playing companion. She is our fourth Golden Girl anytime we have the opportunity to be with her. Rose and Shirley are leaving this afternoon for Louisiana to attend the services and to help comfort Loretta and her children. Their son, Michael, lives here in St. Louis and he and his fiance, Leslie, were already in Louisiana. Their daughter, Yvonne, and grandaughter, Savannah, live near Loretta. Shirley is their 'Aunt Rose' and Loretta's 'sister Sue'.

I have the appointment with the seizure clinic on Monday. It took weeks to get the appointment so I don't want to cancel it and decided not to go to Louisiana. Goldman and I will drop Rose and Shirley at the airport this afternoon and then Goldman will take me to the Abbotts. Chris will accompany me on Monday so he can again list my occupation as exotic dancer. The other doctors didn't seem to believe him so he's going to try to convince this new group.

Joe's generator blew out his computer and I guess it's still in the shop since we haven't had any emails from him. He said it's three years old. Pete claims that if you replace a refrigerator every seven years, it will pay for itself. Maybe computers are similar and have a three year economic span. Pete, I replaced my refrigerator at the lake a couple years ago and I'm still waiting for a check. Who's supposed to send it?

I can't tell a lot of improvement from the first two new IVIG's yet, but improvement was slow and very gradual when I had these treatments before. My next infusions will begin Valentine's Day. I'll have to stay overnight in the hospital again which I think is totally unnecessary and makes a long night.

Does anyone keep in touch with Wanda Jean? These awful storms in Florida has made us really think about her and we wonder how she and her family are doing.

Pete just called for his weekly update. He had a birthday this week but didn't do much celebrating since "Ma" had a cold. Bernie and Maudie are nearby and Pete told Bernie that he was an expert at hooking up satellite dishes and volunteered to hook up Bernie's. He had to admit to Bernie after several attempts that he didn't know as much as he thought he did. Is this an inherited trait that we all have, exaggerating our expertise?

The guys are organizing their annual work week at the lake for the last week in March. In reality, Doug tells them how and what to do and has to watch to be sure they do it right. Goldman claims that he can now pull nails out of boards without supervision. Doug, how many years and nails did it take to teach him this? Their project this year is making the deck one level which means fewer steps for me and also so we spread out a bit because we tend to group around just one of the tables. Goldman does most of the cooking during that week except for breakfast. Breakfast is Scott's task and he can never cook too much bacon. Goldman always cooks brisket using his grandmother's recipe at least once and it's always a mover. I don't think they have any sit down organized meals. They eat either when they get hungry or when the food is ready - or both.